Next Book: The Batteau Railway

Book number five is in the works for the History Guy! This book will focus on the batteau transport service built by Asa Weller across the Quinte portage (the Carrying Place) in 1793, running daily until the 1820s. If you were carrying people or trade goods in flotilla of batteaux from east to west across the north shore of Lake Ontario, you had to stop and portage at the west end of the Bay of Quinte. Everything had to be carried across the mile and a quarter isthmus to Wellers Bay and loaded into the boats again. As the baggage was being handled, the batteau railway carried each batteau across the portage at a price of $4 per boat. 
This facility became so routine for travelers that hardly anyone thought to speak about it in their writings. Historians have mentioned it in brief terms but no contemporary description of the physical system has been found. For travelers of the day, it was much like the modern driver going across a bridge and thinking nothing of it. In light of this, we must use contextual history to speculate about the look-and-feel of the batteau railway. To flesh out the topic, the The History Guy tells the story of the three main families who were the first European settlers on the Quinte portage, the Weller, Young and Wilkins families. 

The War of 1812 was a traumatic time for Upper Canada as the Quinte portage became a tactically important interruption in the flow of soldiers, weapons and all sorts of supplies to the battle front in the Niagara area. For three years, the batteau railway became part of the intense war effort as it reduced the delay in moving whole regiments across the portage. Asa Weller experienced major revenue from his facility but the families on the portage also experienced damage and destruction of their property, for which they attempted to gain compensation after the war. 
The expectation is that this book should be released in late August or early September of 2026. As of this writing, on April 2, 2026, that estimate still stands. In fact, the process is moving ahead quickly. We will start evaluating proofs in the next few weeks. That also means that the front cover of the book has been approved, and a sample is provided here. 
Check this web site for updates and talk to me at my events, including Codrington Farmers Market. 
Thanks for your interest!