Simcoe Day – Sir John Graves Simcoe and the Scarborough Bluffs
Today is the Civic Holiday, or Simcoe Day as it is called in Toronto. Sir John Graves Simcoe is an important man in the history of our province and our city. Had Sir John Graves Simcoe not implemented many of the important policies he did during his short tenure as our first Lieutenant Governor, our province and country may have taken a very different shape.
As Lt. Governor, Simcoe moved the capital of Upper Canada to York, later Toronto and ordered the establishment of Fort York to defend it from possible invasion from the United States, whose army he’d known well from his time as a British Officer during the Revolutionary War. As Lt. Governor, Simcoe made Upper Canada the first jurisdiction in the British Empire to outlaw slavery. He also brought Upper Canada it’s courts, modern trials, english common law, and laid plans to develop much of our early infrastructure.
His establishment of Fort York was essential to Upper Canada’s naval defense during the War of 1812. The fall of Fort York in 1813 and the looting and burning of York undertaken by American troops was deemed justification for Britain’s burning of Washington DC in 1814.
Simcoe sent surveyors to survey the lands of other townships, including Glasgow, the settlement that would later be known as Scarborough after his wife, Lady Simcoe set eyes on the mighty cliffs that mark Scarborough’s shores. They reminded her of Scarborough England, she recorded in her diary, and later pressured her husband into changing it’s name. Those diary entries kept by Lady Simcoe have given scores of Ontarians that followed a window into life in colonial York and Upper Canada.
The Scarborough Bluffs are something I’ve often written about, and yesterday afternoon I took advantage of the beautiful weather and the long weekend by taking a walk from approximately Jack Miner School just East of Galloway Road to the Bellamy ravine – where I climbed back up. Along the way I took many pictures of the cliffs, whose image has changed much in my lifetime, and I suspect would not be recognizable to Lady Simcoe, but are nonetheless a truly magical gem we’re so lucky to have in our City.
I took over 100 pictures of various things I saw along my way, and will share others in due time. Today’s pictures are of the beauty of the cliffs, and the realities of erosion along the bluffs.
I hope everyone enjoys Simcoe Day, and takes a moment to imagine what life would have been like when all of our City was as natural and overgrown as the Scarborough Bluffs remain today. I know I can’t help but do this when surrounded by the beauty of the Scarborough Bluffs, a natural environment I will continue to fight with residents of Guildwood to preserve.
Video of Sight and Sound of the Scarborough Bluffs from the foot of Sylvan Park
Scarborough Bluffs – Guildwood – By Galloway
Scarborough Bluffs - Guildwood – By Galloway
Scarborough Bluffs – Guildwood
Scarborough Bluffs – Guildwood
Scarborough Bluffs – Guildwood: Erosion’s Impact on a Tree
Scarborough Bluffs – Guildwood – Facing East
Scarborough Bluffs – Guildwood – Erosion
Scarborough Bluffs – Guildwood – Mud Slide from Erosion
Scarborough Bluffs – Guildwood – Bluff Clay Drying after Erosion
Scarborough Bluffs – Guildwood – Bigfoot Lives!
Scarborough Bluffs – Guildwood – Water runoff from Erosion
Scarborough Bluffs – Guildwood – Sylvan Park Beach
Scarborough Bluffs – Guildwood – Erosion
Scarborough Bluffs – Guildwood – Erosion
Scarborough Bluffs – Guildwood – Water runoff
Scarborough Bluffs – Guildwood – Impact of water
Scarborough Bluffs – Guildwood – More Erosion water runoff
Scarborough Bluffs – Guildwood – More Erosion water runoff
.Scarborough Bluffs – Cathedral Bluffs
Scarborough Bluffs – Guildwood – From Sylvan Park
Tags: Elizabeth Simcoe, Galloway Park, Guildwood, Guildwood Park, Lady Simcoe, Scarborough, Scarborough Bluffs, Scarborough Bluffs Erosion, Scarborough Cliffs, Simcoe Day, Sir John Graves Simcoe, South Marine Park, Sylvan Park
August 3rd, 2009 at 12:24 pm
Simcoe was not a Sir, and Mrs. Simcoe did not have the title Lady.
August 3rd, 2009 at 12:35 pm
Edward – I believe he was a ‘Sir’ as it appears a number of biographies written on him would suggest as well.
August 6th, 2009 at 9:22 am
Your blog posts are well-written and informative; however, incorrect usage of “it’s” versus “its” breaks the flow when reading your posts.