By Michael Walmsley
Dufferin Street runs S-N from Duncan Street to Minerva Street and S-N from Burrow Pit to its terminus beyond Susan Street
Frederick Hamilton-Temple-Blackwood was born way back in 1826 in Florence, Italy.
The young lad with the long name eventually added some more syllables when he became the first Marquess of Dufferin in the United Kingdom. In 1872, Lord Dufferin was named the third Governor General of the young nation of Canada.
The first two Governor Generals were primarily bureaucrats who definitely spent more time with paperwork than with the ordinary people whose blood and sweat were the base ingredients upon which the country was being built.
Lord Dufferin was intent on changing all of that.
Over his six years as the British monarchy’s representative in Canada, Lord Dufferin travelled throughout the provinces to meet the people and see the beautiful land. He even had a reputation of happening upon the pioneer homes of settlers, knocking on the door and engaging in conversation punctuated with appreciative and congratulatory comments.
Lord Dufferin (Library and Archives Canada)
Although the Village of Huntsville saw fit to honour Lord Dufferin with a street bearing his name, the closest that the Governor General came to setting foot in Huntsville was a visit to Bracebridge in 1874.
Lord Dufferin passed away in 1902 at his residence in Northern Ireland
See more Saturday Streetscapes here.
Michael Walmsley is a retired elementary school principal who resides in Huntsville. He enjoys looking at things with a bit of “outside-the-box” perspective and totally believes in living today with a hand on the past and an eye on the future. He has published articles in Kanawa and Adventure Kayak magazines and has recently published a book entitled The Joy of Kayaking – Including the Kayak Quiz.
During this past year, as president of the PROBUS Club of Muskoka North, he has written a weekly article to the club’s membership which has included a focus on Huntsville’s streets. These articles have been combined into book form which will be published in the summer of 2021.
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