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98-495: Augustus Jones , who surveyed the area for the Government of Upper Canada in 1791, states that the native ( Mississauga Anishinaabek ) name for the stream was Sin-qua-trik-de-que-onk , meaning "pine wood on side". The Ojibwe Mississauga name of the creek in modern orthography is Zhingwaatigotigweyaa-ziibi . The French missionaries from Ganatsekwyagon , who reached the stream in 1670, called it Riviere au Saumon , meaning

196-676: A stage station , providing service for stagecoach driver, passengers, and horses. It shut down after the Grand Trunk Railway reached Pickering in 1856, rendering its services obsolete. Samuel Munger built another tavern on Lot 16, across the Creek, on the east side of Brock Road, in Concession 3. Hugh Brown's dry goods store was one of the first general stores in the Pickering Village. In 1857, Brereton Bunting,

294-838: A Methodist cemetery. In 1879, the Methodists erected a brick building where the IGA grocery store now stands. In 1930, the Methodists became part of the Pickering United Church. United Church In 1930, the St. Andrew's Presbyterian congregation united with the Methodist congregation of St. Paul's to form the Pickering United Church. Dr. J. A. Carmichael revived the Presbyterian Church in Pickering in 1932, used

392-575: A cabin on the east side of the Creek, north of a trail that later became the Kingston Road . At the beginning of the 19th century, the Duffins Creek was navigable as far up as Kingston Road. Later, the water flow decreased as a result of construction of mill dams and clearing of forests for farming. The dams also cut off the salmon from their spawning grounds. Pickering Village , a settlement initially known as "Duffins Creek", developed along

490-414: A few acres of forest land, but survived mainly by fishing, hunting ( fowl and deer ), and eating tubers. He trapped animals for fur, and traded with the natives. A Methodist minister, who traveled across Ontario, used to meet Duffin when passing through the area, and found his dead body one day. Wood speculated that he may have been murdered by the natives. Another theory is that he was murdered by one of

588-580: A fire destroyed the main building, the Quakers relocated the college to Newmarket , but retained the name "Pickering College". The college property in Pickering Village was sold, and eventually became a subdivision of expensive homes. Anglicans In 1826, the Anglicans established the first Mission at Duffins Creek. In early days, circuit ministers traveling on horses conduct serves at private homes, schools or public halls. In 1832, Adam Elliott founded

686-547: A fire in 1934. In 1883, the local farmers and other residents established the Pickering Cheese Factory as a joint stock company . Also known as the Pickering Butter and Cheese Company, the factory was located at the south-east corner of Kingston Road and Ritchie Road (then called Westney Road). The factory was not very profitable, and the stockholders criticized the board of directors for paying

784-461: A guide during some of his surveying expeditions in the area, including the surveying of Yonge Street. Their relationship had begun in the mid-1790s, and Jones had previously married Tuhbenahneequay in a Mississauga ceremony. Their first son, John ( anglicised as Theyandanegea, written in Ojibwa as Tyenteneged, after Joseph Brant ) was born in 1798. Their second son, Peter Jones (Kahkewaquonaby)

882-785: A local murder of three Indians. These financial losses, coupled with prejudice from his white neighbours towards Jones due to his Indian wife and children and their knowledge he had previously been married to two Indian women simultaneously led to the move. Jones made one last survey in 1825, resurveying the line of Dundas Street between Ancaster Township and West Flamborough Township. In Brantford he supported his family both by farming, and by selling of bits of land he had accumulated in his youth. After several years in Brantford, he moved to his estate Cold Springs on Dundas Street east of Paris, Ontario , where he farmed until his death. On April 27, 1798, Jones married Sarah Tekarihogen (Tekerehogen),

980-620: A member of the Queen's Rangers. Wabakinine had been a very beloved chief and seen as a firm ally of the British. His murder shocked the members of his band and other local Ojibwa bands. Charles McEwan , the killer was charged and tried, but the Indian witnesses did not attend the trial and he was subsequently acquitted for lack of evidence. Nimquasim , a local Indian chief, met with Augustus Jones on February 15, 1797, and confessed to Jones that he and

1078-485: A migrant from England, bought the store and renamed it Old No. 1 store. The store was very successful, and sold a variety of goods including groceries, clothing, footwear, glassware, light fixtures, hardware, and medicine. His son Richard A. Bunting renamed the store to R. A. Bunting in the late 1880s. Bereton also provided other services, including issuance of marriage licenses. In 1875, John L. Spink established Pickering's largest and most successful grist mill. The mill

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1176-613: A more modern switchboard, of the 117 type, was installed at the drug store. As the telephone agency's responsibilities increased, Dr. Bateman relinquished the job to another person in 1906. In 1922, the Bell Company transferred its Pickering exchange with 63 subscribers to the Home Company. In 1949, Home Company was amalgamated into the Woodbridge & Vaughan Telephone Company. In 1949, Woodbridge & Vaughan instituted

1274-560: A new exchange service in the southern part of Ajax. In 1953, the North Ajax customers were transferred from the rural Pickering exchange to the Ajax exchange. In 1960, Bell acquired Woodbridge & Vaughan, and all Ajax telephone subscribers became Bell customers. The Pickering Village was served by doctors at least since the 1850s, but most of these doctors remained there for a very short time. The first resident doctor of Pickering Village

1372-579: A pastor at St. George's church, held services at the DIL plant until the establishment of a church there. Roman Catholics The Roman Catholics in the area attended churches in Toronto until 1842, when a church was built in Oshawa. J. B. Proulx, who was appointed to Oshawa parish in 1848, started the initiative to build a church in the Duffins Creek area. Accordingly, the wooden building of St. Wilfrid's church

1470-520: A result, the entire project was halted, and when the World War I began in 1914, the rails were lifted and shipped to France. The line was completely abandoned during the 1920s. In 1921, the Kingston Road was paved. Two companies - Collacut Coach Lines of Pickering and Del-Ray Coach Lines of Oshawa - operated bus service along Kingston Road, connecting Pickering Village to Toronto. In 1844,

1568-614: A settlement at the intersection of Duffins Creek and Kingston Road towards the end of the 18th century. In 1807, Quakers led by Timothy Rogers established a major presence in the area, and built saw and grist mills. The area gradually developed into the main commercial and residential centre of the Pickering Township. It was incorporated as the Municipality of the Village of Pickering in 1953, around same time as

1666-532: A woman called Mrs. Munger shot dead a bear that attacked her neighbour. By 1820, Quakers from the British Isles had started arriving in the area, encouraged by Rogers. The Quakers built several meeting houses , a small school, and the Pickering College in the Pickering Village. In 1842, there were 245 Quakers in Pickering Township, whose total population was 3,450. Timothy Rogers built

1764-423: A wood burning stove in the centre of the room. Many of the early teachers lacked qualifications, and lasted for a short time. The young women were generally regarded as the best teachers, but had problems dealing with the oldest male students. The teachers were paid poorly; for example, a teacher's contract from June 1835 offers salary of six shillings per quarter. In 1867, Pickering's first brick school building

1862-545: Is a former municipality and now a neighbourhood in the town of Ajax , within the Durham Region of Ontario , Canada . The Pickering Village derives its name from the former Pickering Township , which included the present-day town of Ajax and the city of Pickering . A small portion of the original settlement is now part of the Village East neighbourhood in the city of Pickering. The Pickering Village emerged as

1960-607: Is available about the pre-historic residents of the area. Several sites dated to the early and middle Woodland period (1000 BCE-700 CE) exist along the Duffins Creek, but not much research has been done on them. The sites from the Late Woodland period (700-1651 CE) indicate the existence of permanent villages that were occupied for 5-30 years. Some of the Iroquoian villages were 3-10 acres in size, and featured longhouses and palisades . The largest site from this period in

2058-527: Is now the Greater Toronto Area. However, the Duffins Creek was not as attractive for building a settlement, because of low navigability and the existence of a sand bar at its mouth which prevented boats from entering it. At least one Ojibwe family resided in the area, as attested by Arthur Field. This family lived at the east edge of the Duffins Creek marshes until the mid-19th century. In 1760, French missionaries from Ganatsekwyagon reached

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2156-671: Is owned by the government. The federal government owns around 75 sq. km., the provincial government of Ontario owns around 28 sq. km., and the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA) owns around 23 sq. km. Although Duffins Creek is a single waterway entering Lake Ontario at Duffins Marsh in Ajax, there are 12 other waterways that branches off Duffins towards the Oak Ridges Moraine . The main tributaries of Duffins Creek include: Augustus Jones Augustus Jones ( c.  1757 – November 16, 1836)

2254-463: The Borden System . These sites represent both indigenous peoples and early European settlers. Projectile points of "Hi-Lo" style have been discovered at four Late Paleo-Indian (10000-7000 BCE) sites in the Duffins Creek watershed. Around Lake Ontario , the indigenous peoples have been commonly associated with the lake shore, which fluctuated because of the melting glaciers. At the end of

2352-453: The Grand Trunk Railway . Pickering Village and Stoufville, where several mills had earlier been established and which were now accessible by railway, emerged as the major population centres of the area. The community around the DIL munitions plant evolved into the town of Ajax in the mid-20th century. The northern part of the Duffins Creek watershed did not develop as rapidly as other watersheds in

2450-787: The Humber River , the Grand River , Uxbridge , Gwillumbury and the de Puisaye settlement . In 1799, Jones conducted a census of the residents of Hope Township, Hamilton Township, Haldimand Township, Cramahe Township and Percy Township. The census include the names of all residents and details on the conditions of their lots. That year, he also surveyed the Humber Mill Reserve , Yarmouth , Gore , Newark and Stamford . Jones retired from his surveying work in 1800. Various reasons have been suggested for this step. One news item from 1995 offered this explanation: The cause

2548-586: The Last Glacial Period , the Duffins Creek met Lake Ontario at a point located 10-20 m below the present surface level. So, any evidence of indigenous activity at the mouth of the Duffins Creek would be under water now. Scattered remains of chert ( flint ) tools and flakes have been discovered at several inland sites dated to the Archaic period (7000 BCE-1000 BCE). Detailed excavations have not been carried out at these sites, so little information

2646-670: The Niagara Peninsula . Russell and John Graves Simcoe both anticipated rebellion for the next year or so, but it never came. Joseph Brant , a Mohawk chief who had travelled to England cautioned the tribes against rebellion as he knew the military strength of the British was likely to render any war a losing one. Russell, however, set out to undermine alliances and friendships between the Indian bands of southern Ontario, fearing such an uprising. Jones spent 1797 surveying Pickering , Glanford , Oxford and Blenheim . His survives duties in 1798 included Burford , Lake Shore Road ,

2744-602: The Presbyterian Church to the area. He lived in what is now called Thornton's Corners in Oshawa, but ministered to his congregation at various places, including Duffins Creek. In 1841, the Church of Scotland (The Auld Kirk) established St. Andrew's Church in Duffins Creek, with James Lambie in charge. The "Stone Church" was built in 1843. In 1854, Presbyterian residents of the Pickering Village (then called Canton) and Dunbarton (now in city of Pickering) requested

2842-628: The township boundaries in the Niagara Peninsula and on the north shore of Lake Ontario . He led various teams that cut many of the first sideroads and concession roads into these areas, facilitating their settlement by European and American immigrants. Jones also surveyed the routes for Dundas Street and Yonge Street , and supervised their construction. After his retirement, Jones farmed first in Saltfleet Township , later moving to Brantford and finally an estate outside Paris named Cold Springs , where he died in 1836. Augustus Jones

2940-410: The "Salmon River", because of a large number of salmon fish that spawned there. Jones named the stream after Mike Duffin, the first person of European descent to settle in the area. The current name of the stream first appears as "Duffin" on Jones' map in 1791; subsequent records mention the variants "Duffin's" and "Duffins". The Duffins Creek watershed includes 192 archaeological sites tracked using

3038-537: The 1780s, Jones; his father, Ebenezer; his brother, Stephen, and Stephen's family; and his sisters, Mary and Susannah, fled the United States. Jones proceeded ahead and obtained 300 acres (1.2 km ) of land in Saltfleet Township , part of which would later become the site of the Battle of Stoney Creek . Jones met Major Archibald Campbell, the commanding officer of Fort Niagara on June 9, 1787. He presented

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3136-606: The Americans during the revolution, and his brother Ebenezer may have as well. Whatever the cause of his retirement, Jones returned to his farm in Saltfleet Township and began life as a farmer. Jones was already a prominent citizen in Saltfleet Township. He had been a militia captain there since 1794. He also became a local magistrate. In 1801, he and his wife joined the Methodist Episcopal church in

3234-1006: The Conestoga River near the village of Arthur, Ontario . He mistakenly believed that they had arrived at the Thames River and Jones terminated the survey. The line he had surveyed became known as The Jones Baseline. For a 1793, project, Simcoe employed the Queen's Rangers led by Captain Samuel Smith; this survey would be for the construction of a road from Hamilton to Woodstock ; it would eventually become Dundas Street . The same year, he surveyed Flamborough Township , Beverley Township , Ancaster Township and York Township . Jones spent 1794 surveying Flamborough , Glanford , Binbrook , Delaware , Oxford , Dorchester , Burford , Grimsby and Windham . In 1795, Jones surveyed Ancaster , Thorold , Grantham , Beverley , Southwold , Whitby , York , Scarboro , Pickering ,

3332-459: The Department of Highways replaced the iron bridge with a concrete bridge. During 1910–1912, a proposal to bring The Toronto Eastern electric railway was taken up. Track had been laid from Port Hope in the east to Church Street in the Pickering Village in the west. The right-of-way had been negotiated up to Dunbarton in the west, but there was difficulty in negotiating entry into Toronto. As

3430-706: The Deputy Surveyor, Jones began to build good relations with the Mississauga Ojibwa Indians and Mohawk Indians of the area. He became fluent in the languages of these groups and earned the trust of many members of the tribes, including influential members like Joseph Brant , of whom he became a good friend. In 1797 the head chief of the Mississaugas in the Credit River area Wabakinine , as well as his wife, were murdered by

3528-410: The Duffins Creek area was James Jackson, a circuit rider. His successor Egerton Ryerson gathered his congregation at Squire Leys' school like other circuit riding preachers. During the 1840s, the Methodists established a regular circuit served by multiple preachers, and in 1844, erected the St. Paul's Methodist Church north of Kingston Road, between Elizabeth Street and the Creek. The property later became

3626-423: The Duffins Creek area, at 10 shillings per acre. He arrived in Pickering with his wife, most of his 15 children, and 20 other Quaker families. They settled around what is now the intersection of Kingston Road and Mill Street, and cleared forest for farming. By 1809, the population of Pickering Township was 180 people, most of whom lived along the Duffins Creek. The writings of Timothy Rogers' son Wing suggest that

3724-481: The Duffins Creek was not as attractive for building a settlement, because a sand bar at its mouth prevented boats from entering it. Moreover, it was navigable for canoes only for 6 km upstream. When the Europeans arrived in present-day Ajax, at least one Ojibwe family resided in area, as attested by Arthur Field. This family lived at the east edge of the Duffins Creek marshes until the mid-19th century. Unlike

3822-628: The Duffins Creek watershed is the Draper Site , which was excavated during the 1970s for the proposed Pickering Airport . In the mid-17th century, the Iroquois people displaced the Petun and the Wendat (Huron) from what is now southern Ontario . The Iroquois Seneca people established river-side villages in nearby areas, such as Ganatsekwyagon on Rouge and Teiaiagon on Humber . However,

3920-485: The Duffins Creek, but did not create any settlement there. Mike Duffin (died c. 1791 ), a fur trader of Irish descent, was the earliest European to settle in the area that later came to be known as Pickering Village. A bachelor, he arrived in the area in the 1770s. Past Years in Pickering , a 1911 book by William R. Wood , describes him as a "King's County Irishman" who had come from "the Green Isle". Duffins cleared

4018-530: The Greater Toronto area, because the Government of Canada marked a large portion of land for the proposed Pickering Airport . The headwaters of the Duffins Creek are located in the Oak Ridges Moraine area, within the boundaries of Uxbridge , Pickering , Markham , and Whitchurch-Stouffville . The mouth of the stream is located in Ajax . The Duffins Creek drains an area of 283 sq. km., much of which

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4116-585: The Land Board. Around this time, Jones began to acquire significant tracts of land across southern Ontario. He obtained large sections of land in Saltfleet Township and Barton Township with various petitions and grants, and small lots in Newark and York. From Mohawk chief Joseph Brant , he received leases on ten square miles of land in return for his surveys of land along the Grand River. In 1792, he

4214-569: The Major with a letter of recommendation from Cadwallader Colden Junior, which attested to Jones' good character and surveying capability. Two days later, Jones was hired as a land surveyor for the Crown. Jones' first assignments were working as a chain bearer for various teams surveying the Niagara region . After a short while, Jones was given command of his own surveying team. His first assignment

4312-528: The Mill Street. The cemetery was divided into burial grounds for Quakers and non-Quakers. The non-Quakers' burial ground was nearly full by 1882, and was poorly maintained. The Quakers' burial ground, called the "Friends Cemetery", was well-maintained by the Society of Friends as of 1990s. In 1830, the local Hicksites split from the larger Quaker body. The Hicksites later built their own Meeting Hall on

4410-594: The Nassau district. Daniel Hazen and Jesse Pawling both led teams, but neither group was as busy as Jones' group. Hazen's group surveyed only four townships, and incompletely, and Pawling's three, also incompletely. In November 1789 Jones began acting as the deputy surveyor in Nassau District as Frey had left Upper Canada, and he officially received the position in early 1791 on the order of Deputy Surveyor General John Collins . In 1791 and 1792, Jones surveyed

4508-611: The Quaker meeting house for worship. In 1949, the Presbyterians built a new church on Church Street, north of Kingston Road. In 1970, a Christian Education Building was built. In 1983, a new church building was erected. In the early 1950s, the tower of the Pickering United Church was dismantled after being stuck by lightning, and was replaced with a metal cottage roof. In 1964, the Christian Education Centre

4606-654: The Riverside Farms. Woodruff married Charity Powell, whose family owned a farm in the Pickering Beach area. Woodruff's sister Melinda married clock-maker Jordan Post, and their family acquired extensive lands in and around Toronto. In 1822, the Post family built the Post Inn on the south side of Kingston Road, around 3 km east of the Pickering village. It served as a home for the family, and also operated as

4704-482: The Rouge River watershed, where a well-established trail ran along the stream, the Duffins Creek watershed remained largely ignored by the early European visitors in the area. In 1670, French missionaries from Ganatsekwyagon reached the Duffins Creek, but did not settle there. In the 1770s, Mike Duffin, an Irish fur trader, became the first person of European descent to settle in the Duffins Creek area. He built

4802-521: The Rouge river. In 1837, a man surnamed Elliot, built a grist mill; it was later sold to Peter Head, and was known as Head's Mill. It gradually fell into disrepair, and was ultimately destroyed by fire. Noadiah Woodruff of Pennsylvania , another Quaker, settled in Duffins Creek around the same time as Timothy Rogers. In 1808, he built a tavern to the west of the village, on Lot 17 Concession 2 (almost immediately west of Moodie's Motel). The site later housed

4900-596: The Toronto Presbytery to unite them as the Canton congregation. In 1857, a brick church was built in the center of the Pickering village for the Canton congregation. The Church remained in use until 1879, when the Canton congregation was incorporated with St. Andrew's. Its building was later used as a town hall before its demolition in 1956. Meanwhile, a new church building for St. Andrew's was erected on Kingston Road. Methodists The first Methodist preacher in

4998-517: The aftermath of the War of 1812, the famine of 1816's harvest and the influx of settlers to the area in recent years. Jones travelled to find the boys, and brought them to his farm in Stoney Creek. He arranged for the boys to be schooled in Stoney Creek, as neither spoke much English. After nine months, Jones felt that Peter's command of English was sufficient, and took him out of school to teach him

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5096-495: The area into the Kingston Road , which greatly contributed to increased settlement in the area. In this first decade of the 19th century, a small number of Quakers from the United States migrated to the Pickering Township. The Quakers, who were anti-war and advocated pacifism as part of their religious belief, had migrated to other parts of Upper Canada during and after following the American War of Independence . In 1807, Quaker leader Timothy Rogers bought 800 acres of land in

5194-455: The area was remained densely forested at the time, home to "thousands of wolves, bears, deer, foxes, wildcats, or lynx, raccoons, and other small animals too numerous to mention." Wing states that the settlers were most afraid of packs of wolves, followed by the bears. There had been frequent encounters between these wild animals and the settlers, resulting in deaths of humans and domestic animals. An 1805 news report in York Gazette describes how

5292-401: The area. Jones retired from the militia in 1811, but remained in Saltfleet Township until 1817, when he moved with his family to Brantford to live with the Mohawk community and his wife's extended family. During the War of 1812 , his farm had suffered £250 in damages. On May 27, 1815, arsonists set fire to his barn, which Jones believed was an effort to force him to cease his investigation into

5390-403: The commanding officer at Detroit , became the first person to receive a land patent in the region. He was an absentee landlord , and his grant of 5,000 acres of land included a part of what later became the Pickering Village. The grant was inherited by his son David W. Smith , who received an additional 1,200 acres of land. In 1799, the Government of Upper Canada converted the major trail in

5488-412: The dairy farmers over the market rate for milk. The factory ultimately failed because there were not enough farmers to supply the milk. In 1886, the factory was sold by auction. Attempts to reopen the factory in 1889 failed because of insufficient milk supply. The property of the factory was later turned into a subdivision. The War of 1812 increased military traffic on the Kingston Road, contributing to

5586-406: The daughter of Mohawk chief Tekarihogen . The couple would have a total of eight children. Their children were named Catherine, Rachel, Mary, Henry, Joseph, Sally, Lucretia and Augustus Junior (born 1818). While married to Sarah Tekarihogen, Jones maintained a relationship with Tuhbenahneequay (Sarah Henry), the daughter of Mississauga chief Wahbanosay . Jones had previously hired Wahbanosay as

5684-412: The demand for local transportation increased because of the considerable distance between the core Pickering Village and the Pickering Railway Station. William Peak (presumably a descendant of an earlier settler of same name) and others provided livery service , carrying mail and passengers between the two points. In 1891, an iron bridge was constructed across the Duffins Creek on Kingston Road. In 1920,

5782-423: The development of the Duffins Creek settlement. The soldiers, who used the road more frequently, contributed to its maintenance. The frequency of the stagecoach service increased from twice per week to daily. The increase in the passenger traffic benefited the local businesses, particularly the inn keepers. The stagecoach service became largely obsolete with the arrival of the Grand Trunk Railway in 1856. However,

5880-469: The effective master builder in addition to his title as surveyor . The road reached Holland Landing on February 16, 1796, and Jones returned to York on February 20 to inform the Lieutenant Governor that the road was completed. This first incarnation of Yonge Street measured some 34 miles and 53 chains . For the rest of 1796, Jones spent his time surveying Newark , Flamborough , Grimsby , Saltfleet , Beverley , York and Coot's Paradise . Working as

5978-487: The farming craft. The next year, Jones and his family relocated to land near Paris, Ontario along the Grand River , and Jones brought his son Peter with them. Peter lived with his father for seven years there. Jones died on November 16, 1836, near Paris, Ontario . He was buried at Cold Springs, where his farm was located. After the death of his son Peter in 1856, Jones' remains were moved to Greenwood Cemetery in Brantford, Ontario , and interred beside Peter's. His grave

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6076-401: The first concession road. Clarke township had previously been unnamed, Jones was the one to name it. The survey of the west end of the Nassau district finalised the boundary of the Toronto Purchase , which had been agreed upon in principle, but could not be completed because the land areas involved were not well known. On June 13, 1792, Jones submitted a town plan for Newark, Upper Canada to

6174-436: The first mill in the area, in 1810. His saw and grist mills were located around 5 km north of Lake Ontario. The dams constructed for the mills cut off the salmon off from their spawning grounds, and by the time of Rogers death, the salmon had practically disappeared from the Duffins Creek. In 1820, Alexander Wood of Toronto build the Elmdale grist mill near the intersection of what is now Church Street and Highway 401;

6272-525: The first resident dentist of the village, seeing patients at his home on Kingston Road. The first veterinarians in the village were George O'Leary and W. H. Hopkins, both of whom graduated from Toronto's Ontario Veterinary College in the 1880s. In 1881, W. H. Higgins, who also published the Whitby Chronicle, established The Pickering News . The first issue of the newspaper appeared on 11 November 1881, with James Campbell as its editor. Its ownership changed several times, with John Murkar and Ross Thexton becoming

6370-414: The home of Francis Leys, a migrant from Scotland, who later became postmaster (Squire Leys' School). Later, two schools were built: a public school at the intersection of Brock Road and Kingston Road (now in city of Pickering), and a Quaker school east of Duffins Creek. The Pickering Township also had several other schools in the rural areas. The earliest school buildings were single-room log houses, heated by

6468-690: The lakeshore of townships east from York, Upper Canada , to the Trent River , from the lakeshore to a distance of one mile (1.6 km) from Lake Ontario . Jones and his team had set out from Scarborough to the eastern boundary of the Nassau District , the approximate area of the mouth of the Trent River. From there, they began surveying townships along Lake Ontario travelling westwards. They surveyed in turn Murray Township , then Cramahe Township , Haldimand Township , Hamilton Township , Hope Township , Clarke Township , Darlington Township , Pickering Township , Glasgow Township , York Township and Etobicoke Township . Sideroads were then run north to

6566-508: The lands of Joseph Brant and Lake Simcoe . On December 24, 1795, Jones was directed by Lieutenant Governor John Graves Simcoe to survey and open a cart road from the newly planned settlement of York, Upper Canada to Lake Simcoe . Jones began the planning work the next day. On the 29th of that December, Jones was given the assistance of thirty of the Queen's Rangers for the road's construction. The work began January 4, 1796, on this road, which would become Yonge Street . Jones worked as

6664-416: The local Indian bands were inclined to wage open war against the British over the event. Jones relayed this information to British administrator Peter Russell . The town of York had about 675 white settlers and 135 soldiers, a number that Russell believed might not be sufficient to address an Indian rebellion. If a winter rebellion transpired York would be cut off from large garrisons at the Bay of Quinte and

6762-448: The matter cost him further government work. Others have suggested that Jones was known as an extremely hard worker, and may have wanted less strenuous work as a farmer, his ties to Joseph Brant may have been politically problematic as Brant was frequently in conflict with Upper Canada authorities, and his status as a loyalist to the British Empire may have come into question as it became known his brother in law, James Gage, had fought with

6860-401: The neighbouring DIL community in Ajax. In 1974, most of the Pickering Village, the Pickering Beach , and other areas neighbouring the DIL settlement merged with the town of Ajax, while the city of Pickering remains a separate entity. Since its establishment, the settlement that developed around the intersection of Duffins Creek and Kingston Road was part of the Pickering Township , which

6958-437: The north side of Kingston Road, east of Harwood Avenue, opposite the Friends Cemetery. In 1867, the main body of the Quakers built a large brick meeting hall, on the west side of Mill Street, to accommodate their Annual Meeting. The Annual Meeting was attended by Quakers from Canada, United States, England, and Ireland. In 1908, the meeting hall was heavily damaged by a lightning strike and fire, and rebuilt. The membership of

7056-546: The owners in 1901. After Thexton retired in 1907, Murkar became the sole owner, and the newspaper was owned by his family until its closure in 1965. Murkar, a former school-teacher and principal, rode a horse around Pickering to gather news. He operated the newspaper out of a property on the Old Kingston Road, which is now occupied by The Piano Shop. In 1965, the Inland Publishing Company bought

7154-464: The parish of St. George. In 1841, the parishes of Whitby and Pickering were combined, and the St. George's Anglican Church was built. The Grand Trunk Railway supplied the bricks for the building, in exchange for a right-of-way across the south end of the Church property. Improvements were made to the Church in the subsequent years, including the construction of a parish hall in 1959. Edward George Robinson,

7252-455: The possession of William Murkar, the publisher of The Pickering News . Murkar, writing on Pickering's 150th anniversary in the 29 June 1961 edition of the newspaper, also cites an elderly lady who confirmed that the area was known as Canton when she worked for the family that owned the Spink's Mill (now the site of Moodie's Motel at the intersection of Kingston Road and Notion Road). By the time

7350-476: The raising of his children by Tuhbenahneequay, he did take an active interest in their welfare. In 1805, he secured a pair of two-square-mile plots of land near the mouth of the Credit River for his two sons from the local Mississauga Indians, but the government of Upper Canada would not recognise the title. In 1816, Jones feared that the Mississauga band his sons John and Peter lived with would fall apart, in

7448-679: The rights to the Pickering News, and incorporated it into The Ajax News Advertiser . In 1965, the old newspaper press of The Pickering News was given to the Black Creek Pioneer Village in Toronto, where it showcased in the Dalziel Barn. The Murkar family retained the ownership of the building and the other equipment, which they used for commercial printing. In 1970, they rented the building to Bay News. Initially, school classes in Pickering Village were held at

7546-548: The school building, but high school students still needed to commute to Whitby or Scarborough. In the 1870s, the Quakers decided to relocate their West Lake college to Pickering Village. The construction of the new college building began in 1877, north of Kingston Road, near its intersection with the Mill Street. Called Pickering College , the institution opened for classes in the fall of 1878, and offered residence for students. It offered classes for both boys and girls, in languages, music, art, and university preparation. After

7644-399: The site was later occupied a Latter-day Saint chapel. The mill was rebuilt and changed owners several times, before being destroyed by fire in 1956. By 1825, there were two other sawmills in the township, one was on the Rouge below the old bridge, and one, and the other one probably higher up on the Duffins Creek. The lumber from these mills supported the shipbuilding industry at the mouth of

7742-406: The stream, in what is now Ajax. The first mill in the new settlement was established in 1810 by Timothy Rogers on the banks of Duffins Creek. At the time of Rogers's arrival, thousands of salmon from Lake Ontario came to the Duffins Creek. By the time of his death in 1834, the salmon had practically disappeared from the stream. The growth of Pickering Township (which included Pickering Village)

7840-484: The team surveyed Thorold Township . In Thorold, Jones was receiving a pay of four shillings a day, and his two primary assistants, Joseph Jones and Benjamin Stanton, received the same. All worked the full 54 days of the survey. Local men were hired as woodcutters and chainbearers for shorter periods, and typically earned two shillings a day. On October 25, 1788, Jones's team began their survey of Grimsby Township ; it

7938-594: The telephone network serving communities between Toronto and Whitby reached the Pickering Village. At that time, the Village had only one telephone, which was in a drug store owned by Dr. Byron Field. It was used only for long-distance calling. The service was expanded in the following years, when a Gilliland switchboard was installed in the store. By 1885, five other businesses plus Dr. Field's residence had telephones. In 1886, Dr. Bateman became Dr. Field's partner. When Dr. Field retired in 1887, Dr. Bateman took over his practice, his telephone agency, and his residence. In 1900,

8036-439: The travelers for whom he provided lodging. Duffins cabin was located on the east side of the Creek, north of Kingston Road. Augustus Jones , who surveyed the area for the Government of Upper Canada in 1791, named the Duffins Creek after him. The municipality that contained the area was known as Edinburgh Township until 1792, when it was renamed to Pickering Township. Major John Smith of 5th Regiment of Foot , who had served

8134-596: The village was formally designated as a police village under the County of Ontario, in 1900, it was firmly known as Pickering. When it achieved municipal status in 1953, it was incorporated as the "Municipality of the Village of Pickering". Since its amalgamation into the town of Ajax in 1974, it has been called the "Pickering Village" to distinguish it from the neighbouring city of Pickering . The Iroquois Seneca people had established river-side villages such as Ganatsekwyagon on Rouge and Teiaiagon on Humber in what

8232-524: Was Dr. Burns, who lived north of the Head's Mill. Dr. Vernon-Cartwright was the first doctor to live in Pickering Village for a long time: he served there from 1917 to 1951, when he retired and moved to Burlington. He was also the local coroner for 25 years. In the 19th century, dentists from other places saw patients in the village on certain days; for example, Dr. F. L. Hemy saw patients at Gordon House every Saturday in 1877. In 1925, Dr. Herbert T. Fallaise became

8330-674: Was a North American-born Upper Canadian farmer, land speculator , magistrate , militia captain and surveyor . Jones trained as a surveyor in New York City, and fled as a United Empire Loyalist to Upper Canada. In Upper Canada, he worked as a crown surveyor in the Nassau District , where he quickly rose to the position of Deputy Surveyor General, the highest position in a district of Upper Canada. He occupied that position from 1789 informally, and 1791 formally, until his retirement in 1799. During that time he laid down many of

8428-492: Was a dispute over the rights of the Six Nations to sell their land. Simcoe and his successors claimed they could not sell land without permission of the government. Joseph Brant believed the Six Nations had the same rights to sell as other Loyalist land grantees. Jones strongly supported Brant’s position. Although the government relented in 1798 and allowed the Six Nations to sell some of their land, Jones’ outspoken opinion on

8526-509: Was born January 1, 1802, to Tuhbenahneequay in the area of Burlington Heights . Due to Jones' marriage to Sarah Tekarihogen, the task of raising Peter and John was left to Tuhbenahneequay. It was soon after their second son's birth that the relationship between Jones and Tuhbenahneequay ended. Jones wanted the respect of his Christian neighbours, who disapproved of polygamy , and so Jones settled permanently with Sarah Tekarihogen, who had converted to Christianity. Although Jones took no part in

8624-704: Was born to Ebenezer Jones, a Welsh immigrant, around 1757, likely in Dutchess County of the Province of New York . In his youth, he trained as a land surveyor in New York City . Jones worked for some years across New York, and his name appears in paperwork for land transfers in Newburgh, New York , in 1783 and 1784. Jones and his family remained loyal to the British Crown , and sometime in

8722-524: Was completed November 13, 1788. Saltfleet Township was surveyed from November 14, 1788, to December 25, 1788, and Binbrook Township was surveyed from December 24, 1788, until February 12, 1789. All of these townships were surveyed using the Front and Rear system , except Binbrook, which was surveyed with the Single Front system . During this time, Frey had assigned two other surveyors to lead surveys in

8820-428: Was constructed at the southwest corner of Kingston Road and Church Street, in present-day Ajax. Called Pickering Public School S.S. #4 West, it was a one-storey structure. The building was abandoned in 1888, when a larger two-storey brick school was built on Church Street, north of Kingston Road. The new building cost 5,000 dollars to build, and had the capacity to accommodate 200 students. In 1923, two rooms were added to

8918-532: Was erected on the Notion Road (formerly Station Road). The property later became the St. Wilfrid's cemetery. In 1869, the St. Francis de Sales Church was built on the Church Street. It operated as a mission until 1942, when it became a parish. In 1953, a school was built on the St. Francis de Sales church property. Presbyterians In 1835, Robert Hill Thornton, a missionary from Scotland, brought

9016-411: Was established. In 1989, the Church was relocated from the small Kingston Street building to a new building on Church Street North. Its name was changed to Pickering Village United Church. Quakers The Quakers were influential in Pickering Village since Timothy Rogers and his associates settled there in 1807. Rogers designated land for a large wooden meeting house and a cemetery on the east side of

9114-435: Was located adjacent to the site of Head's Mill. Later, the location was occupied by Moodie's Motel/ Motor Inn, at the intersection of Kingston Road and Notion Road. The mill building was a five-storey (70 feet) high stone structure. The mill infrastructure was later expanded to included dams, a mile-long canal, a storehouse, and a Grand Trunk Railroad switch line. The mill changed owner multiple times, before being destroyed by

9212-494: Was named after Pickering, North Yorkshire . The settlement was the major population centre of the Township, and the local post office, established in 1829, was known as the "Pickering Post Office". However, the settlement itself was known by various names at different times. In its early years, the settlement was called "Duffins Creek", or simply, "the Creek". In the 1850s, it was known as "Canton", as attested by an 1855 map in

9310-545: Was retained by Lieutenant Governor John Graves Simcoe to survey a straight line from Burlington Bay, Ontario, to the Thames River ; it would run along the eastern boundary of land purchased from the Mississauga First Nation . The work started at a property owned by Richard Beasley (politician) on September 16, 1792. Jones' report made some errors in the names of rivers but his group eventually reached

9408-604: Was slow compared to the other parts of Greater Toronto Area, because much of the land was held by absentee landlords (such as the Smith family ), or held as Crown and Clergy reserves . Apart from Pickering Village, several other communities developed in the Duffins Creek watershed in the early 19th century: During 1825-1900, population of the Duffins Creek watershed increased substantially because of growth in farming and other businesses. After 1850s, several smaller communities declined as people migrated to larger centres located along

9506-527: Was the surveying of Stamford Township , a task they began on November 5, 1787, and completed on January 8, 1788. That January, Jones was appointed to the position of assistant to Philip Frey , the deputy surveyor of the Nassau District . From January 15 to March 12, Jones surveyed Barton Township . From April 1 to 24, Jones surveyed Clinton Township . From May 1 to July 28, Jones led the survey of Bertie Township . From July 24 to August 24, Jones's team surveyed Saltfleet Township . From August 24 to October 25,

9604-502: Was unmarked. On September 10, 2005, the city of Hamilton, Ontario , unveiled a statue of Jones in Stoney Creek Town Square. A 1995 news article summarized the value of the major surveys completed by Augustus Jones as follows. "The work he did 200 years ago determined the eventual geographic and political boundaries of Centre Wellington and much of southern Ontario." Pickering Village Pickering Village

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