History of Toronto

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The Toronto area was home to a number of First Nations groups who lived on the shore of Lake Ontario. At the time of European contact, the Huron tribes were living in the vicinity of Toronto. They had displaced the Iroquois First Nations whose had previously occupied the region over hundreds of years prior to c. 1500. The first permanent European presence was the French trading fort Fort Rouillé established in 1750. However, the first large influx of Europeans was by United Empire Loyalists fleeing the American Revolution. In 1793 Toronto, then known as York, was named capital of the new colony of Upper Canada. The city steadily grew during the nineteenth century, becoming one of the main destinations of immigrants to Canada. In the second half of the twentieth century Toronto surpassed Montreal as the economic capital of Canada and as its largest city.

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[edit] Pre-European period

Located on the northern shore of Lake Ontario, Toronto was originally a term of indeterminate geographical location, designating the approximate area of the future city of Toronto on maps dating to the late 17th and early 18th century. Eventually the name was anchored to the mouth of the Humber River, the end of the Toronto Carrying-Place Trail portage route from Georgian Bay; this is where the city of Toronto is located today.

The source and meaning of the name remains a matter of debate. Most common definitions claim that the origin is the Huron word toran-ten for "meeting place". However, it is much more likely that the term is from the Mohawk word tkaronto meaning "where there are trees standing in the water," a reference to a specific location at the northern end of what is now Lake Simcoe, then known as "Lake Toronto". The portage route up the Humber River eventually leads past this well-known landmark. As the portage route grew in use, the name became more widely used and was eventually attached to a French trading fort just inland from Lake Ontario on the Humber. [1]

Part of this confusion can be attributed to the succession of peoples who lived in the area during the 18th century: Huron, Senecas, Iroquois, and Mississaugas (the latter having lent their name to Toronto's modern-day western suburb). Until the beginning of British colonization there were no permanent settlements, though both native peoples and the French did try, including the construction of another small fort near the mouth of the Humber, currently buried on the grounds of the Canadian National Exhibition.

[edit] European settlement

European settlement in central Canada was quite limited before 1788, amounting to only a few families, but it began growing quickly in the aftermath of the American Revolution. The French established a trading fort, Fort Rouillé, on the current Exhibition Grounds around 1750, but it was abandoned in 1759. United Empire Loyalists, American colonists who refused to accept being divorced from the United Kingdom, or who felt unwelcome in the new republic, fled the US to the unsettled lands north of Lake Erie and Lake Ontario; some had fought in the British army and were paid with land in the region. In 1787, the British negotiated the purchase of more than a quarter million acres (1,000 km²) of land in the area of Toronto. The site was then chosen by Governor John Graves Simcoe on July 29, 1793 as the new capital of the newly organized province of Upper Canada, moving from Newark (now Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario) on February 1, 1796; one especially strong motivation for the move from Newark - given the political volatility of the times - was that the former capital fell within cannon shot of the American Fort Niagara, just across the Niagara River.

Specifically the town, then known as York, was built inland on a protected bay formed by the Toronto Islands, which - at the time - was a long sand-bar peninsula that sheltered the bay, and lead into a marsh at the eastern end (long since drained away), with the only opening to Lake Ontario at the western end (it was only later, in 1858, that the "Eastern Gap", was punched through the peninsula by a storm, creating the true Island). This natural protected harbour was defended with the construction of Fort York at the entrance on what was then a high point on the water's edge, with a small river on the inland side (Garrison Creek). The town proper was formed closer to the eastern end of the harbour, entirely behind the peninsula, near what is now Parliament Street.

Governor Simcoe was concerned with opening military communications between the settlements in the southwest of Upper Canada (notably Newark) and those to the east (Kingston, then points east to the border with Lower Canada). Dundas Street was the western route, leading to the town of the same name near Hamilton, but then continued west instead of southeast towards Niagara, and today it ends near the US border at Windsor. Kingston Road today forms the basis of the major Toronto-Montreal route. A third route, Yonge Street, was opened northward to Lake Toronto (later renamed Lake Simcoe) and cut in three years. Yonge Street now forms the dividing line between east and west in Toronto, and is sometimes called "the longest street in the world" as it snakes its way for 1,896 kilometres (1,178 miles) to Rainy River, on the Minnesota border. Today, all these roads mentioned are still in use.

In 1813, as part of the War of 1812, York was attacked and partially burned by American forces led by Zebulon Pike. Fort York was lightly manned at the time, and realizing that a defence was impossible, the troops retreated and set fire to the magazine. It exploded as the US forces were entering the fort, killing Pike and a contingent of his men. (British forces attacked Washington, DC the next year in retaliation, setting fire to the White House.) After the US forces departed, a new and much stronger fort was constructed several hundred yards to the west of the original position. Another American attack in 1814 was defeated with ease, the landing force never being able to approach the shoreline. (Due to land reclamation, this newer fort now lies hundreds of metres inland.)

On March 6, 1834, the town reverted to the name Toronto to distinguish it from New York City, as well as about a dozen other localities named 'York' in the province (including the county in which Toronto was situated), and this was the name under which the city was incorporated on March 6 of that year, with William Lyon Mackenzie as its first mayor. Toronto was the site of the key events of the Upper Canada Rebellion in 1837.

The Irish potato famine of 1846–1849 brought a large number of Irish into the city, most of them Catholic. By 1851 the Irish-born population became the largest single ethnic group in the city. Smaller numbers of Protestant Irish immigrants were generally welcomed by the existing Scottish and English population, as they had been before and soon occupied important positions in business, education, policing, and politics. The Orange Order became a dominant force in Toronto society, so much so that the 1920s Toronto was called the "Belfast of Canada", and the order's influence only diminished in the 1940s. [2] In contrast, Irish Catholics arriving in Toronto faced widespread intolerance and severe discrimination, both social and legislative, leading to several large scale riots between Catholics and Protestants from 1858-1878, culminating in the Julibee Riots of 1875 (a surprising fact given the city's current peaceful multi-cultural mix). The Irish population essentially defined the Catholic population in Toronto until 1890, when German and French Catholics were welcomed to the city by the Irish, but the Irish proportion still remained 90% of the Catholic population. However, various powerful initiatives such as the foundation of St. Michael's College in 1852 (where Marshall McLuhan was to hold the chair of English until his death in 1980), three hospitals, and the most significant charitable organizations in the city (TheSociety of St. Vincent de Paul) and House of Providence created by Irish Catholic groups strengthened the Irish identity, transforming the Irish presence in the city into one of influence and power. [3]

[edit] Growth

Map of Toronto in 1894
Map of Toronto in 1894

Toronto grew rapidly in the late 19th century, the population increasing from 30,000 in 1851 to 56,000 in 1871, 86,400 in 1881 and 181,000 in 1891. The total urbanized population was not counted as it is today to include the greater area, those just outside the city limits made for a significantly higher populations. The 1891 figure also included population counted after recent annexations of many smaller, adjacent towns such as Parkdale, Brockton Village, West Toronto, East Toronto, the list goes on. Immigration, high birth rates and influx from the surrounding rural population accounted for much of this growth, although immigration had slowed substantially by the 1880s if compared to the generation prior. Modern amenities came to Toronto, including an extensive streetcar network in the city (still operational) plus long-distance railways and radial lines. One radial line ran mostly along Yonge Street for about 80 km to Lake Simcoe, and allowed day trips to its beaches. At the time Toronto's own beaches were far too polluted to use, largely a side effect of dumping garbage directly in the lake. The Grand Trunk Railway and the Great Northern Railway joined in the building of the first Union Station in the downtown area. The advent of the railway dramatically increased the numbers of immigrants arriving and commerce, as had the Lake Ontario steamers and schooners entering the port.

As the city grew it became naturally bounded by the Humber River to the west, and the Don River to the east. Several smaller rivers and creeks in the downtown area were routed into culverts and sewers and the land filled in above them, including both Garrison Creek and Taddle Creek, the latter running through the University of Toronto. At the time they were being used as open sewers, and were becoming a serious health problem. The re-configuration of the Don River mouth to make a ship channel and Lakeshore reclamation project occurred in the 1888, again largely driven by sanitary concerns and establishing effective port commerce.

A large section of the downtown was destroyed in the 1904 Toronto fire, but it was quickly rebuilt.

The Don River has an especially deep ravine, cutting off the east of the city at most points north of the lakeshore. This was addressed in 1919 with the construction of the Prince Edward Viaduct, also known as the Bloor Street Viaduct, linking Bloor Street on the western side of the ravine with Danforth Avenue on the east. The designer, Edmund Burke, fought long and hard to have a lower deck added to the bridge for trains, a cost the city was not willing to provide for. Nevertheless he finally got his way, and thereby saved the city millions of dollars when the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) subway started using the deck in 1966. The Prince Edward Viaduct represented a turning point in Toronto's history. Now linked to what were formerly separate towns, Toronto "filled out" in the first half of the 20th century, becoming a single larger city.

In 1954, the provincial government created the Municipality of Metropolitan Toronto, a regional government that incorporated numerous local municipalities. In that year as well, Hurricane Hazel swept through Toronto, causing significant flooding.

[edit] Immigrants

During the late 19th century and throughout the 20th century, the Irish immigrants who had followed the British to Toronto were followed by many other immigrant groups in the late nineteenth century: Germans, Italians, and Jews from various parts of Eastern Europe; later Chinese, Russians, Poles, and many other eastern Europeans, By the latter half of the 20th century, refugees and immigrants from many other parts of the world were the major source of immigration. It might be noted that British immigration remained strong through the latter half of the 19th century well into the 20th century, in addition to a steady influx from rural areas of Ontario, which included French-Canadians. [4] The large numbers of new Canadians helped Toronto's population swell to over one million by 1951, and double again to over two million, by 1971. [5]

A continuous influx of newcomers from Atlantic Canada and large numbers of immigrants from around the world have contributed to the steady growth of Toronto and its surroundings since the Second World War. Today, Toronto is the primary destination for new immigrants to Canada, the vast majority from the developing world.

[edit] Recent history

In 1998, the six municipalities comprising Metropolitan Toronto – East York, Etobicoke, North York, Scarborough, York, and the former city of Toronto – and its regional government were amalgamated into a single City of Toronto (colloquially dubbed the "megacity") by an act of the provincial government. This was despite a municipal referendum in 1997 that was overwhelmingly against amalgamation. Thereabouts, Mel Lastman defeated Barbara Hall to become the first elected mayor of the megacity.

In January 1999, a series of snowstorms brought in record snowfall accumulation which far eclipsed previous snowfall records for the city. Around the clock snow clearing crews could not keep up with the continually falling snow and subsequent accumulation, which began reaching 2nd floor windows. So many of the cities roadways became impassable for residents and EMS vehicles alike, Toronto's then mayor Mel Lastman called in the Canadian Armed Forces to patrol the streets to help with clearing the snow. This was seen as an embarrassment by many in Toronto, who had previously prided themselves on handling severe winter weather rather well. In much of the remainder of Canada, Toronto became the butt of many jokes and to a lesser degree scorn, over the army being called in.

In 2001, Toronto finished second to Beijing in International Olympic Committee voting to be the host city of the 2008 Summer Olympics.

In 2002, Toronto hosted the World Youth Day 2002 and the late Pope John Paul II. The municipal government's two largest unions, Locals 79 and 416 of CUPE (Canadian Union of Public Employees) went on strike a few weeks before the scheduled event, meaning that services such as libraries, day care, parks programs, and other important services were not available. Since city workers also pick up garbage and recycling, city parks were piled high with trash; some parks were designated official dump sites for the duration of the strike, while others were used as illegal dumps. The Ontario government tabled back-to-work legislation to end the strike, so the city was back to normal before World Youth Day started.

In early 2003, Toronto was hit by the SARS epidemic. Although the disease was primarily confined to hospitals and health-care workers, tourism in Toronto significantly suffered because of media reports. To help recover the losses the city suffered in industries and tourism, the city held a "SARS Benefit Concert," colloquially called 'SARSStock,' headlined by The Rolling Stones and featuring many famous bands such as AC/DC, Rush, The Guess Who, and Justin Timberlake. The concert attracted some 450,000 people in late July, making it one of the ten largest concerts in history. Two weeks later, the city was also affected by the 2003 North America blackout. The results were chaotic, with the city grinding to a halt, people partying and talking to their neighbours in the streets. Power not being restored for more than 12 hours, and in some isolated pockets for up to three days.

In the November 2003 municipal election, David Miller was elected to replace Mel Lastman as mayor, after running a successful campaign which included the promise to cancel a proposed fixed link to the Toronto Island Airport.

According to a United Nations report, Toronto has the second-highest proportion of immigrants in the world, after Miami, Florida. Almost half of Toronto's residents were born outside Canada. [6] The resulting cultural diversity is reflected in the numerous ethnic neighbourhoods of the city. The proliferation of shops and restaurants derived from cultures around the world makes the city one of the most exciting places in the world to visit. Moreover, the relative tranquility that mediates between such diverse populations is a testament to the perceived tolerant character of Canadian society.

[edit] Notable Events

[edit] External links

[edit] Bibliography

[edit] See also

v • d • e
Toronto, Ontario
Features Issues · Name · Flag · Coat of arms · Sister cities · Notable Torontonians
History Fort Rouillé · Fort York · Toronto Purchase · York · Battle of York · Montgomery's Inn · Great Fire of 1904 · Centennial of the City · Oldest buildings · Metro Toronto · Former municipalities
Geography GTA · Neighbourhoods · Downtown · Parks · Waterfront · Harbour · Don River · Humber River · Toronto Islands · Scarborough Bluffs
Economy Bay Street · Toronto Stock Exchange · Toronto Board of Trade · Skyscrapers
Politics Municipal government · Elections · City of Toronto Act · Mayors · City Council · MPs and MPPs
Public services Water · Hydro · Hospitals · Emergency Medical Services · Police · Fire
Education List of educational institutions · Toronto District School Board · Catholic District School Board · Public library
Culture Attractions · Landmarks · Media outlets · Cuisine · Sports teams · Malls · Annual events · Films set in Toronto · Films filmed in Toronto · Hollywood North
Transportation Transportation Services Division · Port Authority · Pearson Int'l Airport · TTC · GO Transit · Subway/RT · Buses · Streetcars · Island ferry · Municipal expressways · Streets
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