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Dan Buchanan

Goodreads Author

Born

in Belleville, Ontario, Canada

Website

http://danbuchananhistoryguy.com

Genre

History

Member Since

April 2015

URL

https://www.goodreads.com/danbuchanan

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Dan Buchanan is “The History Guy of Brighton, Ontario.” He is engaged in many projects related to local and Ontario history, working from his home in Brighton.
The History Guy is an author, with five books published as of July 2026. His first book, published in 2015, was "Murder In The Family: The Dr. King Story", which tells the fascinating true story of Brighton’s infamous murder case in 1859. The twist is that the murderer is a relative of the author, so this is family history too.
The second book, in 2018, was "38 Hours To Montreal", which tells the unique story of William Weller’s record-breaking sleigh ride from Toronto to Montreal in 1840. This is a road trip that places the reader on the sleigh with Mr. Weller as he passes through ev Dan Buchanan is “The History Guy of Brighton, Ontario.” He is engaged in many projects related to local and Ontario history, working from his home in Brighton.
The History Guy is an author, with five books published as of July 2026. His first book, published in 2015, was "Murder In The Family: The Dr. King Story", which tells the fascinating true story of Brighton’s infamous murder case in 1859. The twist is that the murderer is a relative of the author, so this is family history too.
The second book, in 2018, was "38 Hours To Montreal", which tells the unique story of William Weller’s record-breaking sleigh ride from Toronto to Montreal in 1840. This is a road trip that places the reader on the sleigh with Mr. Weller as he passes through every town and village along the Kingston Road, now Number 2 Highway. It’s a snapshot in time – in 1840.
Then, in August 2020, came "The Wreck of HMS Speedy: The Tragedy That Shook Upper Canada". This book presents the story of HMS Speedy, the British gunboat that disappeared in a terrible storm near Presqu’ile Point in 1804. These dramatic events are followed by new information from the diver who believed he had found the remains of the Speedy. Is the mystery solved?
The fourth book is "A History of the Murray Canal", released in February 2024. It explains the long history of no canal being built, then the decision to fund the canal in 1881. We see how the canal was built, including the problems that delayed the work. This will be the only full historical record of the Murray Canal.
Book No. 5 is "The Batteau Railway", published in July 2026. This is the story of the small wooden railway that was built by Asa Weller in 1793 to carry batteaux across the Quinte portage. It operated until the early 1820s when the portage became obsolete. During that time, the Quinte portage was a critical link the east-west transportation route that avoided the rough waters of Lake Ontario. New settlers portaged here along with surveyors, fur traders and members of government as Upper Canada came into being and took its first step. During the War of 1812, the portage as a crucial chokepoint in moving men, weapons and supplies to the battles in the Niagara area. The focus of the book is on the three families who settled here, Weller, Young and Wilkins, who did their part in supporting the function of the portage and set the stage for the development of the modern village of Carrying Place.
The History Guy of Brighton has also produced several videos, including a 5-part series on HMS Speedy, and a video with Sean Scally about the history of the Carrying Place and the Murray Canal. These are on YouTube and links to them are on Dan’s web site.
Dan is also the creator and manager of the genealogy web site www.treesbydan.com, a database of well over 125,000 individuals. It includes details about early settler families in the area of Prince Edward, Hastings and Northumberland counties. Those who populate his stories can be found here.
Dan is a member of the Brighton Heritage Advisory Committee and works closely with the Brighton Digital Archives, a volunteer group supported by the municipality that collects historical documents and pictures for display on the web site http://vitacollections.ca/brightonarc.... ...more

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Dan Buchanan’s books

Average rating: 3.76 · 76 ratings · 20 reviews · 7 distinct works • Similar authors

	Murder in the Family: The Dr. King Story 3.89 avg rating — 35 ratings — published 2015 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Wreck of HMS Speedy: The Tragedy That Shook Upper Canada 3.69 avg rating — 32 ratings — published 2020 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	38 Hours To Montreal 3.63 avg rating — 8 ratings — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	A History of the Murray Canal by Dan Buchanan (Goodreads Author), Sean Scally (photographer) liked it 3.00 avg rating — 1 rating — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Batteau Railway by Dan Buchanan (Goodreads Author), Thomas Malcomson (Foreword) 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Batteau Railway by Dan Buchanan (Goodreads Author), Thomas Malcomson (Foreword) 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Batteau Railway by Dan Buchanan (Goodreads Author), Thomas Malcomson (Foreword) 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars