Newmarket: The Heart of York Region

Chris Raible is the author of Muddy York Mud: Scandal and Scurrility in
Upper Canada.

This careful, thoughtful, and well-written chronicle of a nearly
200-year-old community north of Toronto is enhanced by qualities that
distinguish it from many another local history: it refrains from
presenting too much detail that distracts from the central narrative.

The village began as a “new market” to serve a farming area too
distant from York’s more major market. Like many other Ontario
settlements, Newmarket truly prospered, with the coming of the railroad.
The book emphasizes the 19th century, but scans the 20th century’s
gradual growth, world wars (a major military camp was in the area), and
depression. More-recent growth is absorbing the small town into the huge
Toronto conurbation.

The book is well researched: the author has used primary documents and
newspapers as his sources, rather than simply rehashing already
published second-hand material. It lacks footnotes, but there is a
bibliography and an index.

Newmarket does not pretend to be more than it is. Other
histories—social, cultural, political, or economic—might well be
written. This book, however, simply presents the straightforward story
of a developing town. It includes anecdotal material (perhaps with an
overemphasis on the 1837 Rebellion), but the central character is the
community itself.

Its large-scale format and readable design allow the many fascinating
illustrations to be appreciated in detail. Unfortunately, its soft cover
diminishes what is otherwise a volume worthy of a permanent place in any
library that features Ontario (or Canadian) history.