Dundurn Street is a Lower City arterial road in

Hamilton, Ontario Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Ontario. Hamilton has a Canada 2016 Census, population of 569,353, and its Census Metropolitan Area, census metropolitan area, which includes Burlington, ...

, Canada. It is a

two-way street A two-way street is a street that allows vehicles to travel in both directions. On most two-way streets, especially main streets, a line is painted down the middle of the road to remind drivers to stay on their side of the road. Sometimes one por ...

that starts off at ''Mountain Face Park'', Niagara Escarpment in front of the

Bruce Trail The Bruce Trail is a hiking trail in southern Ontario, Canada, from the Niagara River to the tip of Tobermory, Ontario. The main trail is more than long and there are over of associated side trails. The trail mostly follows the edge of the Nia ...

as a collector road, right behind ''Hillcrest Avenue'' and then turns into a four lane thoroughfare from

Aberdeen Avenue Aberdeen Avenue is a Lower City minor arterial road in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. It starts off just west of Longwood Road South and east of Highway 403 (Ontario), Highway 403 as a two-way thoroughfare up to Queen Street (Hamilton, Ontario), Queen ...

northward to

York Boulevard York Boulevard is a Lower City arterial road in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Formerly known as Highway 2 and Highway 6, it starts in Burlington, Ontario at Plains Road West as a two-way arterial road that wraps around and over Hamilton Harbour, ...

where it ends in front of ''Dundurn Park''. The section of Dundurn Street north of Main Street was designated as part of Highway 2, until January 1, 1998.

History

''Dundurn Street'', originated with Sir Allan MacNab who named his home

Dundurn Castle Dundurn Castle is a historic neoclassical mansion on York Boulevard in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. The house took three years and $175,000 to build, and was completed in 1835. The forty-room castle featured the latest conveniences of gas lighti ...

and its landscaped grounds ''Dundurn Park''. Originally Dundurn Street, South of King Street West was known as ''Garth Street'' up to 1913. ''Dundurn'' is a

Gaelic Gaelic is an adjective that means "pertaining to the Gaels". As a noun it refers to the group of languages spoken by the Gaels, or to any one of the languages individually. Gaelic languages are spoken in Ireland, Scotland, the Isle of Man, and Ca ...

word meaning ''"the fort on the water."'' (''sic'' - This is a persistent incorrect translation perpetuated in many historical works about Dundurn Castle. The original source of the error is not known. ''Dundurn'' actually derives from the Gaelic words ''dùn'' meaning "hill fort" and ''dòrn'' meaning "fist", thus Dundurn means "hill fort of a fist". It is named after Sir Allan MacNab's ancestral family home in Dundurn, Perthshire, Scotland, just east of Loch Earn, which was the site of an ancient Pictish hill fort named ''Dùn Dòrn.'' So named because the hill upon which it sat is shaped like a fist. There are many

words referring to

water Water (chemical formula ) is an Inorganic compound, inorganic, transparent, tasteless, odorless, and Color of water, nearly colorless chemical substance, which is the main constituent of Earth's hydrosphere and the fluids of all known living ...

, none of which resembles the place name element ''durn''. The erroneous translation "fort on the water" likely derives from a confusion with the Scots word ''burn'', which means "creek" and is not a Gaelic word at all. - citation to be added shortly) The Hamilton Military Museum opened in 1976 and is situated inside ''Dundurn Park'' adjacent to ''Dundurn Castle''. It tells the story of the service given by citizens of the Hamilton area from the time of the

American Revolution The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revoluti ...

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. The Staircase originally was opened by ''Hugh MacLeod'' in 1998. The Staircase evolved and expanded from an

improvisational Improvisation is the activity of making or doing something not planned beforehand, using whatever can be found. Improvisation in the performing arts is a very spontaneous performance without specific or scripted preparation. The skills of impr ...

comedy workshop to include an art gallery, a cafe, a theatre for film and live acts, and a rehearsal space. A former variety store next door was also acquired.

Bruce Trail

One can reach the

via the stairway on ''Dundurn Street South''. The trail cuts through the city along the Niagara Escarpment (mountain) and used by many locals for a full days hike. The Trail is 430 miles long and starts at

Niagara Falls Niagara Falls () is a group of three waterfalls at the southern end of Niagara Gorge, spanning the border between the province of Ontario in Canada and the state of New York in the United States. The largest of the three is Horseshoe Fall ...

, passes through Hamilton and ends at the

Bruce Peninsula The Bruce Peninsula is a peninsula in Ontario, Canada, that divides Georgian Bay of Lake Huron from the lake's main basin. The peninsula extends roughly northwestwards from the rest of Southwestern Ontario, pointing towards Manitoulin Island, ...

. Hikers are led to scenic gorges, hidden waterfalls and places of quiet charm.

Landmarks

''Note: Listing of Landmarks from North to South.'' * Dundurn Park *Dundurn Park "Mystery building" *

& Military Museum **(Just east of Dundurn Castle near Castle Dean at Locke Street north is original burial spot of Sir Allan Napier MacNab) *The Admiral Inn (Hotel) * Staircase Cafe Theatre *Dundurn Plaza (shopping) *TV Hamilton- Cable 14, buildin

*Jackson Playground * Canadian Pacific Railway overpass *Hill Street Park *First Unitarian Church **(M.A.D.) Music Art Drama- Creative Arts School * Highland Gardens Park, (off of Hillcrest Avenue) * Mountain Face Park *Dundurn Street Stairway (Mountain-access), 326 steps *Chedoke Rail Trail (abandoned railway path) *

, westward the trail leads to

Chedoke Beddoe Civic Golf Course Chedoke may refer to: *Chedoke Creek *Chedoke Falls *Highway 403 (Ontario) King's Highway403 (pronounced "four-oh-three"), or simply Highway403, is a 400-series highway in the Canadian province of Ontario that travels between Woodstock and M ...

Chedoke Winter Sports Park Chedoke may refer to: *Chedoke Creek *Chedoke Falls *Highway 403 (Ontario) King's Highway403 (pronounced "four-oh-three"), or simply Highway403, is a 400-series highway in the Canadian province of Ontario that travels between Woodstock and M ...

, the site of a Ski hill and as well many

waterfalls A waterfall is a point in a river or stream where water flows over a vertical drop or a series of steep drops. Waterfalls also occur where meltwater drops over the edge of a tabular iceberg or ice shelf. Waterfalls can be formed in several w ...

which are listed below. Eastward the trail leads to Highland Gardens Park. **

Chedoke Falls The city of Hamilton in Ontario, Canada is home to more than 100 waterfalls and cascades, most of which are on or near the Bruce Trail as it winds through the Niagara Escarpment. Ontario's internationally recognized Niagara Escarpment provides p ...

** Denlow Falls ** Cliffview Falls ** Westcliffe Falls * Niagara Escarpment ("mountain")

Communities

''Note: Listing of neighbourhoods from North to South'' * Strathcona * Kirkendall North * Kirkendall South

Images

Image:ChedokeRailTrail.JPG, Chedoke Rail Trail Image:BruceTrailHamilton.JPG,

Image:DundurnStreetStairway.JPG, Dundurn Street South, Mountain-access stairway Image:ChedokeGolfCourse.JPG, Chedoke Civic Golf Course can be reached via the Bruce Trail, West of Dundurn Street South

References

*MapArt

Golden Horseshoe The Golden Horseshoe is a secondary region of Southern Ontario, Canada, which lies at the western end of Lake Ontario, with outer boundaries stretching south to Lake Erie and north to Lake Scugog, Lake Simcoe and Georgian Bay of Lake Huron. The ...

Atlas - Page 647 - Grids F10, G10, H10, J10

External links

Kirkendall.ca (Kirkendall neighbourhood)Niagara Escarpment Commission (NEC) Official web siteGoogle Maps: Dundurn Street (Hybrid)

{{Hamilton Roads in Hamilton, Ontario