Nine Mile Portage

Nine Mile Portage. . , By Land and By Water , Early indigenous peoples developed extensive networks of trade and transportation routes connecting today's western Canada via the Great Lakes system and St. Lawrence Valley to the Atlantic Ocean. These ancient routes formed and influenced the location of many roads still in use today. , Ouentironk , Lake Simcoe was called Ouentironk ("Beautiful Water") by the Wendat (Huron) people. The Nine Mile Portage crossed the hunting grounds of the Wendat, Kanien'kehá:ka (Mowhawk) and Ojibwe, among others. , Lake Taronto , French maps replaced Ouentironk with Lac Taronto, from the Mohawks phrase 'tkaronto' or "where there are trees standing in the water" describing the stakes driven into the water of the ancient fish weirs (4500 B.P.) at the north end of the lake (Orillia). The French recorded the existence of the portage on their maps and later renamed the lake to 'lac aux claies', meaning "Lake of Grids (or trellises)" for the ancient fish weirs. , Severn Route , One alternative to the more traditional northern route to Georgian Bay from the Ottawa River was a southern route from Lake Ontario along the "Toronto Carrying Place" to Lake Simcoe. This route continued north through Lake Couchiching to connect with the Severn River flowing out to Georgian Bay. , Hunting Grounds , Just before European contact, the Nine Mile Portage crossed the hunting grounds of the Wendat, Iroquois, and Ojibwa, among others. The word Nottawasaga originates from Nandowa-Sahging, a compound word meaning a place where the Nawdawag (the Mohawks or Iroquois) used to come out. , French Control of Portages , The indigenous routes were first mapped by the French. The French built Fort Rouille (present-day Toronto) to control the portage routes from Lake Ontario to Georgian Bay. , Back to Ottawa Route , After the conquest of New France, the British favoured the French (Ottawa) and Niagara River routes to continue the fur trade. After the American Revolution, the Jay's Treaty of 1796 closed the Niagara route to the British. , Naval Depot , Simcoe knew the Severn River was too treacherous for moving heavy military supplies and that the shifting sands at Wasaga Beach were a problem for ships. Fearing an American attack on Canada, in 1793 Lt. Gov. Simcoe travelled the Lake Simcoe route and across the Severn River system to a harbour at Penetanguishene that he found suitable for a naval depot. , Back to the Portage , Simcoe's choice was to build a road (Yonge Street) from Toronto to Lake Simcoe, then crossing Lake Simcoe to a trail (Penetanguishene Road) leading to the Coldwater River and Lake Huron (Penetanguishene). Although a survey for the road was completed in 1811, War with the Americans broke out in 1812 and the British were forced to reconsider the nine mile portage. , [photo and image captions] , . “Wiidookdaadiwin” , Bronze sculpture by Marlene Hilton Moore comprised of a First Nations figure, a Settler figure, and a birch bark canoe placed at the Simcoe County Museum. Wiidookdaadiwin is an Ojibway word gifted to the Sculpture from The Tri-Council of this area. The word means “working together and helping one another.” , . To Fort Michilimackinac (near present day Sault Ste Marie) via Georgian Bay and Lake Huron. Approximately 480 km/300 miles. [from Nottawasaga Mouth, later Schoonertown (Wasaga Beach)] , . Via Yonge Street to York (Toronto) approximately 50 km/30 miles and thence to Kingston or Fort George (Niagara) [from Fort Gwillimbury (Holland Landing) at south end of Lake Simcoe]