This section of the website is dedicated to the exploration of Toronto’s history. It is not intended to be a comprehensive treatment of the subject; numerous other works have already provided a more detailed analysis. However, we hope that this overview will provide a general understanding of the key factors that have shaped this city, encouraging further research. There are numerous excellent books and web resources on the subject. A list of these resources will be provided on the “links” page.
The overview section provides a concise overview of Toronto’s history, from the time before Europeans arrived, when it was a lakeshore landing used by Natives to access the trail leading to the upper Great Lakes, to the twentieth century. It includes photographs and descriptions of some of Toronto’s historic structures that are still standing, as well as churches, which are similarly dedicated to historic places of worship. The final section, entitled “Biographies,” contains brief biographies of nineteenth-century residents of York County, transcribed from the 1885 book History of Toronto and County of York.