Date/Time
Date(s) - 20/01/2024
1:00 pm - 2:00 pm
Location
In Person: Quinte West Public Library (Trenton)
Categories
Please note this is a hybrid meeting. You can register for the Zoom meeting or attend in person at the Quinte West Public Library!!
Summary: Take a Road Trip in 1840, Toronto to Montreal – Governor General Charles Poulett Thomson is in a hurry. In response to the Rebellion of 1837-38, he has been urgently tasked by his masters in England to modernize and improve the governments in the Canadian colonies. In just three months in Toronto, the governor general has managed to pass all the legislation he wants, but with politics heating up in Quebec and his bosses in England dangling a peerage over his head, now he must get to Montreal as fast as he can to do the same thing there.
Enter “The Stagecoach King,” William Weller, of Cobourg, who is famous for operating the Royal Mail Line of stages between Toronto and Montreal. Weller utilizes a complex system of stage stops staffed with experienced workers and is confident he can take the governor general to Montreal in under thirty-eight hours. So confident, he signed a contract!
Driving a unique sleigh, specially modified for this trip, Weller pilots the governor general and his aid-de-camp, Captain Thomas Le Marchant, over 370 miles of snowy, muddy roads, avoiding dangerous obstacles and constantly moving forward.
In a meticulously researched account of this epic trek, author Dan Buchanan spins a road trip you won’t forget. Sit on the bench with Mr. Weller and see the buildings that existed then, many still there today. Find out about each town and village along the way. Who were the movers and shakers in 1840? What hotel might have provided a stage stop? And, dare we ask? Where did the road go in 1840? Come along for the ride and see for yourself!
About the author and our presenter, Dan Buchanan
Dan Buchanan is “The History Guy of Brighton, Ontario.” He is engaged in many projects related to local and Ontario history, working from his home in Brighton. Dan provides fascinating stories of Ontario history presented with humour and passion..
The History Guy tells history stories based on deep-dive research into the people and events of the time, then presents a coherent story in a narrative form that readers and audiences find entertaining and informative. Whether it’s a page on his web site, a PowerPoint presentation to an audience, or a published book, stories are told with an emphasis on the people involved, the forces at play in that time and place, as well as the conflicts and moral dilemmas that exist for every generation.
He has published three books Murder In The Family: The Dr. King Story (2015), 38 Hours To Montreal (2018), and The Wreck of HMS Speedy: The Tragedy That Shook Upper Canada (2020). A fourth book, A History of the Murray Canal, is on the brink of being published!
Dan will bring his three history books and have them on a table for sale, in case anyone is interested (debit/credit). Books are all $20 each, including a signature by the author. See Dan’s website for more information: www.danbuchananahistoryguy.com
Dan is also the creator of the genealogy web site www.treesbydan.com, a database of well over 100,000 individuals. It includes details about early settler families around Prince Edward, Hastings, and Northumberland counties. The approach is called Community Genealogy, which represents a unique blend of family and local history that focusses more on the interconnections between early settler families than the full line of each family. It presents local history from a different point of view.
In the Brighton area, Dan works closely with the Brighton Digital Archives, a volunteer group supported by the municipality that collects historical documents and pictures for display on the web site http://vitacollections.ca/brightonarchives/search.
Date – January 20, 2024
Time: The session will run from 1:00 – 2:00 p.m. (Doors open at 12:30).
Location – Quinte West Public Library. There is free parking at the library.
Registration:
- To attend via Zoom, click here to register: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUsdemvrjooEtaXea1VptnKTdruYKjdQ8fh#/registration
- To attend in person, please send an email to Kathryn Potter to let us know that you will be attending – [email protected].
We look forward to seeing you!
