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Founding
In 1793, Lieutenant Governor John Graves Simcoe authorized a garrison on the present site of Fort York, just west of the mouth of Garrison Creek on the north eastern shore of Lake Ontario. Simcoe recognized Toronto was an ideal site for settlement and defence because of its natural harbour and relative longer distance from the United States. Fort York guards the western (at the time of construction, the only) entrance to the docks. Simcoe had decided to make Toronto (at that time called York) the capital of Upper Canada, and the government, the first parliament buildings and the town were established one and a half miles east of the fort (near the foot of the present Parliament Street).
Buildings
Most of the Fort was demolished in the Battle of York, 1813 (see below). This fort was built in 1798 and located to the east of modern day Bathurst Street. The buildings visible now were largely built by Royal Engineers immediately after the war of 1812. It was located on the original fort site west of Bathurst and built during Simcoe's time They are among the oldest buildings in Toronto today:
The War of 1812 and after
During the War of 1812, on April 27, 1813 combined U.S. army and naval forces attacked York from Lake Ontario, overrunning Fort York (see Battle of York). As the British abandoned the fort, they set the powder magazine to blow up, killing and wounding several hundred U.S. soldiers (including General Zebulon Pike, for whom Pikes Peak is named). The explosion was heard as far away as Fort George,citation needed rivaled only by an explosion of black powder the British set off when they were unable to bring with them said powder in their retreat from Corunna under Moore around the same time in the Napoleonic campaign in Europe.citation needed The U.S. destroyed Fort York and burned much of the settlement of York, including the Parliament Buildings during their five–day occupation. They had defeated outnumbered British, Canadian, and First Nations forces, but with the loss of many more men. Following several more U.S. raids over the summer, the British garrison returned to York and rebuilt the fortifications, most of which are still standing today. The rebuilt fort was sufficient to repel a further attempted invasion in 1814.
The British Army occupied Fort York from 1793 to the 1850s and transferred it to Canada, which used it until 1932. However, the City of Toronto owned the Fort from 1903 onwards.
Fort York was used as a military establishment until 1880, and again during the First and Second World Wars.
Artillery
Fort York was defended by cannons on the west, north and south:
- 2 12 pounders - north side
- 1 14 pounder - west side
- 9 12 pounder - south side
Units
Army units stationed at Fort York over the years:
British
- 13th Hussars
- 19th Light Dragoons
- Royal Artillery
- Royal Engineers (Sappers and Miners)
- 1st Regiment of Foot
- 6th Regiment of Foot
- 8th Regiment of Foot - current unit represented at the fort
- 15th Regiment of Foot
- 16th Regiment of Foot
- 17th Regiment of Foot
- 23rd Regiment of Foot
- 24th Regiment of Foot
- 29th Regiment of Foot
- 30th Regiment of Foot
- 32nd Regiment of Foot
- 37th Regiment of Foot
- 41st Regiment of Foot
- 43rd Regiment of Foot
- 47th Regiment of Foot
- 49th Regiment of Foot
- 60th Regiment of Foot
- 66th Regiment of Foot
- 68th Regiment of Foot
- 70th Regiment of Foot
- 71st Regiment of Foot
- 73rd Regiment of Foot
- 76th Regiment of Foot
- 79th Regiment of Foot
- 81st Regiment of Foot
- 82nd Regiment of Foot
- 83rd Regiment of Foot
- 85th Regiment of Foot
- 89th Regiment of Foot
- 92nd Regiment of Foot
- 93rd Regiment of Foot
- 97th Regiment of Foot
- 100th Regiment of Foot
- Rifle Brigade
Canadian Militia
- Royal Newfoundland Regiment
- Glengarry Light Infantry
- Royal Canadian Rifle Regiment
- Queen's Rangers
- Royal Canadian Veteran Battalion
- Royal Canadian Volunteer Regiment
- 3rd Battalion Military Train
- York Militia
- Royal Canadian Dragoons
- HM Canadian Regiment of Fencible Infantry
- 7th Regiment
- 104th Regiment
- 6th Westmeath
- 26th Regiment
- 56th Regiment
- 103rd Regiment
- Royal Fusiliers
- New Brunswick Regiment
- Irish Militia Regiment
- Cameronians Regiment of Foot
- West Essex Regiment of Foot
- Regiment of Foot
- Marine and/Navy
- Canadian Voltigeurs
- Royal Canadian Artillery
- Royal Newfoundland Fencibles
- Military Train
- 2nd Battalion of Provisional Militia
- 3rd Battalion of Provisional Militia
- 6th Battalion of Provisional Militia
- 10th Royal Grenadiers
- 48th Highlanders of Canada
- Durham Militia
- Enrolled Pensioners
- Garrison Battery of Artillery
- Home Guards
- Incorporated Militia
- Queen's Lancers
- Royal Canadian Artillery
- RCA Dragoons
- Toronto Cavalry
- York Militia and Colours
- Toronto Field Battery
Fort York today
Fort York National Historic Site houses Canada's largest collection of original War of 1812 period buildings. The fort, operated as a museum of the City of Toronto, offers casual visitors and booked groups a number of exciting services year round. During the summer months, the site comes alive with the colour and the pageantry of the Fort York Guard and is complimented with tours by professional historical interpreters. In the off-season months, the fort is busy providing educational programs for booked tour groups including school, scout, guide, and day care groups.
Fort York is also known as a site with a fair amount of paranormal activity, which is presumably attributed to its military history (and the associated deaths which took place there when it was attacked on various occasions by American forces during the War of 1812). Visitors have reported peculiar noises on the grounds and in the buildings, as well as sightings of apparitions of soldiers.
In the 1950s Fort York was almost torn down to make way for the Gardiner Expressway, but Highway planners eventually rerouted the elevated highway to the south of the grounds.
The reclaimed land to the south of the fort are also in the process of being developed with new condo towers eventually limiting any possible reconnection with Lake Ontario.
The southwest of Fort York is Fort York Armoury, a two–storey structure occupied by the Canadian Forces Primary Reserve; The Queen's York Rangers, The Royal Regiment of Canada, The Toronto Scottish Regiment (Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother's Own), and the 709 (Toronto) Communication Regiment and formerly 2 Field Engineer Regiment and the 1st Battalion Irish Regiment. The building is a training facility for CF Reservists).
The Armoury was built in 1933 with private funds and boast the largest lattice wood arched roof in Canada. The roof and the funding for the building was made possible by Colonel Since 1995, Fort York has hosted Toronto's Festival of Beer annually.
See also
- Fort Rouillé - The first fort to be established in Toronto (about 1km West of Fort York)
- List of oldest buildings and structures in Toronto
Fort York Redoubt is a cannon battery built by the Royal Navy to protect Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Related links
- fortyork.ca - Friends of Fort York
- New Fort York
- Trinity Bellwoods Park
References
- Historic Fort York 1793-1993 by Carl Benn, National Heritage and National History Incorporated 1993
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