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A watershed event for the Canadians during the Anglo-American War of 1812. The tiny town of York, today’s Toronto, Ontario, was the colonial capital of Upper Canada, established in 1793 by John Graves Simcoe for the sole purpose of being further away from the American frontier. Despite the town’s status as the capital it was poorly regarded called Muddy York, a far cry from the seat of British power in North America, Quebec City. And while the town itself was far from a tactical target, it wasn’t a tactical target that US Army commander, Henry Dearborn, wanted following a series of American defeats in 1812.Read More →

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Fort York, Toronto’s taste of the 19th-Century. Against all the odds this little haven of Toronto’s colonial history has survived multiple attempts to sweep it away with the Gardner Expressway and even a Streetcar line. And while it seems a little odd to find a fort this far back from the lakeshore, you have to remember that over 200 years ago the lakeshore and the area we know as Toronto was a far different place. When Sir John Graves Simcoe received his appointment as the colonial governor of Upper Canada one of his early actions saw the colonial capital, the capital at the time, Newark,Read More →

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I had gotten three hours of sleep before my alarm clock woke me up. But I knew there was some strange reason I had done this to myself. So by five in the morning, I was back on the road again, aiming myself into Toronto. I reached Polson Pier just before six. The wind and cold were wicked that morning. My iPhone told me it was -10C. I quickly set up my camera at the pier’s edge; two huge cargo ships were busy getting loaded. But my interest was in the Toronto skyline. The sky was still dark, with no sign of the sun yetRead More →

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When the United States of America declared war on the British Empire, they knew they could not go toe to toe with the might of the British Navy. Instead, they invaded the closest British held territory, Upper, and Lower Canada. Not all the citizens in the British-controlled colony were on the side of the Empire, many in fact supported the American invasion and wanted to see the British influences in North America removed. Some left Upper Canada for the USA, and some others chose to help the Americans on the Canadian side of the border. Most citizens of Upper Canada supported the British Forces, manyRead More →

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The term Burlington Heights is a misnomer, as the Heights are technically located in Hamilton. But during the Anglo-American War of 1812, Burlington Heights became home to an often forgotten fort. Burlington Heights started life as a simple farm owned by Richard Besley. When the Americans invaded and captured the Niagara Region in May 1813 and forced the full retreat of the British Army of the Center, they would establish an armed camp at Burlington Heights, today located at the border of Hamilton, Ontario and Burlington, Ontario. It would start as a simple structure with field fortifications to provide a rallying point for the BritishRead More →

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Hidden behind a hospital and a massive shopping mall, a tiny road dies at a park. You can still see the old light standards continuing down. I had some time to kill on a Saturday afternoon, so I decided to stop and check it out; having a camera with me, I naturally brought it along for the hike. Down at the base of the road, I was drawn out onto one of the side trails that ran along a river bank; following it around, I noticed something in the distance; it looked like a bridge, but not a bridge one would expect; it looked likeRead More →