The History of Toronto

 Heading back 11,000 years through the history of Toronto, we discover the first peoples who spent a millennia fishing and gathering where Toronto is today. Furthermore, Indigenous communities are discovering new paths and areas for fishing, thereby becoming an integral part of first nations communities. After some time, European goods were introduced to Southern Ontario, and although the Europeans had not yet arrived, many others have. Moreover, this new shift not only created divides, but also resulted in a tragedy of half of the aboriginal population due to disease.

 It was around the 1660s-1680s that the name Toronto first appeared on French maps. The name means “where there are trees in water”, which refers to a weir to catch fish. At this point in time, French and British posts had formed to take advantage of the known trading routes. As a consequence, this new transformation became less accommodating to the native people. In addition, years of alliances, outbreaks, and casualties ended with a tense relationship between the Indigenous peoples and the British. 

 In the late 1700s, Yonge Streets production had begun to further improve the Toronto Passage, moving troops and supplies more efficiently. Additionally, construction also included government buildings, a church, and a market that was established in 1803. In fact, that market is now known as St. Lawrence Market. Furthermore, York, the previous name before Toronto, slowly began to grow. As a result, there were approximately 1460 people by the time of the war of 1812. In June 1812, United States declared war on Great Britain and invaded upper Canada. By February 1815, the goal to conquer British North America had failed. Thus creating a dramatically different evolution between Canada and the United States.