World Assignment #9

World Assignment #9

Toronto is the capital of Ontario in Canada. There is an interesting history of change and growth from its early occupation over 1,000 years ago to the current time of today. This city is home to a large immigrant population and is a national and international hub for finance and cultural life.

Approximately 12,500 years ago the Laurentide Ice Sheet which is a continental glacier that covered northeastern North America, revealed the present day Toronto. Soon afterwards small groups of Aboriginal people moved in to hunt animals such as caribou. Around 5,000 years ago settlements in hunting territories began to form and people congregated together in large spring or summer gatherings at the mouths of rivers to fish, trade, and bury their dead. The introduction of corn or maize, 1,400 years ago led to the adaption of farming and permanent settlement. Sometime between 7,000 and 2,000 years ago, Aboriginal peoples discovered an overland short cut between Lake Ontario and Georgian Bay. This was known as 'Toronto Passage' which was an important north-south route for both Aboriginal peoples and Europeans.

For the European settlement, they were aware of the Toronto Passage since the early 1600`s and in 1720 they built a small store on the Humber River. This post failed and was abandoned in 1730. During the war of 1812 York (which was the name of the area before the name Toronto was used) was raided and pillaged by the US. After the war, by pursuing trade with expanding farming frontiers, York became the provinces banking center. In the 1840`s Toronto increased its commercial lead. Gas lighting and sewers on main streets and steamboat port activity marked its urban rise. In the 1850`s the railway was built to connect Toronto to New York to Montreal, the upper lakes at Georgian Bay, and across western Upper Canada to Detroit and Chicago. Toronto was made the capital of Ontario at Confederation in 1867 and by the 1870's it was becoming industrialized. The settlement of the Canadian West and the tapping into Northern Ontario's forests and mines started in the 1890's and 1900's opened further markets and resources to Toronto.

As I have outlined here there are many reason why people settled in Toronto which have been beneficial to many people. Everything seemed to grow from the first settlement to huge success and opportunity.