Hamilton: the Electric City

Hamilton: the Electric City. . From the beginning of the 19th century, settlers were attracted to this region by the power of water cascading over the Niagara Escarpment. But it was not until 1896 that five Hamilton businessmen known as "The Five Johns" (John Dickenson, John Gibson, John Moodie Sr., John Patterson and John Sutherland), had the foresight and courage to invest in the new concept of hydro-electric generation and transmission. Backed by the economic strength of the Bank of Hamilton and technical advice from the Royal Electric Company, they formed the Cataract Power Company. With water drawn from the Welland Canal, inexpensive hydro-electric power was generated at DeCew Falls and transmitted 27 miles (43 kilometres), an unheard of distance, to a power sub-station on Victoria Avenue. Thus, Hamilton became the foremost electrified city in Canada and achieved world leadership in electrical power development., The Cataract Power Company evolved into the Dominion Power and Transmission Company in 1907 with head offices at the Hamilton Terminal Building (seen at left, which became the hub of one of the country's most extensive interurban electric railway systems offering service to Brantford, Dundas, Oakville and Grimsby. The horse-drawn Hamilton Street Railway was one of the first to adopt electricity., A port city like Hamilton with major railways, combined with abundant electrical power, attracted many new manufacturers such as Westinghouse, Otis Elevator and numerous cotton/clothing companies. Hamilton was dubbed the "Birmingham of Canada". True to the vision of its electrical entrepreneurs, the city's population and economy expanded dramatically. As a symbol of that growth and prestige, a 100 foot (30.4 metre) lighted tower was constructed in Gore Park (1900 - 1923), inspired by the Eiffel Tower of the 1889 Paris World Fair.