Brian Roulston
Hello everyone, since 2015, I’ve been lucky to be among the many great volunteers and writers at the North End Breezes. It’s been fun researching and reading about our North End and the city in which we live, Hamilton, Ontario.
Memories of The Barton Street Arena
Submitted by Brian Roulston Another January is upon us, and Hamilton is in the midst of another winter. Jack Frost is nipping at our noses, snow shovels are swinging, and dreams of getting drafted into the NHL or competing in figure skating at the Olympics are being...
Traditions that make our Christmas Special
Submitted by Brian Roulston It may be difficult to believe now, but there was a time in England when Christmas was not celebrated at all. According to the University of Warwick, in 1647 the Puritan government believed that Christmas was being used to justify...
Remembrance Day: Animals in War
Submitted by Brian Roulston For as long as there have been wars, animals have aided military personnel with transportation, communications, and companionship. They too deserve to be recognized and remembered for their heroic efforts, just as we remember our fallen...
An Exhibition, a Prince, and a Crystal Palace
By Brian Roulston Let's go back in time to one of Hamilton's greatest accomplishments, Hamilton's famed Crystal Palace and the first royal visit to our city. Beset by financial problems, the Desjardins train catastrophe and a cholera outbreak, local politicians felt...
The Hamilton Area’s First Doctors
Submitted by Brian Roulston The practice of medicine in colonial Canada was governed by the French or British authorities. Medicine and surgery were two distinct branches of the profession. Physicians were regarded as the elite; they believed it was beneath them to...
Hamilton’s Great Western Railway Maintenance Facility.
By Brian Roulston In the previous issue, we learned about Great Western Railway's beginnings, accomplishments, and eventual demise. In this final installment, we'll learn about GWR's Hamilton Manufacturing and Repair Facility, practically a village unto itself, with...
Hamilton: The Great Western Railway of Canada
Submitted by Brian Roulston In the early 1830s, Canadians still bitter from the War of 1812, watched as the Americans slowly built, expanded, and benefited from their rail infrastructure while Canada lagged behind, using horses and buggies or canoes. Britain's rail...
Hamilton: Birthplace of the First Locomotive Built in Canada
Daniel Charles Gunn was a visionary, a man ahead of his time. He envisioned Hamilton as the industrial hub of Canada, if not the world. Gunn is best known for building the country's first locomotive here in Hamilton in 1856. Daniel Charles Gunn was born on January 31,...
The Man Who Planned Hamilton
Louis Gentilcore, one of Canada's earliest historical geographers between 1787 and 1795, once wrote, "No other surveyor in Upper Canada surveyed and subdivided so much territory." He was referring to Augusta Jones, who originally planned our city. Jones was a farmer,...
It was once part of Hamilton’s History: The Hoover Vacuum Cleaner Plant
by Brian Roulston Housework is an unavoidable part of everyday life. When we think about cleaning the house, we often envision loading the washer and dryer, emptying the dishwasher, taking out the garbage, and, of course, vacuuming the carpet or the floor. Hamilton...
