HISTORY of NIAGARA-ON-THE-LAKE Early

HISTORY OF NIAGARA-ON-THE-LAKE Early Inhabitants The earliest settlers in the Niagara area were the Mound builders, native people who traveled here from the Ohio Valley and settled in the Niagara region around 100 AD. Four hundred years later the ancestors of the Six Nations Confederacy replaced them. By 1400, Neutral Indians occupied the area relying on fishing, hunting and agriculture to survive. It is from their word, Onghiara, describing the waters flowing between Lakes Erie and Ontario, that Niagara is derived. The Iroquois defeated the Neutrals in the mid-1600s. Later Mississauga natives settled on the Canadian bank of the Niagara River while Senecas settled on the American bank. The First Europeans (1600-1700) Etienne Brule was probably the first European to visit this area in 1615. Other French explorers used the Native portage around Niagara Falls for trade with the west. Beginning with LaSalle in 1679, the French constructed several buildings on the American side of the river to serve as links in the lucrative fur trade. One of these buildings is Fort Niagara, across the river from Niagara-on-the-Lake. British Rule (1700-1776) During the Seven Years War, the British engaged in military action against the French at Fort Niagara. The provisions of the Treaty of Paris in 1763, gave the British the fort. Sir William Johnson also negotiated a settlement with the Native population and the British Crown was given a strip of land on both sides of the River. The United Empire Loyalists (1776-1786) Large numbers of those who remained loyal to the British Crown fled their homes during the American Revolution and sought refuge in Fort Niagara. This necessity of providing food for the refugees resulted in a proposal by Colonel John Butler to settle and cultivate the west bank of the river. Commonly referred to as Butlersburg after the Colonel, the area would become officially known as Newark in 1781 (later changed to Niagara-on-the-Lake), and according to Butler’s 1782 census, there were eighty four (84) recorded settlers in the area. This number would grow to 800 by 1785. History of Niagara-on-the-Lake Page 2 The Settlement of Newark In 1791, the British government instructed the D.W. Smith, the Deputy Surveyor General, to lay out the new Town. A military grid was laid out in four acre parcels subdivided into one acre lots. This pattern is still in evidence today. In 1792, John Graves Simcoe was appointed as the first governor of Upper Canada with a mandate to bring government and order to the colony. Newark, as he called Niagara-on-the-Lake, became the seat of government for the new province from 1792 until 1796, when, under the terms of Jay’s Treaty, the British relinquished Fort Niagara to the Americans and the capital was moved to Toronto for strategic military reasons. During the time that Governor and Mrs. Simcoe lived in the Town, it became the centre of military and social life for the fledgling province. Legislators and government officials built several fine houses in the Georgian and Regency tradition and a Canadian portage route from Chippawa to Queenston enhanced Newark’s status as a commercial centre. The War of 1812-1814 Niagara-on-the-Lake, due to its proximity to the United States and importance as a commercial centre, occupied a strategic position throughout the war. The Battle of Queenston Heights in October 1812 resulted in a victory, but at tremendous cost. Both General Sir Isaac Brock and his second in command, Colonel John Macdonnell, died while ascending to the Heights. The Americans occupied Fort George from May to December 1813 and burned the Town to the ground on December 13, 1813, while retreating during the attack on Fort George. The War of 1813-1814 also resulted in the burning of St. Davids and created unlikely heroes such as Laura Secord, who undertook a perilous walk from her home in Queenston to warn the British of imminent attack at the Beaver Dams. The war also left the town in ruins and the population homeless and scattered. Rebuilding began almost immediately. Many houses were reconstructed on the foundations of burned buildings, preserving the original character of the Town with buildings set close to the street. Fort Mississauga was built from the bricks salvaged from the Town’s rubble. The Commons became the site of the Indian Council House and Butler’s Barracks, and a new Court House and Gaol were relocated to a safe site on Rye Street. By the 1830s, Niagara had recovered from the effects of war and was once again a prosperous community. History of Niagara-on-the-Lake Page 3 The Niagara Harbour and Dock Company and the Welland Canal In 1829, the first Welland Ship Canal was completed, replacing the overland portage route that was vital to the economy of Niagara. Despite this setback, the Town embarked on an era of economic diversification between 1830 and 1850. The Niagara Harbour and Dock Company, established in 1831, built sailing vessels, steamboats, docks and warehouses around the new harbour. Industry followed, including a tannery and a brewery. Fine commercial buildings were also constructed along Queen Street at this time. This period of prosperity ended with the construction of the second Welland Canal in the mid-1840s and the ultimate failure of the Niagara Harbour and Dock Company. The situation was compounded when the county seat was relocated from Niagara to St. Catharines, despite the construction of the handsome third Court House in 1847, which was designed by the distinguished Anglo-Canadian architect, William Thomas. As a result, the population of the Town declined steadily throughout the second half of the nineteenth century. The Underground Railroad Although the first settlers in Niagara brought their slaves with them from the United States, slavery never took permanent root in Upper Canada. On July 9, 1793, Canada’s first and only anti-slavery act was given royal assent by Governor John Graves Simcoe, being 40 years before the British parliament abolished slavery throughout the Empire. The Act, to prevent the future introduction of slaves and to limit the terms of contracts for servitude within the province, was a compromise in that it provided for freedom for future generations of slaves and effectively ended slavery in Canada. From the beginning, Niagara was the end of an Underground Railroad system and many Black people who successfully made the perilous trip settled in the Town. By 1850 there was a significant Black community located predominantly near the Negro Burial Ground in an area bounded by Mary, Mississauga, Ann and King Streets. Many of the smaller, older homes in this area may have been owned by Black families, though all of their descendents have since moved away. Irish Settlement During the 1840s, immigrants from Ireland fleeing the Irish Potato Famine came to Niagara seeking employment constructing the Welland Canal and later finding work on the railroad. The area in which they settled along Rye Street near the site of the second Court House is still known as Irishtown. History of Niagara-on-the-Lake Page 4 Summer Visitors The survival of both the lake steamer service and railroad line and the construction of a network of electric railways across the peninsula laid the foundation for the revival of Niagara as an important resort area in the late nineteenth century. Though it was off the beaten path, the area was known for its fresh air, moderate climate and waterfront location. Wealthy American visitors came to stay for long summer vacations resulting in the enlargement of some of the older homes to accommodate children, relations, friends and servants. Large new summer residences were also constructed with balconies, verandahs, widows’ walks and large airy rooms. A religious camp grew up in the Chautauqua area resulting in the construction of a hotel, an amphitheatre seating several thousand people and a number of summer cottages of a distinctly Victorian design. When the Chautauqua Institute ceased to exist, the ensuing development took on a unique design resembling the spokes of a wheel. The Queen’s Royal Niagara Hotel was constructed in what is now Queen’s Royal Park to accommodate distinguished visitors such as the Duke and Duchess of York, the future King George V and Queen Mary. Tennis courts, a lawn bowling green and a pavilion for parties and dances attested to the popularity of Niagara as a summer resort. The Twentieth Century Throughout the twentieth century, tender fruit farming and tourism have been the basis of the local economy. In 1902, Niagara unofficially became Niagara-on-the-Lake. The title was made official with the introduction of Regional government in 1970. In the mid-1970s, encouraged by the special climate of Niagara, Inniskillin Winery began to plant vinifera vines and was producing wine from those grapes by the early 1980s. The switch to vinifera grapes resulted in a burgeoning wine industry that has seen tremendous growth and has resulted in the creation of a number of estate wineries in Niagara-on-the-Lake, which are becoming increasingly celebrated in Canada and around the world. With the founding of the Shaw Festival, the 1960s also saw growth of cultural institutions. The festival has since grown to encompass three theatres, is open from April until November and attracts over 300,000 patrons each year. Today, Niagara-on-the-Lake is a community that is proud of its past. Founded in the late 18th century, it spans the history of Ontario and illustrates, perhaps better than any other municipality in the province, what early 19th century Upper Canada was like.

Load more