Brief Statistics

Area:  3570.92 Acres
Population:  40,869
Number of Dwellings:  18,026
Eligible Voters:  28,974


Some Famous People from Ward 3

- Robert Land, Hamilton’s First Settler?
- Charles Depew, Business Leader
- William Gage, Pioneer Settler
- Quinto Martini, MP
- Jimmy Thompson, Swimming Coach
- John Munro, MP / Cabinet Minister


The History

Jimmy Thompson, the first coach of the Hamilton Aquatic Club in 1932, devoted over 30 years teaching more than 60,000 children to swim in Hamilton’s first indoor pool. Many Hamiltonians have memories of being survivors of his order to, “Jump in and sink or swim!”. 

Gage Park, originally on land owned by William Gage, has hosted many festivals, concerts and special events on its 30 hectares of green space ever since it opened in1922. Most of the original Dunnington-Grub landscaping and John Lyle’s fountains still exist. The park was set up by Thomas B. McQuesten as the eastern access park. 

The Children’s Museum opened in Gage Park in 1979 (International year of the Child). It is one of the first 4 Children’s Museums in Canada. It is the smallest and the only one to have never been expanded despite studies, plans and citizen suggestions to do so. 

From Ward 3 to the world -- the first Tim Horton’s coffee shop opened on Ottawa Street in 1964 and is still serving coffee and doughnuts. 

Britannia Park on Barton Street between Wentworth and Sanford Aves., was the site of many early city events and baseball games. This land became the Roller Rink, The Arena (ice) and The Forum. In all its guises, this area was an important meeting place for people of all ages and many couples in Hamilton have fond memories of meeting here. Woodlands Park, across Barton Street, has a plaque commemorating Robert Land. 

In 1897, Buffalo Bill brought his Wild West show and played to capacity audiences at the circus grounds near Wentworth & Barton. Hamilton’s first settler? Ward 3 has two contenders.  Robert Land built a log cabin at Barton & Leeming, while Charles Depew settled nearby at Burlington Street & Sherman Avenue. 

In 1794, 100 acres of land bounded by Main Street to the south, Barton in the north, Emerald in the east and Victoria in the west was sold for a barrel of pork and a yoke of oxen. 

Hamilton Hospital was built on Barton Street at Victoria in 1890 and over a century later, the construction continues. Both medical and construction techniques have vastly improved, however, since 1890. 

In 1846, Hamilton was incorporated as a city, with Ward 3 being the furthest eastern section. 

On September 1895, an extremely loud whistle startled everyone on Wentworth Street South. A second incline railway now traveled up and down Hamilton’s Mountain. By its last trip, in Aug. 1936, nearly 20,000,000 trips had been made on the Wentworth Street Incline Railway. 

In 1889 Hamilton’s Summer Carnival Week, held at the base of the escarpment just east of Wentworth Street, successfully advertised Hamilton’s position as one of North America’s most progressive up-to-date cities. 

Canada’s Coney Island for just one year -- “The Maple Leaf Amusement Park” operated just southwest of Ottawa & Barton Streets for one season in 1909, before the land was sold for new home surveys.   In 1894, the first steel-making facility in Hamilton was built by New York Financiers on Huckleberry Point, the present site of Stelco. Known as The Hamilton Blast Furnace Company, it and other manufacturers were incorporated as STELCO in 1910. 

John Patterson and his 4 friends, known as the “Five Johns”, were instrumental in bringing electric power to their generating station in Ward 3. In 1898, Hamilton became known as The Electric City. 

Industry brought immigrant workers and their families, almost doubling the city’s population. Many lived in the working class homes centered near Sherman & Barton Streets. 

Huckleberry Point was yesterday’s scenic landmark in the 1800’s while Randle Reef, just offshore in the Harbour, is today’s ecological problem. 

In the early 1900’s lots in northern Ward 3 cost between $150 and $200 and could be bought for as little as $5 down and $5 a month. Even that was expensive for many. 

A dozen large manufacturers built between Barton Street and the Bay between 1898 and 1915 and caused Hamilton’s economy to soar. They included Westinghouse, Hamilton Blast Furnace (Stelco), Otis Elevator, Harvester, Hoover, Barnes Carriages, American Can, Brown Boggs, Frost Wire, National Steel Car, Union Drawn Steel, and Proctor & Gamble.
As a 1913 centennial project, a large work force built a nine-room brick house in just one day. It was demolished a little more than 20 years later to pave the way for Central High School of Commerce. 

Name that Strike! Some workers stayed in the plant for 4 months while others picketed outside. Itinvolved people, trucks, cars, trains, boats, and planes.  Politicians, family, friends took opposing sides. It took years to recover from the enmity but it established the dignity and power of unions. The Stelco Strike of 1946 remains the only strike ever fought on land, sea and air.   Ward 3 can boast of several famous politicians. Quinto Martini was the 1st Italio-Canadian to be elected as Member of Parliament for Canada. Both John Munro and Sheila Copps became Federal Members of Parliament and served in cabinet.

Churches, both old and new, in Ward 3 serve a variety of religions and cultural heritages, including Polish, Spanish, Hungarian, Romanian, Russian, Korean, Vietnamese, Italian, andMiddle- Eastern.  St Patrick’s Church was built 1876 and Victoria Avenue Baptist Church in 1893.Barton Street, between Smith Ave. and Gage Ave. has 10 such churches within 2 kilometers.  First Place, now a large building with apartments for seniors, offices and stores was built on the site of First Methodist -United Church. Built in 1914 to seat 1500 people, it was destroyed by fire Sept 13, 1969. Two new churches have been built in the last year (2007) – The Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints and Our Lady of Glastonbury. 

Hamilton Tiger-Cats and the Toronto Argonauts’ Labour Day game has been played every year since 1949 at Civic / Ivor Wynne Stadium. Hamilton has won 26 of the 39 games.   Hamilton almost had a NHL team! The Tigers, with home ice at the Arena on Barton Street went on strike in 1923, even though they were expected to win the Stanley Cup. To beat the strike, the owners moved the team to New York City making it the basis of the NHL New York Rangers teams. Hamilton has not had a big league hockey team since.  Hamilton Civic/ Ivor Wynne Stadium was not just for football. It has hosted Princess Margaret presenting new regimental colours to the Highland Light Infantry, Opening Day ceremonies for the British Empire Games, annual Marian Day Celebrations with Cathedral students, elementary school track and field events, and marching band competitions.   

-- Courtesy of the Hamilton Historical Board

Researched by Carolyn McCann
Original Layout by Graham Crawford