Provincial Agricultural Fair of Canada West

The Provincial Agricultural Fair of Canada West was an annual provincial agricultural fair held in various places^[1][2] in Canada West and after 1867 in Ontario.

The fair was established in 1846 and sponsored by the Provincial Agricultural Association and the Board of Agriculture for Canada West. It replaced an earlier attempt in 1792 by the Agricultural Society of Upper Canada^[3] founded in Newark (now Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario) in 1792.

The fair was mainly an agricultural themed show featuring horses and domesticated animals from around what was still a very rural pre-Confederation Ontario. It would last until 1878 as it met competition with large number of local fairs that emerged across some towns and counties in Ontario^[4] and eventually succeeded by the Canadian National Exhibition in 1879.

List of Provincial Agricultural Association of Canada West/Ontario

From 1858 the fair rotated between Toronto, Kingston, Hamilton and London in the same sequence for the duration of the fair's existence.^[20]

Following Toronto's decision to create a permanent fair (Toronto Industrial Exhibition or now the Canadian National Exhibition), the provincial fair was replaced by the Dominion Exhibition from 1879 until 1913.

The remaining cities that continue with their existing fairs are:

• Kingston: continued with the Frontenac Agricultural Society Fair that began in 1825 on an irregular pattern to 1925, thereafter the Kingston Fair has been held annually^[35]
• Hamilton: the closest fair in the city has been the Ancaster Fall Fair held since 1850
• London: continued with the Western Fair that began in 1868 and operating since 1885 as the only fall fair in the city

Other fairs

A list of annual agricultural and/or country fairs in Ontario created before or after the establishment of the provincial fair:

• Williamstown Fall Fair 1812–present, Williamstown, ON is the oldest continuing fall fair in Ontario^[36] and replacing an unnamed fair that was held in town since 1808
• Kingston Fall Fair - 1912–present, operated by the Kingston and District Agricultural Society. A revival of the previous Midland Fair which operated from 1830 until 1880.
• Norfolk County Fair and Horse Show 1840–present, Simcoe, ON
• East Middlesex Agricultural Fair - 1841. Held annual fairs until 1868 at north-west corner of Talbot and Oxford^[37] - London, ON
• Aberfoyle Fall Fair 1842-present, Guelph, ON
• Scarboro Fair 1844 to early 20th Century, Scarborough, ON
• Aylmer Fari 1849-present, Alymer, ON
• Ancaster Fair 1850-present, Jersyville, ON
• Brigden Fair 1850-present, Brigden, ON
• Schomberg Fair 1850–present, Schomberg, ON
• Armour, Ryerson & Burk's Falls 1881-present, Burk's Falls, ON
• Barrie Fair 1853-present, Thornton, ON
• Brampton Fall Fair 1853–present, Brampton, ON
• Binbrook Fair 1853-present, Binbrook, ON
• Brampton Fall Fair 1853-present, Caledon, ON
• Beaverton Fall Fair 1855-present, Beaverton, ON
• Spencerville Fair 1855-present, Spencerville, ON
• Aruther Fall Fair 1856-present, Arthur, ON
• Bayfield Fair 1856-present, Bayfield, ON
• Arran Tara Agricultural Society 1857-present, Tara, ON
• Beaver Valley Fall Fair 1870-present, Clarksburg, ON
• Beachburg Fair 1857-present, Beachburg, ON
• Beeton Fall Fair 1857-present, Beeton, ON
• Brooke-Alvinston Watford Fall Fair 1857-present, Alvinston, ON
• Markham Fair 1857–present, Markham, ON
• Almonte Fair 1858-present, Almonte, ON
• Bolton Fall Fair 1858-present, Bolton, ON
• Bobcaygen Fair 1859-present, Bobcaygeon, ON
• Avonmore Fair 1860-present, Avonmore, ON
• Burford Fair 1860-present, Brant, ON
• Brussels Fall Fair 1861-present, Brussels, ON
• Blackstock Fair 1865-present, Blackstock, ON
• Bracebridge Fall Fair & Horse Show 1867-present, Bracebridge, ON
• Western Fair 1868–present, London, ON
• Bonfield Fall Fair 1890-present, Bonfield, ON
• Brooklin Spring Fair 1991-present, Brooklin, ON
• Action Fall Fair 1913-present, Acton, ON
• Royal Agricultural Winter Fair 1922–present, held in Toronto at Exhibition Place in the Colisium

Other annual fairs around Canada and the United States:

• Hants County Exhibition c. 1765 and annual since 1815 - Windsor, NS
• Great New York State Fair 1841 - NY State
• Provincial Agricultural Fair of Lower Canada - created in 1847 with Montreal hosting fair in 1853 but since ended. Expo Richmond Fair is the only visible and annual fall fair remaining in Quebec (since 1856)
• Royal Manitoba Winter Fair 1882 - Winnipeg, MB
• Pacific National Exhibition 1910 - Vancouver, BC
• Canadian Western Agribition 1971 - Regina, SK

other annual agricultural events in Ontario

• The International Plowing Match held annually since 1913 in a different location in Ontario each year, has become the largest outdoor agricultural and rural fair in North America.

References

1. CNE Archives. 2013.
2. "Early CNE". Archived from the original on 2015-01-22. Retrieved 2015-01-22.
3. "History of Agricultural Fairs | Emsdale Agricultural Society". Archived from the original on 2015-01-22. Retrieved 2015-01-22.
4. Agricultural Society of Upper Canada
5. Goodspeed, W. A. & C.L. (1889). History of the County of Middlesex Canada: From the Earliest Time to the Present ; Containing an Authentic Account of Many Important Matters Relating to the Settlement, Progress and General History of the County ; and Including a Department Devoted to the Preservation of Personal and Private Records, etc. Toronto and London: W.A. & C.L. Goodspeed. pp. 202.
6. "The Old Race Course". Archived from the original on 2017-09-08. Retrieved 2017-09-08.
7. "Agricultural Societies & Fairs" (PDF). Cobourg, Ontario: Cobourg Museum. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2017-09-07. Retrieved 2017-09-07.
8. "Notes on Niagara NO. 32, 1759–1860" (PDF). Niagara Historical Society. p. 63. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 February 2019.
9. Exhibition, Provincial (1858). Descriptive Catalogue of the Provincial Exhibition, at Toronto, September 1858: With an Historical and Descriptive Sketch of the City of Toronto and a Digest of the Proceedings of the Agricultural Association Since Its Formation, with a Large Amount of Other Useful Information. ISBN 9780665511929.
10. Exhibition, Provincial (1858). Descriptive Catalogue of the Provincial Exhibition, at Toronto, September 1858: With an Historical and Descriptive Sketch of the City of Toronto and a Digest of the Proceedings of the Agricultural Association Since Its Formation, with a Large Amount of Other Useful Information. ISBN 9780665511929.
11. Exhibition, Provincial (1858). Descriptive Catalogue of the Provincial Exhibition, at Toronto, September 1858: With an Historical and Descriptive Sketch of the City of Toronto and a Digest of the Proceedings of the Agricultural Association Since Its Formation, with a Large Amount of Other Useful Information. ISBN 9780665511929.
12. Exhibition, Provincial (1858). Descriptive Catalogue of the Provincial Exhibition, at Toronto, September 1858: With an Historical and Descriptive Sketch of the City of Toronto and a Digest of the Proceedings of the Agricultural Association Since Its Formation, with a Large Amount of Other Useful Information. ISBN 9780665511929.
13. Sanmiya, Inge V. (August 2000). A Celebration of Excellence: The History of the Western Fair Association. London ON: The Aylmer Express Ltd. p. 8. ISBN 0-9687675-0-8.
14. Brock, Dan; McEwan, Catherine (2011). Fragments from the Forks: London, Ontario's Legacy. London, Ontario, Canada: The London and Middlesex Historical Society. p. 46. ISBN 978-0-9866899-0-1.
15. Smart, Tom (1990). The Collection, London Canada. London, ON: London Regional Art and Historical Museums. p. 5. ISBN 0-920872-81-6.
16. The Provincial Exhibition. The Anglo-American Magazine. November 1854. pp. 438–441. Archived from the original on 2019-06-04. Retrieved 2023-10-11.
17. Exhibition, Provincial (1858). Descriptive Catalogue of the Provincial Exhibition, at Toronto, September 1858: With an Historical and Descriptive Sketch of the City of Toronto and a Digest of the Proceedings of the Agricultural Association Since Its Formation, with a Large Amount of Other Useful Information. ISBN 9780665511929.
18. Exhibition, Provincial (1858). Descriptive Catalogue of the Provincial Exhibition, at Toronto, September 1858: With an Historical and Descriptive Sketch of the City of Toronto and a Digest of the Proceedings of the Agricultural Association Since Its Formation, with a Large Amount of Other Useful Information. ISBN 9780665511929.
19. Exhibition, Provincial (1858). Descriptive Catalogue of the Provincial Exhibition, at Toronto, September 1858: With an Historical and Descriptive Sketch of the City of Toronto and a Digest of the Proceedings of the Agricultural Association Since Its Formation, with a Large Amount of Other Useful Information. ISBN 9780665511929.
20. "Salter's Grove/Queen's Park (1879 - 1887)". Closed Canadian Parks. Archived from the original on March 3, 2015. Retrieved April 1, 2016.
21. "Historicist: An Exhibition in Crystal". 23 August 2008. Archived from the original on 7 September 2017. Retrieved 7 September 2017.
22. Circular: Office of the Provincial Industrial and Agricultural Exhibition for 1859. 1859. ISBN 9780665494666. Archived from the original on 2017-09-07. Retrieved 2017-09-07.
23. "Transactions". 1859.
24. Brock, Dan; McEwan, Catherine (2011). Fragments from the Forks: London, Ontario's Legacy. London, Ontario, Canada: The London and Middlesex Historical Society. p. 58. ISBN 978-0-9866899-0-1.
25. Provincial Agricultural Association of Upper Canada [microform] : Catalogue of the horses, cattle, sheep, pigs and poultry, entered for the Association's seventeenth annual exhibition at Toronto, on the 23rd, 24th, 25th and 26th September, 1862. 1862. ISBN 9780665891892.
26. "R.C. Gill, Upper Canadian Provincial Exhibition, Kingston. "Upper Canada Exhibition Eighteenth Meeting." the Globe, 25 September 1863 - photocopy newspaper clipping". Archived from the original on 9 September 2017. Retrieved 8 September 2017.
27. Brock, Dan; McEwan, Catherine (2011). Fragments from the Forks: London, Ontario's Legacy. London, Ontario, Canada: The London and Middlesex Historical Society. p. 71. ISBN 978-0-9866899-0-1.
28. "The Hamilton Evening Times - Google News Archive Search".
29. The Ontario Provincial Exhibition. Montreal: The Canadian Illustrated News. October 30, 1869. p. 5. Archived from the original on June 3, 2019. Retrieved October 11, 2023.
30. Brock, Dan; McEwan, Catherine (2011). Fragments from the Forks: London, Ontario's Legacy. London, Ontario, Canada: The London and Middlesex Historical Society. p. 81. ISBN 978-0-9866899-0-1.
31. The Ontario Provincial Exhibition. Montreal: The Canadian Illustrated News. October 5, 1872. p. 211. Archived from the original on June 3, 2019. Retrieved October 11, 2023.
32. The Ontario Provincial Exhibition. Montreal: The Canadian Illustrated News. October 12, 1872. p. 226. Archived from the original on June 3, 2019. Retrieved October 11, 2023.
33. Brock, Dan; McEwan, Catherine (2011). Fragments from the Forks: London, Ontario's Legacy. London, Ontario, Canada: The London and Middlesex Historical Society. p. 91. ISBN 978-0-9866899-0-1.
34. Miller, Orlo (1992). London 200: An Illustrated History. London, ON: London Chamber of Commerce. pp. 116–117. ISBN 9780920298985.
35. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2017-09-09. Retrieved 2017-09-08.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
36. "History | Williamstown Fair". 16 September 2020. Archived from the original on 7 September 2017. Retrieved 7 September 2017.
37. Mitchell-Reid, Alison. "The East Middlesex Agricultural Society Fonds (AFC73)" (PDF). Archives Finding Aids. Archives and Research Collections Centre, Western University. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 22, 2015. Retrieved April 1, 2016.