Huron Tract
Encyclopedia
The Huron Tract Purchase also known as the Huron Block, registered as Crown Treaty Number 29, is a large area of land in southwestern Ontario bordering on Lake Huron
to the west and Lake Erie
to the east. The area spans the counties of Huron, Perth, Middlesex and present day Lambton County, Ontario
in the Province of Ontario.
The Huron Tract was purchased by the Canada Company, an agent of the British government, to be distributed to colonial settlers of Upper Canada
. Influenced by William "Tiger" Dunlop, John Galt
and other businessmen formed the Canada Company
. The Canada Company bought one million acres (4,000 km2) of land west of the then London district and called it the Huron Tract. The Canada Company was the administrative agent for the Huron Tract.
An Act of Parliament in 1825 incorporated the Canada Company
with the Huron Tract settlement objective as its primary goal. The Canada Company received its Charter in 1826, ceased business in 1951 and was dissolved in December 1953. The administration of the Huron Tract demonstrates the uniquely North American tendency to allocate to private enterprise, functions which would normally have been the Crown prerogative in Britain. Nevertheless, private enterprise and the ruling elite never quite separated in the case of the Huron Tract, the Canada Company and the Family Compact
being almost synonymous until after the Rebellions of 1837
.
For 5000 years groups of 25 to 250 Huron, Algonquin and the Ojibwa
historically used this land as tribal summer homes for communal fishing and hunting. To protect their way of life, the tribes led explorers north along the Nippissing Passageway. The waterways of Magnetawan River
were the traditional access routes to Georgian Bay
and the Ottawa River
. Outside the Long Wood Purchase, the Crown wished also to purchase a larger tract of land known as the Huron Tract. The Chippewas of Chenail Ecarte, the Ausable River, and St. Clair River negotiated with John Askin, then Superintendent of Indian Affairs, for this tract.
The practice of distribution of Upper Canada land through government agencies began with John Graves Simcoe
, first Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada toward the end of the 18th century. In an attempt to discourage speculation and distribute land according to the prevailing paradigm, Upper Canada was divided into three separate categories: crown, clergy and township. 19 counties where identified with townships contained 200 acre (0.809372 km²) lots with concession roads.
While the land distribution scheme of John Graves Simcoe
worked well for a few years, the issues of settlement became more complex and required more land. Moreover, the issue of Clergy Reserves became a controversial issue. Efforts to streamline the land distribution process resulted in the private enterprise Canada Company, while the Crown pursued the purchase of more Native land resulting in the Huron Tract among others.
The Huron Tract townships were:
The inclusion of the portions of land known as the Clergy Reserves were the most controversial and were cause for concern in the colony where the decisions about the Huron Tract had been made in isolation in Britain. The Family Compact
and the Anglican Church in Canada led by Bishop John Strachan
opposed this inclusion. After much lobbying, the influential Bishop was able to return the lands to the Church. One of the seeds of discontent that led to the Rebellion of 1837 was sown in this decision.
Directors Edward Ellice
, Simon McGillivrary, Hart Logan and Henry Usborne
, had lived in Canada at various times.
Edward Stanley
, the 14th Earl of Derby visited Canada in 1824.
The following townships were named for Canada Company Provisional Committee members of 1824.
The conditions of sale for land in the Huron Tract were open to interpretation. Sir John Robinson, 1st Baronet, of Toronto
, an important member of the 9th Parliament of Upper Canada
, felt that those persons who automatically became American citizens after 1783 should be required to renounce their American citizenship to qualify as a Loyalist. The opposition, the Colborne Clique, had a different opinion and were able to sway a victory in defiance of the Family Compact
and Sir John Robinson's position. This issue is one of many that lead to the Rebellion of 1837. Another issue pertinent to the conditions of sale, was who qualified for the Government free grants and who did not.
Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada.
In 1841, the Huron Tract was 1200000 acres (4,856.2 km²) with another parcel about to be added that would take the total to over 1.7 million acres (6,900 km2). The Huron Tract would eventually total 2756960 acres (11,157 km²).
William "Tiger" Dunlop describes the land as loamy, or, sandy loam with a limestone gravel on the verge of the lakes. The whole of the area is characterised as covered with considerable vegetable mold. Dunlop also describes the bedrock as a recent formation of limestone varied with sandstone.
in red, silver and gray were visible. Pyrite
or fools gold could be seen embedded in clay slate
, particularly at Kettle Point.
. Although very little of the originally heavily forested area still stand, some isolated pockets of the old forest remain. They consist of eastern white pine
, eastern hemlock
, yellow birch
, red pine
, sugar maple
, Quercus rubra(red oak), bassword and white elm. Historically, the southwest area of the Huron Tract contained a small portion of Carolinian forest
or deciduous trees.
A large cedar swamp was located in the townships of Ellice, Logan, McKillop, terminating in Hullett.
The largest area is known as the Ellice Swamp
and the Gads Hill Swamp. Both are located between Milverton and Stratford Ontario. Ellice Swamp is 2504 acres (1,013.3 ha). Gad Hill Swamp is 1741 acres (704.6 ha). Ellice and Gads Hill are primarily owned by the Upper Thames River Conservation Authority
; the northern section of Ellice Swamp being owned by the Grand River Conservation Authority
A smaller area is known as Hullet Swamp or Hullett Provincial Wildlife Area. Currently the Hullett Provincial Wildlife Area is 2200 hectares (5,436.3 acre) along the South Maitland River in the heart of Huron County.
is a Class 2 Provincially Significant wetland. Of other interest in the area are the Class 1 wetland Dorchester Swamp, the Class 2 wetland Sifton Bog
and Golspie Swamp.
Lake Huron
Lake Huron is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. Hydrologically, it comprises the larger portion of Lake Michigan-Huron. It is bounded on the east by the Canadian province of Ontario and on the west by the state of Michigan in the United States...
to the west and Lake Erie
Lake Erie
Lake Erie is the fourth largest lake of the five Great Lakes in North America, and the tenth largest globally. It is the southernmost, shallowest, and smallest by volume of the Great Lakes and therefore also has the shortest average water residence time. It is bounded on the north by the...
to the east. The area spans the counties of Huron, Perth, Middlesex and present day Lambton County, Ontario
Lambton County, Ontario
Lambton County is a census division of the Canadian province of Ontario. The county is located in Southwestern Ontario. It is bordered on the north by Lake Huron, which flows into the St. Clair River, the county's western border and part of the Canada-United States border. To the south is Lake...
in the Province of Ontario.
The Huron Tract was purchased by the Canada Company, an agent of the British government, to be distributed to colonial settlers of Upper Canada
Upper Canada
The Province of Upper Canada was a political division in British Canada established in 1791 by the British Empire to govern the central third of the lands in British North America and to accommodate Loyalist refugees from the United States of America after the American Revolution...
. Influenced by William "Tiger" Dunlop, John Galt
John Galt
John Galt was a Scottish novelist, entrepreneur, and political and social commenter. Because he was the first novelist to deal with issues of the industrial revolution, he has been called the first political novelist in the English language.-Life:Born in Irvine, North Ayrshire, Scotland, Galt was...
and other businessmen formed the Canada Company
Canada Company
The Canada Company was a large private chartered British land development company, incorporated by an act of British parliament on July 27, 1825, to aid the colonization of Upper Canada. Canada Company assisted emigrants by providing good ships, low fares, implements and tools,and inexpensive land....
. The Canada Company bought one million acres (4,000 km2) of land west of the then London district and called it the Huron Tract. The Canada Company was the administrative agent for the Huron Tract.
An Act of Parliament in 1825 incorporated the Canada Company
Canada Company
The Canada Company was a large private chartered British land development company, incorporated by an act of British parliament on July 27, 1825, to aid the colonization of Upper Canada. Canada Company assisted emigrants by providing good ships, low fares, implements and tools,and inexpensive land....
with the Huron Tract settlement objective as its primary goal. The Canada Company received its Charter in 1826, ceased business in 1951 and was dissolved in December 1953. The administration of the Huron Tract demonstrates the uniquely North American tendency to allocate to private enterprise, functions which would normally have been the Crown prerogative in Britain. Nevertheless, private enterprise and the ruling elite never quite separated in the case of the Huron Tract, the Canada Company and the Family Compact
Family Compact
Fully developed after the War of 1812, the Compact lasted until Upper and Lower Canada were united in 1841. In Lower Canada, its equivalent was the Château Clique. The influence of the Family Compact on the government administration at different levels lasted to the 1880s...
being almost synonymous until after the Rebellions of 1837
Rebellions of 1837
The Rebellions of 1837 were a pair of Canadian armed uprisings that occurred in 1837 and 1838 in response to frustrations in political reform. A key shared goal was the allowance of responsible government, which was eventually achieved in the incident's aftermath.-Rebellions:The rebellions started...
.
Historic Origins
Ojibwa
The Ojibwe or Chippewa are among the largest groups of Native Americans–First Nations north of Mexico. They are divided between Canada and the United States. In Canada, they are the third-largest population among First Nations, surpassed only by Cree and Inuit...
historically used this land as tribal summer homes for communal fishing and hunting. To protect their way of life, the tribes led explorers north along the Nippissing Passageway. The waterways of Magnetawan River
Magnetawan River
The Magnetawan River is a river in Parry Sound District, Ontario, Canada, which flows 175 km from Magnetawan Lake inside Algonquin Provincial Park to empty into Georgian Bay at the community of Britt on Byng Inlet....
were the traditional access routes to Georgian Bay
Georgian Bay
Georgian Bay is a large bay of Lake Huron, located entirely within Ontario, Canada...
and the Ottawa River
Ottawa River
The Ottawa River is a river in the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. For most of its length, it now defines the border between these two provinces.-Geography:...
. Outside the Long Wood Purchase, the Crown wished also to purchase a larger tract of land known as the Huron Tract. The Chippewas of Chenail Ecarte, the Ausable River, and St. Clair River negotiated with John Askin, then Superintendent of Indian Affairs, for this tract.
The practice of distribution of Upper Canada land through government agencies began with John Graves Simcoe
John Graves Simcoe
John Graves Simcoe was a British army officer and the first Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada from 1791–1796. Then frontier, this was modern-day southern Ontario and the watersheds of Georgian Bay and Lake Superior...
, first Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada toward the end of the 18th century. In an attempt to discourage speculation and distribute land according to the prevailing paradigm, Upper Canada was divided into three separate categories: crown, clergy and township. 19 counties where identified with townships contained 200 acre (0.809372 km²) lots with concession roads.
While the land distribution scheme of John Graves Simcoe
John Graves Simcoe
John Graves Simcoe was a British army officer and the first Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada from 1791–1796. Then frontier, this was modern-day southern Ontario and the watersheds of Georgian Bay and Lake Superior...
worked well for a few years, the issues of settlement became more complex and required more land. Moreover, the issue of Clergy Reserves became a controversial issue. Efforts to streamline the land distribution process resulted in the private enterprise Canada Company, while the Crown pursued the purchase of more Native land resulting in the Huron Tract among others.
Purchase Origins
The Huron Tract consisted of two major purchases by the Canada Company. First, was a sizable tract of land in western Canada known as the Huron Tract; 1000000 acres (4,046.9 km²) over a twenty year period. The second tract, the Crown Reserves not leased in townships surveyed before March 1, 1824, completed the project. From the land bordering the Lake Huron, the following were selected by the First Nation Chiefs as reserved for their exclusive use:- Upper Reserve on the St. Clair RiverSt. Clair RiverThe St. Clair River is a river in central North America which drains Lake Huron into Lake St Clair, forming part of the international boundary between the Canadian province of Ontario and the U.S. state of Michigan...
(Sarnia) 10280 acres (41.6 km²) - Lower Reserve on the St. Clair RiverSt. Clair RiverThe St. Clair River is a river in central North America which drains Lake Huron into Lake St Clair, forming part of the international boundary between the Canadian province of Ontario and the U.S. state of Michigan...
(Moore Township) 2575 acres (10.4 km²) - Mouth of the River aux Sable on Lake Huron 2650 acres (10.7 km²)
- Kettle Point on Lake HuronLake HuronLake Huron is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. Hydrologically, it comprises the larger portion of Lake Michigan-Huron. It is bounded on the east by the Canadian province of Ontario and on the west by the state of Michigan in the United States...
2446 acres (9.9 km²).
The Huron Tract townships were:
The inclusion of the portions of land known as the Clergy Reserves were the most controversial and were cause for concern in the colony where the decisions about the Huron Tract had been made in isolation in Britain. The Family Compact
Family Compact
Fully developed after the War of 1812, the Compact lasted until Upper and Lower Canada were united in 1841. In Lower Canada, its equivalent was the Château Clique. The influence of the Family Compact on the government administration at different levels lasted to the 1880s...
and the Anglican Church in Canada led by Bishop John Strachan
John Strachan
John Strachan was an influential figure in Upper Canada and the first Anglican Bishop of Toronto.-Early life:Strachan was the youngest of six children born to a quarry worker in Aberdeen, Scotland. He graduated from King's College, Aberdeen in 1797...
opposed this inclusion. After much lobbying, the influential Bishop was able to return the lands to the Church. One of the seeds of discontent that led to the Rebellion of 1837 was sown in this decision.
Township Name Provenance
The Huron Tract was divided into 21 townships in 1824. Five townships were named for senior members of the British government: Colborne, Goderich, Hay, Stanley and Stephen. The remaining townships were named for members of the Canada Company Provisional Committee. The exception is Easthope Townships which were divided into North and South, as it was felt that the original division was too large. The original surveys were conducted by Deputy Provincial Surveyor John McDonald, although Goderich Township was surveyed by Deputy Provincial Surveyor David Gibson.Directors Edward Ellice
Edward Ellice (merchant)
Edward Ellice the Elder , known in his time as the "Bear", was a British merchant and politician. He was a Director of the Hudson's Bay Company and a prime mover behind the Reform Bill of 1832....
, Simon McGillivrary, Hart Logan and Henry Usborne
Henry Usborne
Henry Charles Usborne was a British Labour politician who defected to the Liberals.Henry Usborne was born in Leamington, Warwickshuire, educated at Bradfield College and read Engineering at Cambridge....
, had lived in Canada at various times.
Edward Stanley
Edward Smith-Stanley, 14th Earl of Derby
Edward George Geoffrey Smith-Stanley, 14th Earl of Derby, KG, PC was an English statesman, three times Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, and to date the longest serving leader of the Conservative Party. He was known before 1834 as Edward Stanley, and from 1834 to 1851 as Lord Stanley...
, the 14th Earl of Derby visited Canada in 1824.
The following townships were named for Canada Company Provisional Committee members of 1824.
- BiddulphBiddulphBiddulph is a town in Staffordshire, England, north of Stoke-on-Trent and south east of Congleton, Cheshire.-Origin of the name:Biddulph's name may come from Anglo-Saxon bī dylfe = "beside the pit or quarry"...
Township for Robert BiddulphRobert Biddulph (MP)Robert Biddulph was a British Whig Member of Parliament.Biddulph was the son of John Biddulph, of Ledbury, Herefordshire, and his wife Augusta . He sat as Member of Parliament for Hereford between 1832 and 1837 and also served as a Justice of the Peace and Deputy Lieutenant of Herefordshire...
. - BosanquetBosanquet, OntarioBosanquet is a former township of Lambton County in Ontario, Canada located northeast of Sarnia.-Geography and history:Home to Native Americans for thousands of years, the first Europeans settled on the lakeshore in the early 19th century. It would not be until later in the century when the Grand...
Township for Charles BosanquetCharles BosanquetCharles Bosanquet was born at Forest House, Essex, the second son of Samuel Bosanquet and Eleanor Hunter. He married Charlotte Anne Holford on 1 June, 1796 and fathered seven children, three of whom survived him....
. - Colborne Township for Sir John Colborne (later John Colborne, 1st Baron SeatonJohn Colborne, 1st Baron SeatonField Marshal John Colborne, 1st Baron Seaton, GCB, GCMG, GCH, PC was a British field marshal and colonial governor.-Early service:...
). - DownieDownieDownie is a surname of Irish origin. It is an Anglicisation of the Old Irish Ó Dunadhaigh, combining the Gaelic prefix Ó and Dunadhach, the keeper of a fort.* Alex Downie* Becky Downie...
Township for Robert DownieRobert DownieRobert Downie VC, MM was a Scottish recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.-World War I:...
, MP. - EasthopeEasthopeEasthope is a small village and small civil parish in Shropshire, England.Wenlock Edge passes through the parish, to the northwest of the village, along which is Easthope Wood...
Township (North & South) for Sir John Easthope, MP. - ElliceElliceEllice is a former provincial electoral division in the Canadian province of Manitoba. It was created by redistribution in 1979 and eliminated in 1989.The riding was located in west-central Winnipeg, in the area of the future Minto and St...
Township for Edward ElliceEdward Ellice (merchant)Edward Ellice the Elder , known in his time as the "Bear", was a British merchant and politician. He was a Director of the Hudson's Bay Company and a prime mover behind the Reform Bill of 1832....
, MP. - FullartonFullartonFullarton is a small area in Irvine, North Ayrshire. It is situated close to Irvine Bay and is next to several industral estates, large supermarkets and retail stores and the town centre itself. Stagecoach Western buses operate the local bus services in the area...
Township for John FullartonJohn FullartonJohn Fullarton , of Greenhall, Argyll, was a Scottish clergyman and nonjurant Episcopal Bishop of Edinburgh between 1720 and 1727.-Origins:... - GoderichGoderich, OntarioGoderich is a town in the Canadian province of Ontario and is the county seat of Huron County. The town was founded by William "Tiger" Dunlop in 1827. First laid out in 1828, the town is named after Frederick John Robinson, 1st Viscount Goderich, who was British prime minister at the time. The town...
Township for Frederick John Robinson, created Viscount Goderich of Nocton. - HibbertHibbertHibbert is a surname, and may refer to:* Carlton Hibbert, English drummer* Christopher Hibbert, historian and biographer* Dale Hibbert, musician * David Hibbert, English football striker* Edward Hibbert, American actor...
Township for William T. Hibbert - Hullet Township for John Hullet
- Logan Township for Hart Logan
- McGillivary Township for Simon McGillivary
- Stanley Township for Edward StanleyEdward Smith-Stanley, 14th Earl of DerbyEdward George Geoffrey Smith-Stanley, 14th Earl of Derby, KG, PC was an English statesman, three times Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, and to date the longest serving leader of the Conservative Party. He was known before 1834 as Edward Stanley, and from 1834 to 1851 as Lord Stanley...
,MP - StephenStephenStephen or Steven is a masculine first name, derived from the Greek name Στέφανος meaning "crown, garland", in turn from the Greek word "στέφανος", meaning "wreath, crown, honour, reward", literally "that which surrounds or encompasses". In ancient Greece a wreath was given to the winner of a...
Township for James Stephen,MP - Williams Township for William Williams,MP
- Ushborne Township for Henry Ushborne
- Blanshard Township was named for Richard BlanshardRichard BlanshardRichard Blanshard MA was an English barrister and first governor of the Colony of Vancouver Island from its foundation in 1849 to his resignation in 1851....
, Canada Company Provisional Committee members of 1829. - HayHayHay is grass, legumes or other herbaceous plants that have been cut, dried, and stored for use as animal fodder, particularly for grazing livestock such as cattle, horses, goats, and sheep. Hay is also fed to pets such as rabbits and guinea pigs...
Township was named for Robert William Hay, 2nd undersecretary of state for colonies (1825) and later Permanent undersecretary for the North American department 1828 - 1836.
Conditions of Sale for Parcels of Land
No person, except United Englishmen, Loyalists (on the separation of the United States from Great Britain, those who preserved their allegiance to the British Crown and fled to Canada, were entitled to 200 acres of land each, by Act of Parliament), or those entitled by existing regulations to the Government free grants, can obtain any of the waste Crown lands otherwise than by purchase. The sales take place under the direction of a Commissioner on the first and third Tuesday of every month in the different districts. The lands are put at an upset price, of which notice is given at the time of advertising the sale, and the conditions are one-fourth of the purchase-money paid down; the remainder at three equal annual instalments, with interest at 6 percent, payable on and with each instalment: when this is completed, a patent for the lands is issued, free of charge.
The conditions of sale for land in the Huron Tract were open to interpretation. Sir John Robinson, 1st Baronet, of Toronto
Sir John Robinson, 1st Baronet, of Toronto
Sir John Beverley Robinson, 1st Baronet CB, was a lawyer, judge and political figure in Upper Canada.Robinson was born in 1791 at Berthier, Lower Canada, the son of Christopher Robinson, a United Empire Loyalist of one of the First Families of Virginia, whose grandfather came there in 1641 as...
, an important member of the 9th Parliament of Upper Canada
9th Parliament of Upper Canada
The 9th Parliament of Upper Canada was opened 11 January 1825. Elections in Upper Canada had been held in July 1824. All sessions were held at York, Upper Canada...
, felt that those persons who automatically became American citizens after 1783 should be required to renounce their American citizenship to qualify as a Loyalist. The opposition, the Colborne Clique, had a different opinion and were able to sway a victory in defiance of the Family Compact
Family Compact
Fully developed after the War of 1812, the Compact lasted until Upper and Lower Canada were united in 1841. In Lower Canada, its equivalent was the Château Clique. The influence of the Family Compact on the government administration at different levels lasted to the 1880s...
and Sir John Robinson's position. This issue is one of many that lead to the Rebellion of 1837. Another issue pertinent to the conditions of sale, was who qualified for the Government free grants and who did not.
Plaque
Pioneers of the Huron Tract 1828-1928Commemorating the life work of the men who opened the roads, felled the forests, builded the farmsteads, tilled the fields, reaped the harvests—and of the women who made the homes, bore the children, nursed them, reared them, brightened and ennobled domestic life in the Huron Tract during a hundred years.
Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada.
Related Plaques
- Colonel Anthony Van Egmond 1778-1838 (Anthony Van EgmondAnthony Van EgmondAnthony Van Egmond, born Antonij Jacobi Willem Gijben before coming to North America, was purportedly a Dutch Napoleonic War veteran...
) - The Founding of Goderich (Goderich, OntarioGoderich, OntarioGoderich is a town in the Canadian province of Ontario and is the county seat of Huron County. The town was founded by William "Tiger" Dunlop in 1827. First laid out in 1828, the town is named after Frederick John Robinson, 1st Viscount Goderich, who was British prime minister at the time. The town...
) - Thomas Mercer Jones 1795-1868 (Thomas Mercer JonesThomas Mercer JonesThomas Mercer Jones was an English-born administrator who arrived in Upper Canada in the 1820s and was employed as a commissioner of the Canada Company based in Goderich. A series of internal conflicts led to his dismissal in 1852. He died in Toronto.- External links :*...
) - "Tiger" Dunlop 1792-1848 (William "Tiger" Dunlop)
- The Founding of Bayfield (Bayfield, OntarioBayfield, OntarioBayfield, is a community located within the Municipality of Bluewater, Ontario, Canada on the eastern shore of Lake Huron, situated at the mouth of Bayfield River....
) - Fryfogel's Inn 1845, Neoclassical architecture Huron Road, Huron Tract.
- The Wilberforce Settlement 1830 (Wilberforce ColonyWilberforce ColonyWilberforce Colony was a colony established by free American Black citizens, founded at the end of the second decade of the 19th century north of present day London, Ontario, Canada. This was one of several movements initially growing from or sympathetic to the American Colonization Society,...
)
Geography
William "Tiger" Dunlop describes the land as loamy, or, sandy loam with a limestone gravel on the verge of the lakes. The whole of the area is characterised as covered with considerable vegetable mold. Dunlop also describes the bedrock as a recent formation of limestone varied with sandstone.
Minerals
Lakeshores featured detached masses of rock of the Serpentine group. GraniteGranite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
in red, silver and gray were visible. Pyrite
Pyrite
The mineral pyrite, or iron pyrite, is an iron sulfide with the formula FeS2. This mineral's metallic luster and pale-to-normal, brass-yellow hue have earned it the nickname fool's gold because of its resemblance to gold...
or fools gold could be seen embedded in clay slate
Slate
Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. The result is a foliated rock in which the foliation may not correspond to the original sedimentary layering...
, particularly at Kettle Point.
Rivers
The major rivers within the Huron Tract are:- Thames River (Ontario)Thames River (Ontario)The Thames River is located in southwestern Ontario, Canada.The Thames flows west through southwestern Ontario, through the cities of Woodstock, London and Chatham to Lighthouse Cove on Lake St. Clair...
- Bayfield RiverBayfield RiverThe Bayfield River is a river in Huron and Perth Counties in southwestern Ontario, Canada, that empties into Lake Huron at the community of Bayfield in the municipality of Bluewater....
- Maitland RiverMaitland RiverThe Maitland River is a river in southwestern Ontario, Canada, which empties into Lake Huron in the town of Goderich, Ontario. The river is 150 km in length....
- Nith RiverNith RiverThe Nith River is a river in Brant, Oxford and Perth Counties and the Regional Municipality of Waterloo in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. The Nith River empties into the Grand River at the town of Paris, and is named after the River Nith in Scotland....
- St. Clair RiverSt. Clair RiverThe St. Clair River is a river in central North America which drains Lake Huron into Lake St Clair, forming part of the international boundary between the Canadian province of Ontario and the U.S. state of Michigan...
- Ausable River (Lake Huron)
Land Features
The ecozone of the former Huron Tract is Mixedwood PlainsMixedwood Plains
The Mixedwood Plains Ecozone is the Canadian ecozone with the most southerly extent, covering all of southwestern Ontario, and parts of central and northeastern Ontario and southern Quebec along the Saint Lawrence River...
. Although very little of the originally heavily forested area still stand, some isolated pockets of the old forest remain. They consist of eastern white pine
Eastern White Pine
Pinus strobus, commonly known as the eastern white pine, is a large pine native to eastern North America, occurring from Newfoundland west to Minnesota and southeastern Manitoba, and south along the Appalachian Mountains to the northern edge of Georgia.It is occasionally known as simply white pine,...
, eastern hemlock
Eastern Hemlock
Tsuga canadensis, also known as eastern or Canadian hemlock, and in the French-speaking regions of Canada as pruche du Canada, is a coniferous tree native to eastern North America. It ranges from northeastern Minnesota eastward through southern Quebec to Nova Scotia, and south in the Appalachian...
, yellow birch
Yellow Birch
Betula alleghaniensis , is a species of birch native to eastern North America, from Newfoundland to Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, southern Quebec and Ontario, and the southeast corner of Manitoba in Canada, west to Minnesota, and south in the Appalachian Mountains to northern Georgia.It is a...
, red pine
Red Pine
Pinus resinosa, commonly known as the red pine or Norway pine, is pine native to North America. The Red Pine occurs from Newfoundland west to Manitoba, and south to Pennsylvania, with several smaller, disjunct populations occurring in the Appalachian Mountains in Virginia and West Virginia, as well...
, sugar maple
Sugar Maple
Acer saccharum is a species of maple native to the hardwood forests of northeastern North America, from Nova Scotia west to southern Ontario, and south to Georgia and Texas...
, Quercus rubra(red oak), bassword and white elm. Historically, the southwest area of the Huron Tract contained a small portion of Carolinian forest
Carolinian forest
The Carolinian forest is a life zone in eastern North America characterized primarily by a predominance of deciduous, or broad-leaf trees. The term "Carolinian forest" is used primarily in Canada...
or deciduous trees.
A large cedar swamp was located in the townships of Ellice, Logan, McKillop, terminating in Hullett.
The largest area is known as the Ellice Swamp
Ellice Swamp
Ellice Swamp is a large woodlot in Perth, Ontario.Historically, it was known as Ellice Huckleberry Swamp and was part of the Huron Tract administered by the Canada Company. The wetland is 100% palustrine with 100% organic substrates....
and the Gads Hill Swamp. Both are located between Milverton and Stratford Ontario. Ellice Swamp is 2504 acres (1,013.3 ha). Gad Hill Swamp is 1741 acres (704.6 ha). Ellice and Gads Hill are primarily owned by the Upper Thames River Conservation Authority
Upper Thames River Conservation Authority
The Upper Thames River Conservation Authority is a body based in London, Ontario, Canada. It was created in 1947. It was responsible for the construction of the Fanshawe Dam, completed in the 1950s, to control flooding from the Thames River, which runs through London. During the last ice age, the...
; the northern section of Ellice Swamp being owned by the Grand River Conservation Authority
A smaller area is known as Hullet Swamp or Hullett Provincial Wildlife Area. Currently the Hullett Provincial Wildlife Area is 2200 hectares (5,436.3 acre) along the South Maitland River in the heart of Huron County.
Environmental Significance
The former Huron Tract was once home to significant wetlands, swamps and one of the largest deer yards in Ontario. Presently 3.4% of the former Huron Tract is wetland. Ellice SwampEllice Swamp
Ellice Swamp is a large woodlot in Perth, Ontario.Historically, it was known as Ellice Huckleberry Swamp and was part of the Huron Tract administered by the Canada Company. The wetland is 100% palustrine with 100% organic substrates....
is a Class 2 Provincially Significant wetland. Of other interest in the area are the Class 1 wetland Dorchester Swamp, the Class 2 wetland Sifton Bog
Sifton bog
The Sifton Bog is a wetland jointly administered by the city of London, Ontario and the Upper Thames River Conservation Authority. It is located west of Hyde Park Road and south of Oxford Street inside the city limits of London...
and Golspie Swamp.
Conservation Authorities
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- Maitland Valley Conservation Authority
- Ausable Bayfield Conservation Authority
- Upper Thames River Conservation AuthorityUpper Thames River Conservation AuthorityThe Upper Thames River Conservation Authority is a body based in London, Ontario, Canada. It was created in 1947. It was responsible for the construction of the Fanshawe Dam, completed in the 1950s, to control flooding from the Thames River, which runs through London. During the last ice age, the...
- St. Clair Region Conservation AuthoritySt. Clair Region Conservation AuthorityThe St. Clair Region Conservation Authority is a conservation authority in the province of Ontario. It is headquartered in Strathroy, Ontario. The conservation authority's jurisdiction covers all of the waterways that feed into the St. Clair River....
See also
- List of cities and towns of Upper Canada
- The CanadasThe CanadasThe Canadas is the collective name for Upper Canada and Lower Canada, two British colonies in Canada. They were both created by the Constitutional Act of 1791 and abolished in 1841 with the union of Upper and Lower Canada....
- Former colonies and territories in CanadaFormer colonies and territories in CanadaFormer colonies, territories, boundaries, and claims in Canada prior to the current classification of provinces and territories. In North America, ethnographers commonly classify Aboriginals into ten geographical regions with shared cultural traits and by related linguistic dialects...
- Timeline of Ontario historyTimeline of Ontario historyOntario came into being as a province of Canada in 1867 but histoarians use the term to cover its entire history. This article also covers the history of the territory Ontario now occupies....
External links
- Library and Archives Canada: From Colony to Country: A Reader's Guide to Canadian Military History
- Archives of Ontario, Canada Company Fonds.
- Ausable Bayfield Conservation Authority
- Maitland Valley Conservation Authority
- Upper Thames River Conservation Authority
- St. Clair Region Conservation Authority official website
- Hullett Marsh
- Canada. "No. 29" in Indian treaties and surrenders, from 1680 to 1890. (Ottawa : B. Chamberlin, 1891)
- Atlas of Canada: Map of the Area of the 10 July 1827 Treaty (Huron Tract Purchase)
