Каледония, Онтарио: История и современность

Caledonia is a community located on the Grand River in Haldimand County, Ontario, Canada. It had a population of 12,179 Mills sprung up all over Seneca village, and five mills were built in Caledonia by 1850. One was renamed Caledonia Mill, which has been rebuilt and is now used for office space. In 1835, William Bryant was the first to own a tavern in town. Official deeds to the lands early settlers occupied were not provided until 1850; however, they did have bills of sale. There was a high concentration of Scottish immigrants, and as such, many of Caledonia's streets are named in honour of this. Most notably, the main street is named "Argyle" after the example of Glasgow in Scotland. The Hamilton to Port Dover plank road was brought through Caledonia in 1838. A bridge was built across the river in Caledonia and Seneca in 1842. When first constructed, a stagecoach travelled to both Hamilton and Port Dover daily. These wooden bridges lasted around 19 years before the ice on the river swept them away. The Seneca Bridge was never rebuilt. As of 2011, the Grand River Bridge built in 1927 serves Caledonia's traffic. In 1846, David Thompson of Ruthven became the first Member of Parliament for Haldimand County and died in office five years later in 1851. In the succeeding by election, Ranald McKinnon ran for office but was ultimately defeated by William Lyon MacKenzie. which was granted, in 1784, by the Crown to the Six Nations of the Grand River, for their use in settlement. Henco argues that the Six Nations surrendered their rights to the land in 1841, and Henco later purchased it from the Crown. The Six Nations, however, maintain that their title to the land was never relinquished. The Grand River land dispute continued with 1492 Land Back Lane, protests occurring during 2020 and 2021.

As of the 2021 census, 11,510 citizens spoke English only, 10 spoke only French, 595 spoke both official languages, and 60 spoke neither. Although the largest community in Haldimand, the town hall was located in nearby Cayuga. In 2001, Haldimand and all other municipalities within the region were dissolved, and the region was instead divided into two single tier municipalities with city status but called counties. Caledonia is now an unincorporated community in Ward 3 of Haldimand County. The current mayor of Haldimand County is Shelly Ann Bentley, and the elected councillor for Ward 3 (Caledonia) is Dan Lawrence.

Previous to the town hall's construction, council meetings were held at the house of John Campbell (the local inn) and in other makeshift quarters. The first mention of a town hall was made in 1854 and was discussed for several months until over a year later the council decided to spend a "sum of Eight hundred pounds to build a Town Hall and public Lockup house." The town hall was built in 1857 and officially opened on January 18, 1858. At the time of its completion, John Scott was the Reeve of Caledonia, James Aldridge was the town clerk, and Thomas Belford was the constable and keeper. Edinburgh Square was designed as a town hall with jail cells in the basement. The town hall was also intended to house a meat market in the basement. In addition, the second floor hall was used for various purposes, from public events to Boy Scout meetings. In 1914 the library books had all been stored in the basement and the library was only reestablished in 1935 through the hard work of Laura and Harold Senn. When the library was reestablished, it remained within the town hall until the new Caledonia Public Library was opened in 1967. The town hall was built by Mr. John Turner, a British immigrant who was residing in Brantford at the time. Mr. Turner also designed the courthouses in St. Thomas and Simcoe, St. Basil's Roman Catholic Church and Park Baptist Church in Brantford. On January 25, 1982, the Town of Haldimand designated the Caledonia Town Hall as a heritage building. The building currently houses the Edinburgh Square Heritage and Culture Centre, a museum preserving the local area's history. The museum holds events throughout the year in partnership with the other county museums, Wilson MacDonald Memorial School Museum and Haldimand County Heritage Centre, in addition to summer camps.

The Caledonia Toll House is the second oldest building in Caledonia, Ontario, still standing; the first being Haldimand House. The toll house was there when the original iron bridge collapsed and the new concrete one (still used today) was built. With the historic Caledonia Bridge in need of complete replacement, the beautiful historic toll house, which is currently a home and business, has been appropriated as part of the Ministry of Transportation's plan to replace it. The toll house is presently a private residence.

The Caledonia Fair takes place on the fourth weekend after Labour Day at the Caledonia Fair Grounds at 151 Caithness St. E., Caledonia, ON. At the Fair, one can find a collection of farm animals, local art pieces and cooking all on display. There are also several events during the duration, including a demolition derby, many magic shows and small concerts, rides for people of all ages, an event where local high schools compete for school spirit called 'High School Challenge', Touch a Truck, a display of classic cars, and more.

The night, typically in the later half of November, is when the town's Christmas lights are turned on and celebrated in the Caledonia fair grounds where the children meet Santa Claus.

The Caledonia Corvairs are a Canadian junior ice hockey team based in Caledonia, Ontario. They played in the Golden Horseshoe Conference of the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League in 2023 but ultimately lost the final game against Hamilton 4 to 0. They became a Junior B team when the Brantford Eagles were transplanted, renamed and replaced the original Caledonia Corvairs (1961–2012). All hockey activities take place in the Haldimand County Caledonia Centre. It is primarily used for the local minor hockey league, Caledonia Thunder, public skates and for the Caledonia Corvairs.

Located opposite the Avalon development at 62 McClung Rd is the Caledonia Soccer Complex where the local Haldimand Soccer Club operates its youth soccer programs.

There are two public baseball diamonds located in Caledonia, Ontario, that are not on school property. The first is located within kinsmen park, next to the Caledonia Lions Pool. The second is located next to the local hockey arena, the Haldimand County Caledonia Centre. There is also a park featuring six baseball diamonds at 161 Greens Road, Caledonia, ON called Henning Park.

There is a public basketball court located in McKinnon Park next to the Caledonia Skate Park. Additionally, a youth basketball league, Haldimand Huskies, operates using the McKinnon Park Secondary School gym.

A public skate park is located within McKinnon Park across the street from McKinnon Park Secondary School.

Public tennis courts are located within the Caledonia Kinsmen Park.

The only place for golf in Caledonia is the MontHill Golf & Country Club, which replaced the previous Hagan farm. It currently features 3, 9 hole courses for a total of 27 holes of varying difficulties and can be found at 4925 Highway 6, Caledonia, ON.

Caledonia & Grand River Gymmise Gymnastics & Trampoline Club, locally referred to as 'Gymmies,' is the only facility operating in Caledonia that offers a suitable environment for gymnastics. It can be found behind the Haldimand County Caledonia Centre at 10 Kinross Street, Caledonia, ON.