'Talk about a great place': Watch century-old Hamilton promo videos

This week, the city sent off its bid to woo Amazon's new headquarters, and released a video portraying Hamilton as gritty, innovative, full of culture — and "unstoppable."

The video, and new slogan, are just the latest in a long line of videos packaged to show off Hamilton's ambition, its mix of natural beauty and nose-to-the-grindstone industrial efforts.

Here are some other videos showcasing Hamilton's spirit. Some of the narrators' grandiose statements have aged better than others.

1920s: 'The Ambitious City'

This silent film, produced by the National Film Board of Canada, highlights a bustling Gore Park, the outdoor Farmers Market, Dundurn Castle and shady, tree-lined residential streets. 

1940s: 'A city of beauty and industry'

This video describes itself as "a portrait of a friendly city, a city wrought out of primitive wilderness by men of vision, faith and courage."

Some of its tone doesn't sit well when viewed in 2017, as gender exclusive language is used and the early days of the land where Hamilton now sits are discussed in a way that minimizes the Indigenous people who were living here before European settlers arrived.

The video, which has been uploaded and annotated by a ghost tour company, highlights Hamilton's then "large tourist trade" and status as a "retail shopping centre" that attracts buyers from all over North America. 

"Hamiltonians are proud of their homes, and the total absence of slum districts," the video declares. 

"A city is more than a thing of brick and stone, of geographic location and industrial potential, a city wins through to greatness because its people are ambitious, enterprising, and are not afraid to initiate new projects as they turn the pages of progress."

1983: 'Talk about a great place'

Ah, the technological aspirations of the early 1980s. This video highlights Hamilton's longtime industrial fixtures like Dofasco and Westinghouse, under the umbrella slogan, "Talk about a great place."

Dofasco said the steelmaker used technology that was "as high-tech as anything in Houston or Silicon Valley."

2013: 'The Ambitious City'

This video highlights "firsts" achieved in Hamilton, like the first national telephone company, first call across the Atlantic and first electric streetlights in North America 

But the video emphasizes that Hamilton is more than any one of those accomplishments.

"I am more than metal, sparks and steam," the narrator said. "I am an incubator productive even in my sleep, where dreamers dream in multiple mediums."

2016: 'Secret's out'

"I've known about this place — it's always been here," this video started. Released last year, it plays on the idea that the hype about Hamilton, as some kind of "best-kept secret," doesn't hold much water these days.

It's a city where "the arts thrive, history is revealed and nature surrounds." The video's score is performed by members of the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra. 

"A good secret is hard to keep."

Do you know about other promotional videos for Hamilton from over the years? Drop us a line at hamilton@cbc.ca.