This article is over 5 years old and may contain outdated information.

Mapping

The maps that sparked Canada's bicycle frenzy

Maps like the two pictured here were instrumental in opening up the countryside to urban North American bike owners
  • Mar 01, 2015
  • 249 words
  • 1 minutes
(Map: D.B. Street, Cyclists Road Map, showing all the main travelled roads, Towns, villages etc. between Toronto and London including the Niagara District, 1895, Library and Archives Canada, NMC43015)
(Map: D.B. Street, Cyclists Road Map, showing all the main travelled roads, Towns, villages etc. between Toronto and London including the Niagara District, 1895, Library and Archives Canada, NMC43015)
Expand Image
Advertisement

“Roll on, spring!” One can imagine Canadians uttering such a cry in the waning days of winter during the late Victorian era, eager to get out on their bicycles and explore the countryside. During the mid- to-late 1890s, a full-fledged bicycle craze was in full swing in North America, with people spending money not only bicycles themselves but also on the accoutrements that went with them (just as hundreds of thousands of Canadians do today), including tools, locks, clothing and maps. Maps like the two pictured here were instrumental in opening up the countryside to urban bike owners, for whom it wasn’t uncommon to spend a weekend away in one of the many hotels that catered to cycling clientele. A short description of each map is provided below.

As Sara Viinalass-Smith, an early cartographic archivist at Library and Archives Canada, notes: “Street’s map (at right) shows only roads that were deemed passable by bicycles. It also features the rail lines that crossed the region. They were important for cyclists not only because they were consistently passable on bicycles but because cyclists could ride the rails in one direction, making their cycling excursions easier. On the map, distance is shown by two mile squares and population is listed under each place name. At the bottom of the map, Street documented the stops between various popular destinations, noting the counties in which these villages, towns and cities were situated, their populations, and the distances between them.”

Expand Image
Advertisement

Are you passionate about Canadian geography?

You can support Canadian Geographic in 3 ways:

Grizzly

This story is from the April 2015 Issue

Related Content

Travel

Trans Canada Trail celebrates 30 years of connecting Canadians

The trail started with a vision to link Canada coast to coast to coast. Now fully connected, it’s charting an ambitious course for the future.

  • 1730 words
  • 7 minutes

Science & Tech

20 Canadian innovations you should know about

Celebrating Canadian Innovation Week 2023 by spotlighting the people and organizations designing a better future 

  • 3327 words
  • 14 minutes
Assassin's Creed Odyssey landscape

Mapping

Inside the intricate world of video game cartography

Maps have long played a critical role in video games, whether as the main user interface, a reference guide, or both. As games become more sophisticated, so too does the cartography that underpins them. 

  • 2569 words
  • 11 minutes

Wildlife

The naturalist and the wonderful, lovable, very bold jay

Canada jays thrive in the cold. The life’s work of one biologist gives us clues as to how they’ll fare in a hotter world. 

  • 3599 words
  • 15 minutes