Harold Adams Innis 1894-1952
Text from the plaque
One of Canada's outstanding economic historians, Innis was born on this farm. Graduated from McMaster University, he obtained a Ph. D. from the University of Chicago, and in 1920 joined the Department of Political Economy at the University of Toronto where he subsequently became Department Chairman and Dean of Graduate Studies. His works, such as the monumental "Fur Trade in Canada" (1930), largely interpreted Canadian history as a thrust to control the St. Lawrence trade and connecting traffic routes, and profoundly influenced Canadian historical writing generally. His later studies, for example, "Empire and Communication" (1950), investigating the effects of communications technology on cultural values and social institutions, helped establish international communications theory. Innis College, University of Toronto, is named in his honour.
Transcribed from the marker, not summarised.
Find the place
The County of Oxford
The Township of Norwich
On Road 19, 3.8 km east of Otterville
at Innisfree Farm (street number 225938)
Also recorded for this place: The County of Oxford
N 42 56.004 W 80 33.460
Recorded August 2004. Check current access before visiting.