141 Dundas St. |
Ontario Tourism Region : Southwestern
Description From Owner:
- Pop. 330,258. In Middlesex C. at the forks of the Thames R. and Hwys 4 401 & 402 173 km SW of Toronto.
- London's nickname is 'The Forest City' and it has more than 50,000 trees on city property and 1,500 acres (607.5 .ha) of parks, including 1,000 acres (405 ha) along the Thames R.
- Archaeological excavations in London have revealed that a Neutral Indian village existed on the site about 1500 AD. In 1793 Col. John Graves Simcoe chose the site for the new capital of Upper Canada and named it after the British capital city.
- Simcoe was overruled by governor-in-chiefLord Dorchester and York, now Toronto, became the capital. Eldon House, the oldest remaining house in London, was built in 1834 by retired naval officer Capt. John Harris.
- It is now a museum. London's oldest building is the Old Courthouse, built between 1827 and 1829, with additions in 1878 and 1911. It is modelled after Malahide Castle in England and in 1980 was rescued from the wrecker's ball and given a $2.5 m. facelift
- It is now the home of Middlesex County Council and the 1st Hussars Museum. The oldest known wrought iron bridge in Ontario was built in 1875 to replace a wooden structure. Blackfriars Bridge is still in use.
- In 1881 London was the scene of one of the worst marine disasters in Canada. On May 24 the overloaded excursion steamboat Victoria overturned and sank in the Thames R. About 200 of the 600 passengers were drowned.
- The University of Western Ontario was founded in London in 1878. Sweet Marie came from London. American-born author Cy Warman was living here in 1893 when he wrote a love poem to his girlfriend entitled Sweet Marie.
- Raymond Moore later wrote music to accompany the lyrics, creating a hit tune and a chocolate company later capitalized on the name. Warman married Marie and they raised their four children in London.
- London native George 'Mooney' Gibson set a major league baseball record by catching 113 consecutive games for the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1909.
- He was considered a light hitter, but crowned that season by out-hitting Ty Cobb .240 to .231 in the World Series to help Pittsburgh beat Detroit.
- The city has been called a microcosm of Canadian life and is so 'typically Canadian' it is often used as a test market for new products; if something will sell in London, it's likely to sell anywhere in Canada.
Map Below gives Canadian Geographical Names
Natural Resources Canada in the County of Middlesex.
Natural Resources Canada in the County of Middlesex.
Address of this page: http://www.ruralroutes.com/london