Toronto, the Good

Its been 166 years since Toronto was incorporated as a City but it's been around for 207 years. And since it is the 166 birthday of it's incorporation as a city is now, well how about an Article on the largest city on Canadian Territory (I wonder why I used these specific words, hummm).

Toronto as I said began 207 years ago, in 1793, as a fort named York. But even at that point, there's events that go further back in Toronto History. Around 1750, The Americans (read British Colonists of the Thirteen Colonies) started doing fur trading within Canadian Territory (read New France), so the French added more forts all over the place from Louisbourg to New Orleans (and to all Americans that's why many cities in the States have French names: Detroit St.-Louis, Baton Rouge...). One of those forts was Fort Rouillé, which was also called Fort Toronto (the origin of the name is controversial but most people agree it is Huron for Meeting place). During the Seven Year's War the French destroyed the fort when they knew the British would capture it eventfully if it still stood (if we can't have it, neither can they). The ruins stayed there for a while and are now under the current location of the CNE.

The area where Toronto is was Indian land owned by the Mississauga Indians (Mississauga, our version of Mississippi, can you spell it correctly?) It was purchased by the British in 1787 in what is known as the 'Toronto Perchance' As I said York was a British establishment founded in 1793 near the ruins of Fort Rouillé. It was later chosen to replace Newark (Niagara-on-the-lake) by John Graves Simcoe as the Capital of Upper Canada because it was further away from the Unitedstatian Border (This was around the time when Canada was at war with the US). It was attacked by the Statians during the War of 1812 and they destroyed most of the then [Upper] Canadian Capital city, but that's okay 'cause we burned Congress and the White (formerly 'the Rose') House, in Washington.

The name was changed from York to Toronto with the incorporation as a city in 1834. The mayor of the time was William Lyon Mackenzie who then started the rebellion of 1837-38 and had to flee to the States. Toronto grew up as a great city named "Toronto-the Good". It was a very English City. It was not until later that people of different origin start to inhabit Toronto. Toronto is now one of the most multicultural cities. In 1954, Toronto and twelve other Boroughs or cities, such as Swansea, New Toronto, Mimico, Riverdale, Islington, Leaside, Parkdale..., formed the Municipality of Metropolitan Toronto which was formed by five Cities: Toronto, York, North York, Etobicoke and Scarborough and one borough: East York (once Canada's Only Borough; I've always wondered then, why ScarBOROUGH... very intriguing) at the same time, Toronto got Canada's first Subway system that extended from Union Station to Eglington. In 1967, the Toronto Maple Leafs, won their last of 11 Stanley Cups and the 14th Torontonian Stanley Cup. In 1992 and 1993 for the first time, a team outside the United States was World (WORLD???) Champion of Major League Baseball. In 1998, Metropolitan Toronto was no more and replaced with the Megacity of Toronto, even after Torontonians from each city were against the project (damned Tories; sorry about the ranting and raving). Oh and we are Lacrosse Champions of 1999, We Rock (hehe, pun).

Go To Page: 1 2