IMAGE EVALUATION
TEST TARGET (MT-3)

1.0

I.I

1.25 ■ 1.4

1.6

Photographic

Sciences

Corporation

23 WEST MAIN STREET

WEBSTER, N.Y 14580

(716) 872-4503

CIHM/ICMH

Microfiche

Series.

CIHM/ICMH
Collection de
microfiches.

Canadian institute for Historical (Vlicroreproductions / Institut Canadian de microreproductions historiques

Technical and Bibliographic Notaa/Notas tachniquas at bibliographiquaa

Tha Inatituta haa attamptad to obtain tha baat
original copy availabia for filming. Faaturaa of thia
copy which may ba bibliographically uniqua,
which may altar any of tha imagaa in tha
raproduction, or which may significantly changa
tha uaual mathod of filming, ara chackad balow.

L'Inatitut a microfilm^ la malMaur examplaire
qu'il lui a 6tS possibia da sa procurer. Las details
da cet exempiaire qui sont paut-Atre uniques du
point de vue bibliographiqua, qui peuvent modifier
une image reproduite, ou qui peuvent exiger une
modification dans la mAthoda normaia de filmage
sont indiqu6s ci-dessous.

Coloured covers/
Couvertura da coulaur

r~~| Coloured pages/

D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D

□

Covers damaged/
Couverture endommagia

Covers restored and/or laminated/
Couverture reataurte et/ou pellicula

Cover title miaslrg/

La titra da couverture manque

Coloured mapa/

Cartas giographiquas en couleur

Coloured init (i.e. other than blue or black)/
Encra de cuuleur (i.e. autre que bleue ou noire)

Coloured plates and/or iliuatratlona/
Planches et/ou iilustrationa an coulaur

Bound with other material/
Rail* avac d'autras documents

Tight binding may cause shadows or distortion
along interior margin/

La re liure serr6e peut causer de S'ombre ou da la
diatortion la long da la marge int6rieure

Blank leaves added during restoration may
appear within the text. Whenever ^oasibla, these
have been omitted from filming/
II aa peut que certainas pages blanches ajoutiaa
lore d'una restauration apparaissant dans la texte,
mais, lorsqua cela itait possible, ces pages n'ont
pas 4t4 filmAas.

Additional comments:/
Commentairas supplAmantairas;

D
D
E

D
D

Pages de couleur

Pages damaged/
Pages endommagies

Pages restored and/or laminated/
Pages restaur6es et/ou peliicul^es

Pages discoloured, stained or foxed/
Pages d6coior6es, tacheties ou piqu6es

Pages detached/
Pages ddtachdes

Showthrough/
Transparence

Quality of print varies/
Quaiiti in^gaie de i'impression

Includes supplementary material/
Comprend du mat6riei suppi^mentaire

Only edition available/
Seule Edition disponible

Pages wholly or partially obscured by errata
slips, tissues, etc., have been refilmed to
ensure the best possible image/
Les piges totalement ou partiellement
obscurcies par un feuillet d'errata, une pelure,
etc, ont M film6es d nouveau de fa^on d
obtenir la meilleure image possible.

This item is filmed aii the reduction ratio chackad below/

Ce document est film* au taux da rMuction IndiquA ci-deasous.

10X 14X 18X 22X

26X

30X

12X

16X

20X

24X

28X

32X

The copy filmed here has been reproduced thanke
to the generosity of:

Library of the Public
Archives of Canada

L'exempiaire f limA fut reproduit grAce A la
gAntrositA de:

La blbilothique des Archives
publiques du Canada

The images appearing here are the best quality
possible considering the condition and legibility
of the original copy and in keeping witf< the
filming contract specifications.

Original copies In printed paper covers are filmed
beginning with the front cover and ending on
the last page with a printed or Illustrated Impres-
sion, or the back cover when appropriate. All
other original copies are filmed beginning on the
first page with a printed or illustrated Impres-
sion, and ending on the last page with a printed
or Illustrated Impression.

Les Images suivantes ont 4tA reprodultes avec le
plus grand soin, compte tenu de la condition et
de la nettetA de rexemplaire f Ilm4, et en
conformlt6 avec les conditions du contrat de
filmage.

Les exemplalres criglnaux dont la couverture en
pepier est ImprimAe sont film6s en commen9ant
par le premier plat et en termlnant solt par le
dernlAre page qui comporte une empreinte
d'Impresslon ou d'illustration, solt par la second
plat, salon le cas. Tous les autres exemplalres
orlginaux sont fllmte en commenpant par la
premlAre page qui comporte une empreinte
d'Impresslon ou d'illustration et en termlnant par
la dernlAre page qui comporte une telle
empreinte.

The last recorded frame on each ^nnlcroflche
shall contain the symbol — ► (meaning "CON-
TINUED"), or the symbol V (meaning "END"),
whichever applies.

Un des symboles suivants apparattra sur la
dernlAre image de cheque microfiche, selon le
cas: le symbole — »> signifie "A SUIVRE", le
symbols V signifie "FIN".

Map3, plates, charts, etc., may be filmed at
different reduction ratios. Those too large to be
entirely Included in one exposure are filmed
beginning in the upper left hand corner, left to
right and top to bottom, as many frames as
required. The following diagrams Illustrate the
method:

Les cartes, planches, tableaux, etc., peuvent Atre
filmAs A des taux de rMuctlon diffArents.
Lorsque le document est trop grand pour Atre
reproduit en un seul clichA, 11 est fllmA A partir
de I'angle supArieur gauche, de gauche A droite,
et de haut en bas, en prenant le nombre
d'Images nAcessalre. Le^ diagrammes suivants
illustrent la mAthode.

1 2 3

32X

V ■

GEN]

in the g

^^^ a mind,

should draw

tiiry." The

only favor f

hiiHian hapi

ird probabl

j '^ ipes have esi

less of the i

/tha bodily fi

): V ar and vi^

( avel to dife

leterred by

I eir last lai

> ' a diseaso(.

1 dieted wM(

, The tra

J^ ^troit, p IS

' ' eninsula, 1

nd Ontario

riservant p;

)king out ]

An slope.

e right as

e remain d

" Lake On

uns the v h

tud three h

wnenj;

. elevatic

11? '

.^ /

A Sylvan

Reti^eat.

Iiv'

I-
I

;'>I^M

GENERAL," says De Quiueey : "a man lias reason to think himself well off
in the great Lottery of Life, if he draws the prize of a healthy stomach without
^^^ a mind, or the prize of a fair intellect with a crazy stomach, but that any man
should draw both, is truly astonishing, and, I suppose, happens only once in a cen-
tury." The mens sana in corpore sano, which the epicurciin poet declared to be the
only favor for which the truly wise should supplicate the gods, is as essential to
hnmau happiness in this busy nineteenth century as it was in the days of Augustus,
lid probably more so. Modern medical science, however, and the exj)erienoe of
\oes have established, almost beyond a doubt, the important fact that the sound-
less of the mind depends almost entirely on the health of the body, and that if all
tha bodily functions are in harmony the mental faculties, as a general rule, will be
V ar and vigorous. The invalid, stricken by l)odily disease, will cross the seas and
.ivel to distant lands to obtain relief. If he be rich in this Avorld's goods he is
leterred by no (Question of expense, and even the comparatively poor will s|)end
eir last farthing to obtain, if only temporary, relief from the excruciating pains
a diseased body. It is the purpose of this paper to describe a resort for the
liicted w'lich lies at our very doors.

The traveller from New York to Chicago, by way of the Suspension Bridge and

^troit, pisses along the southern boundary of what is known as the Niagara

eninsula, being that portion of Canatiian Teiritory lying between Lakes Erie

nd Ontario and the Niagara River. Soon after leaving the Suspension Bridge the

hservant passenger feels that the train is descending a rather steep grade, and

>king our he perceives that he is going down the side of what appears to be a inoun-

.in slope. In a few moments he has entered a lev^el plain which streaches away to

e right as far as Lake Ontario, which may be plainly seen in the distance, and for

e remainder of the journey from the Suspension Bridge to Hamilton, at the head

' Lake Ontario, he has the lake in full view on his right, while on his left there

uns the v hole distance, parallel with the lake shore, and apparently between two

iud three hundred feet in height, an almost perpendicular ridge, forming a sort of

wnenj, .and covered for most of the distance with a thick growth of timber.

. elevation g»)es by the name of the "Niagara Escarpment." It is a continuation

;)■

of a stratum of limostone rock, known to American and Canadian geologists, as the
**Niagara Formation," which, commencing in Herkimer County, N. Y., rises gradu-
ally in its course westward. The Genessee River, falling over its edge at Rochester,
forms the Oenessee Falls. The Erie Canal is carried over its summit at Lockport.
By the time it has reached the Niagara River it has lisen to a bold blufl' about 160
feet high, forming the Queenston Heights, over which, unnumbered ages ago, as
geologists assure us, poured the mighty waters of the Niagara. From Hamilton it
runs in a northerly direction to Owen Sound, thence through the Indian Peninsula
and the Manitoulin Islands, and continues anmnd the north and west shores of Lake
Michigan, l^his ridge, or "Mountain" as it is calletl by the inhabitants along its
base, increases in height between Queenston and Hamilton, at which latter place it
is about two hundred feet above the Lake. At a point about midway between St.
Catharines and Hamilton, at the Village of Urimsby, the mountain suddenly rises
in the form of a sharp peak to the height of nearly 500 feet, and from this elevation,
on a tine day, a magnificent view may be obtained of the whole upper shore line of
Lake Ontario, from the mouth of the Niagara River to Hamilton, and round the
head of the lake to Toronto on the ol^po^ite shore, wliicli city may be plainly seen
on a clear day without the aid of a glass.

The Niagara Peninsula forms a portion of what is called the "Champagne
Region" of Canada, and that part of it already described, lying between the Niagara
Escarpment and Lake Ontario, has, from its luxurious fruitful ness, been aptly styled
the "Garden of Canada." This narrow strip of land, which, in the neighborhood of
Queenston and St. Catharines, is about four miles in width, gradually narrows as
you go west, until at Hamilton the distance from the foot of the mountain to the
lake is less than a mile. The extraordinary fertility of this })art of the Pen-
insula is due to the exceptional mildness of the climate, the result of the shelter
provided by nature in the Niagara Escarpment. The prevailing winds, as in all
northern temperate climates, is from the southwest, and consequently a natural
windbrake is formed by this elevation. The mean temperature of this section of
Ontario is higher than that of any other part of Canada or of the eastern or middle
States of the Union. It is the fruit country par excelle7we of the Dominion. The
choicest varieties of peaches, pears and grapes, which will not thrive on the opposite
shore of the lake, nor even on the plateau between the lakes, formed by the mountain,
here flourish in abundance. Vineyards abound, and the manufacture of wine is
extensively carried on. Immense quantities of peaches ai-e every season sent across
the lake to Toronto, either (jonsigned to brokers, or, as is most customary, sold by
auction on the city wharves. During the fruit season it is not unusual to see three
or four cargoes being disposed of at the same time by rival vendors, and one may
purchase a basket of choice peaches containing nearly a peck for about what a dozen
of oranges- wonld cost in New York City. The soil is the most fertile in Ontario, or

i'.'

■W.

;r.

»•>

,WjW'

€■

in any of the other Trovinces, It consists of strong clays, overlaid here and there
by loam, sand and gravel. In early times, before the axe of the white settler had
brought destruction to our noble northern forests, this portion of Canada was covered
with a dense growth of hardwood timber, including maple, hickory, beet'h, oak and

I walnut. The latter wood, now so scarce in America, was once very plentiftd in tins
part of Ontario, and many of the old settlers relate how, in their younger days,
large (juantities of this valuable material were yearly destroyed at the "logging
bees." These dense forests were interspersed with occasional "oak openings," as
^ they were called, that is, sparse growths of oaks, free from underwood, anil supposed
by the early settlers to have been the pasture grounds of the Indians, maile by a
partial clearing of the foiest, anil by the annual burning of the wild grass.
' The Niagara Peninsula was originally settled in great part by Ameri»'an»

from New York. After the battle of Lexington, a large emigration of "itiotesters,"
as they were called, took place from the Valley of the Mohawk to the Niagara
Peninsula. The route was usually up the Mohawk, thence across a shoit |»()rtage
to Wood Creek, down which stream they descended until they re.iched Lake
Ontario, at the present town of Oswego. From that point they procetMled (»y boat
along the lake shore, putting in at the different streams that run into the lake, and

I' naming them according to their distance from the mouth of the Niagara River.
Thus, between the old Town of Niagara and the City of Hamilton, there were the
"Four," "Ten," "Twelve," (the site of the present City of St. Catharines,) the
^"Fifteen," "Twenty," and "Forty,"— the last being the Village of Grimsby,
already referred to. After the close of the Revolutionary War, such of the colonists
as were sympathizers with England in the struggle for independence, the "Tories" of
V that i>eriod, immigrated to Canada where they obtained the name of "United Empire
(■>v U.E.) Loyalists," whose descendants to-day, true to the traditions of their name
auc* race, are to be found in the ranks of the Tory party, and are among the strong-
est upholders in Canada of British connection. Many of such class of Americans
came to this part of Canada, but a larger number emigrated to better their condi-
tion, attracted by the fertility of the soil, and more particularly by the location, so
favorable for easy communication with their friends across the border. The conse-

quence was, that the whole Niagara Frontier was pretty well settled by Americans,
and the Niagara Peninsula was looked upon in the early days of the colony as a sort
of American settlement.

The American immigration to this part of Canada had a most important influ-
ence in the development of the country, and it is to the son of one of these immigrants
that the Welland Canal owes its existence, and the City of St. Catharines its pro8i»erity.

In the midst of this fertile district, and about ten miles from the Suspension
Bridge, on the line of the Great Western Railway, lies the City of St. Catharines,

__ J.I. . 117 _ii 1 n 1

uu mv vv eiiuiiu v^aucii.

Alii 1, ,!:_.. :a:„.] i — i.i « .,„.^„ „e .,:j.., li. i ii.. i_ .

2i.itiiuu^ii uigiiiiicu vy LLC iioiuc ui fitv, ii, I'uii iitiniiy ue

4 r:

called one. It is, in reality, only a good sized town of about ten thousand
inhabitants. The Welland Canal, that great artitirjial water way, which connects
Lakes Erie and Ontario, runs through the city and empties into the lake at
Port Dalhousie, about four miles below. That part of the old canal between

■'V^i

hilly
from
form

^ nent
Port
scent
eral

\ elers
Ame

Old-fi

^ whic
Onta
stron
conn
tants
to en
In S

' with
the
gaine

2 the-h
Cana(
dious
of th
their

^■*.vj4g ■;•

.■dS^

Kf' ^'''

St. Catharines and the Port has very little the appearance of an artificial
stream. It indeed can scarcely be so designated, as it was originally made by
deepening the channel of the Twelve Mile Creek, a smill stream, which, rising in a

n i

thouHaiK)

connects

lake at

between

irtificial
lade by

hilly country on the plateau above the town, at a <listance of some ten miles there-
from, a'^ter various sinuosities, leaps the escarpment or mountain near St. Catharines,
forming one of the most pietures(|ue and romantic waterfalls perha}>s on the conti-

^ nent, gradually broadens into a wide estuary below the town, and from thence to
Port Dalhousie, affords to the lover of nature the most channinj,' bit of inland river
scenery to he found perhaps in the Province. The City itself is very ditterent in gen-
eral appearance from the great majority of Canadian towns. It is considered by trav-
^\ elers from the Old Country, and even by natives of other portions of Canada, the most
American town in the Dominion. It presents a striking contrast to the slow-goin^,
old-fashioned, drowsy looking towns of the eastern portion of the Province, with

, which most American tourists are familiar, lying along the north shore of Lake
Ontario and the Upper St. Lawrence. Visiting these towns the American feels
strongly impressed with the fact that he has "crossed the line" and entered another
country. They all have a decidedly English appearance, and even the inhabi-
tants seem to possess more of the English or Old Country physi<pie and appear
to enjoy life and take the world more easily than the energetic, business American.
In St. Catharines, however, the latter would feel (juite at home. The town,
L ' with its broad streets Jined with maples and elms, its elegant [nivate residences,
the flower gardens which adorn even the most humble dwellings, and have
gained for the town the name of the "Garden City;" the absence of that down-at-

2-the-heel appearance in the homes of the poorer people, so characteristic oi most
Canadian towns, its business thoroughfares with their fine shops, its large commo-
dious hotels, electric light, and excellent system of water works, are all the outcome
of that enterprise and go-ahead-ativeness supposed to be the special distinction of
their cousins across the border.

St. Catharines owed its first importance to the building of the Welland Canal,

with which great work the name of one of her citizens, the late Hon. William

♦Hamilton Merritt, will always be intimately associated. Mr. Merritt was born in

Bedford, Long Island, but was brought to Canada while yet a child, by his father,

who emigrated to the Niagara Peninsula in 1796, and taking up land on the 'Twelve*

^.on the site of the present City of Catharines, settled there. Young Merritt took an

f active part in the war of 1812, on the side of his adopted country, and although
then only a young man of eighteen, was assigned an important command and

,,^ acquired considerable reputation along the frontier as the active and energetic leader
of a cavalry company, which performed nearly all the scout and outpost duty of the
frontier army throughout the war. It was during his many patrollings of the Niagara
.River, while engaged in his military duties, that the idea first struck him that the
waters of Lakes Ontario and Erie could be connected by means of a canal, and that
vessels might thus pass from the Upper to the Lower Lakes, and on to Mon-

,4'J;real and the seaboard. After the war he personally made a sort of flying survey

6 1

with only a water h-vcl, to an(vrt(iiii tlio ohivation tiiitl tix upon a route. By tho
most inil<'ratijifal)lo jmrseverence, ami after i>nrountorin>; and ovtircouunji; ilitticMiltiow
that wouM havt! dislieartcnod most mon, ho finally succooded in (brniing a (!onipany
ail getting,' the stock sul)sirib»Ml. The Provincial (fOverninentH aided the enterpriHO
with {grants, the work was proceeded with, and the first snmll canal opened in 1841.
Since that time the canal has been twice enlarged, or more strictly speaking, two
new channels have been built, and the Welland Canal is now one of the largest and
most important works of the kind in the world. The dilHcult engineering eat was ^\
accomplished of carrying an artificial waterway up the face of the Niagara escarp-
ment, and, .standing on the heights above St. Catharines, the spectator can see largo
thiee-masted vessels of between 1300 and 1500 tons burthen ascending the mountain
side by succe.ssive locks, like the steps of an immense stairway, until they have
reached the summit, which forms the barrier between the two great lakes. The
buiUling of the Welland Canal gave a great impetus to the little hamlet of St. Cath- — ;
arinos. It grew rapidly, A ship yard and dry dock gave work to a large number of l
men, and for many years more vessels were built in St. Catharines than in any other 'if
port on the lake. A large fleet of boats owned by its citizens sailed every spring |;
from its port on the opening of navigation. The whole lake traffic passed througb^y^ .
the canal, which runs through the town in a winding course, and its markets supplied It
the multitude of vessels which annually, during the season, traded between the ^ I
lower lake ports and Chicago. The new canal, finished a few years ago, passes ou'T / .
the outskirts of the City, and the lake traffic having considerably fallen off, the busi- u
nj3s of St. Catharines has been very materially affected. The water power afforded jl
by the canal from the suinmit of the mountain to St. Catharines, is unsurpassed in j^.
America, and would, if properly utilized, make the town the Lynn of Canada. Aj» v
it is there are several manufactories and mills established, and there is plenty of
room for as many more. As these are all run by water power the city does not pre-
sent any of the objectionable features of a manufacturing town where steam is used, | "^^
necessitating a large consumption of coal, and, as a consequence, the incon vonieuce 1 1
arising from coal smoke. r v • , .;« ^ - ^;: jl

But the principal feature of St. "Catharines, and what has given it a reputatioiW^
throughout America, is its Saline Springs, whose wonderful medicinal properties in the yi^. '
cure of rheumatic diseases, used to attract hundreds of invalids anndally from the
United States, and especially, before the war, from the Southern States. These salt* i
springs were found along the creeks emptying into Lake Ontario by the first settlers,
who called them "licks," from the cattle resorting to them for the purpose of
licking the saline deposits. They seem to have been known to the Indians of ol(^f^ .
and even their curative properties appreciated by the tribes that inhabited the Niagara
Peninsula. Tradition has it, that long before a pale face had settled on the banks
of the "Twelve," its salt spring was the resort of the sickly and afflicted redir

V\ By the

(litti(Miltu;H
a company
<« enterpriHe.
ed in 1841. K
aking, two (l
largoHt and W
ng cat wan ^^
fara escarp-
an see largo
lemuuntain.

they have
akes. The
Df St. Cath-
3 number of
in any other
very spring
>ed througbfjy'^ .1
ets supplied ii
[)etween the ^'1
;o, passes m/y /
3tf, the buai- u
kver afforded '1
surpassed in
!]!anada.
is plenty of
loes not pre-
eam is used, |
tconvenieuce

. J

As ^

a r6putatior|i|i ^>..
perties in the
lly from the

These salt* <
first settlers,
J purpose of \\
(lians of olcWf^ ^ .
I the Niagara T ''
n the banks |.|
ited redip" i/nii %

and that during the summer Hoaaon tlu» invalids wore wont to ho carriod long diNtancen
through the vast wildernosses of Northern New York an<l the far west, from the
shores of the (Iroat Huron, to bathe in this Indian Pool of Siloam. A salt
spring had been discovered at an early period at the •'Fifteen," a small stream run-
ning into the lake about four miles west of St. Catharines. Here in 1793 Oovonor
Simcoe established government salt works. Salt was then very .scarce in the colony
and was principally obtained from across the border. Hy the establishment of ex-
tensive salt works at Onondaga, in New York State, however, the works at the
Fifteen ceased to be profitable to the Government as a source of revenue, and they
were abandoned. During the war of 1812 the supply from the U. S. was entirely
cut off, and, this nece.s.sary article of daily consumption became again very scarce.
It was during this period, or at least shortly after the close of the war, that Mr.
Merritt discovered on his farm on the Twelve, the small spring which afterwards
became well known as the "Stephenson Baths." The surface of the spring was
usually covered with water, being below the level of the creek, and only became
exposed I'.uring the dry season in July and August, when the waters of the stream
were very low. On making the discovery Mr. Merritt at once curbed the spiing in
order to keep out the fresh water, and commenced boring a well through the solid
rock. Salt works were established and carried on for many years, no one having at
that time any idea that the waters possessed medicinal properties. It was
noticed, however, that it contained a great deal of iron which iiyuriously affected
the quality of the salt, and finally causea its manufacture to be abandoned. The
curative properties of the watera were first discovered by an American doctor named
Chase, from New York State, who came to St. Catharines to se' ! <»nd practice hia
profession. He bought the well from Mr. Merritt, and began concentrating the
water, bottling it, and pffering it for sale as a sort of patent medicine. He does not
seem to have succeeded very well, and the business was soon given up. The works
were afterwards destroyed by fire, and were abandoned for many years until thej
were taken in hand by Mr. Stephenson.

Mr. E. W. Stephenson, or "colonel," as he was more familiarly called, was •
born hotel keeper, and experience proves that successful hotel keepers, like poets*
are born not made. He too, came from the "States," being a regular shrewd, far-
seeing and pushing American. He was first engaged in running a line of stages^
carrying the mails between Niagara and Hamilton. This business he gave ap
and became proprietor of the principal hotel in the village, which he successfully
ran until he built the Stephenson House, where, for more than twenty years his
jolly, smiling face, genial manners and amusing stories, became well known to thous-
ands throughout the United States and Canada. The Colonel was a character in
his way. Whatever he took in hands he was bound to carry through. A man of
limited education, yet there were few who possessed a greater fund of good sound

8
common sense, which stood in place of much learning. He was always ready
to support any cause that he believed to be for the public good, no matter what his
own private opinions might be, and he has been known even to address a temper-
ance meeting in a most eloquent speech, when it was quite evident that he himself
had iust come from paying his devotions to the vine-crowned god. As illustrating the
character of the man, a good story is told of him in the early days of the town. It
was before the period of the election of mayors by the popular vote, when that officer

Col. Stephenson.

was appointed by
one of its member
OB a candidate for

fkiA/i4"irkT

w»:rv;viOn should bf

the council. A new council had been elected and the Colonel was

s. On the first meeting, so the story goes, they could not agree

mayor, and the Colonel was elected mayor 'pro tern until a regular

hold. At a subsequent meetiner thev nroceeded to the election of a

«-' AAX^AV^a

permanent mayor,
that in his opinion

C-I3t43*l

I
I

)

^T^jr

"%.■

■^.^

when the mayor ^o tern astonished the municipal solons by stating,
such a procedure was (piite unnecessary, as they had a mayor alrt ady

,v*,,..^.V-

i.">

ays ready -,^

>r what his i

a temper- j

he himself "^

jtrating the V

town. It k

. ;»

that officer

1M,

a;"

**T^jr

Colonel was ••
d not agree
til a regular

election of a K. ^
J by stating, j'

lyor already ^ •■ j

elected. It w^as explained to him that he was only mayor pro km. "Pro tem, pro
tem," exclaimed the Colonel, "who the devil's pro tem — all I know is I'm elected
mayor, and I'm goin' to be mayor," and mayor he was for the year. Mr. Stephen-
son, with a prescience which amounted almost to genius, saw a great future for St.
Catharines if once the value of its mineral waters became thoroughly known to the
world. He had an analysis of them made by a distinguished chemist, the late Prof.
Croft, of Toronto University, who in his report says : "It (his analysis) establishes
a similarity approaching to the identity of composition with some of the most im-
portant and fashionable German Spas, those of Kreunrch, the muriated Saline
waters of Weisbadfn and Kissengen, and the waters of Salin, and the Jura of
France." Mr. Stephenson bought the well and the adjoining property — a most
favorable location, commanding a line view of the surrounding country, and com-
menced the erection of a large and commodious hotel and a o^' cious bath house.
Machinery was procured to pump the water from the well to the hotel on the hill
above, and in the year 1852 the establishment was first opened to the public. It
proved an immense success. At once the reputation of the waters became estab-
lished, from the wonderful cures effected by the baths in cases of rheumatism, gout
and kindred diseases, and St. Catharines took its place, after the first season, among
the summer resorts of America. Its selection was greatly in its favor. By rail it is
only about tvrenty minutes ride from the Falls of Niagara, and by carriage but a
couple of hours drive through a most delightful country. Thus visitors to St. Cath-
arines may be said to have all the advantages of the Niagara Falls scenery without
paying the extravagant prices charged at the Niagara Hotels. In a couple of years
after the first opening it was found necessary to enlarge the Stephenson House by
an addition much more entensive than the original building. One hotel soon failed
to accommodate the tide of travel, and another large hotel, the "Welland," was
built shortly after. St. Catharines soon began to assume the appearance of a fash-
ionable watering place. Before the American war broke out the baths were patron-
ized principally by southerners, and in the height of the season a stranger would im-
agine himself in a southern town. The streets full of ladies and gentlemen from the , g
"sunny South," the ])lanter wearing his wide sombrero, the city man his inevitable
slouched hat, the ladies usually attended by their negro servants, gave the whole
place a decidedly Southern air. From the beginning of the civil war St. Catharines
became the resort of Confederate vefugees, and also of great numbers of Northerners,
who fled to Canada to avoid the draft. . .

There are at the present time three mineral wells sunk in the town, two besides
the original Stephenson House Spring, one connected with the "Welland House"
before referred to, and the other with "Springbank," a sanitarium established by
the late Dr. Theophilus Mack, whose reputation as a specialist in the cure of diseases
of women was well established throughout Canada and the United States. The baths

10
arc generally taken hot, or at a very high degree of temperature, a' ^ usually under the
advice and direetions of a physician. They rarely fail to give : fin cases of rheu-
niatLsm, at least while they are continued. The water is so strongly saline, that the
bather feels as if he could easily Hoat in it. It is not an uncommon circumstance to
8w invalids who when they first arrived at the baths, were unable to leave their car-
riage without assistance, in a few weeks after, walking through tbe pleasant streets
of the town in full possession of all their physical faculties.

The scenery of this part of the Niagara Peninsula is the admiration of all
tourists, and from St. Catharines as a centre the lover of the beautiful in nature has
many points of interest from which to choose. The drive from the city to Niagara
Falls, by way of Queenston Heights, runs through the loveliest and most picturesque
tract of country to be found in the region of the lower lakes. The land is undulat-
ing, and in a high state of cultivation. The farm houses along the route exhibit
evidences of comfort, and, in many cases, of wealth. The roadside is bordered
with orchards, principally of apples and peaches, Avhile the grape vine is everywhere
plentiful. It is essentially a fruit growing country, and from this neighborhood, —
fr.)m Queenston to Grimsby already mentioned, — are exported nearly all the peaches,
apples and grapes which reach the Toronto and Montreal markets. From the sum-
mit of Queenston Heights, is spread out at the beholder's feet, a view which the Duke
of Argyle declared to be the finest in America, east of the Rocky Mountains. From
the top of the monument erected to the memory of the British General Brock, who
fell at the battle of Queenston Heights, the eye can take in at one glance the whole
southern portion of the Niagara Peninsula, from the mouth of the Niagara River to
the head of Lake Ontaiio. On the right is the River, whose whole course can be
distinctly traced to its mouth at the pld town of Niagara, From the river to the
foot of the mountain on the left, stretches a vast level plain, dotted with clumps of
timber, with here and there a village nestling amidst a bower of trees, regularly laid
out farms and tidy farm houses surrounded with orchards. In the distance may be
seen the roofs and spires of St. Catharines rising above a mass of foliage. At our
.oet is the historic village of Queenston ; across the river is the village of Lewiston
in New York State, while filling up the back ground of this magnificent picture are
the deep blue waters of the Ontario bounding the distant horizon. It is a scene
very little known to the thousands who annually visit the Niagara Falls, and yet it
is one that would repay miles of travel to gaze on. The ground hereabouts has
many historic associations connected with it. It was here that the battle of Queen-
ston Heights was fought during the war of 1812.

St. Catharines, from its admirable location, offers many advantages as a sum-
mer resort for families of moderate means. Practically, the Niagara Falls are at its very
door. Twenty minutes by rail brings you to the Suspension Bridge. During the
season the Grand Trunk Railway issues return tickets from St. Catharines to the

»K

■■ r'

'^■>

•■♦

■aftft,i.,:^..,rr

iQ^i \

Uv / .^

■■'^

<!>

■'t

Arnorican side of the Bridge for a trifling sum. From ther4» the street cars run
to the Niagara Falls Park, opened last year by the authorites of New York
State. The Park is free to all, so that the visitor to St. Catharines i-an spend
the whole day at this famous resort and return in the evening at a merely nominal

DeCevv^ Falls.

expense. The Ontario Government is at present engaged in purchasing all the
private property on the Canadian side of the Falls for the the purpose of laying
out a park, which, when completed, will afford a much finer view of this greatest of
nature's wonders than can be obtained from the American side. The visitor to St.

..If* _ *

> ■ »

Lower DeCew Falls.

F flll-l L- llJll l l F-lU i f U B JI l lia iii lJI i j .^1 ,i i JUJJ J. ,

L ' .^ ^ jj. .i i MW iwagnahB

¥ •

13
Catharines has therefore all the advantages of the Niagara Falls without the
enormous expenses incident to any prolonged residence at that very fashionable but
most expensive summer resort.

St. Catharines is only about thirty miles from Butialo, N.Y., easily reached by
train in a couple of hours. Toronto is just across the lake, to which city, a boat
from St. Catharines runs daily and returns. A boat also leaves once a week for Mon-
treal. The round trip from St. Catharines to Montreal and return is $14. The route
takes in the Thousand Islands, the Upper St. Lawrence, and gives the passengers a
couple of days in Montreal. It is only a few minutes walk from any of the hotels
to the steamboat wharf. The passenger secures his state-room and makes the
boat his home until it returns again to the wharf at St. Catharines. It is one of
the most pleasant and interesting trips that can be made, and one can hardly be
said to know what American river scenery on a grand scale really is, until one has
gone down the St. Lawrence.

We have spoken of the many interesting places in and around St. Catharines
worthy of a visit from the tourist. We present a picture of De Vew Falls, to which
we have already referred. It is ouly three miles from tlie city, through a very de-
lightful portion of the County. Many visitors to St. Catharines declare that they
have rarely seen a more picturesque view than these Falls and the deep Glen in which
they are situated.

Another very enjoyable piece of scenery is Glen Elgin, ouly a few miles from the
city, a favorite resort for visitors, especially for pic.-nic i)urposes. It also can be
reached after a short drive and will repay a visit.

On page 4 is a view of Port Dalhousic;, of which we have already spoken, being
the Lake Ontario entrance to the Welland Canal. A steamer leaves here every
morning during the season for Toronto ; an<l the Welland Railway connects the Port
witli St. Catharines, four miles below. A drive from St. Catharines to Port Dal-
housie will give one a good idea of the Welland Canal and its operation, a very in-
teresting sight to those who have never seen the operation of a large canal and the
manner in which vessels are locked through.

During the summer there is good fishing both at the Port as well as the town
of Niagara, at the mouth of the river. The latter place is famous for its white tish
which are caught in large (piantities.

Xedicinal Properties of the St. Catharines Mineral Waters.

Were it not through feai- that this pamphlet might be taken by the reading public
for an ordinary (luack advertising medium, we might quote any number of certifi-
cates and testimonials from prominent men all over the United States and Canada —
Ministers, Doctors, Lawyers, Journalists — men of all professions, who luive received
benefit from the use of the St. Catharines Mineral Waters. We do not claim that
these waters are a Panacea, but we do insist that in the cure of certain diseases,
especially of Rheurryitistn, Gout, Lumbago, Sciatica, Neuralgia and Scrqfiilous
Affections, they have never been known to fail. The proprietors of the various hotels
are in possession of letters and testimonials, without number, from parties — ladies
and gentlemen — who, unsolicited, have testified to the cures effected by the St.
Catharines Baths.

It is only necessary to present the analysis of these waters to any intelligent
physician to convince him that, used as a hot bath, they must be powerful curatives
for the diseases already mentioned, and for many more, especially in disea.ses peculiar
to women. The following is the analysis in full, made by Prof. Croft, of the Toronto
University, already referred to :

Sulphate of Lime 2.1!)2:j "

^ ■ Cliloiide of Caloiuiii 14.8544 "

': Chloride of Ma{.inesiuiii 2.3977 "

Iodide of Magnesium 0.0042 "

Bromide of Magnesiuiu 62 "

Chloride of Potasimn 0.3555

Chloride of Sodium 29.8034

Chloride of Ammonium { ,,0 ,,

Silic Acid i '^

In oneipint of natural water 50.6215

It will be seen from the above analysis that these waters contain, in much larger
proportions than any of the celebrated European waters. Chloride of Sodium, Cal-
cium and Magnesium.

The wells from which the St. Catharines waters are procured are Artesian
Wells, sunk to the depth of over s%x hundred feet, into corniferous limestone. The
St. Catharines Mineral Waters have not only an American reputation, but they have
been recommended by eminent physicians of London and Paris, as the best spjecimen
of Ido-Bromated Saline Waters known to the medical profession.

It may be said in conclusion, tha^ St. Catharines possesses many other first-class
hotels and numerous private boarding houses. It has hotel accommodation for at
least 1000 people, besides boardii'g houses. Private board may be obtained on
extremely reasonable terms, and llie proprietors of the Springs are always willing
to acconiujodatc those v.lio desire to use the baths v.'liether they are guests at the
hotels or private boarders.

' J

\j ->

S^jyiQ^- '•""

ST. CATHARINES, ONT.

Celebrated Saline Mineral Baths ; the original mineral water of St. Catharines.
Eleven miles from Niagara Falls on line of Grand Trunk Railway, Great Western
Division. The only hotel in the city a strictly summer resort. First class in its
appointments. Electric lights and all modern improvements. Entirely refitted,
re-painted, re-papered, new furniture, new carpets and decorated throughout.

i i

■i

SPRINGBAXK HOTEL AND SANITARIUM,

This is one of the best eciuipped Sanitariums on the American continent. Fam-
ous for the curative efficacy of its Mineral Water Baths. Open to tourists and
invalids all the year round. W. R. Crumb, M. D. , Manager and Ttedical Director.,

tit. Fam-
urists and
1 Director.

» ■ '4^ ■

«1

; A

A ^

f'-|

' \

s s

^ 'V

Vft