Cutting across southern Ontario—from Dundalk, just west of

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The WCA thanks the Ontario Trillium Foundation for their support of this
‘War of 1812’ Bicentennial commemorative project.
C
utting across southern Ontario—from Dundalk, just
west of Georgian Bay to Port Maitland on the north shore
of Lake Erie—the Grand River is not only a striking geographical
feature of Central Canada, but it is also historically important, economically vital and socially significant.
The river enjoys both a long natural history as well as an extensive cultural history that
begins with the end of the last ice age. This series of twelve panels tells the story of the
Grand River, including its geology, its history prior to the arrival of Europeans in the 1600s,
as well as the significance of the region to the American Revolutionary Wars, the War of
1812, and the Industrial Revolution.
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The Grand River provided not only early
transportation for the region but also power
for industry. As the Industrial Revolution took
hold in Ontario, this part of the province soon
became a hub of manufacturing. Companies like
Seagram, Massey-Harris (pictured below), Eby,
Cockshutt, American Standard, Schneider, Bell
and many others became household names.
Massey-Harris Company (Brantford).
Source: www.masseycollection.ca
Before European contact, this part of Ontario was home
to many aboriginal populations that lived in harmony with nature
and prospered from the bounties provided by the Grand River.
The Mississauga and Six Nations—including the Mohawk,
Oneida, Onondaga, Tuscarora, Cayuga and Seneca—all call
the Grand River home.
The Grand River, c. 1781
Source: www.warof1812rph.com.
As the Napoleonic war raged in Europe and with the United States
supporting France, conflict between Britain and the U.S. soon spread
to the “New World”, and in June of 1812 war was formally declared
between Britain and the United States. Hostilities in the Grand River
Watershed followed.
War of 1812 Re-enactors.
HAMILTON
ON
The Grand River and the communities along all of its tributaries cover
almost 7,000 square kilometres in the heart of southwestern Ontario,
an area currently settled by almost one million people living in 39 urban
and rural municipalities.
Map of the Grand River Watershed. Source: Grand River Conservation Authority.
The Grand River flowing through
Cambridge, Ontario.
The Mohawk name for the Grand River, O:se Kenhionhata:tie means ‘Willow
River’. The river was named Grande Rivière by the French during the 18th
century. It was later renamed Ouse (Our) River by John Graves Simcoe for
the Great Ouse River near his home in Lincolnshire.