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Craig Baird - Canadian History Ehx Profile picture
@CraigBaird
Mar 19, 2023 • 5 tweets • 3 min read • Read on X
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It is #IrishHeritageMonth and this is the story of the Irish Famine Immigrants in Toronto!

In 1847, Toronto had a population of 20,000 people but between May and October of that year, it saw the influx of 38,560 Irish immigrants, fleeing the Irish Famine.

🧵1/5
The immigrants had travelled on overcrowded ships across the ocean, with the goal of settling on land in Canada West.
Unfortunately, many were sick with typhus.
Bishop Michael Power tended to the immigrants before he died of typhus on Oct. 1, 1847 at the age of 42.

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Knowing a huge influx of immigrants was arriving, Toronto created its first board of public health in February 1847.
The board built a dozen sheds for immigrants suffering from typhus, located on the corner of King and John Street.

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By the end of 1847, 1,186 of the immigrants had died, with 1,100 buried in a mass grave by St. Paul's Basilica at Queen St E. & Power Street.
Despite the influx of people, by 1848 most of the Irish immigrants had moved on beyond Toronto to find family, land & work.

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It is believed only 781 of the Irish Famine immigrants settled in Toronto.
They settled in what became known as Cabbagetown, located near Parliament and Gerrard St. E.
It received that name because the immigrants used their lawns to grow cabbage.

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More from @CraigBaird

Craig Baird - Canadian History Ehx Profile picture
Jul 31
On July 31, 1987, an F4 (possibly an F5) tornado hit the eastern parts of Edmonton and Strathcona County.
It left 27 dead, injured 300 and caused $332 million in damages.
This is the story of Black Friday.

📸 Steve Simon

🧵 1/12 The provided photo shows the iconic image of the 1987 Edmonton tornado, captured by photographer Steve Simon. It depicts a large, wedge-shaped funnel cloud descending from a dark storm sky, touching down over an industrial area known as Refinery Row in eastern Edmonton, Alberta. The tornado appears as a bright, contrasting formation against the blackened background, with buildings, utility poles, and structures visible in the foreground.
For a week prior to July 31, a low pressure system in southwestern BC was feeding warm and humid air into central Alberta. Hot weather in Alberta was triggering thunderstorms all week.
Then, on July 31, a cold front developed in Western Alberta.

📸 Peter Cutler

🧵 2/12 The photo depicts the 1987 Edmonton tornado as a large, wedge-shaped funnel cloud, brightly illuminated against a dark stormy sky, descending and touching down over an industrial area with buildings, warehouses, and cylindrical storage tanks visible below. The image has a grainy texture typical of 1980s film photography.
This cold front collided with the warm moist air, creating a recipe for severe thunderstorms.
One storm developed that began to move northeast towards Leduc, south of Edmonton.
At 2:59, the first tornado was spotted.

🧵 3/12 The photo shows a narrow, rope-like tornado funnel descending from dark, ominous clouds and touching down across a multi-lane highway, where vehicles with headlights on are visible amid reduced visibility. Trees and bushes appear in the foreground, suggesting the viewpoint is from an elevated or nearby area.
Read 13 tweets
Craig Baird - Canadian History Ehx Profile picture
Jul 29
On July 29, 1910 in Saskatoon, a fabled meeting of two prime ministers took place.
The prime minister of the time, Sir Wilfrid Laurier, met a young man selling newspapers named John Diefenbaker.
But...did it actually happen?
Let's investigate!

🧵 1/6 The photo shows a bronze statue in Saskatoon depicting a young John Diefenbaker as a newsboy in cap and knickers handing a newspaper to Sir Wilfrid Laurier in a suit holding a hat. It stands on a brick-paved area with a plaque at the base, amid a urban street with parked cars, buildings, trees, and flower planters.
At the time, Sir Wilfrid Laurier was in Saskatoon to lay the cornerstone of the first building at the University of Saskatchewan.
John Diefenbaker, who was 15 at the time, was apparently selling newspapers on the corner when the two crossed paths.

🧵 2/6 The black-and-white photograph shows a close-up of a light-colored stone block embedded in a wall, engraved with the text: "THIS STONE WAS LAID BY SIR WILFRID LAURIER JULY - 29TH - 1910". Foliage is visible at the top left, and the stone sits above a concrete surface.
After 10 minutes of talking, Diefenbaker told Laurier:
"I can't waste any more time on you, Prime Minister. I must get about my work."
At that point, the two went their separate ways. Today, the meeting is commemorated in a statue at the spot.

🧵 3/6 The black-and-white studio portrait depicts a young man with short, wavy hair combed back, fair skin, light eyes, and a serious expression facing the camera. He wears a white high-collared shirt, narrow dark tie, and dark suit jacket with puffed shoulders. The background is plain and neutral.
Read 7 tweets
Craig Baird - Canadian History Ehx Profile picture
Jul 22
Sir Sandford Fleming was one of the most important Canadians of the 19th century.
Best known for his promotion of Standard Time, he had a massive impact on Canada from surveying our railroads to creating our first stamp.
Let's learn more about this amazing Canadian!

🧵1/16 Image
Fleming was born on Jan. 7, 1827. When he was 14, he apprenticed as a surveyor and four years later moved to Canada. In 1849, he qualified as a surveyor in Canada.
That same year, he founded the Royal Canadian Institute with several friends.

🧵2/16 Image
On April 25, 1849, rioters burned down the Parliament Building in Montreal. There is a story that as the building burned, Fleming, with three others, rescued a portrait of Queen Victoria from the flames. That portrait has survived to this day.

🧵3/16 Image
Read 17 tweets
Craig Baird - Canadian History Ehx Profile picture
Jul 20
James Doohan wasn’t just Scotty on Star Trek, he was also a Canadian who served his country and landed on the beaches of Normandy on D-Day. He then went on to become a gifted actor, trained by fellow Canadian Lorne Greene.
This is his story.

🧵 1/12 Image
Doohan was born in Vancouver to Irish immigrants on March 3, 1920. When he was young, the family moved to Sarnia, Ontario where his father worked as a pharmacist. After graduating from high school, Doohan enlisted with the Canadian Army.

🧵 2/12 Image
By 1940, he was a lieutenant and began to train in Britain. With his fellow Canadians, he landed on Juno Beach on D-Day. He led his men through the battle to a defensive position. That night, he was shot six times by friendly fire while moving between command posts.

🧵 3/12 Image
Read 13 tweets
Craig Baird - Canadian History Ehx Profile picture
Jul 15
There was a time when everyone in Winnipeg shopped at "The Big Store".
With a staff of 8,000, it covered 21 acres.
On a busy day, 10% of Winnipegers shopped there and 50 cents of every shopping dollar was spent there.
This is the story of Eaton's Winnipeg store.

🧵 1/12 This vintage photo shows a nighttime city street, likely mid-20th century. A large brick building glows with red neon outlines and a prominent "EATONS" sign, indicating Eaton's department store. Festive lights form swirls, stars, and flowers across the facade and street, evoking holiday cheer. To the left is a "Woolworth" store with blue signage and window displays. The wet street reflects lights, with few pedestrians and a Christmas tree visible. Background includes taller buildings with "EATONS" and "BMO" signs. The image has a warm, grainy nostalg...
By the start of the 20th century, Eaton's was one of the most important retailers in Canada. With the Eaton's catalogue, Canadians could order anything they needed to their homes from the company.
As the company grew, there was a decision to expand.

🧵 2/12 This antique cover art depicts Eaton's Spring and Summer Catalogue No. 106 from 1913. Against a deep blue background with ornate borders, it shows classical statues of women with garlands framing an aerial illustration of Toronto's industrial buildings, including factories with smokestacks. Central text in bold white letters reads "EATON'S SPRING AND SUMMER CATALOGUE," flanked by floral urns and topiary trees. Below, "THE T. EATON CO. LIMITED TORONTO CANADA" appears, with scrolls noting "No106" and "1913." The style evokes early 20th-century elegance ...
John Craig Eaton, son of Eaton's founder Timothy Eaton, wanted to build a combined store and mail order operation. While his father worried about opening a store far from Toronto, he decided to approve the decision.

🧵 3/12 This vintage black-and-white portrait depicts Timothy Eaton, founder of the Eaton's department store chain. He appears as a bald, elderly man with bushy eyebrows and a thick white beard, dressed in a formal dark suit, high-collared shirt, and tie. His serious expression gazes slightly off-camera against a plain background, capturing early 20th-century dignity.
Read 13 tweets
Craig Baird - Canadian History Ehx Profile picture
Jul 13
On July 13, 1953, future Oscar winner Alec Guinness spoke the first words of the first play performed at the Stratford Festival.
"Now is the winter of our discontent, made glorious summer by this son of York."
This is its story of how the Stratford Festival began.

🧵 1/15 Black-and-white portrait of actor Alec Guinness as Richard III at Stratford Festival, long dark hair, stern face, in ornate armored tunic with sunburst emblem, studded skirt, greaves, holding crown and sword, posed dynamically against foggy black background, 1953.
In the 19th century, Stratford, Ontario was a railroad town. By 1901, 40% of the town was employed by the Grand Trunk Railway.
In the 1920s, the community had become a major furniture manufacturing centre with 15% of Canada's furniture made there.

🧵 2/15 Vintage colorized postcard aerial view of the Avon River winding through Stratford, Ontario, Canada, with lush green parks, trees, small bridges, a long boathouse or pavilion on the right bank, distant town buildings and homes, under a clear sky, early 20th century.
After the Second World War, things began to change. The furniture factories shut down and in 1951, the CNR announced it was phasing out its locomotive shops in Stratford.
It was at this moment local resident Tom Patterson came up with an idea.

🧵 3/15 Color photograph of two black steam locomotives side by side on parallel tracks in a rail yard, with a tall smokestack emitting white smoke in the background, adjacent industrial buildings, trees, and clear blue sky, likely mid-20th century.
Read 16 tweets

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