This is the remarkable story of the trail that became the longest street in the world, as officially recognized by The Guinness Book of Records. Begun in 1794, Yonge Street was planned by the ambitious Lieutenant Governor John Graves Simcoe as a military route between Lake Ontario and Lake Huron. Anxious to bolster Upper Canada's defences against the new republic to the south, which he heartily loathed, Simcoe had his Queen's Rangers survey and develop the route from Toronto to present-day Holland Landing, and laid out lots for settlement. Even the trusty Rangers, as one surveyor complained in 1799, needed little excuse to lay down tools and vanish "to carouse upon St. George's day." Handsomely illustrated with the author's drawings, and painstakingly researched, this book captures the not-so-distant days when muddy Yonge Street was the backbone of pioneer Ontario.

This is the remarkable story of the trail that became the longest street in the world, as officially recognized by The Guinness Book of Records. Begun in 1794, Yonge Street was planned by the ambitious Lieutenant Governor John Graves Simcoe as a military route between Lake Ontario and Lake Huron. Anxious to bolster Upper Canada's defences against the new republic to the south, which he heartily loathed, Simcoe had his Queen's Rangers survey and develop the route from Toronto to present-day Holland Landing, and laid out lots for settlement. Even the trusty Rangers, as one surveyor complained in 1799, needed little excuse to lay down tools and vanish "to carouse upon St. George's day." Handsomely illustrated with the author's drawings, and painstakingly researched, this book captures the not-so-distant days when muddy Yonge Street was the backbone of pioneer Ontario.

This important original work with stylish illustrations by the author/artist F.R. (Hamish) Berchem, promises to be a worthy sequel to his earlier book on Yonge Street, The Yonge Street Story 1793-1860 (now out of print). The fascinating story of Yonge Street has involved an endless array of memorable personalities including the young reporter Charles Dickens; publisher J. Ross Robertson; successful Scots merchants John MacDonald, John Catto, Robert Simpson and Irishman Timothy Eaton; coal and wood merchant Elias Rogers; Hessian officer Frederic, Baron de Hoen; theatre magnate Ambrose Small; and soldier, financier, philanthropist Major General Sir Henry Pellatt. This is also the story of some of the communities that dot the northward route of Yonge Street from Toronto - Richmond Hill, Thornhill, Aurora, Newmarket, Holland Landing, Bradford and Penetanguishene, the latter for many years the northern terminus of Yonge Street. Today, as Highway 11, the world’s longest street winds its way through Ontario’s "Near North" to Rainy River, a remarkable tribute to the vision of Lieutenant Governor John Graves Simcoe.

The Toronto Neighbourhoods bundle presents a collection of titles that provide fascinating insight into the history and development of Canada’s largest and most diverse city. Beginning with histories of Canada’s longest street and the early days of what was once called York (The Yonge Street Story, 1793-1860; A City in the Making; Opportunity Road), the titles in the bundle go on to examine the development of particular unique neighbourhoods that help give the city its character (Willowdale, Leaside). Finally, Mark Osbaldeston’s acclaimed, award-winning Unbuilt Toronto and Unbuilt Toronto 2 go beyond history and into the arena of speculation as the author details ambitious and possibly city-changing plans that never came to fruition. For lovers of Toronto, this collection is a bonanza of insights and facts. Includes A City in the Making Leaside Opportunity Road Unbuilt Toronto Unbuilt Toronto 2 Willowdale The Yonge Street Story, 1793-1860

A unique and readable microhistory of an ordinary physician and his community during a period of revolutionary medical change. Duffin bases her insights on a detailed computer-assisted analysis of 40 years of extant daybooks of James Langstaff (1825-1889).

William Wye Smith, Upper Canadian poet and publisher, provided his unique perspective on pioneer life in this compilation of anecdotes from his experiences.

The Yonge Street as conceived by Lieutenant-Governor John Graves Simcoe is celebrated, from its beginning as a First Nation's Trail, to the Yonge Street we know today, extending from Toronto to Innisfil. Augustus Jones, the surveyor assigned by Simcoe, the French, the German pioneers, the Loyalists – all were to influence the building of Yonge Street. With the building of a route came tolls, inns, villages, more immigrants and ultimately an avenue of economy serving as the key transportation route for the people, goods and services that represent our province.

Newmarket, one of the oldest communities in Ontario, was founded on the Upper Canadian frontier in 1801 by Quakers from the United States. Fur traders, entrepreneurs, millers, and many others were soon to follow, some seeking independence, some seeking wealth, and some even seeking freedom from creditors. The community was at the heart of the 1837 Rebellion, found prosperity when a stop on the colonys first railway, and has sent military personnel to every war in Canadas history since the War of 1812. Once a terminal on the street railway from Toronto to Lake Simcoe, Newmarket also bears the remnants of an aborted 19th-century barge canal. It was the seat of the York County government and today is the headquarters for the Region of York. Behind these events and many others that have shaped Newmarket’s history are the people. Tradespeople, the core of the community, aspiring or experienced politicians including Family Compact members, rebels, war heroes, and even a frontier doctor who lived to the age of 118. Here are their stories, all illuminating the early history of Newmarket.

A large tract of land in Niagara-on-the-Lake has witnessed an extraordinarily rich military and political history. It was the site of the first parliament in Upper Canada, saw numerous negotiations between First Nations and early settlers, and was the location of a strategic battle in the War of 1812.

The Toronto Carrying Place trail linked Lake Ontario to Lake Simcoe, and helped shape the development of Ontario. Its influence is still felt today, though much of the original trail is obscured. Glenn Turner guides readers on a three-day journey that reconnects modern-day Toronto with its history, Native heritage, and the natural world.