Have you ever noticed that there are several roads in southern Ontario actually called streets? They were the brainchild of Sir John Graves Simcoe, who, in the late 18th century, fearing an invasion by the Americans, moved the capital of Upper Canada from Newark to York. But, with Muddy York, today’s Toronto, as his new centre of government, Simcoe also had to guard against possible attacks by what he viewed as hostile Native tribes. His solution was to link York with military installations by way of a series of trails over which the military could march.
Yonge Street headed north out of York, destined for Barrie. Dundas Street was planned to provide a link to the west while Hurontario Street was designed to hook up Port Credit with Collingwood. Of all of these so-called streets, Hurontario is perhaps the most interesting to those of us living around Georgian Bay. By the1830s, Hurontario had been built with care until it reached what would one day become Dufferin County. From there to the Bay, it was little more than a blazed trail.
By 1850, Dufferin County settlers could no longer wait on the government to improve their road to Collingwood. Impelled by a desperate need to get their crops to market, they turned the muddy trail into a road that could be navigated by oxen or horse in the summer and by sleigh in winter.
Today, Hurontario Street still winds its way north. But you occasionally have to look for it. Down around Caledon, Highway 10 is Hurontario Street. Between Highway 9 and 89, Highway 10 heads west following the old Prince of Wales Road. Hurontario is still there though, a seldom-travelled road twisting through Mulmer before it heads north to Collingwood where it becomes Ski Town’s main street.
Originally aired September 6th 2016
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