Toronto

HISTORY OF TORONTO
TORONTO HISTORY, TIMELINE 1600-1793

1615, Sept. 9 - Etienne Brule, one of Champlain's men, was the first European to visit Toronto.

1640-1690 - The Toronto carrying place, at the mouth of the Humber River, was visited by Dutch and British traders from New York, and by French explorers and priests.

1720 - The first French trading post was established at Toronto; it lasted about ten years.

1750-51 - A small royal fort was established on the lakeshore near what is now the south end of Dufferin Street; it was called both Fort Toronto and Fort Rouille.

1759 - Fort Niagara fell to the British; Commander Douville burned the royal fort and returned to Montreal.

1763 - The Toronto region and the rest of New France became British when the Treaty of Paris was signed.

1791 - a separate British colony of Upper Canada is created.

1792 - Revolutionary War veteran Col. John Graves Simcoe named as Governor of Upper Canada; certain that war with the Americans will be resumed, he moved the capital from Niagara Falls to Toronto.

1793, July 30 - Gov. Simcoe and his party established a small town site and fort on Gibraltar (now Hanlan’s) Point; Elizabeth Simcoe began writing her diary which was to cover the new settlement’s first two years, generously illustrated with her own sketches; her diary has become a significant chronicle of pioneer life in Canada.

N.B This timeline is based on “Dates in Toronto’s History (I)” in Kilbourn (1976).TORONTO HISTORY, TIMELINE 1600-1793

1615, Sept. 9 - Etienne Brule, one of Champlain's men, was the first European to visit Toronto.

1640-1690 - The Toronto carrying place, at the mouth of the Humber River, was visited by Dutch and British traders from New York, and by French explorers and priests.

1720 - The first French trading post was established at Toronto; it lasted about ten years.

1750-51 - A small royal fort was established on the lakeshore near what is now the south end of Dufferin Street; it was called both Fort Toronto and Fort Rouille.

1759 - Fort Niagara fell to the British; Commander Douville burned the royal fort and returned to Montreal.

1763 - The Toronto region and the rest of New France became British when the Treaty of Paris was signed.

1791 - a separate British colony of Upper Canada is created.

1792 - Revolutionary War veteran Col. John Graves Simcoe named as Governor of Upper Canada; certain that war with the Americans will be resumed, he moved the capital from Niagara Falls to Toronto.

1793, July 30 - Gov. Simcoe and his party established a small town site and fort on Gibraltar (now Hanlan’s) Point; Elizabeth Simcoe began writing her diary which was to cover the new settlement’s first two years, generously illustrated with her own sketches; her diary has become a significant chronicle of pioneer life in Canada.

N.B This timeline is based on “Dates in Toronto’s History (I)” in Kilbourn (1976).

SELECTED NEIGHBORHOODS OF TORONTO
History of East York

The Township of East York was incorporated on January 1, 1924. It is located largely to the east of the Don River, in its middle reaches. At that time East York was comprised mostly of market gardens, a handful of brick making yards, a specialty paper mill, and a race horse track that was located in the area bound by Oak Park, Lumsden, Chisholm and Danforth Avenues. In its early years, East York's population consisted mostly of descendants of the original pioneers, employees of the local market gardens and brick yards as well as returning World War One veterans and their families. East York's largest period of growth took place between 1946 and 1961 when the housing supply nearly doubled in size.

East York held the distinction of being Canada's only Borough until 1998 when it was amalgamated into the City of Toronto. The fact that East York chose to remain a Borough for so long rather than incorporate as a city speaks volumes for the neighborliness and small town friendliness that has been an East York trademark ever since its formation in 1924.