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59-675: Canadian Niagara Power Inc. is an electricity transmission and distribution utility servicing Fort Erie and Port Colborne , Ontario . Founded in 1892 as the Canadian Niagara Power Company , it operated the Rankine Generating Station from 1905 to 2006. Founded in Niagara Falls, Ontario , by American William Birch Rankine , the company was acquired by Niagara Mohawk Power Corporation in 1950 and owned by Fortis Inc. since 2002. With

118-630: A bayonet charge that completely routed the inexperienced Canadians. The Fenians took and briefly held the town of Ridgeway. Then, expecting to be overwhelmed by British reinforcements, they quickly turned back to Fort Erie where they fought a second battle, the Battle of Fort Erie , against a small but determined detachment of Canadians holding the town. The Canadian loss was 9 killed, 37 wounded (some severely enough to require amputation), and 22 died of wounds or disease later. One British soldier, Corporal Carrington, 47th (Lancashire) Regiment of Foot , died on

177-454: A bridgehead at Black Creek guarding against an approach from Chippawa in the north, bringing his total strength at Ridgeway to at least 650 men. A proclamation was posted explaining the reasons behind the invasion: “We come among you as the foes of British rule in Ireland, exiled from that native land of ours by the oppression of British aristocracy and legislation, our people hunted down to

236-463: A clay subsoil . The town's beaches on Lake Erie, most notably Erie Beach, Crystal Beach and Bay Beach are considered the best in the area and draw many weekend visitors from the Toronto and Buffalo, New York areas. While summers are enjoyable, winters can occasionally be fierce, with many snowstorms, whiteouts and winds coming off Lake Erie. In addition to the primary urban core of Fort Erie,

295-512: A forced march from Chippawa to Stevensville. His grave was identified 146 years later on the eve of Remembrance Day 2012. O'Neill claimed he had one or two men killed, but Canadians claimed more. The relatively low casualty figures make this an interesting battle for proponents of theories about soldiers' reluctance to shoot to kill, but could also be accounted for by the fact that the Fenians had deployed only their skirmishers in an attempt to lure

354-534: A heavier defeat by the Civil War veterans of the main Fenian army (which was so well-supplied with ammunition that they dumped thousands of rounds into Black Creek on the eve of the battle in order to lighten their load). The Fenians were so experienced in handling their single-shot muzzle-loading weapons that it was wrongly reported that they were all armed with seven-shot Spencer repeating rifles . Fewer than half of

413-522: A new fort on the higher ground behind the original. It was larger and made of flintstone but was not quite finished at the start of the War of 1812 . During the war, the Americans attacked Fort Erie twice in 1812, captured and abandoned it in 1813, and then recaptured it in 1814. The Americans held it for a time, breaking a prolonged British siege . Later they destroyed Fort Erie and returned to Buffalo in

472-588: A playground for numerous personal yachts , sailboats, power boats and watercraft. There is a marina at the site of a former shipyard at Miller's Creek on the Niagara River, and a boat launch ramp in Crystal Beach. Prior to the completion of the two bridges, passengers and freight were carried across the river by ferry. From 1829, when the Welland Canal first opened, to 1833, when the cut

531-435: A prominent role in the War of 1812 . Fort Erie is one of Niagara's fastest growing communities, and has experienced a high level of residential and commercial development in the past few years. Garrison Road (Niagara Regional Road 3) is the town's commercial corridor, stretching east to west through Fort Erie. Fort Erie is also home to other commercial core areas (Bridgeburg, Ridgeway , Stevensville and Crystal Beach ) as

590-546: A result of the 1970 amalgamation of Bertie Township and the village of Crystal Beach with Fort Erie. Crystal Beach Park occupied waterfront land at Crystal Beach, Ontario , from 1888 until the park's closure in 1989. The beach is part of Fort Erie. During the American Revolution Fort Erie was used as a supply depot for British troops. After the war the territory of what is now the Town of Fort Erie

649-442: Is impossible to determine a precise number. O'Neill spent the first day trying to rally the local citizenry to the Fenian cause and to commandeer supplies for his mission, but his force was plagued by desertions almost from the outset. By nightfall, O'Neill estimated that he had perhaps 500 men remaining in his camp. Later during the night, O'Neill was reinforced by an additional column of 200 Fenians who had been deployed earlier on

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708-556: Is located at Robo Mart, 21 Princess Street at Waterloo Street. The International Railway Bridge was built in 1873, and connects Fort Erie to Buffalo, New York across the Niagara River . There is currently no passenger rail service to Fort Erie. The nearest passenger rail stations are in Buffalo, New York and Niagara Falls, Ontario . Fort Erie is at the outlet of Lake Erie into the Niagara River. The lake and river serve as

767-465: Is named Garrison Road, and is the major east–west connection through the town. Dominion Road was designated as King's Highway 3C from 1934 until 1970, when it was downloaded to the newly formed Regional Municipality of Niagara and redesignated as Niagara Regional Road 1. Fort Erie is the southern terminus of the Niagara Parkway , which extends from Fort Erie to Fort George . Public transit

826-404: The 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada , Fort Erie had a population of 32,901 living in 14,081 of its 15,875 total private dwellings, a change of 7.1% from its 2016 population of 30,710 . With a land area of 166.24 km (64.19 sq mi), it had a population density of 197.9/km (512.6/sq mi) in 2021. The median household income in 2015 for Fort Erie

885-869: The Korean War . Fort Erie has been the Niagara terminus of the Queen Elizabeth Way since 1937. Road traffic continues to Buffalo, New York across the Peace Bridge , which was built in 1927. Fort Erie was the eastern terminus of King's Highway 3A from 1927 to 1929, and Ontario Highway 3 from 1929 until 1998, when the portion of Highway 3 within Fort Erie was downloaded to the Regional Municipality of Niagara and redesignated as Niagara Regional Road 3. Within Fort Erie, Highway 3

944-469: The telegraph wires and tore up some railway tracks. Afterwards, they marched to Chippewa and the next day to Ridgeway where they fought the Battle of Ridgeway , a series of skirmishes with the Canadian militia . The Fenians then returned to Fort Erie and fought the Battle of Fort Erie , defeating the Canadian militia. Fearing British reinforcements, they then decided to retreat to the U.S. In 1869

1003-468: The 13th Battalion. In the first hour of the battle, the Canadians appeared to prevail, driving Fenian skirmishers back across Bertie Road. Then something went wrong: to this day, it is not clear exactly what. Some sources say that the Canadian militiamen mistook Fenian scouts on horseback for cavalry. Orders to form a square to defend against a cavalry charge, although quickly countermanded, led to chaos in

1062-540: The 7th Buffalo (NY) , the 18th Ohio , the 13th Tennessee , and the 17th Kentucky Fenian Regiments, as well as independent companies from Indiana and from New Orleans (the Fenian Louisiana Tigers). The Fenians wore an assortment of blue U.S. Army and grey Confederate Army tunics, some with green facings sewn to them, but many of the Fenians took to the field in civilian clothing with green scarves. The Fenians carried battle standards consisting of

1121-401: The Canadian ranks and Booker ordered a withdrawal after ninety minutes of battle. Other sources indicate that troops mistook a company of redcoated 13th Battalion infantry for British troops relieving them and began to withdraw; which then triggered a panic among other troops who mistook the withdrawal for a retreat. O'Neill, observing the chaos breaking out in the Canadian ranks, quickly ordered

1180-546: The Canadian shore near the ruins of the pier at Erie Beach in Fort Erie. Originally, the boom was made of wooden timbers, but these have been replaced by steel pontoons. Battle of Ridgeway The New York City -based Fenian Brotherhood was attempting to support related groups in Ireland to force the United Kingdom into negotiating toward the formation of an independent Irish Republic . They took advantage of

1239-626: The Canadians on the field had practised firing live rounds before the day of the battle and there had been no military conflict in Canada since the Rebellions of 1837–38 . Since the Queen's Own Rifles have been continuously active in the Canadian military since 1860, the men who fell or were wounded at Limestone Ridge can be considered the first casualties of the Canadian Army; even though it

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1298-479: The Canadians towards their main force which did not advance until the last minutes of the battle, when they launched a bayonet attack that broke Canadian lines. The battle at Ridgeway was followed by a Fenian victory later in the afternoon over the heavily outnumbered Canadian volunteer Welland Field Battery (armed as an infantry unit) and the Dunnville Naval Brigade at Fort Erie . Nevertheless,

1357-585: The Haldimand County Militia , predecessors of The Haldimand Rifles (of which the latter had 2 men wounded). Additionally, Company 9, Queen’s Own Rifles consisted of 28 students and a lecturer from the University Rifles , which was raised at University College, Toronto of University of Toronto (3 students died in the battle: Malcolm MacKenzie, William Tempest, and John Mewburn). Canadian Orangeman Alexander Muir , author of

1416-729: The Irish 'sunburst' in gold on a green background and one standard featuring the Irish Harp. The Canadian units at Ridgeway were the Queen's Own Rifles of Toronto (which had 7 killed, 2 died of wounds and 21 wounded in the battle); the 13th Hamilton Battalion, predecessor of the modern Royal Hamilton Light Infantry Regiment (which had 15 wounded) and the York Rifle Company and the Caledonia Rifle Company of

1475-584: The Lake Erie-Niagara River Ice Boom since 1964. The boom is installed on December 16, or when the water temperature reaches 4 °C (39 °F), whichever happens first. The boom is opened on April 1 unless there is more than 650 square kilometres (250 sq mi) of ice remaining in Eastern Lake Erie. When in place, the boom stretches 2,680 metres (8,790 ft) from the outer breakwall at Buffalo Harbor almost to

1534-529: The Militia Department in 1868 as 32 dead and 103 wounded or felled by disease (including a female civilian accidentally shot by the militia). One British soldier from the 47th Lancashire Regiment of Foot, Corporal Carrington, died from heat stroke on a forced march from Chippawa to Stevensville on the morning of the battle. His grave was identified in November 2012. The Canadian press exaggerated

1593-639: The Veterans of '66 Association held a protest demonstration at the Volunteers Monument in Queen's Park by laying flowers at the foot of the monument on June 2, the 24th anniversary of the battle of Ridgeway. It took a 10-year campaign of protest and lobbying for the Canadian government to sanction a Fenian Raid Medal and land grants to veterans in 1899–1900. The protest became an annual memorial event known as Decoration Day, when graves and monuments of Canadian soldiers were "decorated" in flowers. For

1652-749: The World War 1 memorial moved to Mathers Park, and the second town hall is replaced by the Fort Erie Courthouse. Fort Erie has a single member on Niagara Regional Council. Fort Erie is the eastern terminus of the Friendship Trail , and the southern terminus of the Niagara River Recreation Pathway . Both trails are part of the Trans-Canada Trail system. Mather Arch Park, located just to

1711-410: The amusement park at Crystal Beach opened. From 1910, the steamship Canadiana (and until 1929, the steamship SS Americana ) brought patrons from Buffalo until 1956. The park continued to operate until it closed in 1989. A gated community was built in this area. In 1904, a group of speculators bought land at Erie Beach, planning to build an amusement park and other amenities, and sell lots around

1770-406: The battle and believed that had he not given the order to withdraw they would have won the day. In fact, the Canadians were only fighting the Fenian advance units, who were steadily luring the Canadians forward towards the main Fenian force, which was waiting for them on the high ground north of Bertie Road. Had the Canadians not retreated, short on ammunition and inexperienced, they might have faced

1829-762: The battle, and is on the west side of Queen's Park Crescent ( 43°39′45.55″N 079°23′36.01″W  /  43.6626528°N 79.3933361°W  / 43.6626528; -79.3933361  ( Canadian Volunteer Monument ) ). In March 2012 a monument was unveiled in Tow Path Park, Buffalo, New York, near the site where the Irish troops assembled prior to the invasion. Total strength: 841 officers and men plus several dozen armed volunteer civilians, county sheriffs and magistrates, revenue officers and two Frontier Constabulary officers and two chaplains, Presbyterian David Inglis and Methodist Nathaniel Burwash, first chaplains in history to accompany Canadian troops onto

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1888-401: The blame lay with inexperienced frontline troops that panicked and broke, and not with the officers who led them and the government who undersupplied and undertrained them. The Battle of Ridgeway became a point of shame in Canadian national military heritage and history and the Canadian government was reluctant to recognize or acknowledge the veterans of the battle for nearly 25 years. In 1890,

1947-543: The closure of Rankine GS in 2009, the company now focuses on power distribution and transmission network. Fort Erie, Ontario Fort Erie is a town in the Niagara Region of Ontario , Canada. The town is located at the south eastern corner of the region, on the Niagara River , directly across the Canada–United States border from Buffalo, New York , and is the site of Old Fort Erie which played

2006-536: The emigrant ships, or worse, to that charnel of government institutions, the poor-house … We have taken up the sword to strike down the oppressor’s rod and deliver Ireland from the tyrant … We have no issue with the people of these provinces, and wish to have none but the most friendly relations … Our blows shall be directed only at the power of England …" . Meanwhile, the British were mobilizing both local Canadian militia and British garrison troops to defend against

2065-566: The impending invasion of Canada. The Fenians night-marched north across Black Creek (Ontario) through a cedar swamp, then turned inland on Ridge Road on the morning of June 2; taking up a defensive position on Limestone Ridge near the present Canadian town of Ridgeway. There, they clashed with 850 advancing Canadian militia (the dark-green uniformed Queen's Own Rifles of Toronto and the traditionally clad red-coated 13th Battalion from Hamilton, reinforced by two local companies from Caledonia and York) commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Alfred Booker of

2124-612: The last battle fought within the present-day boundaries of Ontario against a foreign invasion. The site of the battle is commemorated by a cairn and interpretive signs on the north side of Garrison Road between Ridge Road and Burleigh Road. The location has been designated as a national historic site . An historic house (which was not involved in the battle) has also been moved to the site. The Canadian Volunteer Monument in Queen's Park , Toronto, honours nine Toronto militia volunteers from The Queen's Own Rifles of Canada including three University of Toronto student volunteers who died in

2183-605: The morning and early afternoon until the US Navy gunboat , the USS Michigan , began intercepting Fenian barges at 2:20 p.m. — 13 hours after the first Fenian advance party landed in Canada. An advance party of 250 men of Lieutenant Colonel George Owen Starr's 17th Kentucky Fenian Regiment landed in Canada at about 1:30 AM and raised a large Fenian green flag with a gold Irish harp some two hours in advance of O'Neill's main force. Starr's advance party rushed to seize

2242-454: The name "Little Africa". Along with Little Africa, the other two areas of settlement were Bertie Hill and Snake Hill (Erie Beach). In 1866, during the Fenian raids , between 1,000 and 1,500 Fenians crossed the Niagara River, occupied the town and demanded food and horses. The only payment they were able to offer was Fenian bonds; these were not acceptable to the citizens. The Fenians then cut

2301-780: The next 40 years from 1890 to 1931, Decoration Day would be Canada's popular national memorial day, the first Remembrance Day , commemorated on the weekend nearest to June 2 and acknowledging Canadian dead in the Battle of Ridgeway, the North-West Rebellion (1885), the South African War (1899–1902), and the Great War (1914–1918). In 1931 the Remembrance Day Act established November 11, Armistice Day, as Canada's national official memorial day. At

2360-523: The park to vacationers from Buffalo. Erie Beach featured a hotel, a casino, a race track, regular ferry service from Buffalo and train service from the ferry dock in Fort Erie, and what was billed as the world's largest outdoor swimming pool. Erie Beach and Crystal Beach were in competition to provide bigger thrills to patrons, until Erie Beach went bankrupt during the Depression and closed down on Labour Day weekend, 1930. The Niagara Movement meeting

2419-838: The population was 1,000 and Fort Erie was served by the Grand Trunk and the Erie & Niagara railways. The Grand Trunk Railway built the International Railway Bridge in 1873, bringing about a new town, originally named Victoria and subsequently renamed to Bridgeburg, north of the original settlement of Fort Erie. By 1876, Ridgeway had an estimated population of 800, the village of Fort Erie has an estimated population of 1,200, and Victoria boasted three railway stations. By 1887, Stevensville had an estimated population of "nearly 600", Victoria of "nearly 700", Ridgeway of "about 600", and Fort Erie of "about 4,000". In 1888,

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2478-615: The rapid convergence of large British and Canadian reinforcements convinced many of the Fenians to return in haste to the United States – some on logs, on rafts, or by swimming. O'Neill and 850 Fenians surrendered their arms to waiting U.S. authorities. In his book, 1916: The Easter Rising , Tim Pat Coogan said the force was described at the time as the Irish Republican Army . Some of the Canadians were particularly bitter at what they saw as Booker's mismanagement of

2537-555: The ready supply of arms in the United States after the recently concluded Civil War , and of the ample number of unemployed young men who had emerged from that conflict with some degree of military training. The plan was to take Canada temporarily hostage in the hope of demoralizing British rule in Ireland by precipitating a political crisis in Britain. The Fenians were also mistakenly counting on receiving U.S. recognition for

2596-555: The same time the act removed the casualties of Ridgeway and the Northwest Rebellion from national memorialization, fixing Remembrance Day to Canadian casualties overseas starting from the South African War . The Battle of Ridgeway was Canada's first modern battle, the first fought exclusively by Canadian troops and led on the battlefield entirely by Canadian officers, the battle in which Canada's current modern military sustained its first thirty troops killed in action, and

2655-472: The scope and nature of the defeat at Ridgeway, particularly anti-confederationist press which claimed Ridgeway was proof that Canadians will never be able to defend themselves without the presence of the British Army. The inefficiency of the Militia Department under Canada West's attorney general and minister of militia John A. Macdonald was covered up by two Military Boards of Inquiry that concluded that

2714-469: The seizure of Canadian territory. It was still a ragtag army, however, that assembled on the American shore of the Niagara River during the last weeks of May 1866. The Fenians had made little attempt at secrecy, and both American and British authorities were aware of the imminent military operation but could not pin-point the exact crossing points in advance. The Fenian units involved in the battle were

2773-653: The south of the Peace Bridge, is on land donated by American citizen Alonzo C. Mather in tribute to the peace and friendship between Canada and the United States. The park contains Mather Arch, which was built largely due to donations by Mather, originally dedicated by the Niagara Parks Commission in 1939, and restored in 2000 as a millennium project. There is also a memorial statue to those from Fort Erie who died in World War I , World War II , and

2832-423: The summer. On August 7, 1927, the Peace Bridge was opened between Fort Erie and Buffalo. On January 1, 1932, Bridgeburg and Fort Erie amalgamated into a single town. The ruins of Fort Erie remained until they were rebuilt through a depression era "work program" project, as a tourist attraction. Work started in 1937, and the fort was opened to the public in 1939. In 1970, the provincial government consolidated

2891-719: The town also contains the neighbourhoods of Black Creek, Bridgeburg/NorthEnd/Victoria, Crescent Park, Crystal Beach, Kraft, Point Abino, Ridgeway, Snyder, and Stevensville . Smaller and historical neighbourhoods include Amigari Downs, Bay Beach, Buffalo Heights, Douglastown, Edgewood Park, Erie Beach, Garrison Village, Mulgrave, Oakhill Forest, Ridgemount, Ridgewood, Rose Hill Estates, Thunder Bay, Walden, Wavecrest and Waverly Beach. Fort Erie Secondary School and Ridgeway-Crystal Beach High School were two public high schools serving Fort Erie and area communities until September 2017. The two former schools were closed and merged into Greater Fort Erie Secondary School, located on Garrison Road. In

2950-431: The town, cut telegraph wires and take control of the railway yards south of Fort Erie by dawn as the rest of O'Neill's force was disembarking. U.S. authorities also allowed unarmed men to board the ferry from Buffalo and small boats freely crossed the Niagara River until the afternoon. It is estimated that at least 1,000 and possibly as many as 1,350 Fenians in total crossed during the first thirteen hours of June 1, but it

3009-512: The unofficial Canadian national anthem , " The Maple Leaf Forever ", fought with the Queen's Own at Ridgeway. The Fenian insurgents, led by Brigadier General John O'Neill , a former Union cavalry commander who had specialized in anti-guerrilla warfare in Ohio, secured boats and transferred some 800 men across the Niagara River, landing above Fort Erie , before dawn on June 1, 1866. An additional 200–400 Fenians and supplies crossed later during

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3068-405: The various villages in what had been Bertie Township, including the then town of Fort Erie, into the present Town of Fort Erie. Fort Erie is generally flat, but there are low sand hills, varying in height from 2 to 15 metres (6.6 to 49.2 ft), along the shore of Lake Erie , and a limestone ridge extends from Point Abino to near Miller's Creek, giving Ridgeway its name. The soil is shallow, with

3127-583: The winter of 1814. The Fort Erie area became a major terminus for slaves using the Underground Railroad (between 1840 and 1860); many had crossed into Canada from Buffalo, New York. Bertie Hall (which was used for a time in the 20th century as a Doll House Museum) may have been a stopping point on the Underground Railroad. The area of Ridgemount was one of the three main areas in Fort Erie settled by African-Americans, earning it

3186-521: Was $ 60,800, which was below the Ontario provincial average of $ 74,287. The Town Council consists of the Mayor and 6 ward councillors. Town Council and municipal services are based at Town Hall at 1 Municipal Drive since 1996. The previous location at 200 Jarvis Street was used after the first town hall was vacated in 1985 and was home to Bridgeburg Town Hall. The first town hall is now a parking lot, with

3245-516: Was completed to Port Colborne , ship traffic between Lake Erie and Lake Ontario would transit the upper Niagara River. In order to reduce large-scale ice blockage in the Niagara River, with resultant flooding, ice damage to docks and other waterfront structures, and blockage of the water intakes for the hydro-electric power plants at Niagara Falls, the New York Power Authority and Ontario Power Generation have jointly operated

3304-610: Was held at the Erie Beach Hotel in 1905. The movement later led to the founding of the NAACP . The Point Abino Light Tower was built by the Canadian government in 1918. The lighthouse has been automated in 1989. Since its decommissioning in 1995, the Point Abino Lighthouse was designated as a National Historic Site . The lighthouse is now owned by the Town of Fort Erie and is available for weekend tours in

3363-490: Was not formally established as such until 1883. Ensign Malcolm McEachren of No. 5 Company, QOR, killed leading his men in the opening minutes of the battle, can therefore be considered the Canadian army's first man killed in action. The final casualty figures for the Fenian Raids into Canada 1866, when including deaths from disease while on service in both Canada West (Ontario) and Canada East (Quebec), were calculated by

3422-475: Was provided by Fort Erie Transit , which operated buses in town and connected to other Niagara municipalities. Niagara Region Transit operates a service from Niagara Falls into Fort Erie, connecting with the Fort Erie Leisureplex on Garrison Road. Private intercity coach services are primarily operated by Coach Canada / Megabus , with service to St. Catharines and Toronto. The terminus

3481-489: Was settled by soldiers demobilised from Butler's Rangers , and the area was named Bertie Township in 1784. The original fort, built in 1764, was located on the Niagara River 's edge below the present fort. It served as a supply depot and a port for ships transporting merchandise, troops and passengers via Lake Erie to the Upper Great Lakes . The fort was damaged by winter storms and in 1803, plans were made for

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