Study Halls at Central Library and Dundas, Red Hill, Terryberry, Turner Park, Valley Park, and Waterdown branches resume on Tuesday, September 2. They will be open after-hours Mondays-Thursdays from 8 pm to Midnight. www.hpl.ca/study-halls
All HPL Branches are closed Sunday, August 30, and Labour Day, Monday, September 1st. Bookmobile is off the road, and Extended Access is not available. Regular service hours resume on Tuesday, September 2. www.hpl.ca/hours
Due to campus events, McMaster University's Bookmobile Visits for Tuesdays, August 26 and September 2 (3:30-4:30 pm) have been cancelled. Service is expected to resume on Tuesday, September 9. Thank you for your understanding.
The accessibility door at Carlisle Branch is not working. We aim to fix it quickly.
Due to continued concrete work, the Rymal Road entrance will be unavailable until Friday, August 30. Access to the parking lot, accessible parking spaces, back entrance, and external drop box is available. Thank you for your patience.
Due to a mid-day fire drill, Turner Park Branch and Les Chater Family YMCA are closed for a fire drill from noon-1 pm. Thank you for your patience.
Due to roof repair maintenance, the Branch is temporarily closed from September 2 until October 10. Please visit the Red Hill, Parkdale, and Barton locations as your nearest branches for your library needs. On August 28-29, there may be some noise disruptions and limited parking spots while the roof repair set-up begins. Thank you for your patience.
Greetings from Hamilton
"... come from curiosity to see what it is ..."
Indians always seemed of great interest to travellers from the beginning. Patrick Campbell in his travels in 1791 came across a band of Indians fishing on Lake Geneva, now known as Burlington Bay, which had frozen over; "Their manner of fishing appeared to be somewhat curious. The Indian provides himself with a small spear, of two prongs each prong about six inches long, with a shaft of light wood, about ten feet long. A little false or artificial fish made of wood, so exactly formed and coloured, that it is impossible to conceive it to be any other thing than a real fish, without handling it; when in the water the deception is not to be discovered. A little lead is put into the body of this image to make it sink; a hole is made in the ice, into which the fisherman drops the image, suspended by a small piece of twine, of about a fathom or two long, so exactly fitted in the middle as to make it balance; he then lays flat on his face at the side of the hole, which, as well as himself, he covers with his blanket so close that no light can get in from above; holding the twine in one hand and his spear in the other he tugs and works the thread to make his little fish play, as if alive in the water, which being observed by a ravenous fish, he makes at it to snap it up, and the others who are not so, come from curiosity to see what it is that makes this little fish so sportive and playful, and continue for some time swimming about, which gives a fair opportunity to the Indian, who is ever watchful, to strike them with his spear."
Mr. Campbell also tells of a phenomenal tourist attraction that Hamilton boasts of - a volcano. However, only the Indians knew where it was located and they were not telling.
"Dr. Kerr, of the Indian department, told me he meant to search for it next summer, and flattered himself he would find it out. Whatever is the cause of this singular phenomenon, it must be very deep in the bowels of the earth, as no smoke issues from it, or any crevice or opening to be seen about it."