- Cayuga, Ontario
Cayuga is a village in the province of
Ontario ,Canada located at the intersection of Highway 3 and Munsee Street and along theGrand River in Haldimand County. Cayuga is about a 20 minute drive fromLake Erie and 30 minutes south of Hamilton and consequently it has some cottages and recreational properties in the area. In the past there was some light industry but it now largely forms a satellite community for Hamilton. It has the local district detachment for theOntario Provincial Police . It is also uniquely located among larger communities on both the American and Canadian sides of the border boasting television reception fromToronto ,Buffalo, New York , Hamilton, Kitchener andErie, Pennsylvania .History
It was incorporated in 1859 as county seat for Haldimand County because of its central location. It is named after the
Cayuga , one of theSix Nations of the Grand River Indians who were awarded land in the area for siding with the British in theAmerican Revolution . As the county seat, it is the location of the Court House, jail and a museum. In the late 1700s and early 1800s, public hangings were held in the court yard and the prisoners buried on site. The Highway 3 bridge over the Grand River (Cayuga Bridge) is a very well recognized bridge over the grand river and is commonly used as a symbol of Haldimand County and the Grand River.The village's population grew to about 2500 in the mid-1800s because the Grand River was an important commercial route. There were locks constructed at Indiana just north of Cayuga. However when the
Welland Canal was completed, the Grand became an obsolete route. Further, an impassable dam was built down river from Cayuga atDunnville . Although originally part of theWelland Canal , the purpose of the dam and a canal at Port Maitland is to keep the level of the Welland Canal consistent. Presently the population of Cayuga has recovered to approximately 1500 after having been around 1000 for almost a century.Demographics
Cayugans are overwhelmingly British by national background but many can trace their roots to an original German settlement near Cayuga in the 1800s. There was also a large Dutch migration to the area after the Second World War.
Landmarks
Cayuga is also home to an underground house located just west of the Grand River.
The main office of the Haldimand press is located in Cayuga also.
Previously the
New York Central Railroad went through Cayuga but the track has been torn up.One of the termini for the
Underground Railway wasSt. Catharines, Ontario , which is about 45 minutes north east of Cayuga.Harriet Tubman 's nephew Lorne Barnes was the barber in Cayuga and was held out to the still enslaved as an example of the success to be found by escaping to Canada.There is a national bank and a credit union in town along with a
United Church of Canada (Presbyterian, Methodist and Congregational), anAnglican Church and aCatholic Church.The main street has a rural brick charm to it and many older houses reflecting the prosperous past still stand. It very much retains its small town character. Uniquely isolated for years by the Six Nations Indian Reservation to the North and the Lake to the South, it has its own independent atmosphere and does not feel attached to any one larger community.
Noteworthy people
In 1939,
Helen Alice Kinnear , the first woman Superior Court judge in theBritish Empire was appointed to sit in Cayuga. cite web|url=http://famouscanadianwomen.com/stamps/kinnear.htm|title=Famous Canadian Women on Postage Stamps: Helen Kinnear|accessdate=2007-12-10]Cayuga is also known for producing a couple of noteworthy
NHL hockey players. BothMarty McSorley cite book|title=The Canadian Hockey Atlas|first=Stephen|last=Cole|publisher=Doubleday Canada|year=2006|id=ISBN 978-0-385-66093-8 (0-385-66093-6)] andRay Emery cite book|title=The Canadian Hockey Atlas|first=Stephen|last=Cole|publisher=Doubleday Canada|year=2006|id=ISBN 978-0-385-66093-8 (0-385-66093-6)] grew up playing minor leaguehockey in Cayuga.Attractions
In more recent years Cayuga has become known for
auto racing . The oldest continually operatingdrag strip in Canada and the fastest high bank oval race track in Canada, are located near the townsite;Cayuga International Speedway . It is a 5/8-mile oval auto racing track, which recently underwent major renovations. cite web| title = New owners give Cayuga International Speedway its old name| url=http://www.hamiltonscores.com/autoracing/news/?article=061508168|publisher= Hamilton Scores!| accessdate = 2007-12-10] The drag strip was originally a runway built for training British Commonwealth pilots during theSecond World War .Just north of Cayuga is
Ruthven Park . This is a 1500 acre (6 km²) Canadian National Historic Site centered by the Thompson Mansion, which was the summer home of the Thompson family who owned the steamship lines on the Grand River when it was a commercial route. It is a magnificentGreek Revival style mansion which is open for tours during the summer.Cayuga Golf Club , is a public 18-holegolf course located 5km west of Cayuga.Canadian City Geographic Location (8-way)
Northwest = Brantford
Ohsweken
North = Hamilton
Caledonia
Northeast = Stoney Creek
"Lake Ontario "
West = Hagersville
Centre = Cayuga, Ontario
East = Canfield, Welland
Southwest = "Lake Erie "
South = "Lake Erie "
Southeast = Dunnville
"Lake Erie "
References
External links
* [http://www.cayuga2000speedway.com Cayuga Speedway's Official Website]
* [http://www.coopercon.com/blog/2006/10/16/cayuga-international-speedway-redevelopment-cooper-construction-retained-as-construction-manager/ Cayuga International Speedway Redevelopment] Cooper Construction Ltd. retained for redevelopment of Cayuga International Speedway
* [http://www.ruthvenpark.ca/ Ruthven Park: National Historic Site]
* [http://www.cayugagolfclub.com/index.html Cayuga Golf Club]
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