It has been said that Toronto was built on Dundas Shale. A careful look at the foundations of buildings erected in Toronto (and in Port Credit) prior to 1910 often reveals stone foundations. In an age before the ready availability of concrete, a constant supply of building stone was essential. Beginning in the 1840s and lasting until just after the First World War, the Lake Ontario waterfront between the Credit River and Burlington Bay was busy with those engaged in mining the shallow waters for shale and loading the stone onto small sail-driven vessels known as stonehookers.  This week o ..read more

On this week's episode of Sauga 50-for-50, we are pulling out from our vaults an interview with one of the most influential women in Mississauga during the 20th century. Bernice Inman-Emery was a well-known wildlife rescuer who operated the Winding Lane Bird Sanctuary on Mississauga Rd. for 25 years. Winding Lane became a destination for school trips, where students learned how to care for injured birds and to respect wildlife. She took over the running of the sanctuary from the world-famous ornithologist Roy Ivor, who established Winding Lane Bird Sanctuary.  She was known as the "Bird L ..read more

On this week's episode of Sauga 50-for-50, Dorothy Patchett Williams, former resident of Lorne Park, Mississauga, tells of the Lorne Park she grew up with in a reading from Journey to the Past: The Lost Villages of Mississauga by Heritage Mississauga.   To stay up to date with Mississauga's 50th Anniversary celebrations, follow Heritage Mississauga on social media @heritagemississauga and also follow #Sauga50for50 to stay up to date with new upcoming podcast episodes. Music: Cojonudo by Esteban Maxera Cuarteto ..read more

On this week's episode of Sauga 50-for-50, Justine Lyn and Melissa Toste delve into the curious case of a ship-in-a-bottle. But this is no ordinary ship-in-a-bottle. A bottle from the vineyards of Cooksville, a ship named "Toronto", an enemy of the state, a brickyard, a humble Erindale General Store and a vivacious teacher all come together to make this one of the most fascinating... and strange... artifacts in Mississauga's history!    To stay up to date with Mississauga's 50th Anniversary celebrations, follow Heritage Mississauga on social media @heritagemississauga and also follow ..read more

This week, we wanted to travel back in time and have a chat with a beloved former resident of Mississauga, Ben Madill. Ben Madill epitomized a lifetime of giving and is fondly remembered and well respected in Mississauga’s heritage community. He regaled generations with his stories and knowledge of the “old days” of Britannia, of farming, of life in a one-room schoolhouse in the midst of what is now the City of Mississauga.   Ben’s extensive knowledge of farming techniques, including rope making and woodworking, were exceptional – equaled only by his love for sharing his knowledge with yo ..read more

This week on Sauga 50-for-50, Historian Matthew Wilkinson and Heritage Mississauga Executive Director Jayme Gaspar, with special guest Omar El Sharkawy, invite you down Dundas Street. As you go about your day, you may be unaware of the history that lies directly beneath your feet. This is a story of Dundas Street in Mississauga- one of the earliest surveyed routes of travel in the province of Ontario. In late 2020 until April of 2021 Omar El Sharkawy underwent a project on the colonial connections of road names in Mississauga, under the oversight of Historian Matthew Wilkinson of Heritage Miss ..read more

This week’s episode of Ask A Historian features an interview with Lindsay Doren, Coordinator for Education and Engagement with the Museums of Mississauga as we explore an annual tradition here in the City of Mississauga – the Maple Magic Festival at Bradley Museum. Maple Magic runs on March 9-10 and March 16-17 from 12-4. For more information on the event, please visit: https://www.mississauga.ca/arts-and-culture/events/maple-magic-festival-2024?eventdate=2024-03-09T12%3A00%3A00&schedule=15176 To reserve your tickets for Maple Magic, please visit: https://www.ticketweb.ca/search?q=maple+ma ..read more

Join Historian Matthew Wilkinson for one of our most popular presentations: Mississauga's ABCD's: Accidents, Blazes, Calamities & Disasters. Join Matthew as he recalls some of the darker chapters in our formative years, from early train accidents and plane crashes, through devastating fires, epidemics, and major storms that wreaked havoc on our landscape- this time on Sauga 50-for-50. To stay up to date with Mississauga's 50th Anniversary celebrations, follow Heritage Mississauga on social media @heritagemississauga and also follow #Sauga50for50 to stay up to date with new upcoming podcast ..read more

This week's episode of Ask A Historian features an interview with Amanda Barbosa from the Museums of Mississauga as we explore a new interactive digital exhibit program through ArcGIS that celebrates the City of Mississauga's 50th Anniversary. For more information, see here: https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/b58d3fc15fec43c7a9847771cf6bf410 ..read more

This week on Sauga 50-for-50, historian Matthew Wilkinson revisits the 1974 Mississauga Song by Tommy Hunter, and welcomes Mississauga musician Mikey Bloom to trace the creation of the new Mississauga Anthem for the City of Mississauga's 50th Anniversary. To listen to both Mississauga songs, click the links below:  The Mississauga Song (1974) by Tommy Hunter: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z627IZGPRFU Mississauga Anthem (2024) by Mikey Bloom: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eM_JFmueciI   To stay up to date with Mississauga's 50th Anniversary celebrations, follow Heritage Mississauga ..read more