Birth of Barrie

Birth of Barrie. . , Lake Erie Route Lost in War of 18 12 , War was declared between the United States and Great Britain in June 1812. The Americans took control of Lake Erie in September 1813, cutting off troops and supplies to the British military posts on the Upper Great Lakes and the fur trade shipping routes into the West., Supplies through Fort Willow , The North West Company starting using the nine mile portage as the fastest and safest route away from the Americans. Storehouses were soon built at Willow Creek (now Historic Fort Willow) to hold supplies in transit. , First Buildings on Kempenfelt Bay , In 1814 workmen were sent from Kingston to improve the portage trail and to build boats. A British relief expedition under Lt. Colonel Robert McDouall crossed a frozen Lake Simcoe and followed the portage, widening it as they advanced. Storehouses were built at the head of the bay. , Longer Transport Season , The war ended in December 1814 but the advantages to the portage continued. It was shorter than the Lake Erie or Ottawa River routes and the transport season was longer. Goods could be received at Toronto until the end of October and carried by sleigh up Yonge Street and across Lake Simcoe once it froze. Ice in the Nottawasaga River broke up earlier in the spring than the Ottawa River and there was a place there for wintering vessels. , Gun Powder to Schoonertown , When the naval depot Schoonertown was established upstream from the mouth of the Nottawasaga in late 1815, the portage became the supply route to Schoonertown. , Two years later, Schoonertown was moved to Penetanguishene harbour. The portage was busy with men, equipment, and supplies being transported to the new location. , In 1818 large stores of gun powder, sails, and provisions were shipped. , Birth of Barrie , After the war, development of Penetanguishene Road continued, with lots opening for settlement in 1819. The North West Company continued to use the portage until 1820. By 1824, Alexander Walker was teaming three wagons pulled by oxen across the portage. He was the first settler at Barrie, marking the origins of the City we know today. , In 1830, the road between Orillia and Coldwater opened, giving better access to Georgian Bay, and British use of the portage ended. , The Nine Mile Portage Heritage Trail , This recreational route was opened in 2003 to allow people to experience the roughly 15 kilometre overland crossing that has connected people and goods for millennia, beginning in Memorial Square. , Indigenous Use of Portage in 1815 , Diary entry dated May 26, 1815, of witnessed account of an indigenous family of six using the nine mile portage:

"The ...(man) and his family were on their route to Lake Huron (from the head of Kempenfelt Bay), and they had now eight miles to travel to the Notawasorga River, all which distance it was necessary to carry the canoe... The canoe once poised, was nearly horizontal, and on he marched, caring little for the weight. Before he set off, however, the ...(woman) stuck his gun and the fish spear under the thwarts, and then made up her own bundle. She carried, this, much in the same way, by means of a forehead strap; and on the top of it the little...(baby) rode upon its (cradle) board, having been first safely tied by the little girl, with strips of bark, so that it could not possible fall off. The three children brought up the rear, and the whole party soon disappeared."

Head, George (1829). Forest Scenes and Incidents, in the Wilds of North America: ... J. Murray, p300-302.