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Stay connected to our history through stories, books and art
Learn about Cambridge, Ontario through its stories, history, writings and artwork.
Learn about Cambridge, Ontario through its stories, history, writings and artwork.
David Menary is the author of 100 Years of Galt Arena Gardens: The Most Storied Arena in the World. His first book, Terrier Town: Summer of ’49 (WLU Press, 2003), won Honourable Mention (historical fiction) at the ForeWord Magazine Book of the Year Awards in Chicago in 2004, losing out to Mark Twain's sequel to Huckleberry Finn. His second book, The River and the Railroad, chronicled the fictional adventures of two 13-year-old boys in the last year before the Great War. The setting of New Thunder was based on the Galt area.
A Cambridge native, he has a master’s degree in history from the University of Waterloo, as well as degrees from Western University and Wilfrid Laurier University. He is a longtime member of the Waterloo Historical Society. In addition to writing, he also enjoys painting. Some of his artwork has been selected for juried art shows at the Cambridge Centre for the Arts.
His newspaper career began when he was hired in 1989 as a sportswriter at the Cambridge Reporter by renowned sports editor Carl Fletcher. He was recognized with a Milt Dunnell Award by the Ontario Community Newspaper Association, a Bernice Adams Award, a KW Literary Arts Award, and the Don and Benita Rope Sports Contributor Award. He was inducted into the Cambridge Sports Hall of Fame in 2024.
His most recent works have mostly delved into local history and include the Galt Arena book, as well as BlackWhite: Home Town Memories, an evocative series of black and white photographs from his portfolio of local scenes. Other books include Galt’s Quest for the Stanley Cup, Cambridge Sports Hall of Fame book, Great Trees of Canada, Gordie Howe: A Year in Galt, Brothers of the Wind, Frederick Douglass in Galt, Lusitania: The Waterloo County Connection, and Don Shaver: A Life.
His feature article about Galt Arena Gardens appeared in the Hockey Hall of Fame Induction magazine during Galt Arena’s 100th anniversary year.
He is the founder of It Happened in Cambridge and co-founder of the Cambridge Sports Hall of Fame.
These are some of the stories that make Cambridge unique
“100 Years of Galt Arena Gardens: A history of the most storied arena in the world,” was published in September 2025. At nearly 650 pages, and with more than 1,000 photographs, the collector's book chronicles the history of this landmark, one of the oldest continuously-operating arenas in the world. Listen to David Menary’s CBC interview with Craig Norris.
Newly-revised and updated Brothers of the Wind is the epic story of three young speed skaters and their years-long quest for Olympic gold. A compelling story about a sport that has accounted for more Olympic medals for Canada than any other, these young speed skaters began their Olympic quest in 1992; it is both poignant and inspirational.
We focus on history stories from Cambridge (Galt, Preston, Hespeler and Blair) and surrounding areas including Ayr, Doon, Branchton, Puslinch, Sheffield and Rockton. Come take a look at our city in a new way.
Gordie Howe: A Year in Galt, focusses on a young Gordie Howe during his year in Galt, but also looks at the elder statesmen when he returned to the arena on Shade Street. Along the way it includes perspectives from Marty Pavelich, Peter Conacher and many others.
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Your bookstore—in-depth local history stories—in published works by David Menary
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History stories of Cambridge's athletes and teams
Baseball history stories: A chronicle about proud towns and able players in Canada's baseball heartland in 1949
Your bookstore—in-depth local history stories—in published works by David Menary
Add a description about this item
History stories of Cambridge's athletes and teams
Baseball history stories: A chronicle about proud towns and able players in Canada's baseball heartland in 1949
Mark your spot with these unique llocally-inspired bookmarks
Bookmark with images front and back commemorating Galt Arena and it’s history stories
Image of Skiff, along with a quote from The River and the Railroad.
Images and text on this site are copyrighted by. David Menary. Permission must be obtained before using any content from this site.