by Andre Sanchez

A history of Toronto begins with the Huron and Petun tribes that left the area in the 1600s, partially due to disease brought by the French fur traders, and also to feuding between them and the Iroquois on the South side of Lake Ontario.  It is mainly the French that are associated with the Great Lakes area, and it was French explorer Etienne Bruleé, who was the first known European to visit Lake Ontario approximately where Toronto is now.  Bruleé  was part of Samuel Champlain’s expedition that led to Quebec being founded,. 

Due to its strategic situation in relation to the trails between Lake Ontario and the other Great Lakes, Toronto was a very important to the French fur traders, and the first fur trading post was established by the French in 1720, known as Fort Toronto, the word ‘Toronto’ being the Huron word for ‘meeting place’.

However, French dominance did not last long due the tradition of conflict in Europe between the French and the British, and the defeat of the French in 1763 after the fall of Quebec resulted in the French withdrawal from the region.  The American Revolution was not welcomed by all colonists, and those loyal to Britain moved north.  The first governor of Upper Canada, John Simcoe, viewed this area on the shores of Lake Ontario as well placed to keep an eye on the border with America, and in 1793 a town and garrison was built and renamed York.

It was at this time that the famous Yonge Street was built.  Claimed to be the longest street in the world at 1,190 miles, it was named after Sir George Yonge, the British Secretary of War. At that time, however, it was only a 33 mile trail, and York tow was famous for its mud!  The War of 1812 between Britain and the USA was short lived, but the York Town garrison was invaded twice by the Americans.

It is said that the British themselves exploded the magazine when it became apparent that the Americans must prevail.  However, true or not, the British forces set fire to the White House the following year in retaliation.  The reason it became known as the White House in fact, was that the Americans whitewashed it to hide the charred wood.

York, however, flourished with increased immigration into the area, and it soon became the commercial center for the area.  A new fort was built and another attack in 1814 was easily defeated.  The town became known as Toronto on 6th March, 1834, the main reason being to avoid confusion with a number of other towns and cities known as York, including New York City. 

The population grew rapidly during the nineteenth century through the influx of Irish immigrants due to the potato famine and an increasing number of Scots and English, and in 1867 the city was declared capital of the province of Ontario.  The use of hydroelectric power from the Niagara Falls combined with a developing railroad system enable Toronto to become the center of industry and business in the region and it rapidly prospered.  In fact so much so that it was significantly less affected by the Great Depression than most other regions of Canada. 

After World War Two, Toronto industry boomed, supplying a war-torn Europe in its massive rebuilding programs. The Metro and Yonge Street subway connected Toronto with the suburbs and outlying districts, and the city continued to expand.  The 1960s saw a movement towards modern boutiques, art galleries and good restaurants, and by 1970 was the fastest growing city in North America.  Toronto finally began to surge ahead of Montreal in the importance of its stock market and financial reputation.

New buildings started to rise, and the waterfront was reclaimed with the construction of the Harbourfront.  Among other developments, the CN Tower was opened on 26th June, 1976, at that time the tallest building in the world.  Not only that, but it was finally being done without sacrificing the city’s heritage.  The old areas were preserved, and Fort York developed further as a tourist attraction.  When the new ‘City of Toronto’ was born in 1998, it was the 5th largest city in North America.

Toronto is now a thriving and modern cosmopolitan city that is the hub of business and finance in an important geographical area, and is heralded as a global city with a great diversity in people and cultures but also one of the safest cities in the world to live in. Its history is an example of what can be done with hard work and intelligent use of natural resources.

A Short History of Toronto was originally published at http://www.globallifenow.com