CGEO793 Module 02: The History of Toronto

Module 02 The History of Toronto CGEO793 The Geography of Toronto The copyright to this original work is held by Bonnie Martens and students registered in CGEO793 can use this material for the purposes of this course but no other use is permitted....

Module 02 The History of Toronto CGEO793 The Geography of Toronto The copyright to this original work is held by Bonnie Martens and students registered in CGEO793 can use this material for the purposes of this course but no other use is permitted. There can be no sale, transfer or use of the work for any other purpose without explicit permission of Bonnie Martens. Topics and Learning Objectives Topics This module will cover the following topics: Where Toronto is in relation to Ontario, Canada and the World The growth of the Greater Toronto Area Toronto’s First People First contact The Settling of Toronto War of 1812 2 Topics and Learning Objectives Learning Objectives At the end of this module, you should be able to: Describe Toronto’s place in the world Describe the growth of the city Discuss the role of the Indigenous Communities in and around Toronto Discuss what happened after first contact 3 Scales of Geography To begin looking at the history of Toronto, we need to first look at the Geography. Where is Toronto located in the world? 4 Source: Break it down from largest to smallest Canada is the largest country in North America North America is made up of 23 countries, including: 1. Canada 2. United States 3. Mexico 4. Greenland (an autonomous territory of Denmark) 5. Bermuda (a British Overseas Territory) 6. The Bahamas 7. Cuba 8. Jamaica 9. Haiti 10. Dominican Republic 11. Belize 12. Guatemala 13. El Salvador 14. Honduras 15. Nicaragua 16. Costa Rica 17. Panama 18. Saint Pierre and Miquelon (a French Overseas Territory) 19. Barbados 20. Saint Lucia 21. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 22. Grenada 23. Trinidad and Tobago 5 Source: North America Countries Canada in relation to the world 6 Source: Where is Canada? Canada in relation to the world Canada has ten provinces and three territories that extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's second-largest country by total area, with the world's longest coastline. 7 Source: Map of Canada with Federal, Provincial and Territorial Capitals So how big is Canada really? 8 Source The True Size Of  Toronto is south east of the centre of Canada. I highly recommend taking a road trip across Canada one day, just for oddities like this! Source The centre of controversy: Where is 9 Canada’s middle? Toronto’s place in Ontario The province of Ontario is the most populous in Canada with major cities like Toronto, Ottawa, and Hamilton. It’s also the second-largest province (excluding territories) in size after Quebec. 10 Source: Province of Ontario Greater Toronto The term "Greater Toronto" was first used as early as the 1900s. At the time though, it only referred to the old city of Toronto and its immediate townships and villages. Toronto in 1834 Owen P. Staples (1866-1949) 1907 Oil on canvas, 121.5 x 304.5 cm. City of Toronto Art Collection, Cultural Services 11 Source Toronto in 1834 Metropolitan Toronto Click photo to access slider and see the changes from the 1950’s to 2016. The city and those immediate villages became Metropolitan Toronto in 1954. This federation included the City of Toronto, the towns of New Toronto, Mimico, Weston, and Leaside; the villages of Long Branch, Swansea, and Forest Hill; and the townships of Etobicoke, York, North York, East York, and Scarborough. 12 Source Swansea Historical Society The Greater Toronto Area Watch this news clip about the amalgamation of the original cities that made up the GTA. The use of the term involving the four surrounding regional municipalities came into formal use in the mid-1980s, after it was used in a widely discussed report on municipal governance restructuring in the region and was later made official as a provincial planning area. However, it did not come into everyday usage until the mid- to late 1990s. 13 Source Looking Back at Amalgamation Nearly 20 Years Later The Greater Toronto Hamilton Area In 2006, the term began to be supplanted in the field of spatial planning as provincial policy increasingly began to refer to either the "Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area" (GTHA) 14 Source The Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area The Greater Golden Horseshoe The "Greater Golden Horseshoe" became much more popular as well. This includes the Greater Toronto Area's satellite municipalities, such as Peterborough, Barrie, Guelph, Kitchener, Waterloo, Cambridge and Niagara Region. Source: Planning transportation for the Greater 15 Golden Horseshoe The History of Tkaronto Toronto itself is a word that originates from the Mohawk word “Tkaronto,” meaning “the place in the water where the trees are standing,” which is said to refer to the wooden stakes that were used as fishing weirs in the narrows of local river systems by the Haudenosaunee and Watch this movie to see the way Canadians Huron-Wendat. of a certain generation learned about how Canada was named. 16 Source: Origin of the names of Canada’s provincial and territorial capitals Traditional territory of the people of many nations The City of Toronto is on the traditional territory of many nations including the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishnabeg, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee and the Wendat peoples and is now home to many diverse First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples. 17 Source: Land Acknowledgement Why was this area selected by people for thousands of years? This area has long been known as a resource rich region: Since prehistoric times, the inhabitants of the area around Toronto used vegetation and animals for food, clothing and shelter. They fashioned implements and ornaments from minerals and, after the Watch this movie regarding The arrival of Europeans, used furs for trading. Mississauguas of the New Credit Fisheries were the first resource to be First Nation systematically exploited by Europeans. 18 Source: The Mississauguas of the New Credit First Nation Long used as a trail system The Toronto Carrying Place was an Indigenous trail that led from the mouth of the Humber River on Lake Ontario to the Holland River near Lake Simcoe. The Carrying Place was part of the centuries-old network of trade routes that led from the St. Lawrence Valley into the Upper Great Lakes and the Canadian Northwest. 19 Source Toronto Carrying Place The trails & waterways brought the explorers and traders Travel and trade in early Canada was important due to the fur trade. Beaver fur became popular in Europe in the 1600s. Because of this, many French traders came to what is now known as Ontario to trade with First Nations peoples. First Nations Peoples would trade beaver furs for European items like muskets, fabric for clothing, cooking pots, and Indigenous Peoples and the Fur Trade Painting by Peter Rindisbacher (1824), depicting the inside of cooking pans. a tent made by Indigenous peoples. (Library and Archives Canada, MIKAN 2870691) 20 Source Indigenous Peoples in Toronto An Introduction for Newcomers First contact These French explorers and traders would have been inspired by Jacques Cartier, who voyaged to what would later become Toronto. Watch this movie regarding Jacques Cartier and his voyages 21 Source:Jacques Cartier: French Explorer That Named Canada - Fast Facts | History A reminder Settler accounts of “Canadian history” often begin in 1867 with the Confederation of Canada as a new country. Canadian history is often confused with the arrival of Europeans to the area and the accomplishments of White, male settlers. The history of this land is thousands of years old, not hundreds. 22 Source Indigenous Peoples in Toronto An Introduction for Newcomers John Graves Simcoe and his role in Toronto In 1791 Simcoe was commissioned to be the first lieutenant-governor of Upper Canada. His long-term goal was to oversee the development of Upper Canada into a model British colony. Simcoe arrived in Newark (today’s Niagara-on-the-Lake) in 1792. Simcoe decided to relocate the capital away from the US border because of the possibility of renewed hostility between Britain and the United States. He moved the capital to the Mississauga settlement of Toronto which he renamed York, to honour the Duke of York, son of King George III. This new capital, located on the north shore of Lake Ontario, had an excellent natural harbour and was strategically located away from the border, halfway between the military centres of Niagara and Kingston. So that’s why Toronto is the capital! 23 Source Town of York Historical Society John Graves Simcoe: Re-examining historical figures Check out these readings if you’re interested in further reading regarding Simcoe and his ties to slavery https://www.canadashistory.ca/explore/peace-conflict/the-mighty-have-fallen http://spacing.ca/toronto/2017/09/05/john-graves-simcoes-weird-relationship-slavery/ 24 From York to Toronto In 1834, after much debate, it was decided the name Toronto would be used because maps already used this name. It was believed that Toronto sounded more “musical” and pleasing to the ear. It was also thought that using “Toronto” would mean the city would not be confused with any other places in the world that also have the name York, like New York City A garrison was established at what would eventually become Fort York, built to protect what would be the new capital of Upper Canada. Source: York Officially Becomes Toronto 25 Source Indigenous Peoples in Toronto An Introduction for Newcomers The War of 1812 Toronto played a significant role during the War of 1812 and was damaged during the Battle of York. On April 27th 1813 in York, Ontario, 2,700 Americans stormed Fort York, defeating the 750 British and Ojibwa peoples defending the Canadian capital. Watch this movie regarding The War of 1812 26 Source: Battle of York  What’s next? Before next class: Answer Discussion Question 02. An Introduction to the City of Toronto Archives. Answer Exit Survey 02. 27