Richmond Hill in York Region, Ontario — Central Canada (North America)

Yonge Street
⎯⎯⎯
Rue Yonge

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, June 3, 2024

1. Yonge Street / Rue Yonge Marker

Inscription. Click to hear the inscription.

[English] This highway was planned by the first governor of Upper Canada, John Graves Simcoe, as a military and commercial route between Lakes Ontario and Huron. Begun in 1795 by the Queen's Rangers it was cut through to Lake Simcoe in 1796, reached Georgian Bay in the first quarter of the next century, and was later extended into Muskoka. A main line of transport before the railway, it opened lands for settlement and carried trade to Toronto. With the development of automotive transport in the twentieth century, it became the highway to northern recreational areas and vast new resources.

[Français] Le premier gouverneur du Haut-Canada, John Graves Simcoe, voulut faire de cette grande route une voie militaire et commerciale entre les lacs Ontario et Huron. Commencée en 1795 par les Queen's Rangers, elle atteignit le lac Simcoe en 1796, parvint à la baie Georgienne durant le premier quart du siècle et fut plus tard prolongée jusqu'à Muskoka. Voie principale de transport avant le chemin de fer, elle favorisa le défrichement des terres et développa le commerce à Toronto. Avec l'avènement de l'automobile,

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elle donna accès aux régions de villégiature et aux vastes ressources nouvelles du Nord.

Erected 1937 by Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada/Commission des lieux et monuments historiques du Canada.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce • Roads & Vehicles • Settlements & Settlers. In addition, it is included in the Canada, Historic Sites and Monuments Board series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1795.

Location. 43° 55.122′ N, 79° 26.888′ W. Marker is in Richmond Hill, Ontario, in York Region. It is on Yonge Street (York Regional Road 1) just north of Townwood Drive, on the right when traveling north. The marker is located in a pull-out on the west side of Summit Golf & Country Club. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 11901 Yonge Street, Richmond Hill ON L4E 3N9, Canada. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Greater Toronto,

specifically on the Golden Horseshoe,

in the York, Durham and Headwaters Area,

and in the Toronto Metropolitan Area.

It is also in Central Canada.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once a British colony,

the Viceroyalty of New France,

the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy,

and Rupert’s Land.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 10 kilometers of this marker, measured as the crow flies: The De Puisaye Settlement (approx. half a kilometer away); The Founding of Richmond Hill (approx. 4.6 kilometers away); King Railway Station (approx. 8.2 kilometers away); Laskay Hall (approx. 8.2 kilometers away); Kinghorn School (approx. 8.3 kilometers away); Lord Beaverbrook 1879-1964

Yonge Street / Rue Yonge Marker & Cairn image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, June 3, 2024

2. Yonge Street / Rue Yonge Marker & Cairn

Looking east from Yonge Street; Summit Golf & Country Club is in the background.

(approx. 8.8 kilometers away); 9980 Keele Street (approx. 8.8 kilometers away); The Town Park (approx. 9 kilometers away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Richmond Hill.

Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker. Yonge Street

Also see . . .
1. Yonge Street (Wikipedia).

Excerpt: Once 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 long, making it the longest street in the world; this was due to a conflation of Yonge Street with the rest of Ontario's Highway 11.
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 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.

(Submitted on August 14, 2024, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

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2. Chronicling the cultural and economic history of Yonge Street and its enduring importance.

Excerpt: With its arrow-like purpose, laid out as a great linear axis running north from the edge of Lake Ontario, Yonge Street has been a measure of Toronto’s progress and vitality since its inception, attracting businesses and cultural initiatives that have shaped the city’s identity. Simcoe could not have known what the future would hold, that Yonge Street would become the spine of a thriving city, lined with commercial ambitions, cultural initiatives and architectural expressions of its optimistic spirit.

(Submitted on August 14, 2024, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

3. Construction of Yonge Street National Historic Event.

Begun in 1795, became the main road from Toronto to Georgian Bay.

(Submitted on August 14, 2024, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

Credits. This page was last revised on August 23, 2024. It was originally submitted on August 14, 2024, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 207 times since then and 34 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on August 14, 2024, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.

Yonge Street⎯⎯⎯Rue Yonge

Yonge Street
⎯⎯⎯
Rue Yonge