In 1793, other Loyalists from the northern colonies became the first permanent settlers of European heritage in Port Hope, as the Crown granted them land as compensation for being forced to leave the colonies (much of their property was confiscated by rebel governments) and as payment for military service. The new colonists called the settlement Smith's Creek after a former fur trader. They developed mills and a town plot by the turn of the century.
After the War of 1812, the Crown tried to recruit more British settlers, and townspeople wanted a new name. After a brief fling with the name Toronto, the village was renamed in 1817 as Port Hope, after the Township of Hope of which it was a part. That was the namesake of Colonel Henry Hope, lieutenant governor of the Province of Quebec.[2] The post office dates from 1820.[3] In 1834 Port Hope was incorporated as a town.
Relatively slow growth from 1881 to 1951 resulted in much of the town's 19th century architecture surviving. In the early 21st century, Port Hope's downtown is celebrated as the best-preserved 19th-century streetscape in the province of Ontario. The town's local chapter of the Architectural Conservancy of Ontario and the Heritage Port Hope Advisory Committee are very active and advise on the restoration and preservation of architecturally or historically significant buildings.
With over 270 heritage-designated buildings throughout the municipality, Port Hope has a higher per capita rate of preservation than any other town or city in Canada. Downtown businesses are regulated by the municipality to maintain the town's unique character. This special character makes Port Hope a destination for heritage tourism and people interested in architecture.
In 1978, eight members of the Satan's Choice Motorcycle Club were charged with a murder that occurred at Port Hope's Queen's Hotel. The trial and conviction of some members—the Port Hope 8 case—has been described as a miscarriage of justice.[4]
On January 1, 2001, the original town amalgamated with Hope Township to form the Municipality of Port Hope and Hope, which was renamed to its current name in November of that same year. Prior to amalgamation, the town's census population was listed as 11,718 while the township's was 3,877.
Port Hope is known for having the largest volume of historic low-level radioactive wastes in Canada.[6] These wastes were initially created by Eldorado Mining and Refining Limited and its private sector predecessors, resulting from the refining of radium from pitchblende. Radium was used in radioluminescent paint (such as aircraft dials), and in early treatments for cancer.[7]
During World War II, the Eldorado plant produced exponentially more uranium oxides, which the United States used in the Manhattan Project that created the first nuclear weapons.[8] This plant, now under the ownership of Cameco, continues to produce uranium fuel for nuclear power plants.
In 2002, a large amount of contaminated soil was removed from beachfront areas.[9] More recently, a testing program began of over 5,000 properties, with a plan to remove and store contaminated soil that had been used as landfill. Over a billion dollars is expected to be spent on the soil remediation project, the largest such cleanup in Canadian history.[6]
Geography
Communities
Besides the town proper of Port Hope, the municipality of Port Hope comprises a number of villages and hamlets, including Campbellcroft, Canton, Dale, Davidson's Corners (partially), Decker Hollow (ghost town), Elizabethville, Garden Hill, Knoxville, Morrish, Osaca, Perrytown, Port Britain, Rossmount (partially), Tinkerville, Thomstown, Welcome, Wesleyville, and Zion.
In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Port Hope had a population of 17,294 living in 7,318 of its 7,607 total private dwellings, a change of 3.2% from its 2016 population of 16,753. With a land area of 278.8 km2 (107.6 sq mi), it had a population density of 62.0/km2 (160.7/sq mi) in 2021.[12]
Top ten Port Hope industries by employment (2015)[18]
Company
Employees
CPK Interior Products
403
Cameco Corporation
390
ESCO
157
Cameco Fuel Services
140
Akzo Nobel
78
Standard Auto Wreckers
60
Disk Tooling
40
Curtis Chicks
32
Unitrak
21
Port Hope Patterns
12
Downtown Port Hope offers shopping and a historic main street. Port Hope is served by a Via Rail station. It has a medical center, and a community health centre. It has had a daily newspaper since 1878, the Port Hope Evening Guide. Until 2007, this was part of the Osprey Media chain and subsequently a part of the Sun Media organization. In 2009 the newspaper was amalgamated with the Cobourg Daily Star and renamed as Northumberland Today.com. In November 2017 the newspaper was included in the large-scale closing of many local community newspapers throughout the province of Ontario.[19]
Port Hope's Economic Development Strategic Plan aims to increase job growth at least as fast as population growth. The town has a variety of industries.
The Ganaraska River (affectionately known as "The Ganny"), is well known to area anglers for annual salmon and trout runs. It has caused many historic floods, the most recent having occurred on March 21–22, 1980. Every April since until 2020, Port Hope has commemorated the flood with "Float Your Fanny Down the Ganny" ten kilometre boat race.[20][21][22] "Participants range from serious paddlers navigating the cold, fast-moving water in kayaks and canoes, to the very entertaining 'crazy craft' paddlers, floating any combination of materials down the river in an attempt to reach the finish line."[23] Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the event was cancelled in 2020 and 2021, the first time in its history for such action.[24]
Attractions
The Capitol Theatre is Canada's last functioning atmospheric theatre.[25] The theatre's main auditorium is styled after an outdoor medieval courtyard and rolling clouds are projected onto the ceiling. The town spent in excess of three million dollars renovating and upgrading the theatre in 2004–2005. It is also used for live events by Port Hope Festival Theatre.
John David Smith House, c. 1834Waddell Block-Lantern Inn, 1845
The Municipality of Port Hope is home to many heritage and cultural attractions, and events, including:
Float Your Fanny Down the Ganny—a water race commemorating the 1980 flood of the Ganaraska River[26]
Pleasure boats dock at the foot of John Street at Hayward Street and share the facilities with Cameco, which has berths for freighters servicing their manufacturing facilities at the mouth of the Ganaraska River.
^Hamilton, William (1978). The Macmillan Book of Canadian Place Names. Toronto: Macmillan. p. 167. ISBN0-7715-9754-1.
^Edwards, Peter Unrepentant The Strange and (Sometimes) Terrible Life of Lorne Campbell, Satan's Choice and Hells Angels Biker, Toronto: Vintage Canada page 88
^"Port Hope, Ontario". Canadian Climate Normals 1971–2000. Environment Canada. Archived from the original on August 19, 2019. Retrieved August 19, 2019.
