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88 Wyndham St. N. |
Ontario Tourism Region : Huron, Perth, Waterloo and Wellington
Description From Owner:
- Pop. 92,130. In Guelph T., Wellington C., at the confluence of the Speed and Eramosa Rs. and Hwys 6 & 7, 20 km. NE of Kitchener.
- The settlement was founded in 1827 by John Galt, who laid out the radial street pattern and named the place after the family name of George III of England.
- Galt was more popular with the settlers he helped to locate in the Huron Tract than with his business colleagues, and in 1829 he was discharged by the directors of the Canada Company.
- Among settlers Galt helped was a group of Scottish emigrants unable to adapt to the tropical climate of South America.
- They were called the La Guayra Settlers after their original destination in Venezuela, and Galt helped them settle in and around Guelph. No other place in the Commonwealth has the name Guelph, hence its nickname -- 'The Royal City.'
- By law, all buildings erected on Main Street must be constructed of local grey limestone. Guelph is the home of the Ontario Veterinary College and the Ontario Agricultural College.
- The Ontario Veterinary College was founded in Toronto in 1862 and was the first Canadian institution to offer courses in veterinary medicine. The College moved to Guelph in 1922.
- The Ontario Agricultural College opened in a Guelph farmhouse in 1874. The home of Col. John McCrae, a physician who died in France during the First World War--and who wrote the immortal lines of In Flanders Fields -- is now a museum.
- Guelph had another poet, one who boasted he was 'Poet Laureate of Canada.' James Gay was born in 1810 and wrote very bad odes to Queen Victoria and Canada's governors-general.
- He also spoke in rhyme whenever he had the chance -- sophisticated greetings like: 'Nice day, nice day; so says Canada's poet, James Gay.'
- Gay was perhaps best known for his ownership of a two-headed horse. He charged five cents for his poems, but 10 cents for anyone wanting to see his horse. Guelph was also the home of two architects who designed many churches across Ontario.
- Henry Langley (1836-1907) designed more than 70 churches and numerous residential, commercial, and public buildings.
- Joseph Connolly (1840-1904) also designed several churches, primarily for the Irish Roman Catholic community. Edward Johnson (1878-1959), born in Guelph, made his operatic debut in Italy in 1912 as Eduardo di Giovanni.
Map Below gives Canadian Geographical Names
Natural Resources Canada in the County of Wellington.
Natural Resources Canada in the County of Wellington.
Address of this page: http://www.ruralroutes.com/guelph