Go on a true crime walking tour of Peterborough
Whether you’re new to an area or a longtime resident, a smart way to discover the history of a town or city is to take a walking tour.
In Peterborough, one of the walking tours you can embark on is “Peterborough Perpetrators”, a guided walk that takes participants on a journey back in time to explore a few of the notorious crimes from the City’s past.
“There haven’t been a lot of sensational crimes committed in Peterborough, which is good thing, but the ones that did happen really captured peoples’ attentions,” says guide and author of the true crime walking tour, and researcher at Trent Valley Archives, Madison More.
A multitude of mesmerizing tales
Among the stories Madison More covers on this true crime walking tour are a missing lumberjack from the City’s early days, a Peterborough jail break that resulted in an Ontario-wide police chase, and a case involving the shooting of the owner of the Grand Hotel.
“I’ve also included a couple of stories that are a bit more humourous and didn’t involve any murders or anyone getting hurt just to keep things lighter,” says Madison More.
In total the Peterborough Perpetrators walking tour features 8 true crime cases.
The inspiration for the true crime walking tour
Creating the Peterborough Perpetrators walking tour has been a passion project for Madison More.
“I’ve had an interest in true crime for several years now and I follow a lot of true crime YouTubers. They inspired me to replicate what they were doing locally,” explains Madison More.
“I was also influenced after reading Ed Arnold’s two true crime books, Inside Peterborough: Three Murder Stories and Peterborough 1970s Crimes.”
Research for the walking tour and compiling all the stories that were included, involved several months. The writing took approximately two weeks to complete.
While the walking tour is educational for its participants there is another practical side to creating the Peterborough Perpetrators guided walk.
“As I mentioned, true crime is a personal interest of mine, particularly unsolved cases,” says Madison More.
“Getting the word out about them is very important because even cases that have been cold for over 50 years still have a chance of getting solved, especially with advances in DNA technology.”
Part of a series of walking tours
The Peterborough Perpetrators walking tour is just one of many tours offered by the Trent Valley Archives.
The group offers historical tours of Peterborough and the surrounding area on a variety of themes.
The organization also publishes books, an award-winning quarterly magazine called The Heritage Gazette of the Trent Valley, and gives talks at schools, retirement homes and other organizations.
How to sign up for this true crime walking tour
Whether you’re an individual, a couple, family (ages 12 and up) or group of friends, the Peterborough Perpetrators walking tour is an entertaining way to get to know the City a little more.
“People who have been on the tour told me afterwards that they learned a lot about Peterborough that they didn’t know before,” says Madison More.
To sign up for the walking tour call 705-745-4404 or email admin@trentvalleyarchives.com. Tickets are also available online.
- The cost is $20 per person.
- The walking tour runs rain or shine.
- The tour begins at Confederation Park on George Street North near the war memorial and ends at the courthouse in Victoria Park.
- The approximate length of the tour is 1.5 to 2 hours.
And after your true crime walking tour…
…a great spot to hang out and recount your walking tour experience over a drink and a bite to eat is The Black Horse Pub, conveniently located just a 3-minute walk from the end-point of the tour at 452 George Street North.
