Roger's Reservoir was much nicer when they kept it full. It was a fair-sized lake with a marsh at the south end. There was a lookout tower out in the marsh and fishing in the lake. It's just a scrub field now.
I find the old concrete and fact that the locks were even built to the extent they were and never utilized fascinating. I hope at some point the town will put up a plaque educating people about it as you have done.
Richard MacLeod, who you saw in the video, does walking tours of the area; it'd be great if they could work with him on some interpretive signs at key locations! Thanks for checking out the video.
When CNR ran their passenger trains through here, it was possible to follow the canal route. Sadly an inebriated parent drove their can into the canal. Sadly a child died, and that person demanded that the canal be moved.
Thank you for the comment! That opening shot was really tricky because there was an extremely narrow space, mostly taken up by my tripod legs, and I definitely tripped over it in at least one of my takes 😬 Thankfully, I didn't fall in that day!
I don't know what I like more: the way you rolled your eyes at "Mulock hated railways," or the significant look you gave the canal that "didn't have any water." Hahaha!
Excellent history lesson!! Really enjoyed the video. We live in such a historic area and don't know much about it. Hope you and Richard continue with your videos.
Thank you very much! This is the only video from this season that takes place around Newmarket, but I hope if I make more I'll get a chance to return and partner with Richard again!
My friends and I enjoyed playing at locks 2 and 3 when we were children. Back then, there were competing stories as to why the canal project had fallen through. One was the change of government, with the new government putting an end to Mulock's "porkbarrelling", and the other was the hydrological concern ("not enough water"). I also noticed the quayside with its iron bollards just north of Davis Drive. Oh well, Newmarket never became an inland port as Mulock so fondly wished, but he furnished Newmarket and a couple of spots downstream with some historical monuments to one man's folly. And yes, it _was_ silly. The Newmarket Canal would not have afforded the town a direct link with Toronto, as any cargo would have needed to make a huge dogleg through the Trent-Severn Canal and Lake Ontario; it would have taken weeks. Furthermore, within sight of both those locks was (and still is) the railway, which did afford a direct link, and which had already been there for decades - and which couldn't have taken more than a few hours. It would have demonstrated its superiority every time a train went chugging by. The proposed harbour, by the way, was within sight of the railway station, too.
I went to summer school at Heroin Heights around 1975 and had to walk to Yonge St. to catch a bus home. I used to sit on the wall and stick my feet in the water at the turning basin. The bollards were exactly the same as the ones on the Trent-Severn system. It was built to haul barges and overtaken by the railroad and trucks, too.
Next? The electric radial ralway! As a kid, I lived on Mountview Place. Behind the backyar, it was all green space with a couple of ponds and marsh. We spent all summer in the fields there. When I was about 8, I found railroad dog spikes and remains of concrete tubes/pipes. I had no idea then an electric railway went from Toronto to Jackson's Point! It would be nice to see more about this. And perhaps resurrect it! It took half an hour to get from Newmarket to Toronto apparently back then!
That's an excellent childhood memory! At the risk of oversharing my future plans, I would love to create a feature-length documentary some day about all the lost radial lines across the province. There were so many that it'd take a full-length film to do it a justice, I think. But before that happens, I need to figure out how to get paid to do things like this 🤔 Thanks for watching!
The York Radial ran from the Glen Echo Loop at the top of the south hill at Hogs Hollow to Sutton. The Aurora Schomburg railway ran from Schomburg to Bond Lake. There was a public swimming pool. just south of the Jolly Miller that was ruined by Hurricain Hazel
Thank you! I've got a long list of videos I'd like to make, including more to the west and to the east, just need the time and resources to get em done! Hopefully soon :)
Not enough water? LOL LOL. The British have over 2000 miles of operating canals. Of which one canal is 645 feet above sea level and 636 feet below the Pennines' Where the canal runs through a tunnel 31/2 miles long still operates today. All canals and tunnels were dug by hand using picks and shovels When Mulock went to Ottawa and asked for more money the uneducated conservative politicians told him you can't make water run uphill and killed the project. Where as one or more steam driven pumps would have completed the canal by filling reservoirs. I really hate trying to explain just how dumb the know it all politicians really are.
Nobody operates a canal system by pumping the water uphill. It's cheaper to just haul the freight overland than it is to keep a river full, and a standing body of water just silts up and breeds bugs. They're already pretty ferocious along the canal route. They would have needed to bring the water all the way from Holland Landing to Davis Drive to get it into the canal. That would require pumps at each of the three locks, each of which would have to be supplied with power, probably coal in those days. All the sources of water on the moraine already drain into the Holland River. There are no lakes up on the ridge and no extra creeks to divert. Build all the reservoirs you like. They'll be empty.
I suppose this canal will one day be finished and become a recreation asset for all to enjoy. We'll all be long dead and buried by then, of course. Government folly indeed, to be put one's own pettiness ahead of the interests of Ontario.
It already is a recreation asset. There's a trail from Green Lane and all the way to Holland Landing. We used to catch carp and catfish in Rogers Reservoir when they kept it full, and the suckers run up the creek to the dam in the spring. They're fun to catch even though useless. It's a quiet, humid, buggy bit of woods just outside of town.
Roger's Reservoir was much nicer when they kept it full. It was a fair-sized lake with a marsh at the south end. There was a lookout tower out in the marsh and fishing in the lake. It's just a scrub field now.
I find the old concrete and fact that the locks were even built to the extent they were and never utilized fascinating. I hope at some point the town will put up a plaque educating people about it as you have done.
Richard MacLeod, who you saw in the video, does walking tours of the area; it'd be great if they could work with him on some interpretive signs at key locations! Thanks for checking out the video.
@@WarrenTheReporterThank you for researching this incredible story Warren. I found it very interesting.
@@mitchellbarnow1709 Thank you Mitchell!
@@WarrenTheReporterYou are awesome, Warren!
Warren! Another super interesting story. I’m learning so much. 👏
When CNR ran their passenger trains through here, it was possible to follow the canal route. Sadly an inebriated parent drove their can into the canal. Sadly a child died, and that person demanded that the canal be moved.
Your reeaction to someone not liking railways at 1:13 is perfection lol. and the look back at 2:54 loll love the drama in this one
Haha thank you, @TheShaleco! It's certainly a wild saga of political nonsense on all sides, in my opinion.
Super interesting story! Also loving the dramatic walk off at the start and end, almost as much as the “definite maybe” @ 2:25
Thank you for the comment! That opening shot was really tricky because there was an extremely narrow space, mostly taken up by my tripod legs, and I definitely tripped over it in at least one of my takes 😬 Thankfully, I didn't fall in that day!
I don't know what I like more: the way you rolled your eyes at "Mulock hated railways," or the significant look you gave the canal that "didn't have any water." Hahaha!
I was happy to have a few chances to inject a bit of my personality into this one haha!
Excellent history lesson!! Really enjoyed the video. We live in such a historic area and don't know much about it. Hope you and Richard continue with your videos.
Thank you very much! This is the only video from this season that takes place around Newmarket, but I hope if I make more I'll get a chance to return and partner with Richard again!
I grew up in Newmarket and learning about this was incredibly interesting! Loved this video :)
Thank you for tuning in!
My friends and I enjoyed playing at locks 2 and 3 when we were children. Back then, there were competing stories as to why the canal project had fallen through. One was the change of government, with the new government putting an end to Mulock's "porkbarrelling", and the other was the hydrological concern ("not enough water"). I also noticed the quayside with its iron bollards just north of Davis Drive. Oh well, Newmarket never became an inland port as Mulock so fondly wished, but he furnished Newmarket and a couple of spots downstream with some historical monuments to one man's folly. And yes, it _was_ silly. The Newmarket Canal would not have afforded the town a direct link with Toronto, as any cargo would have needed to make a huge dogleg through the Trent-Severn Canal and Lake Ontario; it would have taken weeks. Furthermore, within sight of both those locks was (and still is) the railway, which did afford a direct link, and which had already been there for decades - and which couldn't have taken more than a few hours. It would have demonstrated its superiority every time a train went chugging by. The proposed harbour, by the way, was within sight of the railway station, too.
I went to summer school at Heroin Heights around 1975 and had to walk to Yonge St. to catch a bus home. I used to sit on the wall and stick my feet in the water at the turning basin. The bollards were exactly the same as the ones on the Trent-Severn system. It was built to haul barges and overtaken by the railroad and trucks, too.
Next? The electric radial ralway! As a kid, I lived on Mountview Place. Behind the backyar, it was all green space with a couple of ponds and marsh. We spent all summer in the fields there. When I was about 8, I found railroad dog spikes and remains of concrete tubes/pipes. I had no idea then an electric railway went from Toronto to Jackson's Point! It would be nice to see more about this. And perhaps resurrect it! It took half an hour to get from Newmarket to Toronto apparently back then!
That's an excellent childhood memory! At the risk of oversharing my future plans, I would love to create a feature-length documentary some day about all the lost radial lines across the province. There were so many that it'd take a full-length film to do it a justice, I think. But before that happens, I need to figure out how to get paid to do things like this 🤔 Thanks for watching!
The York Radial ran from the Glen Echo Loop at the top of the south hill at Hogs Hollow to Sutton. The Aurora Schomburg railway ran from Schomburg to Bond Lake. There was a public swimming pool. just south of the Jolly Miller that was ruined by Hurricain Hazel
I guess there were no government bailouts in the Great Depression. The last Radial tram left Newmarket in 1930.
Great episode!
Grew up fishing there, didn't know of the stories history
Excellent!
I always wondered, but now I know. Great video!
Thank you, R.!
Cool. I can literally walk to there. Thanks for the video!
Thank you for checking out the video! Please share it around!
What type of concrete is that?
Great content. Be nice to see things to the east.
Thank you! I've got a long list of videos I'd like to make, including more to the west and to the east, just need the time and resources to get em done! Hopefully soon :)
Government meddling, right vs left, personal opinions getting in the way. Ah yes, a story as old as time. Thanks for the great video!
Not enough water? LOL LOL. The British have over 2000 miles of operating canals. Of which one canal is 645 feet above sea level and 636 feet below the Pennines' Where the canal runs through a tunnel 31/2 miles long still operates today. All canals and tunnels were dug by hand using picks and shovels When Mulock went to Ottawa and asked for more money the uneducated conservative politicians told him you can't make water run uphill and killed the project. Where as one or more steam driven pumps would have completed the canal by filling reservoirs. I really hate trying to explain just how dumb the know it all politicians really are.
Nobody operates a canal system by pumping the water uphill. It's cheaper to just haul the freight overland than it is to keep a river full, and a standing body of water just silts up and breeds bugs. They're already pretty ferocious along the canal route. They would have needed to bring the water all the way from Holland Landing to Davis Drive to get it into the canal. That would require pumps at each of the three locks, each of which would have to be supplied with power, probably coal in those days. All the sources of water on the moraine already drain into the Holland River. There are no lakes up on the ridge and no extra creeks to divert. Build all the reservoirs you like. They'll be empty.
haha... On reconnait toujours le ''gros bon sens'' des conservateurs.
I suppose this canal will one day be finished and become a recreation asset for all to enjoy. We'll all be long dead and buried by then, of course. Government folly indeed, to be put one's own pettiness ahead of the interests of Ontario.
I'm personally not expecting to ever see it finished, but you never know!
@@WarrenTheReporter Agree, it probably won't happen in our life times.
It already is a recreation asset. There's a trail from Green Lane and all the way to Holland Landing. We used to catch carp and catfish in Rogers Reservoir when they kept it full, and the suckers run up the creek to the dam in the spring. They're fun to catch even though useless. It's a quiet, humid, buggy bit of woods just outside of town.