Imagine the year 1793...

The province now called Ontario was known as Upper Canada. Much of the land was forests; roads were few and dreadful. Many people travelled by water on the numerous rivers and lakes but no canals had been built around rapids yet. The population of about 22,000 was scattered over 800 kilometres. Only a few towns had been established such as York (Toronto) and Kingston. The capital was Newark (Niagara-on-the Lake).

A man named John Graves Simcoe has just been appointed Lieutenant-Governor and he hiked all the way from Newark to the forks of the Thames River with his staff of six army officers, a dozen soldiers, twelve Mohawk warriors acting as guides and his family dog, a Newfoundland called Jack Sharp. This web site will tell you more about the history of London, Ontario and the surrounding county of Middlesex.

Welcome!

A Brief History of London to 1855
A Brief History of London: 1855 - 1999