Gage Avenue (Hamilton, Ontario)

Gage Avenue, is a Lower City arterial road in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. It starts off at "Lawrence Road" at the base of the Niagara Escarpment (mountain) at the south end of "Gage Park". It is a two-way arterial road that extends north through the city's "North End" industrial neighbourhood and ends at "Industrial Drive".

History

"Gage Avenue" and Upper Gage Avenue are named after James Gage, a lumber merchant and his uncle "William Gage", a farmer. Together James and William had a farm that was the site of the Battle of Stoney Creek during the War of 1812. The wounded were treated inside their homes and they were both awarded compensation for it by the government. cite book|title=Dictionary of Hamilton Biography (Vol I, 1791-1875)|first=Thomas Melville |last=Bailey|publisher=W.L. Griffin Ltd|year=1981] Originally Gage Street was called "Trolley Street". cite book|title=Footsteps In Time: Exploring Hamilton's heritage neighbourhoods|first=Bill |last=Manson |publisher=North Shore Publishing Inc|year=2003|id= ISBN 1-896899-22-6]

Ivor Wynne Stadium (2-blocks West of "Gage Avenue") is the home of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League. The stadium was originally known as "Civic Stadium" and was constructed in 1930 to host the 1930 British Empire Games; Canada's first major international athletic event, held in Hamilton from August 16 to 23, 1930. The stadium is now surrounded by residential housing in Hamilton's east side. cite web| last = Wilson| first = Paul| title = Ivor Wynne Stadium| url=http://football.ballparks.com/CFL/Hamilton/index.htm| accessdate = 2007-03-27] The CFL's annual Eastern Division Labour Day Classic pits the Hamilton Tiger-Cats against perennial rivals the Toronto Argonauts. This particular weekend, typically the tenth or eleventh week in the season, is known for its fixtures that do not change from year to year. Oddly, for many years before his death, Harold Ballard owned both the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and the Toronto Maple Leafs, the National Hockey League (NHL) franchise in rival city Toronto. cite book| last = Beddoes| first = Dick| title = Pal Hal: An uninhibited, no-holds-barred account of the life and times of Harold Ballard| publisher = Macmillan of Canada| year = 1989| id = ISBN 1572433906 ] The "Hamilton A.A.A. Grounds", (Hamilton Amateur Athletic Association Grounds), is a park that was home to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats from 1872-1949. That Park is still there today and can be found at Queen Street South, right before "Charlton Avenue West". cite web|url=http://www.footballcanada.com/history_timeline.asp|title=A.A.A. Grounds: Canadian Football Timelines; Canadian Football web site|accessdate=2007-03-28]

The Gage Park bandshell is dedicated to the memory of "Lieut. George R. Robinson", (1840-1917). Bandmaster 13th Battalion Royal Canadian Militia, now Royal Hamilton Light Infantry (W.R.) from 1869 until his death. His life was devoted to the advancement of good music and through his many tours with the band in North America, he brought great honour and desirable publicity to the City of Hamilton.

Festivals

Hamilton, Ontario has hosted several "cultural" and craft fairs since the 1960s, notably [http://www.creativearts.on.ca/ Festival of Friends] , which made it a major tourist destination. The Festival of Friends, founded in 1975, is the largest annual free music event in Canada. Burton Cummings, Lighthouse and Bruce Cockburn have been among the main stage headliners at the George R. Robinson Bandshell at "Gage Park". cite press release| title =The Hamilton Memory Project;| publisher =The Hamilton Spectator- Tourism Hamilton page MP54| date =2006-06-10| accessdate = 2007-03-27]

Landmarks

"Note: Listing of Landmarks from North to South."
*Pier 17
*Steel Company of Canada (Stelco), Piers 16, 17, 18 "Sherman Avenue North" to "Ottawa Street North"
*Canadian National railway tracks
*Ivor Wynne Stadium, home of the CFL Hamilton Tiger-Cats, off "Beachwood Avenue" (2-blocks West of "Gage Avenue")
*Brian Timmis Stadium, right next to "Ivor Wynne Stadium", off "Cannon Street East" (2 blocks West of "Gage Avenue")
*Scott Park Secondary School, off "Cannon Street East" (2 blocks West of "Gage Avenue")
*Scott Park Arena, off "Cannon Street East" (2 blocks West of "Gage Avenue")
*Gage Park
*Hamilton Children's Museum (inside "Gage Park")
*Gage Park Bandshell (concert stage)
*Gage Park fountain
*Escarpment Rail Trail (abandoned railway path)
*Bruce Trail
*Mountain Face Park
*Niagara Escarpment (mountain)

Communities

"Note: Listing of neighbourhoods from North to South" cite web| title = Hamilton Neighbourhood Boundaries, (map.hamilton.ca)| url=http://map.hamilton.ca/Static/PDFs/General%20Interest%20maps/Overall%20City/NeighbourhoodBoundaries.pdf| accessdate = 2007-05-11]
*Northend - Everything north of the Canadian National Railway tracks
*Stipeley/ Crown Point, "Gage Avenue" is the division between these two neighbourhoods.
*Blakeley/ The Delta, "Gage Avenue" is the division between these two neighbourhoods.

Major roads that cross Gage Avenue

"Note: Listing of streets from North to South."
*Industrial Drive - One way street (Westbound only)
*Burlington Street East - One way street (Eastbound only)
*Barton Street East
*Cannon Street East
*King Street East - One way street (Westbound Only)
*Main Street East - One way street (Eastbound Only)
*Cumberland Avenue - One way street (Eastbound Only), ends at "Gage Avenue South"

Roads that are parallel with Gage Avenue

"Note: Listing of streets from West to East."
*Catharine Street, North, South
*Ferguson Avenue, North, South
*Wellington Street, North, South
*Victoria Avenue, North, South
*Wentworth Street, North, South
*Sherman Avenue, North, South
*Gage Avenue, North, South
*Ottawa Street, North, South
*Kenilworth Avenue, North, South
*Cochrane Road
*Parkdale Avenue, North, South
*Red Hill Valley Parkway
*Nash Road, North, South

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References

*MapArt Golden Horseshoe Atlas - Page 647 - Grids E15, F15, G15, H15

External links

* [http://www.northendneighbours.blogspot.com/ North End Neighbours]
* [http://www.brucetrail.org Bruce Trail Association]
* [http://brucetrail.wholemap.com/ Hikes on the Bruce Trail]
* [http://www.escarpment.org/ Niagara Escarpment Commission (NEC) Official web site]
* [http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=Gage+Avenue+N,+Hamilton,+Hamilton,+Ontario,+Canada&sll=43.261519,-79.842281&sspn=0.032752,0.107975&layer=&ie=UTF8&z=14&ll=43.257081,-79.824858&spn=0.032755,0.107975&t=h&om=1&iwloc=addr Google Maps: Gage Avenue (Hybrid)]