The colonization roads were created during the 1840s and 1850s to open up or provide access to areas in Central and Eastern Ontario for settlement and agricultural development. The colonization roads were used by settlers to lead them toward areas for settlement, much like modern-day highways.
188-534: The colonization roads of the 1840s and 1850s were preceded by other government-sponsored road programmes going back to the period immediately after the American Revolutionary War . One early road was cut through the geographic Beverley Township from Ancaster westward toward the Grand River by two Englishmen named Ward and Smith in 1799–1800. This allowed European settlers to access the northern part of
376-570: A Hudson's Bay Company Hudson's Bay store. The northwest quadrant has the Two Bloor West office tower. The southeast quadrant has a condominium tower constructed in the early 21st century, and the southwestern quadrant is being developed for a condominium . The Mink Mile 's borders extend from Yonge to Avenue Road along Bloor. The intersection of Yonge and Bloor streets is a "scramble"-type intersection, which allows pedestrians to cross from any corner to any other corner. Immediately north of Bloor,
564-815: A Treaty of Alliance in February 1778. In 1779, the Sullivan Expedition undertook a scorched earth campaign against the Iroquois who were largely allied with the British. Indian raids on the American frontier, however, continued to be a problem. Also, in 1779, Spain allied with France against Great Britain in the Treaty of Aranjuez , though Spain did not formally ally with the Americans. Howe's replacement Henry Clinton intended to take
752-679: A successful siege , Washington's forces drove the British Army out of Boston in March 1776, and British commander in chief William Howe responded by launching the New York and New Jersey campaign . Howe captured New York City in November. Washington responded by clandestinely crossing the Delaware River and winning small but significant victories at Trenton and Princeton . In the summer of 1777, as Howe
940-538: A 13-km stretch of Davenport Road between the Humber River and the Don River had no less than five tollbooths spaced along its length. In the 1830s, the tollbooth near York Mills ' Miller Tavern and north of Montgomery's Tavern was "a tiny two-storey building on the west side of Yonge" at the top of the hill "with a roof stretched over the roadway to a support on the far side." In 1850, Yonge Street together with
1128-409: A better-protected location and build overland routes to the upper lakes as soon as possible. He established York , as Toronto was originally called, with its naturally enclosed harbour , as a defensible site for a new capital. To provide communications between the site and the upper lakes, he planned two connected roads, the first running north from York to Lake Simcoe , (then named Lake aux Claies ),
1316-427: A bid to become "Toronto's Times Square ". It is the site of numerous public events. Another stretch of busy retail lines both sides of Yonge Street north of Dundas Street. The density of businesses diminishes north of Gerrard Street ; residential towers with some ground-floor commercial uses flank this section. The Art Deco College Park building, a former shopping complex of the T. Eaton Company , occupies much of
1504-533: A brief skirmish at Lexington, followed by the full-scale Battles of Lexington and Concord. British troops suffered around 300 casualties before withdrawing to Boston , which was then besieged by the militia. In May 1775, 4,500 British reinforcements arrived under Generals William Howe , John Burgoyne , and Sir Henry Clinton . On June 17, they seized the Charlestown Peninsula at the Battle of Bunker Hill ,
1692-544: A civil war, since each state represented in Congress was engaged in a struggle with Britain, but also split between American Patriots and American Loyalists. Patriots generally supported independence from Britain and a new national union in Congress, while Loyalists remained faithful to British rule. Estimates of numbers vary, one suggestion being the population as a whole was split evenly between committed Patriots, committed Loyalists, and those who were indifferent. Others calculate
1880-718: A customs vessel in the June 1772 Gaspee Affair , then came to a head in 1773. A banking crisis led to the near-collapse of the East India Company , which dominated the British economy; to support it, Parliament passed the Tea Act , giving it a trading monopoly in the Thirteen Colonies . Since most American tea was smuggled by the Dutch, the act was opposed by those who managed the illegal trade, while being seen as yet another attempt to impose
2068-554: A dense residential community on either side of Yonge Street. The intersection of Yonge and Bloor streets is a major crossroads of Toronto, informally considered the northern edge of the downtown core. Subway Line 2 Bloor–Danforth intersects the Yonge line here, with the resulting transfers between lines making Bloor–Yonge station the busiest in the city. The northeast quadrant features the Hudson's Bay Centre office and retail complex, including
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#17330942501232256-542: A frontal assault in which they suffered over 1,000 casualties. Dismayed at the costly attack which had gained them little, Gage appealed to London for a larger army, but instead was replaced as commander by Howe. On June 14, 1775, Congress took control of Patriot forces outside Boston, and Congressional leader John Adams nominated Washington as commander-in-chief of the newly formed Continental Army . On June 16, Hancock officially proclaimed him "General and Commander in Chief of
2444-626: A jog, it runs north for about 1.8 kilometres, stopping at a dead end just past the Silver Lakes Golf and Country Club; further north, the name picks up again as an unpaved farm road which ends at Ravenshoe Road west of Keswick and just south of Lake Simcoe . The diversion running from Holland Landing to Bradford does not carry the Yonge name but instead was named Bradford Street in Holland Landing, and Holland Landing Road in Bradford. The latter
2632-630: A kilometre from Kempenfelt Bay, at a T-intersection with Essa Road. With the outbreak of hostilities between France and Great Britain in 1793, part of the War of the First Coalition , the Lieutenant-Governor of Upper Canada (now Ontario), John Graves Simcoe , was concerned about the possibility of the United States entering British North America in support of their French allies. In particular,
2820-568: A load drawn by a horse. The tolls were designed to tax those that had money: Farmers on their way to market. A horse-drawn streetcar line was completed on Yonge Street in Toronto in September 1861 and operated by the Toronto Street Railway . The line went from Scollard Street to King Street. Streetcar service would be electrified in Toronto by 1892. Confederation and the construction of
3008-450: A logistically challenging and dangerous operation. Meanwhile, the Hessians were involved in numerous clashes with small bands of Patriots and were often aroused by false alarms at night in the weeks before the actual Battle of Trenton . By Christmas they were tired, while a heavy snowstorm led their commander, Colonel Johann Rall , to assume no significant attack would occur. At daybreak on
3196-418: A long list of alleged violations of "English rights" committed by George III . This is also one of the first times that the colonies were referred to as "United States", rather than the more common United Colonies . On July 2, Congress voted for independence and published the declaration on July 4. At this point, the revolution ceased to be an internal dispute over trade and tax policies and had evolved into
3384-435: A major road. A path did exist between Queen and Bloor Streets, but was called the "road to Yonge Street", rather than being considered part of the street itself due to its poor condition. Over time the creeks were rerouted and the swamps drained. In 1812 the route was extended from Queen Street to the harbour, and in 1828 the entire southern portion was solidified with gravel. St. Albans never developed as Simcoe had hoped, but
3572-510: A majority of the route but bypasses it in several locations, notably between Bracebridge and Huntsville . The Old Dawson Trail is the remnant of the first all- Canadian route that linked the Great Lakes with the Canadian prairies . It was a water and land route that began at Port Arthur, Ontario (now Thunder Bay ) and ended at St. Boniface, Manitoba (now Winnipeg ). The land portions of
3760-591: A number of kettle lakes and traversing the crest of the Oak Ridges Moraine , thence leaving the Lake Ontario basin. Yonge passes through the core of Aurora, and in the regional seat of Newmarket, Yonge serves as the town's main suburban artery, passing through low-density residential and commercial areas, bypassing its core to the west. North of Green Lane , Regional Road 1 deviates from the original baseline 56 km (35 mi) north of Lake Ontario, bypassing
3948-423: A number of other local roads was purchased at auction by James Beatty and his Toronto Road Company for £75,100. Beatty was out of pocket in September 1863, and the legislature once more assumed control until April 1865, when it was able to pass control (also at auction) to York County Council for $ 72,500. The tolls in effect in 1875 ranged from 1 cent for each pig, sheep, or goat to 10 cents for every vehicle with
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#17330942501234136-553: A rearguard. Howe met with a delegation from the Second Continental Congress at the September Staten Island Peace Conference , but it failed to conclude peace, largely because the British delegates only had the authority to offer pardons and could not recognize independence. On September 15, Howe seized control of New York City when the British landed at Kip's Bay and unsuccessfully engaged
4324-484: A right turn at an intersection in downtown Bradford, where it is initially named Barrie Street before the name Yonge resumes, roughly paralleling Lake Simcoe's western shore through rural countryside, traversing the rolling hills of southeast Simcoe County , and is signed Simcoe Road 4 . The street officially ends in Barrie at a rail spur , where its name changes to Burton Avenue at Garden Drive, which itself ends less than
4512-794: A riot started in Boston when the authorities seized the sloop Liberty on suspicion of smuggling. Tensions escalated further in March 1770 when British troops fired on rock-throwing civilians, killing five in what became known as the Boston Massacre . The Massacre coincided with the partial repeal of the Townshend Acts by the Tory-based North Ministry , which came to power in January 1770 and remained in office until 1781. North insisted on retaining duty on tea to enshrine Parliament's right to tax
4700-591: A second attack captured Fort Mifflin on November 16, while Fort Mercer was abandoned two days later when Cornwallis breached the walls. His supply lines secured, Howe tried to tempt Washington into giving battle, but after inconclusive skirmishing at the Battle of White Marsh from December 5 to 8, he withdrew to Philadelphia for the winter. On December 19, the Americans followed suit and entered winter quarters at Valley Forge ; while Washington's domestic opponents contrasted his lack of battlefield success with Gates' victory at Saratoga, foreign observers such as Frederick
4888-580: A small party of soldiers and native guides started northward along the trail, establishing the Pine Fort on the western branch of the Holland River , near the modern location of Bradford . Stopping only to rename Lake aux Claies "Lake Simcoe" in memory of his father, the party continued north to Lake Couchiching , and then down the Severn River to Georgian Bay. Here he selected the site of Penetanguishene as
5076-595: A threat to liberty in general. This led to increased sympathy for the Patriot cause locally, in the British Parliament, and in the London press. Throughout the 18th century, the elected lower houses in the colonial legislatures gradually wrested power from their governors. Dominated by smaller landowners and merchants, these assemblies now established ad-hoc provincial legislatures, effectively replacing royal control. With
5264-528: A tourist CD production of this historic road. The now-abandoned settlement of Newfoundout was created as a result of the Opeongo Road and Public Land Act. Thirteen pioneer families took up occupation on the land they had been granted up a mountainside 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) off the main road. These families struggled to farm the rocky soil for thirty years, from the 1860s to the 1890s, while their settlement failed to attract institutions or other settlers. It
5452-441: A year to clear the road of logs, subsequently removed by convicted drunks as part of their sentences. The southern end of the road was in use in the first decade of the 19th century, and became passable all the way to the northern end in 1816. The road was extended south from Eglinton to Bloor Street in 1796 by Berczy, who needed a route to his warehouse on the Toronto lakeshore. The area south of Bloor Street proved too swampy for
5640-819: Is a short, minor branch of the colonization road network that connected the northern end of the agricultural settlement in Maberly with the southeastern end of the Mississippi Road in Plevna . The Lavant Road branches off to the east at the midpoint of the road. Today, County Road 36 follows the Snow Road through Lanark County , while part of Highway 7 follows the portion lying within Frontenac County . The Victoria Road continued north of its current terminus in Uphill into what
5828-532: Is bounded by historic and commercial buildings, many serving the large weekday workforce concentrated here. These include the flagship Toronto locations of the Hudson's Bay Company and Saks Fifth Avenue , both in the historic Simpson's building. Yonge Street's entire west side, from Queen to Dundas Streets , is occupied by the Eaton Centre , a multi-storey indoor mall featuring shops along its Yonge Street frontage. The east side has two historic performance venues,
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6016-417: Is built on landfill extended into the bay. The former industrial area has been converted from port, rail and industrial uses to a dense, residential, high-rise community. The elevated Gardiner Expressway and the congested rail lines of the Toronto railway viaduct on their approach to Union Station pass over Yonge Street. The road rises slightly near Front Street , marking the pre-landfill shoreline. Here, at
6204-421: Is central to the former suburb municipality of North Toronto , now widely referred to as Midtown , which is divided into several local neighbourhoods. Yonge Street along this stretch features mixed low-scale residential, retail, and commercial buildings. The intersection at Eglinton Avenue has become a focal point, serving as a high-density residential, commercial and transit hub. The site of Montgomery's Tavern
6392-555: Is intended to traverse the entire back country from East to West, and to be adapted to military purposes." The Monck Road was surveyed through 1864 and 1865. Construction began the following year under Chief Engineer and was completed seven years later in 1873. It was named in honour of Charles Stanley Monck , who was Governor General of Canada at that time. It is one of the oldest provincial roads north of Toronto. The Monck Road starts at Atherley and runs beside Simcoe County Road 44 (Rama Road) and Simcoe County Road 45 (Monck Road) into
6580-685: Is mostly two- and three-storey buildings with ground-floor commercial uses of varying types. South of St. Clair once stood the Deer Park carhouse for the Metropolitan Street Railway Metropolitan line. It was sold by the Toronto Transportation Commission to the Badminton and Racquet Club of Toronto in 1924 and mostly destroyed by a fire in 2017. From approximately St. Clair Avenue to Yonge Boulevard, Yonge Street
6768-586: Is nearby, the location of a significant clash in the Upper Canada Rebellion and is marked as a National Historic Site . The tavern was later replaced by the Postal Station K Building, now a podium for Montgomery Square condominium complex. North of Yonge Boulevard, Yonge Street traverses the deep forested ravine of the West Don Valley at Hoggs Hollow , a formidable obstacle in pioneer days and
6956-655: Is now the Queen Elizabeth II Wildlands Provincial Park . It then followed the Black River north-east to the Peterson Road in Vankoughnet; this part of the road fell into disuse in the late 1800s. Between 1956 and 1998, the portion of The Victoria Road between Highway 46 ( Highway 48 after 1975) and Highway 503 was designated as Secondary Highway 505. On January 1, 1998,
7144-603: The Firsthand program on CBC Television aired a broadcast version of Colonization Road . The terrain these roads pass through is interlaced with many hills, lakes, forests, swamps and bedrock outcroppings. The location of many of these roads is in the Canadian Shield, among the most rugged terrain in Ontario. The soil is generally thin and unsuitable for the agricultural development that these roads were built to spur. Most of
7332-459: The 100th Regiment , came across a large bear on the street and cut its head open with his sword. In 1824, work began to extend Yonge Street to Kempenfelt Bay near Barrie . A northwestern extension was branched off the original Yonge Street in Holland Landing (present-day Holland Landing Road and the stretch of York Road 1 running northwest of Bathurst Street ) and ran into the new settlement of Bradford before turning north towards Barrie (with
7520-673: The Appalachian Mountains also avoided the cost of an expensive military occupation. The Royal Proclamation of 1763 was designed to achieve these aims by refocusing colonial expansion north into Nova Scotia and south into Florida , with the Mississippi River as the dividing line between British and Spanish possessions in America. Settlement was tightly restricted beyond the 1763 limits, and claims west of this line, including by Virginia and Massachusetts , were rescinded despite
7708-472: The Battle of Brandywine on September 11, then allowing him to withdraw in good order. After dispersing an American detachment at Paoli on September 20, Cornwallis occupied Philadelphia on September 26, with the main force of 9,000 under Howe based just to the north at Germantown . Washington attacked them on October 4, but was repulsed. To prevent Howe's forces in Philadelphia being resupplied by sea,
List of Ontario colonization roads - Misplaced Pages Continue
7896-506: The Battle of Sullivan's Island on June 28, 1776, but it failed. A shortage of gunpowder led Congress to authorize a naval expedition against the Bahamas to secure ordnance stored there. On March 3, 1776, an American squadron under the command of Esek Hopkins landed at the east end of Nassau and encountered minimal resistance at Fort Montagu . Hopkins' troops then marched on Fort Nassau . Hopkins had promised governor Montfort Browne and
8084-949: The British Army . The conflict was fought in North America , the Caribbean , and the Atlantic Ocean . The war ended with the Treaty of Paris (1783) , which resulted in Great Britain ultimately recognizing the independence and sovereignty of the United States of America . After the British Empire gained dominance in North America with victory over the French in the Seven Years' War in 1763, tensions and disputes arose between Great Britain and
8272-817: The Burning of Norfolk on January 1, 1776. The siege of Savage's Old Fields began on November 19 in South Carolina between Loyalist and Patriot militias, and the Loyalists were subsequently driven out of the colony in the Snow Campaign . Loyalists were recruited in North Carolina to reassert British rule in the South, but they were decisively defeated in the Battle of Moore's Creek Bridge . A British expedition sent to reconquer South Carolina launched an attack on Charleston in
8460-616: The Canada men's national ice hockey team won the Olympic gold medal in 2002, 2010 and 2014, and when the Toronto Raptors won the NBA championship in 2019. During these celebrations motorists drive up and down the other portions of the street honking their horns and flying flags and during lesser celebrations (when the crowds have not closed down the street), they will do this along the downtown portions of
8648-402: The Canadian Pacific Railway further diminished the importance of Yonge Street, as the new Dominion of Canada heralded the construction of east–west trade routes spanning the continent. By the 1870s, Henry Scadding , author of Toronto of Old , declared that Penetanguishene did not have the importance to need an approach such as the "extension of the Yonge Street Road." During the late 1800s,
8836-422: The City of Kawartha Lakes . It crosses Highway 35 at Norland and carries on to Kinmount , where it turns right and crosses over the Burnt River . The Monck Road then turns left up the hill and continues along Haliburton County Road 503, which runs via Furnace Falls to Tory Hill and then along Highway 118 and Highway 28 until Bancroft. From Lake Couchiching, it extends 150 kilometres east to
9024-427: The Continental Association , which instituted economic sanctions and a boycott of goods against Britain. While denying its authority over internal American affairs, a faction led by James Duane and future Loyalist Joseph Galloway insisted Congress recognize Parliament's right to regulate colonial trade. Expecting concessions by the North administration, Congress authorized the colonial legislatures to enforce
9212-418: The Declaration of Independence , the Second Continental Congress appointed the Committee of Five : Thomas Jefferson , John Adams , Benjamin Franklin , Roger Sherman , and Robert Livingston . The declaration was written almost exclusively by Jefferson. Identifying inhabitants of the Thirteen Colonies as "one people", the declaration simultaneously dissolved political links with Britain, while including
9400-432: The East Don Valley in the upper part of its watershed) and Richmond Hill . Various stretches of Yonge Street throughout this area contain residential high-rise buildings of varying ages, with some currently under development. Continuous urbanization ends just south of Stouffville Road, and the street passes through brief semi-rural exurban stretches between Richmond Hill, Aurora, Newmarket , and Holland Landing , passing
9588-518: The Ed Mirvish Theatre (formerly the Canon Theatre and before that, the Pantages) and the Elgin and Winter Garden Theatres . In addition, Massey Hall is just to the east on Shuter Street. Opposite the north end of the Eaton Centre lies Yonge–Dundas Square . The area now comprising the square was cleared of several small commercial buildings and redeveloped in the late 1990s and early 2000s. It has been outfitted with large video screens, and developed with retail shopping arcades, fountains and seating in
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#17330942501239776-464: The Great Lakes , and north of the Floridas to the United States . [REDACTED] Great Britain Combatants The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence , was an armed conflict that was part of the broader American Revolution , in which American Patriot forces organized as the Continental Army and commanded by George Washington defeated
9964-481: The Iroquois for their support, while US envoys urged them to remain neutral. Aware of Native American leanings toward the British and fearing an Anglo-Indian attack from Canada, Congress authorized a second invasion in April 1775. After the defeat at the Battle of Quebec on December 31, the Americans maintained a loose blockade of the city until they retreated on May 6, 1776. A second defeat at Trois-Rivières on June 8 ended operations in Quebec. British pursuit
10152-423: The Madawaska River at Matawatchan . The road was first surveyed in 1852 and 1853 by Provincial Land Surveyor Thomas Fraser Gibbs. Warren Godfrey (for whom a town along the road is named) oversaw construction, completing the road as far north as the Mississippi Road at Plevna via Parham , Mountain Grove and Ardoch . This task was finished by 1862. An extension northwest to the Madawaska River at Matawatchan
10340-428: The Opeongo Line . It was surveyed by Joseph Peterson and built between 1858 and 1863 at a cost of around $ 39,000. Poor soil led to little settlement in the area and some sections were already overgrown by the 1870s, but the Maynooth- Combermere section proved to be a useful logging route. Today, the section from Bracebridge to Maynooth has mostly been consumed by the forest, though Highway 118 follows adjacent to
10528-451: The Penetanguishene Road , they were either constructed for military purposes or by private investment. In October 2016, the imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival premiered a documentary titled Colonization Road at the TIFF Bell Lightbox in Toronto . The documentary explores these roads within various treaty territories of Canada and the relationships which surround them. The film has toured throughout Canada, and in January 2017,
10716-437: The Proclamation of Rebellion , issued on August 23 in response to the Battle at Bunker Hill , it ended hopes of a peaceful settlement. Backed by the Whigs, Parliament initially rejected the imposition of coercive measures by 170 votes, fearing an aggressive policy would drive the Americans towards independence. However, by the end of 1774 the collapse of British authority meant both Lord North and George III were convinced war
10904-464: The Second Continental Congress formalized Patriot militias into the Continental Army and appointed Washington its commander-in-chief. The British Parliament declared the colonies to be in a state of rebellion in August 1775. The stakes of the war were formalized with passage of the Lee Resolution by the Congress in Philadelphia on July 2, 1776, and the unanimous ratification of the Declaration of Independence two days later, on July 4, 1776. After
11092-422: The Seven Years' War , ended with the 1763 Peace of Paris , which expelled France from their possessions in New France . Acquisition of territories in Atlantic Canada and West Florida , inhabited largely by French and Spanish-speaking Catholics , led British authorities to consolidate their hold by populating them with English-speaking settlers. Preventing conflict between settlers and Indian tribes west of
11280-413: The Sugar Act and Stamp Act , which imposed additional taxes on the colonies to pay for defending the western frontier. In July 1765, the Whigs formed the First Rockingham ministry , which repealed the Stamp Act and reduced tax on foreign molasses to help the New England economy, but re-asserted Parliamentary authority in the Declaratory Act . However, this did little to end the discontent; in 1768,
11468-399: The Thirteen Colonies over a variety of issues, including the Stamp and Townshend Acts . The resulting British military occupation led to the Boston Massacre in 1770. Among further tensions, the British Parliament imposed the Intolerable Acts in mid-1774. A British attempt to disarm the Americans and the resulting Battles of Lexington and Concord in April 1775 ignited the war. In June,
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#173309425012311656-416: The Toronto and York Radial Railway used the Yonge Street right-of-way , originally to the town of North Toronto, but expanding over the years all the way to Sutton, on southern Lake Simcoe. The Radial Railway ran along the eastern side of the street, allowing the prevailing westerly winds to remove snow from the slightly raised rails. The arrival of the Canadian Northern Railway in 1906 lessened traffic on
11844-510: The Trans-Canada Highway from the north and Provincial Road 308 from the east. Segments of Dawson Road in and around Winnipeg remain in use, but are disconnected by the Red River Floodway , the Perimeter Highway , and Lagimodiere Boulevard . MOM's Way is a network of highways that serve as a modern day successor to Dawson Road between Winnipeg and Thunder Bay. Highways 102 and 11 in Ontario and Highway 12 south of Ste. Anne in Manitoba are part of this network. A cairn and plaque commemorating
12032-429: The United States . Dawson surveyed the route in 1858 and construction began in 1868. The entire trail, including the roads, was completed in 1871 and afterwards named after Dawson. The Wolseley Expedition used the trail before the route was completed to reach the Red River Colony and quell the Red River Rebellion of 1870. This rebellion led to the establishment of the Province of Manitoba later that year. In 1873,
12220-414: The Viva Blue BRT . The street is a commercial main thoroughfare rather than a ceremonial one, with the Downtown Yonge shopping and entertainment district containing landmarks such as the Eaton Centre and Yonge–Dundas Square . Yonge Street originates on the northern shore of Toronto Bay at Queens Quay as a four-lane arterial road (speed limit 40 km/h) proceeding north. Toronto's Harbourfront
12408-446: The War of 1812 , when construction of a new fleet of first-rate ships began on the Lakes, necessitating the shipment of a large anchor from England for use on a frigate under construction on Lake Huron . The war ended while the anchor was still being moved, and now lies just outside Holland Landing in a park named in its honour. Bears were known to wander onto Yonge Street in the early days of Toronto. In 1809 Lieutenant Fawcett , of
12596-399: The Yonge Street Extension , is co-signed with Regional Road 13 . At Queensville Side Road, the road breaks, and resumes again slightly to the west for 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) before it ends in the upper Holland Marsh with an unopened road clearance signed with trees next to the Silver Lakes Golf and Country Club. Yonge resumes to the northwest in Bradford (reached via Regional Road 1), at
12784-400: The York Regional Road 1 designation north of the Toronto city limits at Steeles Avenue in York Region ), Yonge Street is a suburban commercial strip, passing Highway 407 (exit 77) two kilometres north of Steeles. This 16.5 km (10.3 mi) segment is a busy suburban arterial, interrupted by the original town centres of suburban communities such as Thornhill (where the route crosses
12972-520: The colonial legislatures agreed on the boundaries but disagreed on where to set them. Many settlers resented the restrictions entirely, and enforcement required permanent garrisons along the frontier, which led to increasingly bitter disputes over who should pay for them. Although directly administered by the Crown , acting through a local governor, the colonies were largely governed by native-born property owners. While external affairs were managed by London, colonial militia were funded locally but with
13160-416: The 1790s, forming the basis of the concession roads in Ontario today. In Toronto and York Region , Yonge Street is the north–south baseline from which street numbering is reckoned east and west. The eastern branch of the subway Line 1 Yonge–University serves nearly the entire length of the street in Toronto; it serves as the spine of the Toronto subway system, linking to suburban commuter systems such as
13348-464: The 1820s and 1830s was one of the few major settlements in Upper Canada that was not situated on a lake or canal, relied heavily on road connections. Numerous road companies suffered from financial problems; Burghardt notes that "[i]t is clear that before the advent of the railway it was difficult to supply adequate means of land transportation at a bearable cost." By this time, the focus of development had shifted toward Western Ontario , and new roads to
13536-555: The 26th, the American Patriots surprised and overwhelmed Rall and his troops, who lost over 20 killed including Rall, while 900 prisoners, German cannons and supplies were captured. The Battle of Trenton restored the American army's morale, reinvigorated the Patriot cause, and dispelled their fear of what they regarded as Hessian "mercenaries". A British attempt to retake Trenton was repulsed at Assunpink Creek on January 2; during
13724-508: The Addington Road followed by a number from one to eight. North of Ferguson Corners, the old road has been overtaken by the forest, though short spurs are evident west of Denbigh and north and south of Quadeville. The Bobcaygeon Colonization Road opened up the northern half of Peterborough and Victoria counties and much of Haliburton County . The road begins in the village of Bobcaygeon and travels north through Minden , ending north of
13912-585: The Allandale neighbourhood of Barrie, which ends shortly after at Essa Road. From that point, no other part of the highway any further north ever carried the Yonge Street name, and it makes several turns in Barrie itself as it follows various streets. At its terminus in Rainy River, Highway 11's street name is Atwood Avenue rather than Yonge Street. When the final leg of Highway 11 between Atikokan and Rainy River
14100-465: The American cause. The reduced Continental Army had dwindled to fewer than 5,000 men and was reduced further when enlistments expired at the end of the year. Popular support wavered, and morale declined. On December 20, 1776, the Continental Congress abandoned the revolutionary capital of Philadelphia and moved to Baltimore , where it remained until February 27, 1777. Loyalist activity surged in
14288-526: The Americans at the Battle of Harlem Heights the following day. On October 18, Howe failed to encircle the Americans at the Battle of Pell's Point , and the Americans withdrew. Howe declined to close with Washington's army on October 28 at the Battle of White Plains , and instead attacked a hill that was of no strategic value. Washington's retreat isolated his remaining forces and the British captured Fort Washington on November 16. The British victory there amounted to Washington's most disastrous defeat with
14476-661: The Bradford-Barrie stretch being the only part of the later Highway 11 apart from the original section ever to be named Yonge). Work was completed by 1827, making connections with the Penetanguishene Road. In 1833, the legislature voted to " macadamise " some portions of the dirt road. The decision was made to withdraw the military garrison in Penetanguishene in 1852. A year later, the Northern Railway of Canada
14664-574: The Canadians. In Virginia, Dunmore's Proclamation on November 7, 1775, promised freedom to any slaves who fled their Patriot masters and agreed to fight for the Crown. British forces were defeated at Great Bridge on December 9 and took refuge on British ships anchored near Norfolk. When the Third Virginia Convention refused to disband its militia or accept martial law, Lord Dunmore ordered
14852-763: The Colonial Secretary Lord Germain , proposing a limited offensive against Philadelphia, while a second force moved down the Hudson from Canada. Burgoyne supplied several alternatives, all of which gave him responsibility for the offensive, with Howe remaining on the defensive. The option selected required him to lead the main force south from Montreal down the Hudson Valley, while a detachment under Barry St. Leger moved east from Lake Ontario. The two would meet at Albany , leaving Howe to decide whether to join them. Reasonable in principle, this did not account for
15040-710: The Culper Spy Ring substantially increased the effective allocation and deployment of Continental regiments in the field. Throughout the war, Washington spent more than 10 percent of his total military funds on military intelligence . Washington split the Continental Army into positions on Manhattan and across the East River in western Long Island. On August 27 at the Battle of Long Island , Howe outflanked Washington and forced him back to Brooklyn Heights , but he did not attempt to encircle Washington's forces. Through
15228-675: The Dawson Road was erected by the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada in 1933. The landmark is located next to the local municipal office in Ste. Anne, Manitoba. In 1857, the Government of Canada commissioned engineer Simon J. Dawson to survey a route from Lake Superior to the Red River Colony , thereby allowing travel from the east without having to take the existing routes through
15416-573: The Dawson route was used by some 1,600 people, however, most travelers still preferred to use the much less arduous southern route through Duluth and Emerson . Much of the Dawson Trail was abandoned after the completion of the railroad between Fort William and Winnipeg in the 1880s, although local residents continued to make use of the roads. The Ottawa and Opeongo Road, also known as the Opeongo Line,
15604-633: The East and Western sections of the region to unite in the heart of the GTA. Stretching through the center of the Greater Toronto Area, Yonge Street has transformed into a vital route, accommodating not only vehicular traffic but also serving as a central hub for transportation and commerce. The corridor is home to the Yonge-University Subway Line, serving Toronto,Vaughan, and soon Richmond Hill as
15792-625: The Grand River Valley. During and after the War of 1812 , government spending on roads in Upper Canada (present-day Ontario ) increased significantly, leading to the improvement and extension of a number of roads. Roads into the interior were still not plentiful, however. By this time, a number of townships had been established along the northern shores of Lake Erie and Lake Ontario , which contained generally fertile land composed of glacial till and clay-rich loam ; at this time, Upper Canada
15980-653: The Great were equally impressed with Germantown, which demonstrated resilience and determination. Over the winter, poor conditions, supply problems and low morale resulted in 2,000 deaths, with another 3,000 unfit for duty due to lack of shoes. However, Baron Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben took the opportunity to introduce Prussian Army drill and infantry tactics to "model companies" in each Continental Army regiment, who then instructed their home units. Despite Valley Forge being only twenty miles away, Howe made no effort to attack their camp, an action some critics argue could have ended
16168-506: The Hastings Road at Bancroft. Present-day road names have been preserved along the route in Orillia, Norland, Kinmount, Cardiff and Bancroft. The Muskoka Road, most of which now forms Highway 11 , was constructed in the late 1850s and early 1860s, quickly becoming the primary trunk road to Lake Nipissing . A series of towns eventually would flourish along its length, the first of which
16356-585: The Nipissing Road in Commanda . Today, Highway 124 largely follows the old road. The Hastings Road was surveyed and built to the northern boundary of Hastings county, north of the hamlet of Lake St. Peter. It was continued north into the district of Nipissing as the North Road, and at one time could be driven to an intersection with the current Highway 60 between Whitney and Madawaska. It previously intersected with
16544-459: The Nipissing Road, encouraged settlement in what is now Parry Sound . The project was authorized in 1864, with surveying done from 1864 to 1865. Construction began in 1866, and the road was open by 1873. The Northern and Pacific Junction Railway built between Gravenhurst and Callander rendered the Rosseau-Nipissing road obsolete by 1886, yet much of it is still often used. The Snow Road
16732-704: The Patriots erected Fort Mifflin and nearby Fort Mercer on the east and west banks of the Delaware respectively, and placed obstacles in the river south of the city. This was supported by a small flotilla of Continental Navy ships on the Delaware, supplemented by the Pennsylvania State Navy , commanded by John Hazelwood . An attempt by the Royal Navy to take the forts in the October 20 to 22 Battle of Red Bank failed;
16920-595: The Peterson Road ( Highway 118 ). The old road was surveyed as far north as the Oxtongue River but never continued beyond that. It now forms the boundary between Minden and Algonquin Highlands and the boundary between Muskoka and Haliburton further north. The former Highway 649 and Highway 121 were eventually routed the majority of the southern half of this road. From Minden north to Highway 118,
17108-504: The Radial, but it was not until Yonge became a major route for cars that the Radial truly fell into disuse. The last TYRR train north from Toronto ran on March 16, 1930. The line was then purchased by the townships north of the city and re-incorporated as North Yonge Railways , running service for another eighteen years before operations ended, along with service on numerous other portions of the Radial lines, in 1948. The space it formerly occupied
17296-616: The Snow, Monck and Peterson roads. The Mississippi Road began at a junction with the Frontenac Road and the Snow Road in the village of Plevna and travelled northwest, bisecting the Addington Road near Denbigh . It ended at the Hastings Road in Bancroft , where the Monck Road continued west. Today, Brule Lake Road and Buckshot Lake Road (Lennox and Addington County Road 30) follow a majority of
17484-723: The Thirteen Colonies—;the Northern Theater and the Southern Theater —and a smaller but strategically important third one west of the Appalachian Mountains . On April 14, 1775, Sir Thomas Gage , Commander-in-Chief, North America and Governor of Massachusetts , received orders to take action against the Patriots. He decided to destroy militia ordnance stored at Concord, Massachusetts , and capture John Hancock and Samuel Adams , who were considered
17672-559: The U.S. at Northwest Angle , overland back into Canada to Richer, Manitoba and then to its end at St. Boniface. The total distance of the trail was approximately 530 miles (850 kilometres). Travelers were required to load and unload their freight as many as 70 times throughout the journey. Segments of the Old Dawson Trail are still in use today in both provinces. Ontario Highways 102 and 11 follow Dawson Road from Thunder Bay to Shebandowan . From there, Highway 11 generally follows
17860-603: The actual North York district municipal offices, the North York Central Library and the Toronto Centre for the Performing Arts. The street widens to a six-lane urban arterial road through North York Centre (although north of Sheppard Avenue the outer lanes are for parking outside of rush hours), passing inner-suburb transit hubs at Sheppard and Finch Avenues. From Finch Avenue to Stouffville Road (acquiring
18048-634: The area of food. This slowed Burgoyne's progress and forced him to send out large foraging expeditions; on one of these, more than 700 British troops were captured at the Battle of Bennington on August 16. St Leger moved east and besieged Fort Stanwix ; despite defeating an American relief force at the Battle of Oriskany on August 6, he was abandoned by his Indian allies and withdrew to Quebec on August 22. Now isolated and outnumbered by Gates, Burgoyne continued onto Albany rather than retreating to Fort Ticonderoga, reaching Saratoga on September 13. He asked Clinton for support while constructing defenses around
18236-638: The army of the United Colonies." He assumed command on July 3, preferring to fortify Dorchester Heights outside Boston rather than assaulting it. In early March 1776, Colonel Henry Knox arrived with heavy artillery acquired in the Capture of Fort Ticonderoga . Under cover of darkness, on March 5, Washington placed these on Dorchester Heights, from where they could fire on the town and British ships in Boston Harbor. Fearing another Bunker Hill, Howe evacuated
18424-558: The base for American naval operations. After regrouping at Halifax in Nova Scotia, Howe set sail for New York in June 1776 and began landing troops on Staten Island near the entrance to New York Harbor on July 2. The Americans rejected Howe's informal attempt to negotiate peace on July 30; Washington knew that an attack on the city was imminent and realized that he needed advance information to deal with disciplined British regular troops. On August 12, 1776, Patriot Thomas Knowlton
18612-620: The boycott; this succeeded in reducing British imports by 97% from 1774 to 1775. However, on February 9 Parliament declared Massachusetts to be in rebellion and instituted a blockade of the colony. In July, the Restraining Acts limited colonial trade with the British West Indies and Britain and barred New England ships from the Newfoundland cod fisheries . The tension led to a scramble for control of militia stores, which each assembly
18800-618: The camp to a "squalid hell" and supplies were dangerously low. Burgoyne capitulated on October 17; around 6,222 soldiers, including German forces commanded by General Friedrich Adolf Riedesel , surrendered their arms before being taken to Boston, where they were to be transported to England. After securing additional supplies, Howe made another attempt on Philadelphia by landing his troops in Chesapeake Bay on August 24. He now compounded failure to support Burgoyne by missing repeated opportunities to destroy his opponent, defeating Washington at
18988-561: The case. The original historic alignment of Yonge Street diverges from the former Highway 11 (now York Regional 1) in East Gwillimbury , one kilometre north of Green Lane; at this junction, York Road 1 diverts northwest, while Yonge Street turns right at the intersection and then loops back to continue the straight alignment. It then continues, ending at Queensville Side Road in Holland Landing . Approximately 350 metres further west at
19176-423: The centre of Holland Landing with a northwest heading and thereby circumnavigating Cook's Bay and the lower Holland Marsh , through exurban areas en route to Bradford . The bypass was constructed in 1959. Regional Road 51 is the original route of the main section. Yonge Street branches off Regional Road 1 at the foot of the bypass to continue north through Holland Landing. This short section, known locally as
19364-515: The city on March 17 without further loss and sailed to Halifax, Nova Scotia , while Washington moved south to New York City. Beginning in August 1775, American privateers raided towns in Nova Scotia, including Saint John , Charlottetown , and Yarmouth . In 1776, John Paul Jones and Jonathan Eddy attacked Canso and Fort Cumberland respectively. British officials in Quebec began negotiating with
19552-430: The civilian inhabitants that their lives and property would not be in any danger if they offered no resistance; they complied. Hopkins captured large stores of powder and other munitions that was so great he had to impress an extra ship in the harbor to transport the supplies back home, when he departed on March 17. A month later, after a brief skirmish with HMS Glasgow , they returned to New London, Connecticut ,
19740-569: The colonies; the amount was minor, but ignored the fact it was that very principle Americans found objectionable. In April 1772, colonialists staged the first American tax revolt in Weare , New Hampshire against the British royal authority later referred to as the Pine Tree Riot . This occurrence would later inspire the design of the Pine Tree Flag . Tensions escalated following the destruction of
19928-428: The colonization roads are not provincially maintained highways. Instead, they follow county roads and local town/township roads. A few have even been converted into hiking trails and bike trails . Below is a list of all the colonization roads. The Addington Colonization Road was one of the initial routes surveyed in 1847. The contract to construct the road was awarded to A. B. Perry, who completed more than half of
20116-646: The committee shared information and built alliances through secret correspondence, as well as employing secret agents in Europe to gather intelligence, conduct undercover operations, analyze foreign publications, and initiate Patriot propaganda campaigns. Paine served as secretary, while Benjamin Franklin and Silas Deane , sent to France to recruit military engineers, were instrumental in securing French aid in Paris. The Revolutionary War included two principal campaign theaters within
20304-444: The designation after writing and publishing a book about the history of the street. Earlier claims that Yonge was the longest street in the world also existed, with The Globe asserting it about the original Toronto to Lake Simcoe alignment in 1895, at a time when the rest of Highway 11 did not even exist yet, and later claiming in 1953 that Yonge was the longest street in the world because it purportedly extended to Cochrane , which
20492-600: The downtown core of the former suburban city of North York . North York Centre features numerous residential and office towers, most with ground-floor commercial uses, with some stretches of older two-storey buildings, many slated for redevelopment. Slightly under halfway up Yonge Street from Sheppard to Finch on the west side is the North York Civic Centre complex and the adjacent North York Centre office and retail towers. These lands contain Mel Lastman Square ,
20680-618: The early 1900s onwards, there were several proposals to build a subway for streetcars on Yonge Street, given the high demand for north–south travel within downtown Toronto. Following World War 2, the Toronto Transit Commission proposed a north–south subway line along the Yonge Street corridor between Union Station and Eglinton Avenue . Approved by voters in 1946, construction began in September 1949, with disruptive cut-and-cover construction on Yonge Street taking place between College Avenue and Front Street. The Yonge Subway
20868-521: The east is noted for its opulent residences. The area is marked by the historic North Toronto railway station , formerly served by the Canadian Pacific Railway and now the location of a Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO) store. The CPR route parallels the foot of the Iroquois shoreline escarpment, which Yonge Street ascends here toward Midtown . Development along Yonge to St. Clair Avenue
21056-572: The eastern side of Clement Lake and the western side of Grace Lake until it meets the Kennaway Road. Part of this stretch is now a recreational trail. The remainder of the northbound tract is an unpaved road running to Fourcorner Lake , where the intersection of the Burleigh and Peterson roads was located. The Cameron Road ran north from Rosedale to Minden and is now the route of Highway 35 . The Frontenac Road travelled north from Kingston to
21244-478: The ending of the French threat in 1763, the legislatures expected less taxation, not more. At the same time, the huge debt incurred by the Seven Years' War and demands from British taxpayers for cuts in government expenditure meant Parliament expected the colonies to fund their own defense. The new taxes levied on subjects in the colonies proved highly burdensome in colonies such as North Carolina , particularly for
21432-472: The entire road south of Uphill was designated as Victoria County Road 35. Victoria County was restructured as the city Kawartha Lakes on January 1, 2001. At the same time, the Victoria Road was renamed as Kawartha Lakes Road 35. American Revolutionary War American and allied victory Great Britain cedes generally, all mainland territories east of the Mississippi River , south of
21620-663: The exception of Georgia , twelve colonies sent representatives to the First Continental Congress to agree on a unified response to the crisis. Many of the delegates feared that a boycott would result in war and sent a Petition to the King calling for the repeal of the Intolerable Acts. After some debate, on September 17, 1774, Congress endorsed the Massachusetts Suffolk Resolves and on October 20 passed
21808-513: The exception of a minor skirmishing between the two armies which continued until March, Howe made no attempt to attack the Americans. The 1776 campaign demonstrated that regaining New England would be a prolonged affair, which led to a change in British strategy to isolating the north by taking control of the Hudson River , allowing them to focus on the south where Loyalist support was believed to be substantial. In December 1776, Howe wrote to
21996-548: The face of enemy fire. The successes led to predictions that the British could win within a year. The British established winter quarters in the New York City area and anticipated renewed campaigning the following spring. On the night of December 25–26, 1776, Washington crossed the Delaware River , leading a column of Continental Army troops from today's Bucks County, Pennsylvania , to today's Mercer County, New Jersey , in
22184-582: The fact that each colony argued that their boundaries extended from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean . The vast exchange of territory ultimately destabilized existing alliances and trade networks between settlers and Indians in the west, while it proved impossible to prevent encroachment beyond the Proclamation Line. With the exception of Virginia and others deprived of rights to western lands,
22372-697: The government came under pressure to open up the unforgiving terrain of the Canadian Shield to settlement and sought to establish a network of east–west and north–south roads between the Ottawa Valley and Georgian Bay . This area was known as the Ottawa–Huron Tract . In 1847, an exploration survey was carried out by Robert Bell to lay out the lines that would become the Opeongo, Hastings, and Addington Roads. The Public Lands Act , passed in 1853, permitted
22560-441: The government of Ontario prepares for the construction of the Yonge North Subway Extension. In addition, the Yonge Street Rapidway located North of Toronto, is a comprehensive BRT (Bus Rapid Transit) in York Region allowing for convenient access to Finch Subway Station , in Toronto. Moreover, Yonge Street hosts numerous modes of public transportation, which connects people to major infrastructure spanning over 30 kilometres. From
22748-408: The granting of land to settlers who were at least 18. Those settlers who cleared at least 12 acres (4.9 ha) within four years, built a house within a year, and resided on the grant for at least five years would receive the title to that land. The government subsequently built over 1,600 kilometres (1,000 mi) of roads over the following 20 years to provide access to these grants. However,
22936-446: The growing provincial highway network . Some sections were improved to modern highway standards, while others were subsequently bypassed or abandoned. The roads that were not incorporated as highways either became local roads or were consumed by nature. Though many other roads in the province can be considered "colonization roads", such as Yonge Street , Hurontario Street , Provincial Road (later Highway 2 ), Talbot Trail , and
23124-408: The interior were laid out under the auspices of colonization companies. One of the most prominent of these was the Canada Company , which subdivided the Huron Tract into lots, and which was based inland at Guelph . It opened the western part of Upper Canada to settlement by building routes such as the Huron Road and the Toronto–Sydenham Road during the 1830s and 1840s. As these areas also filled,
23312-415: The length from the Clare River to the Opeongo Line by 1856. In the south, it began in the village of Clareview and travelled north to the Opeongo Line , where the village of Brudenell was established. From north of Clareview to the community of Ferguson Corners (southwest of Denbigh ), Highway 41 follows the old road, though in many places bypasses have been constructed and the old road named
23500-601: The line north of Arthur before the 1837 Upper Canada Rebellion broke out in Toronto . In 1839, John McDonald was hired to resurvey the line. He completed the survey between Guelph and Fergus that year, and to Arthur by October 1842. Construction of the line between Arthur and Sydenham began at both ends in 1843. The entire route was navigable by 1848. By 1861, the majority had been gravelled, and tollgates were briefly established between Fergus and Owen Sound. The entire route became part of Highway 6 in 1920. The Great North Road connected Parry Sound Road in Parry Sound with
23688-427: The location for a new naval base and port. On his return, he met with an Ojibway named 'Old Sail' and was shown a new route along another arm of the trail, this one starting on the eastern branch of the Holland River and thereby avoiding the marshes of the western branch (today's Holland Marsh ). They left Pine Fort on October 11 and reached York on the 15th. Simcoe selected this eastern route for his new road, moving
23876-412: The location of Newark (now Niagara-on-the-Lake ), the first and former capital of Upper Canada, was in danger of being attacked by the Americans from the nearby border. Additionally, U.S. forces could easily sever British access to the upper lakes at Lake St. Clair or the Detroit River , cutting the colony off from the important trading post at Michilimackinac . Simcoe planned to move the capital to
24064-475: The logistical difficulties involved and Burgoyne erroneously assumed Howe would remain on the defensive; Germain's failure to make this clear meant he opted to attack Philadelphia instead. Burgoyne set out on June 14, 1777, with a mixed force of British regulars, professional German soldiers and Canadian militia, and captured Fort Ticonderoga on July 5. As General Horatio Gates retreated, his troops blocked roads, destroyed bridges, dammed streams, and stripped
24252-447: The loss of 3,000 prisoners. The remaining American regiments on Long Island fell back four days later. General Henry Clinton wanted to pursue Washington's disorganized army, but he was first required to commit 6,000 troops to capture Newport, Rhode Island , to secure the Loyalist port. General Charles Cornwallis pursued Washington, but Howe ordered him to halt. The outlook following the defeat at Fort Washington appeared bleak for
24440-465: The map inlay has now been removed. Interestingly, the true longest named street in the world may be another street originating in Toronto; Dundas Street . It runs west from the city (crossing Yonge) to London, Ontario ; with that name throughout most of its length, including at both ends. It was conceived and constructed as a single street, although it has several bypasses and discontinuous sections today. In 2008, Toronto's first pedestrian scramble
24628-402: The name Yonge Street ends. Although current tourist campaigns do not make much of Yonge Street's length, its status as an urban myth was bolstered by an art installation at the foot of Yonge Street and a map of its purported length laid out into the sidewalk in bronze at the southwest corner of Yonge and Dundas Streets. However, possibly due to wider recognition of the street's actual length,
24816-414: The night of August 28, Knox bombarded the British. Knowing they were up against overwhelming odds, Washington ordered the assembly of a war council on August 29; all agreed to retreat to Manhattan. Washington quickly had his troops assembled and ferried them across the East River to Manhattan on flat-bottomed freight boats without any losses in men or ordnance, leaving General Thomas Mifflin 's regiments as
25004-440: The night, Washington outmaneuvered Cornwallis, then defeated his rearguard in the Battle of Princeton the following day. The two victories helped convince the French that the Americans were worthy military allies. After his success at Princeton, Washington entered winter quarters at Morristown, New Jersey , where he remained until May and received Congressional direction to inoculate all Patriot troops against smallpox . With
25192-452: The old road as far as Haliburton. Two small sections remain as local township roads near Carnarvon named Peterson Road and Tulip Road. The old road that runs from Haliburton to the north end of Benoir Lake, on the Elephant Lake Road is now untraceable. This part runs through the south end of Algonquin Park . The section from Maynooth to Combermere to Barry's Bay is now the route of Highway 62 . The Rosseau-Nipissing Road, also called
25380-412: The old tract exists as Old Parry Sound Road east of Ullswater, Ontario . The Pembroke and Mattawan Road was proposed by the Minister of Agriculture Allan McNab in 1852. A survey was conducted in 1853 and construction began in 1854. By 1875, the road was officially open in the summer months. The original road went through what is now Canadian Forces Base Petawawa and the Atomic Energy lands north of
25568-435: The original water route west to Rainy River . In Manitoba, Dawson Road formed the original course of Manitoba Highway 12 from St. Boniface to Ste. Anne . This route is now part of Provincial Road 207 between the communities of Richer and Lorette . The abandoned road between Northwest Angle and Richer has mostly fallen into disrepair, except for segments that are now part of Provincial Roads 503 and 505, accessible via
25756-475: The petition was immediately followed by the Declaration of the Causes and Necessity of Taking Up Arms , Colonial Secretary Lord Dartmouth viewed the offer as insincere and refused to present the petition to the king. Although constitutionally correct, since George could not oppose his own government, it disappointed those Americans who hoped he would mediate in the dispute, while the hostility of his language annoyed even Loyalist members of Congress. Combined with
25944-449: The poorer classes, and quickly became a source of much discontent. The 1763 to 1765 Grenville ministry instructed the Royal Navy to cease trading smuggled goods and enforce customs duties levied in American ports. The most important was the 1733 Molasses Act ; routinely ignored before 1763, it had a significant economic impact since 85% of New England rum exports were manufactured from imported molasses. These measures were followed by
26132-400: The principal instigators of the rebellion. The operation was to begin around midnight on April 19, in the hope of completing it before the American Patriots could respond. However, Paul Revere learned of the plan and notified Captain Parker , commander of the Concord militia, who prepared to resist. The first action of the war, commonly referred to as the shot heard round the world , was
26320-415: The principle of taxation by Parliament. In December 1773, a group called the Sons of Liberty disguised as Mohawk natives dumped 342 crates of tea into the Boston Harbor , an event later known as the Boston Tea Party . The British Parliament responded by passing the so-called Intolerable Acts , aimed specifically at Massachusetts, although many colonists and members of the Whig opposition considered them
26508-443: The promises of fertile land in this new northern tract of wilderness proved false. Beneath thin layers of sparsely spread soil was solid granite. Where this granite descended deeper, valleys formed and filled with muskeg . Despite an early influx of settlers, the vast majority of grants were abandoned by the turn of the century; only 40% remained. During the first half of the 1900s, many of these colonization roads were incorporated into
26696-434: The rest of Ontario's Highway 11 . The street (including the Bradford-to-Barrie extension) is only 86 kilometres (53 mi) long. Due to provincial downgrading in the 1990s, no section of Yonge Street is marked as a provincial highway. Its construction has been designated as an Event of National Historic Significance in Canada. Yonge Street was integral to the original planning and settlement of western Upper Canada in
26884-449: The road branches out to the southeast, following portions of Renfrew County Road 66, 512 and 64. Approximately 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) west of Dacre , it encounters Highway 41 . From there to Renfrew, Highway 132 follows the old road. Several songs have been written about the Opeongo Line, one of the most recent by Canadian singer-songwriter Terry McLeish. His song, "The Opeongo Line", has been included in several musicals and
27072-399: The road is a paved township road. Between Ox Narrows and Dorset, Highway 35 generally follows the original survey line. The Buckhorn Road begins just north of Peterborough at Lakefield Road. From Peterborough to the town of Buckhorn , the Buckhorn Road is referred to as Peterborough County Road 23 and is still labelled as the Buckhorn Road at many intersections. North of Buckhorn,
27260-466: The road is listed as Peterborough County Road 36 until Flynn's Turn. From there, Peterborough County Road 507 is renamed the Buckhorn Road until it reaches the town of Gooderham . Slightly west of Gooderham, the old colonization road continues via Haliburton County Road 3, also known as Glamorgan Road, until it reaches Highway 118 just outside Haliburton . The old Burleigh Road began in Burleigh Falls and continued north along Ontario Highway 28 . Along
27448-441: The route around Thornhill . However, the settlement was hit by a series of setbacks and road construction stalled. Work on the road started again in 1795 when the Queen's Rangers took over. They began their work at Eglinton Avenue and proceeded north, reaching the site of St. Albans on 16 February 1796. Expansion of the trail into a road was a condition of settlement for farmers along the route, who were required to spend 12 days
27636-468: The second joining Lake Simcoe with Georgian Bay . This would allow overland transport to the upper lakes, bypassing U.S. strongholds. The route from Lake Ontario to Lake Simcoe is still known as Yonge Street, and the second leg to Georgian Bay was long known as the Penetanguishene Road . Before the construction of Yonge Street, a portage route, the Toronto Carrying-Place Trail , had already linked Lakes Ontario and Simcoe. On September 25, 1793, Simcoe and
27824-401: The shores of Lake Simcoe. By 1860 the Muskoka Road penetrated the southern skirts of the Canadian Shield , advancing towards Lake Nipissing . The government of Upper Canada had a limited tax base and a vast area to settle, so they asked private individuals to build and maintain roads in exchange for the right to toll wayfarers. This was a commonplace arrangement at the time: For example,
28012-475: The site of one of the last of the former toll gates. The lower-density residential community and park-like setting here represent an interlude between North Toronto and the newer high-rise district beyond, towering over the valley. Canada's busiest section of highway ( Highway 401 ) spans the valley via the Hogg's Hollow Bridge (exit 369). Leaving the valley north of Highway 401, densities and traffic both significantly increase on entering North York City Centre ,
28200-473: The southern edge of the central business district , is the Dominion Public Building , the Meridian Hall and the Hockey Hall of Fame , the latter housed in a former Bank of Montreal office, once Canada's largest bank branch. Beyond Front Street, the road passes through the east side of the Financial District , which holds many of Canada's tallest buildings, and passes an entrance to the Allen Lambert Galleria . Between Front and Queen Streets , Yonge Street
28388-651: The southern end from the Rouge River to the western outskirts of the settled area in York, and the northern end to a proposed new town on the Holland River, St. Albans. The road was actually called Concession 1 at first with Concessions 2 etc. on either side. For instance Concession 1 Whitchurch Township faces Yonge St. and goes east to Concession 2, which starts at Bayview Ave. Concession 1 King Township faces Yonge St. and goes west to Concession 2, which starts at Bathurst St. There are 10 concessions in York County going east and west from Concession 1, Yonge Street. The east side ending at then-Ontario County, now Durham Region, and
28576-402: The southernmost leg of provincial Highway 11 , linking the provincial capital with northern Ontario , Yonge Street has been referred to as "Main Street Ontario". Until 1999, the Guinness Book of World Records repeated the popular misconception that Yonge Street was 1,896 km (1,178 mi) long, making it the longest street in the world; this was due to a conflation of Yonge Street with
28764-430: The southwest portion of the road. Between Denbigh and Bancroft, Highway 28 travels adjacent to the old road, which has generally been overrun by trees. The Monck Road was a dual-purpose road that established colonization and military routes east from Lake Couchiching to the junction of the Hastings and Mississippi colonization roads at what is now Bancroft . In the words of the Peterborough Review, "The Monck Road
28952-426: The sovereignty and independence of the United States, bringing the American Revolutionary War to an end. The Treaties of Versailles resolved Great Britain's conflicts with France and Spain and forced Great Britain to cede Tobago , Senegal , and small territories in India to France, and Menorca , West Florida and East Florida to Spain. The French and Indian War, part of the wider global conflict known as
29140-412: The split as 40% Patriot, 40% neutral, 20% Loyalist, but with considerable regional variations. At the onset of the war, the Second Continental Congress realized defeating Britain required foreign alliances and intelligence-gathering. The Committee of Secret Correspondence was formed for "the sole purpose of corresponding with our friends in Great Britain and other parts of the world". From 1775 to 1776,
29328-509: The street as well. Sections of the street are often closed for other events, such as an annual street festival. In 1999 Ricky Martin held an autograph session at Sunrise Records and had a large section of the street closed for the day. The intersection of Yonge and Dundas Streets, centred on the plaza at Yonge-Dundas Square , has been closed on occasion to host free concerts, including performances by R.E.M. on 17 May 2001, by Beyoncé on 15 September 2006 and by John Mayer on 16 September of
29516-402: The street is part of the old town of Yorkville , today a major shopping district extending west of Yonge Street along Cumberland and Bloor streets. North of Yorkville, densities and traffic decrease somewhat and the speed limit increases slightly (to 50 km/h, which it remains for most of its urban length) as Yonge Street forms the main street of Summerhill , which together with Rosedale to
29704-402: The street will be closed to vehicular traffic. Streetcars on routes crossing Yonge in that area (Carlton, Dundas, Queen, King) during those celebrations will often have to cease operations a few hundred metres east or west of Yonge Street due to the crowds. In recent times, these celebrations particularly occurred after the Toronto Blue Jays won the World Series of Baseball in 1992 and 1993, when
29892-407: The town of Chalk River . It followed what is now the Balmer Bay road east of the town of Deep River . West of Deep River, the old road winds back and forth across Highway 17 , which was built in the 1930s. The Peterson Road began at Muskoka Falls near Bracebridge and travelled east to Maynooth , where it met the Hastings Road . From Maynooth, it snaked its way northeast to Barry's Bay to meet
30080-418: The town of Holland Landing eventually grew up on the site, a somewhat more descriptive name. Holland Landing was settled by Quakers who moved into the area after having left the United States in the aftermath of the American Revolution . The settlers were branching out from their initial town of "Upper Yonge Street", which later became Newmarket . The road almost served its original military purpose during
30268-495: The town. Morale among his troops rapidly declined, and an unsuccessful attempt to break past Gates at the Battle of Freeman Farms on September 19 resulted in 600 British casualties. When Clinton advised he could not reach them, Burgoyne's subordinates advised retreat; a reconnaissance in force on October 7 was repulsed by Gates at the Battle of Bemis Heights , forcing them back into Saratoga with heavy losses. By October 11, all hope of escape had vanished; persistent rain reduced
30456-458: The trail are usually referred to as Dawson Road. The Dawson Trail started as a road heading northwest from Port Arthur along the Shebandowan River , up to Shebandowan Lake. From there, the trail followed a series of lakes and rivers heading west, eventually ending up at the Rainy River and Lake of the Woods along the International Boundary . After crossing Lake of the Woods, the road continued for approximately 10 miles (16 kilometres) through
30644-428: The wake of the American defeat, especially in New York state . In London, news of the victorious Long Island campaign was well received with festivities held in the capital. Public support reached a peak. Strategic deficiencies among Patriot forces were evident: Washington divided a numerically weaker army in the face of a stronger one, his inexperienced staff misread the military situation, and American troops fled in
30832-450: The war against the Americans into the Southern Colonies . Despite some initial success, British general Cornwallis was besieged by a Franco-American force in Yorktown in September and October 1781. Cornwallis was forced to surrender in October. The British wars with France and Spain continued for another two years, but fighting largely ceased in North America. In the Treaty of Paris, ratified on September 3, 1783, Great Britain acknowledged
31020-412: The war. Yonge Street Yonge Street ( / j ʌ ŋ / YUNG ) is a major arterial route in the Canadian province of Ontario connecting the shores of Lake Ontario in Toronto to Lake Simcoe , a gateway to the Upper Great Lakes . Ontario's first colonial administrator, John Graves Simcoe , named the street for his friend Sir George Yonge , an expert on ancient Roman roads . Once
31208-559: The way, Burleigh Street in the town of Apsley echoes the name of the colonization road. In Haliburton County , the route turned northwest at Kidd's Corners and followed Dyno Road (Haliburton County Road 48) past the Dyno Mine site. At the town of Cheddar , the road briefly jogged west following Highway 118 to the former community of Cope Falls. The Burleigh Road then turned north, following present-day Loop Road (Haliburton County Road 648) to Wilberforce . Here, Burleigh Road still exists as Haliburton County Road 15, running roughly north on
31396-439: The west side ending at Peel County (now Peel Region). The following spring, Simcoe instructed Deputy Surveyor General Augustus Jones to blaze a small trail marking the route. Simcoe initiated construction of the road by granting land to settlers, who in exchange were required to clear 33 feet of frontage on the road passing their lot . Certain seasons saw the muddy sidewalks of York in deplorable condition, and Yonge Street
31584-468: The west side of the street from Gerrard Street north to College Street . It was converted into a residential and commercial complex after the building of the Eaton Centre. From College Street north to Bloor Street , Yonge Street serves smaller street-level retail, mostly in two- to three-storey buildings of a hundred years' vintage. The businesses here, unlike the large chains that dominate south of Gerrard Street, are mostly small independent shops and serve
31772-415: The world. Running (mostly) concurrent with Yonge as far north as Barrie, then continuing beyond through central and northern Ontario to the Ontario– Minnesota border at Rainy River , the highway was over 1,896 kilometres (1,178 mi) long. But Yonge Street could only be called the longest street in the world if it were fully synonymous with Highway 11 over the highway's entire length, which has never been
31960-410: Was Bracebridge . East of Muskoka Falls, Thomas J. McMurray established a 400-acre (1,600,000 m) townsite in the spring of 1861 at the intersection of the Muskoka Road and the Peterson Road. Construction on the Muskoka Road began in 1858. At the time of Bracebridge's founding, the road did not extend beyond the Muskoka River. It was opened as far as Sundridge by 1875. Today Highway 11 follows
32148-491: Was "essentially one long, thin strip of settlement" along these shores, according to historian Andrew Burghardt. As these townships filled up, development pressure increased toward the interior, but the colonial government struggled to maintain Upper Canada's principal roads and bridges. The government pursued private toll roads , empowering corporations to borrow money to finance roadway improvements, which would then theoretically be paid for from toll income. London , which during
32336-402: Was built along this established route, between Toronto and Kempenfelt Bay and extended to Collingwood by 1855. Settlement along the Penetanguishene Road pre-dated the road itself. Subsequent extensions of Yonge Street (though never named as such) which later became the more northerly parts of Highway 11, built in the 1830s (some with military strategy in mind), pushed settlement northeast along
32524-442: Was completed by 1869. However, much of this section has been lost to the forest. The Garafraxa Road was built to extend Brock Road north from Guelph to the new settlement of Sydenham, renamed Owen Sound in 1851, on Georgian Bay . An Order in Council was passed that called for the building of this road on April 13, 1837. Deputy Surveyor Charles Rankin was allowed to lay a line between Oakville and Sydenham. Rankin surveyed
32712-437: Was completed in 1965, the Rainy River Chamber of Commerce responded with a publicity stunt requesting that Toronto change the name of Yonge Street to Atwood Avenue so that the highway could have the same street name at both ends, but this did not occur. The claim was first added by the Guinness Book of Records in 1977 at the request of Toronto writer Jay Myers, supplanting Figueroa Street in Los Angeles . Myers had sought
32900-483: Was inevitable. After Boston, Gage halted operations and awaited reinforcements; the Irish Parliament approved the recruitment of new regiments, while allowing Catholics to enlist for the first time. Britain also signed a series of treaties with German states to supply additional troops . Within a year, it had an army of over 32,000 men in America, the largest ever sent outside Europe at the time. The employment of German soldiers against people viewed as British citizens
33088-420: Was initially blocked by American naval vessels on Lake Champlain until victory at Valcour Island on October 11 forced the Americans to withdraw to Fort Ticonderoga , while in December an uprising in Nova Scotia sponsored by Massachusetts was defeated at Fort Cumberland . These failures impacted public support for the Patriot cause, and aggressive anti-Loyalist policies in the New England colonies alienated
33276-476: Was later extended as a bypass was added, curving off the original alignment. A second bypass was later constructed, bypassing the entirety of Holland Landing Road and joining Bradford at Bridge Street. At its intersection with 8th Line in Bradford, the former Highway 11 route does pick up the name Yonge again (the only stretch of the former highway aside from the original Yonge Street to carry it), retaining it through Innisfil until transitioning into Burton Avenue in
33464-421: Was legally obliged to maintain for defense. On April 19, a British attempt to secure the Concord arsenal culminated in the Battles of Lexington and Concord , which began the Revolutionary War. After the Patriot victory at Concord, moderates in Congress led by John Dickinson drafted the Olive Branch Petition , offering to accept royal authority in return for George III mediating in the dispute. However, since
33652-624: Was officially declared abandoned by 1948. More recently, the ruined log cabins have occasionally attracted photographers due to their high level of preservation. The Parry Sound Road ran between Bracebridge and Parry Sound . The communities of Rosseau and Horseshoe Lake were developed along the route. The road began 15 km north of Bracebridge on the Muskoka Road and proceeded in a northerly and later northwesterly direction. The route follows present-day Muskoka District Road 4 (Manitoba Street, Raymond Road), Muskoka District Road 35, Highway 141 , and Highway 400 / Highway 69 . A portion of
33840-424: Was one of the initial colonization roads surveyed by Hamlet Burritt and A. H. Sims under the supervision of Robert Bell in 1851–52. It was constructed westward from Renfrew beginning in 1854, reaching as far as the Hastings Road in Whitney by 1865; thereafter the survey line continued to Opeongo Lake . Today, Highway 60 follows the old road between Algonquin Park and east of Barry's Bay . At that point,
34028-558: Was opened at the intersection of Yonge and Dundas Streets . On April 23, 2018, a driver intentionally struck numerous pedestrians , killing 11 and injuring 15 others. The attack started at the intersection of Yonge Street and Finch Avenue and proceeded south along the sidewalks of Yonge Street to near Sheppard Avenue . As Toronto's main street, Yonge hosts parades, street performances, and protests. After major sporting victories thousands of people will gather on its downtown portions, particularly near Dundas Square , to celebrate, and
34216-414: Was opened in 1954 as Canada's first subway line at a cost of $ 59m. The line has subsequently been extended several times, most recently to Vaughan , York Region in 2017. The line – now Line 1 Yonge–University – is the busiest subway line in Canada, and one of the busiest in North America. Yonge Street was formerly a part of Highway 11 , which led to claims that Yonge Street was the longest street in
34404-411: Was opposed by many in Parliament and by the colonial assemblies; combined with the lack of activity by Gage, opposition to the use of foreign troops allowed the Patriots to take control of the legislatures. Support for independence was boosted by Thomas Paine 's pamphlet Common Sense , which was published on January 10, 1776, and argued for American self-government and was widely reprinted. To draft
34592-414: Was ordered to form an elite group for reconnaissance and secret missions. Knowlton's Rangers , which included Nathan Hale , became the Army's first intelligence unit. When Washington was driven off Long Island , he soon realized that he would need to professionalize military intelligence. With aid from Benjamin Tallmadge , Washington launched the six-man Culper spy ring . The efforts of Washington and
34780-411: Was poised to capture Philadelphia , the Continental Congress fled to Baltimore . In October 1777, a separate northern British force under the command of John Burgoyne was forced to surrender at Saratoga in an American victory that proved crucial in convincing France and Spain that an independent United States was a viable possibility. France signed a commercial agreement with the rebels, followed by
34968-433: Was renowned as being particularly bad, making it difficult to transport loads along it. The first Toronto resident known to have introduced sidewalks was Jesse Ketchum , who used tanned bark. In the summer of 1794, William Berczy was the first to take up the offer, leading a group of 64 families northeast of Toronto to found the town of German Mills , in modern Markham . By the end of 1794, Berczy's settlers had cleared
35156-497: Was then and still is the point at which Highway 11 switches from a north–south alignment to an east–west alignment toward Nipigon . It continued to be listed by Guinness until 1999, when it was dropped in favour of recognizing the Pan-American Highway as the world's longest motorable road. Provincial downloading separated Yonge Street from Highway 11 in the late 1990s. As a result, Highway 11 does not start until Crown Hill just outside Barrie , several kilometres north of where
35344-453: Was used to expand the road between Aurora and Newmarket. The Yonge Street corridor has evolved significantly over the past century, and is currently seeing a new wave of mixed-use high rise developments. The everlasting construction of office buildings, high-rise residential towers, along with a variety of shops populating the major corridor across the towns and cities it traverses. This unique and extensive built-form encourages residents from
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