Scott Radley: Hamilton’s curious (official) history

Lincoln Alexander was kind of a big deal in this town. Vic Copps, Sheila Copps and Copps Coliseum, too. Same with Evelyn Dick, Dofasco, Nathan Cirillo, Roberta Bondar and Ray Lewis.

Any telling of the history of Hamilton would have to prominently include them, right? Especially, say, an official one city council voted to spend $200,000 to have built a little over a year and a half ago.

You'd think.

The creation of a website interpreting the City of Hamilton's 175-year history featuring digital exhibits and experiences will offer a wide-ranging and inclusive view of its past, present and future," a staff report said at the time.

That site has been live for months now. And the history it tells? Let's just say it's, um, interesting.

George Hamilton's arrival is appropriately addressed, as is the construction of Dundurn Castle, Hamilton becoming a city, the Bloody Assize, the 1930 British Empire Games, the creation of the HSR, the opening of city hall, union issues, the indictment of Louis Riel and Stoney Creek's team making the finals of the Little League World Series. These are all excellent contributions.

But the issue isn't what's there. It's what isn't included.

There are 100 little tabs you can click on the historic timeline to learn about a topic. Not only are none of those previously mentioned people or places spotlighted, there are no offerings specifically pointing to McMaster University, Tim Hortons or the Royal Connaught Hotel, and there's little about steel.

You won't find one about the Hamilton Tigers (football or hockey edition) or the Hamilton Wildcats. And to find even a mention of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats you have to click on the piece about Pierre Trudeau's 1971 visit to the city or the opening of Bernie Custis school.

Sir William Osler is mentioned but only to point out that he didn't die in 1857. Also without an conspicuous spot on the timeline are Ron Joyce, David Braley, Russ Jackson, Karen Kain, Boris Brott, Joanne Malar, Rocco Perri, any Musitano, Eugene Levy, Martin Short, Teenage Head, the Royal Botanical Gardens or CKOC, which is the oldest radio station in the country. Even longtime provincial NDP leader Andrea Horwath and Ellen Fairclough, the first female Canadian cabinet minister are AWOL.

So what else is there?

You can learn about the KKK in Hamilton, bicycle races at a summer carnival in 1889, Shalom Village opening, something about a deceased police dog, and a note about the most famous piano in Hamilton. Plus if you have a fascination with the opening of schools, this is the place for you. It logs 11 of those, plus two that burned down and one that closed.

The Around The Bay Road Race finds a spot but only to highlight the first woman who ran it. CHCH TV is mentioned but you'd only find it if you searched for CHML radio. Sir Allan MacNab is discussed if you look under something about railroads or a royal visit. Radio legend Paul Hanover is there as Mayor of the Morning but most of the actual mayors aren't. There's even a note on the heyday of Hamilton Yiddish newspapers but nothing about The Hamilton Spectator, which has been publishing for 176 years.

The timeline, I don't think will ever be the full story of Hamilton," says John Summers, the city's manager of heritage resource management. It's not intended to be a definitive work on the city's history because that's a much larger project."

Yet the title of the page is Hamilton's History Timeline, which would lead a visitor to believe it's a somewhat comprehensive look at the events that created this town.

For a fuller list (at less cost), the city could've just linked to Wikipedia's chronology.

That said, the website does include elements besides the timeline. Digital exhibitions on African Canadian workers, LBGTQ+ heritage in Hamilton, our relationship to Indigenous lands and treaties, a look at epidemics and pandemics in the city from 1850 to 1965, a presentation on immigrants, something on the Brightside neighbourhood and even a multimedia feature about ghosts.

They're all well done and are important parts of our local story. Plus they introduce some of the inclusivity that was promised. That's a positive.

And Summers points out that this whole thing is a work in progress that involves contributions from the public. Even though nothing on the timeline seems to have changed in months, it will expand. Which would be terrific. Fingers crossed.

But no Linc or Vic or Evelyn or many of the other essentials from Day 1?

C'mon.

Scott Radley is a Hamilton-based columnist at The Spectator. Reach him via email: sradley@thespec.com