Roads Around and Through Hamilton - 1893

On November 28, 1893, the following article appeared in the Hamilton Times, written by an unnamed writer who occasionally put together historical articles for that paper’s Saturday editions.

At the time, the city of Hamilton was the hub of a network of roads, mostly toll roads, each with an interesting history. Hamilton’s position at the head of Lake Ontario, with the Niagara Escarpment to the south, the waters of Burlington Bay to the north, made the surveying, construction and maintenance of these roads a challenge.

The article, reprinted as a whole follows:

        “In the map of Upper Canada prepared by surveyor D. W. Smith in 1798, there was no county of Wentworth. The townships of East and West Flamborough and Beverly belonged to the West Riding of York, and the townships of Saltfleet, Barton, Glanford and Ancaster belonged to the First Riding of Lincoln. Peel, Halton, Wentworth, Brant and Elgin were not then organized. The early surveyors did not follow one rule in dividing the land, as has been done in modern days in the Northwest. The modern plan is to lay out blocks one mile square, each block containing 640 acres, and the roads one mile apart in each direction. In some parts of Canada, the blocks of land are three-quarters of a mile by a mile and a quarter and contain 600 acres. In other parts, the blocks are 1 ¼ miles square and contain 1,000 acres, or five farms of 100 acres each on each concession. In some townships, the concessions are 1 3/8 miles deep. But the men who surveyed Barton and Saltfleet appear to have thought there could not bee too many roads, so they made their surveys to include only 200 acres in each block, with the concessions 5/8 of a mile apart and only half a mile between the sidelines.

          The front of Barton township is badly broken by the many inlets from the Bay. One can see some of them by driving to the Beach, or a better view may be had from the Mountain brow, at the head of the Jolley Cut. A good many years ago, the Wellington street inlet extended inland beyond Main street, another inlet extended from near the foot of Mary street to the vicinity of the Royal Hotel, and the Caroline street inlet came far south of Cannon street. With such a broken front, it was impossible to lay out a road north of the first concession of Barton, so the road now called Barton street was made between the first and second concessions. Main street was the next concession line, and Concession street, now known as Aberdeen avenue, was the boundary between the third and fourth concessions. The farm boundaries are still easily traced by the jogs in the east and west streets. The present Sherman avenue, the eastern boundary of the city, lay between lots 8 and 9 of the township of Barton, Wentworth street between lots 10 and 11, Wellington street between lots 12 and 13, James street between lots 14 and 15, Queen street between lots 16 and 17, Garth street between lots 18 and 19, and Paradise Road (the present western boundary of Hamilton) between lots 20 and 21. The width of one lot west from the city boundary, the township of Ancaster begins.

          One would naturally expect that Barton and Main street would have been the first roads built to the eastward, as they were concession lines. But it happened that the old road from Niagara to Ancaster, formerly called the Ridge Road, and now known as King street, had been is use before Hamilton was even a village. It was located on an old Indian trail, which followed the highest and driest ground between the Mountain and the lake. It crosses Main from southwest to northeast out in Beasley’s Hollow, and then crosses back again at the Delta, east of the city. Between Bartonville and Stoney Creek, it is as far south as Aberdeen avenue, then it gets back to the Main street line, and finally edges over to Barton street near Winona. The King street road was built from Hamilton to a point beyond Stoney Creek by the County Council, and was afterwards sold to Mr. David Williamson. It now belongs to a company of which Mr. A. E. Carpenter is President.

          Main street road was built two miles easterly from Wentworth street by a company. Mr. Carpenter acquired the stock from the shareholders and consolidated it with the King street road, placing his toll gate at the convenient point where the two roads cross.

          Barton street road was built eastward from the city by Mr. John Dickenson for a corporation. Mr. Carpenter and Mr. Andrew Gage purchased it, and recently sold a controlling interest in the stock to the gentleman who owns the race track. A portion of the Beach road, north of Barton street, but not on a concession line, is also owned by Mr. Carpenter’s company. It forks at the south end of the Beach, one part running along the lake shore past Mr. P. S. Van Wagner’s property to the side line which leads south to Stoney Creek. At one time, what was called the Lake road extended far east of the Van Wagner property. E. B. Biggar mentions the Lake Road in his description of the Battle of Stoney Creek, and says that it has been nearly all washed away by the waves since that historical event.

          Such are the outlets to the plain east of Hamilton. Main street is incorporated with King street at Stoney Creek, and Barton street with King street at Winona.

          When our forefathers wanted to get out to the south and southeast, they had a more difficult problem to face. The line of Concession street or Aberdeen avenue, would make a gradual ascent of the Mountain from James street to the road lying between the Jolley and Colbeck properties. But it was not feasible to build a road on that concession line. The Government built the road up the Mountain from John street and thence south to Caledonia, with Port Dover as the objective point. The old, short, steep road past Arkledun is still to be seen though few care to travel on it. This was the first macadamized road built in this vicinity. Some years afterwards the Government sold the road to Mr. George M. Ryckman, who held it to the time of his death. Then it was taken by the Government and kept in repair for years. The Government next sold it to Messrs. Samuel Kerns and Z. Chaote. They raised money for repairs on it from the late Hon. Samuel Mills, and he eventually became the owner. Mr. Mills, not keeping it in proper repair, the Government repossessed themselves of the road, and declared all tolls off, a proceeding which met with great favor from the farmers and general public. It then passed into the hands of the municipalities, and tolls were abandoned. The municipalities failed to keep it in good repair, and a road company having been formed to take up the road, the townships permitted them to make a toll road of it, which it is at the present time. At one time, the Caledonia road was planked, and some twenty years ago, the end of an old plank or scantling sticking up would remind the traveler of that interesting fact. It is now in good repair.

          In course of time, the grade of the John street road up the mountain was eased by the construction of an elbow past the gurney properties. Then Mr. William Strongman, father of the Constable Strongman, built the road which bears his name, from the toll gate on the Mountain side easterly to the concession line, stipulating that this should always be free. In 1872, the late James Jolley raised a subscription to construct the Jolley Cut, which is the most direct road to Albion Mills, southern Saltfleet and the township of Binbrook. At the head of the Jolley Cut, the macadamized road belonging to Mr. Carpenter begins and extends easterly on the concession line to the road allowance between lots 6 and 7, Barton, whence it runs south to the boundary between Barton and Glanford, with a branch between concessions 6 and 7 easterly to Albion Mills. A more favorable route in good weather, on account of the view, is via the dirt road past the reservoir and along the edge of the Mountain to Albion, but the stone road is popular when mud prevails. This road was built by the late Hon. Samuel Mills.

          The James street mountain road was built by Hamilton and Barton and the County Council. It opens the way for a nice free summer drive to Ancaster, or to the Binkley’s Hill descent of the Mountain, overlooking Dundas.

          The road out King street west through Ancaster to Brantford was built by the Government, partly of macadam and partly of plank, the plank being at the Brantford end. The ascent of the Mountain by this road is very gradual, and the view of the Dundas Valley and the Flamboro’ Heights opposite is very fine. The Government sold this road to a private individual, who let it run down. Then, after another term of ownership by the Government, it was given to the township of Ancaster, which keeps it in good repair by the aid of a toll gate near the city limit and an abundant supply of limestone on the mountain side. This road bisects the wealthy township of Ancaster.

          Branching off from the Ancaster road is the road to Dundas, which has important connections. Frist, there is the Governor’s Road, formerly known as Dundas Street, which extends straight as an arrow through Copetown, Lynden, Harrisburg, Paris, Woodstock and Thamesford to London, without cutting through a single township. It is the southern boundary of Ancaster, and one hundred years ago, it was the northern boundary of the counties of Lincoln and Haldimand.

          To get to the north from Dundas was about as difficult a business as getting to the south from Hamilton. But in the early days, before railways, and railway subsidies were thought of, the Government did a great deal to open up wagon roads. The ascent of the Flamboro mountain past the Grand Trunk station is rather steep. At Bullock’s Corners, a good road, built many years ago by the Government, leads away through the southern part of West Flamboro’ and the center of Beverly to Galt. A great deal of heavy teaming used to be done of this road when there were no railways and the Desjardins Canal was the end of transportation by water. Another road from Bullock’s Corners runs through the center of West Flamboro’ to Freelton, and thence to Guelph. These roads are still very useful to the farmers coming to market, though the railways have made it unnecessary to draw goods over them to the towns and villages of the interior.

          Another good road up the mountain from Dundas was built in an easterly direction by the late Dr. Rolph. It leads up past the Rock Chapel, along the edge of the mountain to Clappison’s Corners, where it joins the old Dundas street, which runs straight through Waterdown to Toronto.

          Coming back to Hamilton, we find York street running cornerwise through the city blocks from Jams street to Dundurn, thence following the bend of the Bay to Desjardins Canal. As its name indicates, York street is the old road to Toronto, used before the city survey was made. Just across the canal a sharp turn to the left leads to the “town line” road, which as soon as the configuration of the country will permit open up the boundary between East and West Flamboro. This road was built by the Hamilton and Brock Road Company, formed in 1858 for the purpose of constructing a macadamized or graveled road from the Upper Burlington Bridge to Freel’s Tavern (Freelton) on the Brock Road, between the townships of East and Eest Flamboro, being about 12 miles in length. The first directors of the company were the Hon. S. Mills, Archibald Kerr, F. W. Gates, S. W. Ryckman and Miles O’Reilly. It is a pretty, winding road, with a gradual ascent to the foot of the mountain about four miles out, , and a V grade up the mountain. It is kept in good repair by its present owner, Mr. R. R. Waddell, who uses Burlingtton Heights concrete at the Hamilton end, and broken limestone from a quarry at the roadside near the mountaintop. This road gives the shortest route to Guelph, and an alternative route to Waterdown or Dundas..

          Instead of truning left at Desjardins Canal, one follows the bay shore across the old canal outlet, he will find what is popularly called the Waterdown Road, rather hilly, but with a perfectly smooth and well-drained roadbed. The Hamilton and Milton Road Company was formed in 1867, for the purpose of constructing a road from the city of Hamilton to the town of Milton, by way of Hamilton, Waterdown and Carlisle road and such other route as should be deemed expedient. This company became incorporated with the Hamilton, Waterdown and Carlisle Road Company, and also with the Hamilton and Brock Road Company, under the general name of the Hamilton and Milton Road Company. In 1869, the Corporation of the City of Hamilton passed a bylaw granting to the Hamilton and Milton Road Company the right to extend both their roads into the city as far as the easterly limits of the ordinace lands on Burlington Heights, about 250 yards east of the York street toll gate. That is how it happens that we have a toll gate within the city of Hamilton to this day.

          The Hamilton, Waterdown and Carlisle Road Company, above referred to, was formed in 1853, its first directors being Peter Carroll, James K. Griffin, Robert Lottridge, R. G. Darrell and George Awbrey.

          The last of the roads by which farmers and others find access to Hamilton is the one which follows the north shore of the Bay, and joins the York street road beyond the Valley Inn. It was built by the Hamilton and Nelson Road Company, formed in 1852 to construct a road from the east of the old Desjardins Canal to the road leading from Port Nelson to Nassawaya, between lots 25 and 26 in the township of Nelson, a distance of six miles. The first directors of the company were Hon. Samuel Mills, Peter Carroll, James P. Gage, John P. Moore and Henry Zimmerman. Capital stock, $14,000. This road leads to the village of Burlington, and thence along the shore of Lake Ontario to Toronto. There is a branch from Aldershot to Waterdown.

          It will be observed that all the townships of Wentworth County, except Binbrook, have graveled roads upon which tolls are charged, and the Binbrook people have the privilege of contributing at the toll gates in Barton on their way to the city.

          The materials for keeping the roads in good repair – lake gravel, gravel from the pit, concrete at the Heights and limestone from both mountains are abundant and of easy access. The county is fairly compact, and Hamilton’s situation is central in respect to the county. The age of miracles, they say, is past, otherwise one might hope for an early abolition of all tolls, the assumption of the leading thoroughfares by the County Council, and the same obligation to keep the county roads in good shape as is felt by the City Council with regard to the city streets.”