Toronto [antikvár]

An Introduction to Toronto The story of Toronto begins in 1615, when Etienne Brulé became the first European to see the area on the shores of Laké Ontario which is now Toronto. He had been sent by the great French explorer, Sámuel de Champlain, to enlist the aid of the Andaste nation to the south in his war against the Iroquois. Brulé and his twelve Húron guides took the route between the Holland River and Laké Ontario known as the Toronto Carrying Place. The meaning of this name, and therefore of Toronto, is somewhat uncertain, but it is thought to come from one of the Longhouse languages through French to English, and tö mean roughly "place of meeting". The Toronto Carrying Place had probably been used for centuries by the Indián nations which populated the area. After Brulé's first sighting of the area, the southem terminál of the portage rapidly grew in importance. Eventually a large Iroquois village was established here, Teiaiagon, and it became a regular stopover for the ever increasing numbers of explorers and furtraders. The rivalry between the French and English for control of the lucrative fur trade continued to escalate, and in 1720 the French established a small trading post near Teiaiagon. A larger fort, Fort Rouille, was built here in 1750. Today this fort, which was bumed to the ground to prevent it falling into the hands of the English in 1759, is marked only by a plaque in the grounds of the Canadian National Exhibition. By 1763 the war between the French and English which had begun in 1756 was over, and in 1787 the British began negotiating the purchase of the area at the south end of the Toronto Carrying Place. This land - more than 500 square miles-was eventually bought for approximately L1700 in goods. When Colonel John Simcoe was appointed Governor of Upper Canada, he began looking for a safer location for his administration than Niagara-on-the-Lake, which was vulnerable to American invasion from the south. In 1793 Simcoe moved to Toronto, changing its name to York. Simcoe never intended York to be the capital; he saw it primarily as a naval base. Nevertheless, despite a generál reluctance to move to the muddy little outpost, and controversy over its desirability as a capital, the capital it did eventually become. In 1832 fine new parliament buildings were constructed on Front Street. In 1834, when York was incorporated, it reverted to its old Indián name, Toronto. By this time the city was a thriving metropolis of over 9,000 citizens, and an important centre. By the middle of the nineteenth century many immigrants from the 'old country' had settied in Toronto; those of English, French and Scots origin comprised approximately 60% of Toronto's population of 41,000 in 1856. This predominantly Protestant population, with its conservative attitűdé, was largely responsible for the puritanical reputation which clung to Toronto until after the Second World War. At this time there was a large influx of immigrants of a variety of ethnic backgrounds, dispelling the somewhat unfortunate reputation of Toronto the Good', and making Toronto the lively and cosmopolitan city it is today. During the latter part of the nineteenth century, Toronto grew at an alarming rate. While it had its share of the slums which were scarring cities across North America, this period was alsó a time of great excitement and progress. The frontier town was rapidly