Lindsay, Ontario

Downtown Lindsay in the fall

Lindsay (2001 population 16,930) is a community on the Scugog River in the Kawartha Lakes region of southern Ontario, Canada. It is the seat of the City of Kawartha Lakes (formerly Victoria County), and the hub for business and commerce in the region.

The town of Lindsay is located forty-three kilometers west of Peterborough, on the Scugog River in Ops Township. It is the county town of Victoria County. Due to the town's close proximity to several lakes, Lindsay is often referred to as the "Gateway of the Kawarthas".

History

The Township of Ops was surveyed in 1825 by Colonel Duncan McDonell and Lots 20 and 21 in the 5th Concession were reserved for a town site. The same year settlers began to come to the region and by 1827, the Purdy's, an American family, built a dam on the Scugog River at the site of present-day Lindsay. The following year they built a sawmill and in 1830, a grist mill was constructed.

A small village grew up around the mills and it was known as Purdy's Mills. In 1834, surveyor John Huston plotted the designated town site into streets and lots. During the survey, one of Huston's assistants, Mr. Lindsay, was accidentally shot in the leg and died of an infection. He was buried on the river bank and his name and death were recorded on the surveyor's plan. The name Lindsay remained as the name of the town by government approval. Lindsay grew steadily and developed into a lumbering and farming centre.

With the arrival of the Port Hope Railway in 1857, the town saw a period of rapid development and industrial growth. On June 19 of the same year, Lindsay was formally incorporated as a town. In 1861, a fire swept through the town and most of Lindsay was destroyed with hundreds of people left homeless. It took many years for Lindsay to recover from this disaster. In the late 1800s, local photographers Fowler & Oliver worked out of the Sunbeam Photo Gallery. It was also the home to Sir Samuel Hughes, the Canadian Minister of Militia during the First World War. The Victoria Street Armouries were built during this time.

In 2001 Lindsay's town government was officially dissolved and merged, with Victoria County into the new City of Kawartha Lakes. Some local groups have attempted, thus far unsuccessfully, to de-amalgamate the City and restore Victoria County to its previous status since that time.

Education

Colleges

• Fleming College, School of Environmental and Natural Resource Sciences

High Schools

• I. E. Weldon Secondary School
• Lindsay Collegiate and Vocational Institute
• St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Secondary School

=

Elementary schools

• Pope John Paul The Second Catholic Elementary School (PJP II)
• Parkview Public school

Healthcare

Hospitals

• Ross Memorial Hospital

Ross Memorial Hospital is the Only hospital in Lindsay. Ross Memorial Hospital Was Founded on November,20,1902 by James Ross. James Ross died on September,20,1913. On April,14,2005 the hospital finished it's first major renovation.

Facts and Figures

• Lindsay is part of the Trent-Severn Waterway, a canal system that connects central Ontario with both Lake Ontario and Lake Huron.
• Through direction from the Hockey Hall Of Fame the history of the world's oldest stick was traced through the Lindsay Public Archives to verify the stick was carved between 1852 and 1856 by Alexander Rutherford Sr. of Fenelon Township near Lindsay. This stick sold for $2.2 million dollars at an auction.
• Scenes from the movies "A Cool Dry Place" (1998) and "Meatballs" (1979) were filmed in Lindsay.
• The disposable green polyethylene garbage bag was invented, in part, by Mr Larry Hansen, a resident of Lindsay. Ironically, the town is now home to the largest college of environmental studies in the province, Fleming College, School of Environmental and Natural Resource Sciences.
• Lindsay celebrated it's 150th Anniversary on June 10, 2007, with festivities at Victoria Park and the Armoury, in the heart of town.
• To commemorate the 150th Anniversary, a monument was carved in front of the old town hall on Kent Street, by chainsaw carver Gerald Guenkel, of Omemee. It shows the importance of locomotives to Lindsay’s history.
• In 2001, Lindsay played host to an episode of the OLN Reality Series "Drifters: The Water Wars" as they passed through the Trent-Severn Waterway.

Well known residents

• Sir Sam Huges the Minister of Militia for Canada during World War I was born and raised in Lindsay. His house was demolished to build a parking lot.

• William Samuel McGee (b 1868, Lindsay - d 1940, Beiseker, Alberta) was born on a farm just outside of Lindsay. His name was to be the inspiration for the poem The Cremation of Sam McGee by Robert W. Service.

• Leslie M. Frost (September 20, 1895 – May 4, 1973) was Premier of Ontario from 1949 to 1961. First elected in 1937 to the Ontario legislature representing Victoria-Haliburton, he was known as "The Laird of Lindsay." He combined small town values with progressive policies to lead the province through the economic boom of the 1950s.

• Joe Primeau played for the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 1930s and Ron Ellis played for them in the 1960s and 1970s, as well as Team Canada 1972.

• Other NHLers from the town include: Don Maloney, Jamie Allison, Joe Junkin and Tom Thornbury.

• Tyler Kyte from Instant Star and Popular Mechanics for Kids grew up in Lindsay.

References

• City of Kawartha Lakes Official Site
• "De-amalgamating is a no-go in Victoria County"

• Lindsay Ontario Chamber of Commerce Official site
• The Lindsay Post Official Site
• Ross memorial Hospital Official site

External links

• Lindsay Rugby Football Club