  |
|
|
|
| WORKING LANDSCAPES | | CHANGING SKYLINES | | SUSTAINABLE HORIZONS | | ABOUT US / EXHIBIT SCHEDULE |
CHANGING SKYLINES II
|
|
|
|
Seeking employment and stability, the expanding population drifted from rural communities to industrial and commercial urban centres.
By the 1840s the Greenbelt area, excepting the Bruce Peninsula, was well settled with waves of immigrants continuing to arrive, doubling the population with
each decade.
In the 1840s close to eight in ten men were farmers.
Over the next 140 years there was a dramatic decline
in rural populations
By the 1980s as few as one in two hundred men
were farmers.
“The farmer’s boys sometimes get discontented. They see other lives which young men lead which they consider
easier than those which they lead. They leave the farm.... They go to the city... Only one in many finds the cup of gold.” Farming. March 1896. Toronto, Canada
An increasingly efficient economy gave rise to an urban population with more leisure time and wealth at its disposal. Many city people were able to enjoy recreational activities and began to take day trips
and vacations.
The advent of the railroad in the mid 19th century greatly facilitated travel, reaching out from the cities into rural areas at previously unheard-of speeds. A days journey by stagecoach or wagon became a short 2 hour trip by rail!
Tourism, day excursions and a desire for healthy, clean air brought city dwellers out to the beautiful countryside. Many rural communities became flourishing commercial centres, market towns, resorts and recreation venues.
As early as the 1880s, the government recognized the importance of protecting greenspace for conservation, recreation and tourism and passed legislation to establish parks. In 1885 the Niagara Falls Park Act for the “Preservation of the Natural Scenery” was passed and Queen Victoria Park was established shortly afterwards.
