Upper James Street is an Upper City (mountain) arterial road in
Hamilton, Ontario
Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Ontario. Hamilton has a 2021 Canadian census, population of 569,353 (2021), and its Census Metropolitan Area, census metropolitan area, which encompasses ...
, Canada. It starts at the Claremont Access, a mountain-access road in the north, and extends southward towards the
John C. Munro Hamilton International Airport
John C. Munro Hamilton International Airport , or simply Hamilton Airport, is an international airport in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. The airport is part of the neighbourhood of Mount Hope, southwest of Downtown Hamilton and southwest of Tor ...
where it then changes its name to the Hamilton Port Dover Plank Road, (
Highway 6
Route 6, or Highway 6, may refer to routes in the following countries:
International
* AH6 (highway), Asian Highway 6
* European route E6
* European route E006
Albania
* :de:Nationalstraße 6 (Albanien), National Road SH6
Argentina
* P ...
). It is a two-way street throughout. As with most of the "Upper" streets, their addresses start at roughly the point where their lower counterpart finishes just below the Escarpment and were originally labelled without the "Upper" prefix.
(Note: Highway 6 now uses a new alignment from
Highway 403 to south of the Hamilton Airport, connecting with the southerly leg to
Caledonia
Caledonia (; ) was the Latin name used by the Roman Empire to refer to the forested region in the central and western Scottish Highlands, particularly stretching through parts of what are now Lochaber, Badenoch, Strathspey, and possibly as ...
, the
Grand River and
Port Dover
Port Dover is an unincorporated community and former town located in Norfolk County, Ontario, Canada, on the north shore of Lake Erie. It is the site of the recurring Friday the 13th motorcycle rally. Prior to the War of 1812, this community ...
.)
History
It was named Upper James Street because it was in alignment with
James Street in the Lower City Hamilton and was named after one of
Nathaniel Hughson Nathaniel Hughson (16 July 1755, New York1 November 1837, Hamilton, Upper Canada) was a farmer and hotel owner, a Loyalist who moved to Canada following the American Revolution, and one of the city founders of Hamilton, Ontario. Married to Rebecca L ...
's sons. Hughson was one of the City founders along with
George Hamilton and
James Durand
James Durand (1775 – 22 March 1833) was a businessman and political figure in Upper Canada.
He was born in Abergavenny, Wales in 1775 and came to Upper Canada in 1802 to deal with delinquent accounts on behalf of a group of London merchants ...
.
Originally it was called the Caledonia Road because it was the road that led to
Caledonia, Ontario
Caledonia is a community located on the Grand River in Haldimand County, Ontario, Canada. It had a population of 12,179 as of the 2021 Canadian Census. Caledonia is within Ward 3 of Haldimand County. The Councillor elected for Ward 3 is Dan La ...
. It has also been known as Plank Road.
As early as 1842 an inn was situated at the top of the escarpment near Claremont access, where present day Southam Park is situated. By 1850 a four-storey stone structure was erected at the site and it was called the Mountain View Hotel. It met the needs of those travelling the Caledonia Road, (Upper James Street). Farmers travelling in from townships south of Hamilton rested their horses here on the way to and from the
Hamilton Farmer's Market. It offered patrons an unobstructed view of the city below and Lake Ontario beyond. The hotel served as a lookout point for Thirteenth Battalion during the
Fenian threat in 1866. The building was destroyed by fire in 1878 and replaced by a new five-storey structure that included an elaborate observation tower on its eastern end in 1881. In 1890 a pavilion suitable for
roller skating
Roller skating is the act of travelling on surfaces with roller skates. It is a recreation, recreational activity, a sport, and a form of transportation. Roller rinks and skate parks are built for roller skating, though it also takes place on s ...
and
dancing
Dance is an art form, consisting of sequences of body movements with aesthetic and often symbolic value, either improvised or purposefully selected. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoire of movements or ...
was added attracting various family and organized events. Access was improved with an Incline railway immediately to the north. When the establishments
liquor license
A liquor license (or liquor licence in most forms of Commonwealth English) is a governmentally issued permit for businesses to sell, manufacture, store, or otherwise use alcoholic beverages.
Canada
In Canada, liquor licences are issued by the l ...
was revoked in 1916 the property was sold. It then served as the home for the Hamilton Hunt Club. The building was razed in 1937 and the grounds were donated to the City of Hamilton for use as a park in 1943.
Westend incline railway
James Street, at the base of the
Niagara Escarpment
The Niagara Escarpment is an approximately discontinuous, arc-shaped but generally northward-facing escarpment, or cuesta, in Canada and the United States. The escarpment begins south of Lake Ontario and circumscribes the top of the Great Lake ...
was the site of the city's first
Incline railway
A cable railway is a railway that uses a cable, rope or chain to haul trains. It is a specific type of cable transportation.
The most common use for a cable railway is to move vehicles on a steeply graded line that is too steep for conventional ...
(1892–1932). Back then, the incline railway on James Street was known as the
Hamilton & Barton Incline Railway. It connected to present day Upper James Street.
The city's second
Incline railway
A cable railway is a railway that uses a cable, rope or chain to haul trains. It is a specific type of cable transportation.
The most common use for a cable railway is to move vehicles on a steeply graded line that is too steep for conventional ...
on
Wentworth Street South, (1895–1936), was known as the
Eastend Incline Railway but was often called, The Mount Hamilton Incline Railway.
The Eastend Incline on Wentworth Street was electrically operated and the Westend Incline on James Street depended on steam for its power.
In 1924, following the city's booming development in the east, there was some serious discussion regarding the addition of a third incline railway. The two locations considered at the time were Sherman Avenue or Ottawa Street South. The population of Hamilton Mountain at the time was 6,000.[
In 1929, the city's brochures were using the motto, "The City Beautiful and Hub of Canadian Highways" as well as "The City of Opportunity". In regards to the incline railways, the brochures go on to boast, "There is no finer view anywhere on the North American continent than the panorama to be seen from the Hamilton mountain. The city below, the blue waters of Hamilton harbour and ]Lake Ontario
Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded on the north, west, and southwest by the Canadian province of Ontario, and on the south and east by the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. The Canada–United Sta ...
. In the background, flanked on the east by the famous Niagara Fruit District and on the west by the beautiful Dundas Valley and a range of hills, combine to make a picture no artist could paint. There are several roads leading up to the summit and you can drive upon "high", but if you want to enjoy a unique experience and give the family a thrill, drive your car onto one of the Incline Railways and you will have something to tell the folks about when you go back home."
Construction began in November 1890 with the clearing of the right of way between James Street South and the Caledonia Road near the site of the Mountain View Hotel. The double tracks were 700 feet in length on a grade
Grade most commonly refers to:
* Grading in education, a measurement of a student's performance by educational assessment (e.g. A, pass, etc.)
* A designation for students, classes and curricula indicating the number of the year a student has reach ...
of 31% to overcome the 195-foot rise of the escarpment. Over half the line was supported on trestles which, at their maximum, held the 36-foot-long cars 50 feet above the ground. Stationary engines drew the cars to the top using steel cables.
Opened June 11, 1892, it was heavily used by residents and tourists alike. The 75-second ride provided a convenient link between the city and Barton Township for both pedestrian and horse-drawn traffic. Improved mountain access roads and the rise in popularity of motorized traffic caused a steadily declining numbers of customers. The line ceased operation on December 26, 1931.
The abandoned rails and equipment were removed during World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
and the right of way came under the jurisdiction of the Hamilton Parks Board.
Today
John C. Munro Hamilton International Airport or Hamilton International, is an international airport
An international airport is an airport with customs and border control facilities enabling passengers to travel between countries. International airports are usually larger than domestic airports, and feature longer runways and have faciliti ...
and is named for John C. Munro, a Hamilton Member of Parliament and cabinet minister
A minister is a politician who heads a ministry, making and implementing decisions on policies in conjunction with the other ministers. In some jurisdictions the head of government is also a minister and is designated the ' prime minister', ' p ...
. John Munro, elected to the House of Commons of Canada
The House of Commons of Canada () is the lower house of the Parliament of Canada. Together with the Monarchy of Canada#Parliament (King-in-Parliament), Crown and the Senate of Canada, they comprise the Bicameralism, bicameral legislature of Ca ...
in the 1962 election, and served continuously as a Member of Parliament (MP) for Hamilton, Ontario. Munro was appointed to Cabinet by Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau
Joseph Philippe Pierre Yves Elliott Trudeau (October 18, 1919 – September 28, 2000) was a Canadian politician, statesman, and lawyer who served as the 15th prime minister of Canada from 1968 to 1979 and from 1980 to 1984. Between his no ...
, and served variously as Minister of Amateur Sport, Minister of Health and Welfare and Minister of Labour from 1968 to 1978 when he was forced to resign from over the "Skyshops" scandal. The airport was originally built in 1940 as the Mount Hope Airport, a Royal Canadian Air Force
The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF; ) is the air and space force of Canada. Its role is to "provide the Canadian Forces with relevant, responsive and effective airpower". The RCAF is one of three environmental commands within the unified Can ...
base. After the war, the airport gradually shifted towards civil use, The military ceased using it as a base in 1964. In 1994 Transport Canada
Transport Canada () is the Ministry (government department), department within the Government of Canada responsible for developing regulations, Policy, policies and Public services, services of road, rail, marine and air Transport in Canada, tra ...
announces it will divest itself of local and regional airports. The region of Hamilton issues a request for proposals from private firms to run the airport. In 1996 Hamilton International Airport Limited (HIAL) is the fully owned subsidiary of TradePort International Corporation. HIAL begins to manage the Hamilton/John C. Munro International Airport. TradePort, winner of the bid to take over the airport, assumes responsibility to manage, finance and operate it under a 40-year lease.
The Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum
The Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum is an aviation museum located at the John C. Munro Hamilton International Airport in Mount Hope, Ontario, Canada. The museum has 47 military jets and propeller-driven aircraft on display.
Displayed is a co ...
is a major Canadian
Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...
aviation museum. It is located at the John C. Munro International Airport. The museum is a non-profit organization whose mandate is to acquire, document, preserve and maintain a complete collection of aircraft that were flown by Canadians and the Canadian military services from the beginning of the Second World War
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
to the present.
Landmarks
Note: Listing of Landmarks from North to South.
* James Street Stairway (second upper level), 300-metres East of the lower section stairs.
* 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 ...
* Claremont Access (mountain-access road)
* Niagara Escarpment
The Niagara Escarpment is an approximately discontinuous, arc-shaped but generally northward-facing escarpment, or cuesta, in Canada and the United States. The escarpment begins south of Lake Ontario and circumscribes the top of the Great Lake ...
(mountain)
* Southam Park
** Old site of the Hamilton & Barton Incline Railway (West-end Incline Railway)
** Old site of the Mountain View Hotel
* Unity Church on the Mountain (church)
* St. Peter & Paul Church (off Brucedale Avenue)
* Upper James Court (Two 3-storey apartment complexes)
* Delmonico (15-storey apartment building)
* Mountain Plaza Mall
* Mohawk Plaza (shopping/ commercial)
* Butty Tower (10-storey apartment building)
* Ridgemount Junior Public School (off Hester Street)
* Dave Andreychuk Mountain Arena & Skating Centre
The Dave Andreychuk Mountain Arena & Skating Centre is a recreation complex in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. It includes a figure skating rink and a 2,500-seat ice hockey arena. Originally it was built in 1966, known as the Mountain Arena until it ...
(off Hester Street)
* Mohawk Ford
Ford commonly refers to:
* Ford Motor Company, an automobile manufacturer founded by Henry Ford
* Ford (crossing), a shallow crossing on a river
Ford may also refer to:
Ford Motor Company
* Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company
* Ford F ...
dealership
* Upper James Toyota
is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturer headquartered in Toyota City, Aichi, Japan. It was founded by Kiichiro Toyoda and incorporated on August 28, 1937. Toyota is the List of manuf ...
dealership
* Cresmount Funeral Home/ Upper James Chapel
* Lincoln M. Alexander Parkway, ‘The LINC'
* John Bear GM used vehicles dealership
* Airport Inn (hotel)
* Audi
Audi AG () is a German automotive manufacturer of luxury vehicles headquartered in Ingolstadt, Bavaria, Germany. A subsidiary of the Volkswagen Group, Audi produces vehicles in nine production facilities worldwide.
The origins of the compa ...
/ Volkswagen
Volkswagen (VW; )English: , . is a German automotive industry, automobile manufacturer based in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, Germany. Established in 1937 by German Labour Front, The German Labour Front, it was revitalized into the global brand it ...
dealership
* Courtyard by Marriott
Courtyard by Marriott is an American brand of hotels owned by Marriott International. One of Marriott's High-priced brands with 5 star hotels, the hotels are primarily targeted to business travelers, but also accommodate traveling families. As o ...
Hamilton (hotel)
* Barton Stone Church (the church that Stone Church Road is named after)
* Dr. William Berthume Park
* Subaru
is the automaker, automobile manufacturing division of Japanese transportation conglomerate (company), conglomerate Subaru Corporation (formerly known as Fuji Heavy Industries), the Automotive industry#By manufacturer, twenty-first largest aut ...
Hamilton car dealership
* Upper James Odeon Cineplex (theatre) (closed Dec. 2008)
* Upper James Square (shopping/ commercial)
* Mitsubishi
The is a group of autonomous Japanese multinational companies in a variety of industries.
Founded by Yatarō Iwasaki in 1870, the Mitsubishi Group traces its origins to the Mitsubishi zaibatsu, a unified company that existed from 1870 to 194 ...
dealership
* Nissan
is a Japanese multinational Automotive industry, automobile manufacturer headquartered in Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan. The company sells its vehicles under the ''Nissan'' and ''Infiniti'' brands, and formerly the ''Datsun'' brand, with in-house ...
dealership
* South Hamilton Square (shopping/ commercial)
* Sharples Wholesale Greenhouses
* HSR Mountain garage
* St. Paul's Glanbrook Church
* Super 8 Motel
* Mount Hope Post Office
* Willow Valley Golf Coursebr>
(18 holes, public)
* Southern Pines Golf & Country Clubbr>
(18 holes, semi-private)
* Chippewa Creek Golf & Country Clubbr>
(27 holes, semi-private), in Glanbrook, Ontario, Mount Hope. 6,300 yard, par 72 course offers a diverse 27 holes, irrigated fairways, elevated tees.
* John C. Munro Hamilton International Airport
John C. Munro Hamilton International Airport , or simply Hamilton Airport, is an international airport in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. The airport is part of the neighbourhood of Mount Hope, southwest of Downtown Hamilton and southwest of Tor ...
** Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum
The Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum is an aviation museum located at the John C. Munro Hamilton International Airport in Mount Hope, Ontario, Canada. The museum has 47 military jets and propeller-driven aircraft on display.
Displayed is a co ...
Communities
Note: Listing of neighbourhoods from north to south.
* Southam
Southam () is a market town and civil parish in the Stratford-on-Avon district of Warwickshire, England, located about east-southeast of Leamington Spa. In the 2021 census, the population of Southam was 8,114.
History
Southam was a Royal ...
* Bonnington
Bonnington is a dispersed village and civil parish on the northern edge of the Romney Marsh in Ashford District of Kent, England. The village is located to the south of the town of Ashford on the B2067 ( Hamstreet to Hythe road).
Bonningt ...
* Yeoville
Yeoville is an inner city neighbourhood of Johannesburg, in the province of Gauteng, South Africa. It is located in Region F (previously Region 8). Originally intended as a "well-to-do" neighbourhood, it instead developed into a white working ...
* Kernighan
* Ryckmans Corners
* Kennedy
Kennedy may refer to:
People
* Kennedy (surname), including any of several people with that surname
** Kennedy family, a prominent American political family that includes:
*** Joseph P. Kennedy Sr. (1888–1969), American businessman, investor, ...
/ Allison
Allison may refer to:
People
* Allison (given name)
* Allison (surname) (includes a list of people with this name)
* Eugene Allison Smith (1922-1980), American politician and farmer
* Allison family, a family of RMS Titanic passengers
Compan ...
, Upper James cuts through these two neighbourhoods
* Twenty Place
* North Glanford
* Mount Hope
Images
Image:Barton Stone Church.JPG, Barton Stone Church
Image:Butty Tower Apartments.JPG, Butty Tower Apartments
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. T ...
Atlas - Page 647, 657, 667 - Grids J12, K12, L12, M12, N12, P12, Q12, R12, S12, T12, U12
External links
Google Maps: Upper James Street (Hybrid)
{{Hamilton
Roads in Hamilton, Ontario