Dundas, Ontario
Encyclopedia
Dundas is a formerly independent town and now constituent community in the city of Hamilton
Hamilton, Ontario
Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Conceived by George Hamilton when he purchased the Durand farm shortly after the War of 1812, Hamilton has become the centre of a densely populated and industrialized region at the west end of Lake Ontario known as the Golden Horseshoe...
in Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. It's nickname is the Valley Town. The population has been stable for decades at about twenty thousand, largely because it has not annexed rural land from the protected Dundas Valley Conservation Area
Dundas Valley Conservation Area
Dundas Valley Conservation Area is located on the Niagara Escarpment in Dundas, Ontario, a constituent community of Hamilton, Ontario, and is owned and operated by the Hamilton Conservation Authority. Its 40-kilometre trail system provides a connection to the Bruce Trail...
.
Notable events are the Buskerfest in early June, and the Dundas Cactus Festival
Dundas Cactus Festival
The Dundas Cactus Festival occurs on the third weekend of August in Dundas, Ontario, Canada. The midway is opened on Wednesday and with King Street blocked off from York Road to Market Street there is a parade on Thursday evening....
in August.
History and politics to 1974
The town of Dundas was incorporated in 1847 as part of Wentworth CountyWentworth County, Ontario
Wentworth County, area , is a historic county in the Canadian province of Ontario.It was created in 1816 as part of the Gore District in what was then Upper Canada and later Canada West...
. It was named by John Graves Simcoe
John Graves Simcoe
John Graves Simcoe was a British army officer and the first Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada from 1791–1796. Then frontier, this was modern-day southern Ontario and the watersheds of Georgian Bay and Lake Superior...
, Lieutenant Governor
Lieutenant governor
A lieutenant governor or lieutenant-governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction, but is often the deputy or lieutenant to or ranking under a governor — a "second-in-command"...
of Upper Canada
Upper Canada
The Province of Upper Canada was a political division in British Canada established in 1791 by the British Empire to govern the central third of the lands in British North America and to accommodate Loyalist refugees from the United States of America after the American Revolution...
, for his friend Henry Dundas, 1st Viscount Melville
Henry Dundas, 1st Viscount Melville
Henry Dundas, 1st Viscount Melville PC and Baron Dunira was a Scottish lawyer and politician. He was the first Secretary of State for War and the last person to be impeached in the United Kingdom....
, a Scottish lawyer and politician who never visited North America. Prior to be called "Dundas" the town was called Coote’s Paradise, and renamed after 1814 to Dundas.
In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, Dundas enjoyed considerable economic prosperity through its access to Lake Ontario
Lake Ontario
Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded on the north and southwest by the Canadian province of Ontario, and on the south by the American state of New York. Ontario, Canada's most populous province, was named for the lake. In the Wyandot language, ontarío means...
via the Desjardins Canal
Desjardins Canal
The Desjardins Canal, named after its promoter Pierre Desjardins, was built to give Dundas, Ontario, easier access to Lake Ontario and the Great Lakes system of North America...
, and was an important town in Upper Canada and Canada West. It was later surpassed as the economic powerhouse of the area by Hamilton, but for decades it led in importance. A number of Ontario cities (including Toronto) retain streets named Dundas Street, which serve as evidence of its onetime importance. Dundas was once the terminus of Toronto's Dundas Street (also known as Highway 5), one of the earliest routes used by Ontario's first settlers.
With the establishment of McMaster University
McMaster University
McMaster University is a public research university whose main campus is located in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on of land in the residential neighbourhood of Westdale, adjacent to Hamilton's Royal Botanical Gardens...
in nearby west Hamilton
Hamilton, Ontario
Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Conceived by George Hamilton when he purchased the Durand farm shortly after the War of 1812, Hamilton has become the centre of a densely populated and industrialized region at the west end of Lake Ontario known as the Golden Horseshoe...
in 1930, Dundas gradually became a bedroom community of the university faculty and students, with a thriving arts community. Dundas has a large community of potters and several studio shows/walking tours of the town feature their work each year.
History and politics 1974-2001
Demographics
The 2001 census population of Dundas was 24,394. By the 2006 census, the population had increased slightly, to 24,702.The racial make-up is:
- 97.49% WhiteWhite peopleWhite people is a term which usually refers to human beings characterized, at least in part, by the light pigmentation of their skin...
- 2.5% AsianAsian peopleAsian people or Asiatic people is a term with multiple meanings that refers to people who descend from a portion of Asia's population.- Central Asia :...
- 0.01% Black
The main religions:
- 43.5% CatholicCatholicThe word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
- 26.9% Protestant
- 3.8% other ChristianChristianA Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
- 5.8% other religion
- 20% no religionReligionReligion is a collection of cultural systems, belief systems, and worldviews that establishes symbols that relate humanity to spirituality and, sometimes, to moral values. Many religions have narratives, symbols, traditions and sacred histories that are intended to give meaning to life or to...
Age Structure:
- 0–14 years: 18.2%
- 15–64 years: 63.7%
- 65 years and over: 18.1%
Fine Arts
The Carnegie Gallery is housed in the 1910 Carnegie library
Carnegie library
A Carnegie library is a library built with money donated by Scottish-American businessman and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie. 2,509 Carnegie libraries were built between 1883 and 1929, including some belonging to public and university library systems...
building and celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2005. It is run by the Dundas Art & Craft Association and hosts art exhibitions, book readings, concerts and a gift shop.
Music
"Dundas, Ontario" is also the title of a song from the album Start Breaking My Heart by the artist CaribouCaribou (musician)
Daniel Victor Snaith is a composer, musician and recording artist under stage names Caribou, Manitoba and Daphni. Under the supervision of Kevin Buzzard, he obtained a PhD in mathematics at Imperial College London.- Career:...
(formerly Manitoba), a native of the town. Dundas' sobriquet The Valley Town is used as the title of a song on the album Mountain Meadows
Mountain Meadows
Mountain Meadows may refer to:*Mountain Meadows, Utah, most known for the massacre in 1857**Mountain Meadows massacre, the 1857 killing of emigrants in a wagon train*Mountain Meadows , a 2008 album by Elliott Brood...
by the band Elliott Brood
Elliott Brood
Elliott BROOD is a three-piece, alt-country band from Toronto, Ontario, Canada, consisting of Mark Sasso on lead vocals, guitar, banjo, ukulele, and harmonica, Casey Laforet on guitar, backing vocals, bass pedals, keys and ukulele and Stephen Pitkin on percussion, sampler and backing vocals...
; one of the band members, Casey Laforet, spent part of his childhood in Dundas. The town has produced other independent artists including Junior Boys
Junior Boys
-History:Junior Boys formed in 1999 in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada as a duo of Jeremy Greenspan and Johnny Dark. Years of collaboration followed and a demo was produced, but after many rejections and near-misses, they were resigned to being bedroom beat constructors. Soon after, Johnny Dark left the...
, Koushik
Koushik
Koushik Ghosh is a Canadian electronic musician from Dundas, Ontario. Koushik is signed to Stones Throw Records and has released a collection of singles and EPs from 2001–2005 on that label, Be With , and the debut full length, Out my Window...
, and smaller bands such as Winter Equinox
Winter Equinox
Winter Equinox were a post-rock/experimental band hailing from Dundas & Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, formed in May 2004.The band was a mainly instrumental quartet that created music with elements of post-rock, electronic, glitch, and experimental sounds...
. folk singer
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
Stan Rogers
Stan Rogers
Stanley Allison "Stan" Rogers was a Canadian folk musician and songwriter.Rogers was noted for his rich, baritone voice and his finely crafted, traditional-sounding songs which were frequently inspired by Canadian history and the daily lives of working people, especially those from the fishing...
, who died in an airplane crash in 1983, was born in Dundas as well. He is best remembered for his unofficial Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
anthem
Anthem
The term anthem means either a specific form of Anglican church music , or more generally, a song of celebration, usually acting as a symbol for a distinct group of people, as in the term "national anthem" or "sports anthem".-Etymology:The word is derived from the Greek via Old English , a word...
.
Dundas is home to the Dundas Valley Orchestra. The DVO is an amateur, community orchestra and was founded in the fall of 1978 by Arthur Vogt. Many have made the DVO a way station on route to successful musical careers. Former conductors include Rosemary Thomson
Rosemary Thomson
Rosemary Thomson is a Canadian conductor and chorus master. As of 2011, she is the Music Director of the Okanagan Symphony Orchestra, chorus master of the Calgary Philharmonic, and Assistant Conductor for the Canadian Opera Company...
, Michael Hall, Stephane Potvin. The DVO is currently conducted by Dr. Glenn Alan Mallory.
Film
Because of Dundas' 19th century downtown architectureArchitecture
Architecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural and political symbols and as works of art...
, films such as Haven
Haven (film)
Haven is a 2004 feature film set in the Cayman Islands, a British offshore financial centre. The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2004. It is written and directed by native Caymanian Frank E...
, Cabin Fever, Wrong Turn
Wrong Turn
Wrong Turn is a 2003 American slasher horror film, directed by Rob Schmidt, and written by Alan B. McElroy. The film was shot in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada and stars Desmond Harrington and Eliza Dushku...
, and others have made use of its location. In December 2005, major filming was completed for Man of the Year
Man of the Year (2006 film)
Man of the Year is a 2006 Comedy film directed and written by Barry Levinson and starring Robin Williams in the lead role. In addition to Williams, the film features Christopher Walken, Laura Linney, Lewis Black and Jeff Goldblum....
, starring Robin Williams
Robin Williams
Robin McLaurin Williams is an American actor and comedian. Rising to fame with his role as the alien Mork in the TV series Mork and Mindy, and later stand-up comedy work, Williams has performed in many feature films since 1980. He won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance...
and Brodie Beard. Mr. Williams delighted townsfolk, taking time for pictures and autographs in the downtown core.
In early December 2004, The West Wing did some filming; remaking parts of Dundas (Town hall, a residence, and Deluxe Restaurant) into New Hampshire
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
locales. The three episodes aired in late January and early February 2005. Several dozen fans of the show braved chilly weather to witness the snail's pace of television filming and grab autographs and photos with celebrities.
From 2004-2007 parts of the YTV program Dark Oracle were also filmed in Dundas.
Sports
The Dundas BluesDundas Blues
The Dundas Blues are a Canadian junior ice hockey team based in Dundas, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Eastern Division of the Niagara & District Junior C Hockey League of the Ontario Hockey Association.-History:...
are a junior ice hockey
Junior ice hockey
Junior hockey is a catch-all term used to describe various levels of ice hockey competition for players generally between 16 and 20 years of age...
team from Dundas, they play in the Niagara & District Junior C Hockey League
Niagara & District Junior C Hockey League
The Niagara & District Junior C Hockey League is a Junior "C" ice hockey league in Ontario, Canada, sanctioned by the Ontario Hockey Association. The Champion of the Niagara will compete for the All-Ontario Championship and the Clarence Schmalz Cup.-History:...
.
The Dundas Real McCoys
Dundas Real McCoys
The Dundas Real McCoys are a Senior "AAA" ice hockey team based out of Dundas, Ontario. They play in the Ontario Hockey Association's Major League Hockey.-History:...
are a senior ice hockey
Senior ice hockey
Senior hockey refers to amateur or semi-professional ice hockey competition for players too old to play junior ice hockey. The top senior amateur teams in Canadian leagues compete annually for the Allan Cup....
team from Dundas, they play in the Ontario Hockey Association
Ontario Hockey Association
The Ontario Hockey Association is the governing body for the majority of Junior and Senior level ice hockey teams in the Province of Ontario. The OHA is sanctioned by the Ontario Hockey Federation along with the Northern Ontario Hockey Association. Other Ontario sanctioning bodies along with the...
's Major League Hockey
Major League Hockey
Allan Cup Hockey is the top tier Canadian Senior ice hockey league in the province of Ontario. As a member of the Ontario Hockey Association and Hockey Canada, the league contends for the famed Allan Cup. The league came to its latest incarnation when it lost several teams leaving it with two...
. The Real McCoys won the 1986 Hardy Cup
Hardy Cup
The W. G. Hardy Trophy, more commonly referred to as the Hardy Cup, was the Canadian national Intermediate "A" ice hockey championship from 1967 until 1984. From 1985 until 1990, the Hardy Cup was the Canadian national senior championship for Senior "AA" after senior and intermediate hockey were...
as Senior "AA" Champions of Canada.
On April 3, 2010, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman
Gary Bettman
Gary Bruce Bettman is the commissioner of the National Hockey League , a post he has held since February 1, 1993. Previously, Bettman was a senior vice-president and general counsel to the National Basketball Association...
named Dundas the winner of the 2010 Kraft Hockeyville competition during a live announcement on Hockey Night in Canada
Hockey Night in Canada
Hockey Night in Canada is the branding used for CBC Sports' presentations of the National Hockey League...
. As a result of being named the winner, the community received $100,000 CAD in arena upgrades, and got to host an NHL pre-season game between the Ottawa Senators
Ottawa Senators
The Ottawa Senators are a professional ice hockey team based in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
and Buffalo Sabres
Buffalo Sabres
The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League .-Founding and early success: 1970-71—1980-81:...
prior to the 2010-11 season.
Schools
- Dundas Central PublicDundas Central Public SchoolDundas Central Public School is a primary school located in Dundas, Ontario. It teaches students kindegarten to grade 8. Dundas Central is the second oldest school in Ontario. Dundas Central celebrated its 150th Anniversary on June 16, 2007....
- Elementary School - Dundana - Elementary School
- Yorkview - Elementary School
- Dundas Valley Montessori School - Private Elementary School
- Sir William OslerSir William Osler Elementary School (Dundas)Sir William Osler Elementary School is an elementary school located in Dundas, Ontario, and is under the jurisdiction of the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board. It opened on November 13, 2007, and is directly across from Highland Secondary School. It was built to replace various elementary...
- Elementary School - St. Augustine - Catholic Elementary
- St. Bernadette - Catholic Elementary
- Dundas District - Middle School (Closed November 5, 2007)
- Parkside - High School
- HighlandHighland Secondary School (Dundas)Highland Secondary School is a high school in Dundas, Ontario that opened in 1966. The school is a member of the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board, in Ward 13. Highland was originally conceived to be 25% Academic and 75% Vocational, but has since evolved into a fully comprehensive secondary...
- High School - Dundas Calvin Christian School - Private Elementary School
- Pleasant Valley - Elementary School (Closed)
- Central Park - Elementary School (Closed)
- Dundas District - High School (Closed June 1982)
Geography
Waterfalls
Dundas has many waterfalls within its region. The two most common visited waterfalls are Webster's Falls (named after Joseph Webster) and Tew's Falls. Both waterfalls are accessible by the Bruce trail leading to the Dundas Peninsula.In 1819, Joseph Webster purchased property on the escarpment above Dundas, including the waterfall which still bears his family's name. In 1856, his son built a huge stone flour mill just above the falls but it was destroyed by fire in 1898. After the fire one of the first hydro-electric generators in Ontario was built at the base of the falls. In 1931, a former Dundas mayor, Colonel W.E.S. Knowles, generously bequeathed monies so that the area surrounding Webster's Falls could be made into a public park.
Dundas Peak
Dundas also has the Dundas Peak. The Peak overlooks Dundas from The Bruce TrailBruce Trail
The Bruce Trail is a hiking trail in southern and central Ontario, Canada.-General:The trail follows the edge of the Niagara Escarpment, one of the thirteen UNESCO World Biosphere Reserves in Canada, for almost...
in Flamborough and has become one of the most visited parts of Dundas. Hikers can take the Bruce Trail from Tews or Webster's Falls to the peak and look over Dundas and West Hamilton.
Landmarks
Dundas is famous for The Collins Hotel. The Collins Hotel is the longest running hotel in Ontario. One feature of this building is the front portico with the four fluted Doric columns; above them are the triglyphs and metopes found on a traditional Doric entablature with a discrete cornice. The roof has a series of dormers with Florentine pediments. There are two floors to the hotel, the second of which has a balcony running the full length of the building. On the street level there are shops.Famous residents
- Actor and comedian Dave ThomasDave Thomas (actor)David "Dave" Thomas is a Canadian comedian and actor. He was born in St. Catharines, Ontario, but moved to Durham, North Carolina where his father, John E. Thomas, attended Duke University and earned a PhD in Philosophy. Thomas attended George Watts and Moorehead elementary schools...
from SCTVSecond City TelevisionSecond City Television is a Canadian television sketch comedy show offshoot from Toronto's The Second City troupe that ran between 1976 and 1984.- Premise :...
grew up in Dundas. - Canadian physician William OslerWilliam OslerSir William Osler, 1st Baronet was a physician. He was one of the "Big Four" founding professors at Johns Hopkins Hospital as the first Professor of Medicine and founder of the Medical Service there. Sir William Osler, 1st Baronet (July 12, 1849 – December 29, 1919) was a physician. He was...
was raised in Dundas. - Folk singer Stan RogersStan RogersStanley Allison "Stan" Rogers was a Canadian folk musician and songwriter.Rogers was noted for his rich, baritone voice and his finely crafted, traditional-sounding songs which were frequently inspired by Canadian history and the daily lives of working people, especially those from the fishing...
was raised in Dundas. - Musician Daniel V. SnaithCaribou (musician)Daniel Victor Snaith is a composer, musician and recording artist under stage names Caribou, Manitoba and Daphni. Under the supervision of Kevin Buzzard, he obtained a PhD in mathematics at Imperial College London.- Career:...
, also known as "Manitoba" and "Caribou", grew up in Dundas and wrote a song called "Dundas, Ontario". - Pete WoodPete WoodPeter Burke Wood was a Canadian-American right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball who, during a two-season career, played in 1885 and returned in 1889....
, major league pitcher from the 19th century. - Independent film director Paul G. BoylePaul G. BoylePaul G. Boyle is a Canadian award winning documentary filmmaker based in Hong Kong.He came to prominence in 2008 with a documentary Coming Clean-Early life:...
was raised in Dundas. - Race car driver Don Thomson Jr.Don Thomson, Jr.Don Thomson Jr. is a Canadian racing driver in the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series. He drove the #4 Home Hardware Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS for Fitzpatrick Motorsports for more the two decades before moving over in 2011 to the drive the #8 Dodge becoming teammates with Jason Hathaway.-Racing...
grew up in Dundas. He is a five time CASCAR Series Champion. - Singer and songwriter John EllisonJohn EllisonJohn Ellison is an American/Canadian musician, best known for writing the song "Some Kind of Wonderful". He was born in Landgraff, a small, poverty-stricken coal mining village near Welch, West Virginia, on August 11, 1941, and is a dual citizen of the United States and Canada, receiving his...
who wrote "Some Kind of WonderfulSome Kind of Wonderful (Soul Brothers Six song)"Some Kind of Wonderful" is a song written by John Ellison. It was first recorded in 1967 by the American group Soul Brothers Six, peaking at number ninety-one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100...
" lives in Dundas. - Barry Forth
- Heather Janssen Canadian youtube sensation
External links
- DowntownDundas.ca – Business Improvement Area
- Dundas Studio Tour
- Dundas Valley Guide