# Kirkfield > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Kirkfield > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Kirkfield.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kirkfield > Source revision: 1340992025 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) **Kirkfield** is a village located in the city of [Kawartha Lakes](/source/Kawartha_Lakes), in the [Canadian](/source/Canada) province of [Ontario](/source/Ontario). The [unincorporated](/source/Incorporated_place) village was named in 1864 after the initial name, *Novar*, was rejected by the government. A list of 8 possible choices was then offered. The village, being predominantly [Scottish](/source/Scottish_people) at the time, chose *Kirkfield*, after Kirk' o' Field in [Edinburgh](/source/Edinburgh%2C_Scotland).[1] It is home to [Lock 36](/source/Kirkfield_Lift_Lock) of the [Trent-Severn Waterway](/source/Trent-Severn_Waterway), a hydraulic [lift lock](/source/Lift_lock) which connects Canal Lake and the artificially flooded Mitchell Lake. Travellers and commuters pass through Kirkfield regularly while travelling on Highway 48 (Now Portage Road) west towards [Highway 12](/source/Highway_12_(Ontario)) and east towards [Highway 35](/source/Highway_35_(Ontario)). The village of Kirkfield is located north-northwest of [Lindsay](/source/Lindsay%2C_Ontario) at the junction of [Kawartha Lakes Road 48](/source/Highway_48_(Ontario)) and [Kawartha Lakes Road 6](/source/Kawartha_Lakes_Road_6) (Formerly highways [48](/source/Highway_48_(Ontario)) and [503](/source/Highway_503_(Ontario)), respectively).[2] Kirkfield Lift Lock Kirkfield is the birthplace of Canadian railway, transit, and electrical entrepreneur [William Mackenzie](/source/William_Mackenzie_(railway_entrepreneur)). His railway, the [Canadian Northern Railway](/source/Canadian_Northern_Railway), was Canada's second transcontinental, begun in 1895 and opened in 1915. It went bankrupt during World War I, but when combined with other bankrupt companies such as the [Grand Trunk Railway](/source/Grand_Trunk_Railway) it became the basis for [Canadian National Railways](/source/Canadian_National_Railways) in 1923. Mackenzie learned how to become a railway contractor when the [Toronto and Nipissing Railway](/source/Toronto_and_Nipissing_Railway) came through Kirkfield, opening in 1871. He was also a contractor for the [Canadian Pacific Railway](/source/Canadian_Pacific_Railway) in the Rocky Mountains. He brought with him a group of Kirkfield labourers who were called the [Eldon Reserve](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Eldon_Reserve&action=edit&redlink=1), and they were so faithful to him, they did not strike with other contractors when the CPR ran out of money several times. He also became head of the [Toronto Railway Company](/source/Toronto_Railway_Company) in 1891, and brought the first electric [streetcar](/source/Streetcar) service to Toronto in 1893. When later combined with other streetcar companies such as the [Toronto Civic Railways](/source/Toronto_Civic_Railways), the [Toronto and York Radial Railway](/source/Toronto_and_York_Radial_Railway) and the [Toronto Suburban Railway](/source/Toronto_Suburban_Railway), the TRC became the basis for the [Toronto Transit Commission](/source/Toronto_Transit_Commission) in 1921. He also pioneered power generation at Niagara Falls, and headed EDCO, the [Electrical Development Company of Ontario](/source/Electrical_Development_Company_of_Ontario). [Adam Beck](/source/Adam_Beck) was a continual critic of Mackenzie and his companies, and eventually forced EDCO to become part of giant [Ontario Hydro](/source/Ontario_Hydro).[3] The Sir [William Mackenzie](/source/William_Mackenzie_(railway_entrepreneur)) Inn, built in 1888 and rumoured to be haunted, is located in Kirkfield.[4] Several other homes in Kirkfield were built by Mackenzie for family members. [Kirkfield's Lock 36](/source/Kirkfield_Lift_Lock) is a 15-metre-high hydraulic liftlock constructed between 1896 and 1907. Additional construction of an updated electrical and hydraulic system was completed between 1965 and 1966.[5] It is the second highest lift lock in Canada. Kirkfield was the childhood home of businessman [Pat Burns](/source/Patrick_Burns_(businessman)), who went started the [Calgary Stampede](/source/Calgary_Stampede) and built one of largest meat packing and ranching empires in the world.[*[citation needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed)*] Education in the village is through Lady Mackenzie Public School, which serves an average of about 450 students, with 25 staff and faculty. ## References 1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** [Rayburn, Alan](/source/Alan_Rayburn). *Place Names in Ontario*. University of Toronto Press. p. 183. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** [Ontario Provincial Parks, Kirkfield, ON on Profile Canada Business Directory of Companies](http://www.profilecanada.com/companydetail.cfm?company=2415598_Ontario_Provincial_Parks_Kirkfield_ON) 1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** Fleming, R. B. [*Railway King of Canada, The*](https://archive.org/details/railwaykingofcan0000flem). UBC Press 1991. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0-7748-0382-7](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-7748-0382-7). 1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** ["Haunted Ontario - True Ghost Encounters"](https://web.archive.org/web/20080513082242/http://hauntedontario.netfirms.com/kirkfield.html). Archived from [the original](http://hauntedontario.netfirms.com/kirkfield.html) on 2008-05-13. Retrieved 2008-01-30. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** [Kirkfield Liftlock, Ontario, Canada - Travel Photos by Galen R Frysinger, Sheboygan, Wisconsin](http://www.galenfrysinger.com/kirkfield_liftlock_ontario.htm) [44°33′45″N 78°58′45″W / 44.56250°N 78.97917°W / 44.56250; -78.97917](https://geohack.toolforge.org/geohack.php?pagename=Kirkfield¶ms=44_33_45_N_78_58_45_W_region:CA-ON) v t e City of Kawartha Lakes City seat: Lindsay Towns Lindsay Villages and unincorporated communities Ancona Point Argyle Avery Point Baddow Baker Trail Ballyduff Barclay Bellevue Bethany Bethel Bobcaygeon1 Bolsover Burnt River Burton Cambray Cameron Coboconk Dalrymple Dartmoor Daytonia Beach Dongola Downeyville Dunsford Emily Eldon Station Feir Mill Fenelon Falls Fowlers Corners Fleetwood Glenarm Greenhurst-Thurstonia Hartley Head Lake Janetville Kinmount1 Kirkfield Little Britain Long Beach Long Point Lorneville Manilla1 Manvers Station Mariposa Station Mariposa Norland Oakwood Omemee Pontypool Ragged Rapids Rokeby Rosedale Sadowa St. Mary's Sebright Sturgeon Point Uphill Valentia Verulam Park Victoria Road View Lake Woodville Former townships Bexley Carden Dalton Laxton, Digby and Longford Eldon Emily Fenelon Manvers Mariposa Ops Somerville Verulam Major lakes Trent River Shadow Lake Silver Lake Four Mile Lake Balsam Lake Cameron Lake Sturgeon Lake Lake Scugog Pigeon Lake Talbot River Canal Lake Mitchell Lake Talbot Lake Severn River Lake Dalrymple Cranberry Lake Head Lake Fishog Lake Topics List of roads Victoria County 1) This area lies on the border of an adjacent region, but is part of the Kawartha Lakes census. --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Kirkfield](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kirkfield) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kirkfield?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.