The biggest stories in Spectator history
The Hamilton Spectator has been covering this community for 170 years. Today, Spectator reporter Mark McNeil brings you 12 of the most important local news stories since 1846. These are the stories that shook the city, changed who we are or defined us in a key way. Disagree? Let us know
STORIES ARE LIKE STRANDS OF DNA that are passed from generation to generation and help define the essence of a community.
Just as a person’s potential is influenced by genetics, so is the destiny of a community forged by historical events. Just as scientists have engaged in a genome project to better understand how the human body works, The Spectator has been engaged in a 170-year journalism project to probe all aspects of Hamilton.
And through it all, certain strands of past experience stand out as being particularly important. They are stories that shook and rattled the city, erupting from pages of the paper to be remembered vividly for decades to come.
WHAT FOLLOWS ARE 12 OF THE BIGGEST LOCAL STORIES
covered in the pages of The Spectator over the past 170 years.
They are events that moved the ground, defined the Hamilton personality and delineated the city’s image. In most cases they are critical moments that transported the community out of a former innocence.
No doubt some readers will challenge some or all of the inclusions on the list. But think of it as a talking point.
WHAT DO YOU BELIEVE SHOULD ALSO BE INCLUDED? What are the big events of the past that linger with us today?
Send an email to mmcneil@thespec.com and we will return to the subject later this year as we roll out a series of initiatives to acknowledge The Spectator’s and the City of Hamilton’s 170th birthday.
They both began in 1846, the city in June, and The Spectator in July.