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121-582: Southwestern Ontario is often not consistently defined. The Government of Ontario, in certain documents, classifies municipalities along the eastern side of Southwestern Ontario near the Grand River , including Wellington County , Waterloo Region , and Brant County , as part of the Greater Golden Horseshoe region that surrounds western Lake Ontario , mainly due to the presence of modern transportation connections that link these areas to

242-405: A Quaker tried to free one of his slaves. In the early 1800s, Isaac T. Hopper , a Quaker from Philadelphia, and a group of people from North Carolina established a network of stations in their local area. In 1831, when Tice David was captured going into Ohio from Kentucky, his enslaver blamed an "Underground Railroad" who helped in the escape. Eight years later, while being tortured for his escape,

363-563: A "Big Six" professional team. Various additional professional teams currently and have formerly existed in lower-tier professional leagues in the region, with the only current active professional teams being basketball teams in the Basketball Super League , and semi-professional baseball and soccer teams in the Intercounty Baseball League and League1 Ontario , respectively. Major junior hockey

484-618: A $ 500 (equivalent to $ 11,390 in 2023) fine if they assisted slaves in their escape. Slave hunters were obligated to obtain a court-approved affidavit in order to apprehend an enslaved individual, giving rise to the formation of an intricate network of safe houses commonly known as the Underground Railroad. The Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 , part of the Compromise of 1850 , was a federal law that declared that all fugitive slaves should be returned to their enslavers. Because

605-481: A Catholic mission settlement just south of Montreal that was occupied primarily by converted Mohawk who had migrated north from New York. In 1674 identifiable groups of Neutrals were recorded among its population. It can be presumed that many of their descendants are still living there today. In later wars between Britain and France, the Caughnawaga people, many of whom had converted to Catholicism, were allies of

726-595: A domestic source of out-of-season crops throughout Canada in the winter. The region is also a centre for wine production . While the majority of wine production in Ontario is currently located in the Niagara Region and Prince Edward County , a wine appellation designated by the Vinters Quality Alliance (VQA) , the regulatory system for wine in Ontario and British Columbia , is located on

847-504: A former enslaved person could be brought back into a slave state to be sold back into slavery if they were without freedom papers. In 1851, there was a case of a black coffeehouse waiter whom federal marshals kidnapped on behalf of John Debree, who claimed to be the man's enslaver. Enslavers often harshly punished those they successfully recaptured, such as by amputating limbs, whipping, branding, and hobbling. Individuals who aided fugitive slaves were charged and punished under this law. In

968-402: A gorge roughly parallel to the current Grand River. Evidence of the "buried gorge" of the previous river has been found when wells have been drilled. Rather than finding water-bearing bedrock at a depth of a dozen metres or less, the path of the buried gorge can be found with overburden of dozens of metres. The Laphroaig site ( AgHa-54 ) on the lower Grand River shows evidence of occupation in

1089-706: A long history in the region. Oil was initially discovered in Canada in 1858, when the first oil well was advanced in Oil Springs , located in Lambton County. However, oil and petrochemicals did not play a significant role in the regional economy until the large-scale development of oil deposits in Alberta in the 1930s and after World War II , when the first large-scale oil refineries were built in Sarnia. Oil

1210-656: A loose confederacy of peoples who moved west in the 1720s, fleeing lands invaded by Iroquois, and settled in present-day Ohio . The Mingo were among tribes who later fought the Americans in the Northwest Indian Wars for the Ohio Valley (1774–95). During the 1840s, they were among the tribes removed to Oklahoma and Indian Territory west of the Mississippi River. Neutral descendants are among

1331-472: A man named Jim said he was going north along the "underground railroad to Boston." Fellow enslaved people often helped those who had run away. They gave signals, such as the lighting of a particular number of lamps, or the singing of a particular song on Sunday, to let escaping people know if it was safe to be in the area or if there were slave hunters nearby. If the freedom seeker stayed in a slave cabin, they would likely get food and learn good hiding places in

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1452-472: A mechanism to reach Canada. Canada was a haven for enslaved African-Аmericans because it had already abolished slavery by 1783. Black Canadians were also provided equal protection under the law. The well-known Underground Railroad "conductor" Harriet Tubman is said to have led approximately 300 enslaved people to Canada. In some cases, freedom seekers immigrated to Europe and the Caribbean islands . One of

1573-623: A modest presence in the region. A strong commercial greenhouse sector has also emerged in the region, centred predominantly on the towns of Leamington and Kingsville in Essex County, which boast the largest concentration of commercial greenhouses in North America , made viable due to the presence of sandy soils, low energy costs, and mild winters. Crops such as tomatoes, cucumbers , bell peppers , berries, flowers , and cannabis are grown year-round in these greenhouses, providing

1694-590: A patent under the Great Seal, issued by Lieutenant Governor Simcoe, and bearing date January 14, 1793 ... The original extent of the tract was 694,910 acres, but the greater part of this has been since surrendered to the Crown, in trust, to be sold for the benefit of these tribes. And some smaller portions have been either granted in fee simple to purchasers with the assent of the Indians, or have been alienated by

1815-554: A readily-available supply of brine and chlorine , which has aided the ease of production of chemicals locally. Southwestern Ontario's economy and political identity is heavily rooted in the manufacturing industry. Proximity to heavy industry in the United States Rust Belt , predominantly Detroit , and the nearby location of hydroelectric power sources in Niagara Falls provided a foundation for allowing

1936-777: A relatively flat geography with rolling hills, with the exception of areas near the Niagara Escarpment in Bruce and Grey Counties, where exposed limestone cliff faces can be seen along the shores of Georgian Bay . Sandier soils are generally located near Lake Erie, resulting in the creation of a sandy escarpment along the entire north shore, in addition to many sandspit peninsulas, including Point Pelee in Essex County, Pointe aux Pins ( Rondeau ) in Chatham-Kent, and Long Point in Norfolk County. Pelee Island ,

2057-501: A sharp contrast, Essex County and Chatham-Kent receive less snow than average due to their location further south. Summers are typically hot and humid, with Windsor experiencing the warmest weather in Ontario. Summers are often cooler and less humid on the peninsulas in Lake Erie and Lake Huron. Southwestern Ontario also experiences the highest annual frequency of thunderstorms in Canada, with Windsor, Chatham-Kent, and London experiencing

2178-578: A variety of projectile point types, one distinct type, the Innes point, was associated with the Grand River drainage basin and took its name from a type site a few kilometres west of Brantford , which sits on the lower Grand River. Due to high water levels at the start of the Late Archaic, sites which are today located inland up the river may once have been true shoreline sites, similarly to

2299-456: A warm-summer Dfb climate , with the exception of Windsor and Chatham-Kent, which experiences a hot-summer Dfa climate. Additionally, a very small area near Long Point experiences a temperate oceanic Cfb climate, due to its location in Lake Erie creating slightly cooler summers and slightly warmer winters than the remainder of the province. Southwestern Ontario has historically been a strong centre for Canadian agricultural production, given

2420-542: Is Owaashtanong-ziibi . A. Jones, the General Surveyor of Upper Canada reported the name of the river among the Mississaugas to be ' O-es-shin-ne-gun-ing' , and he wrote "the one that washes the timber down and carries away the grass and the weeds" as the meaning of the name. The Grand River watershed consists of all the land that drains into the Grand River through tributary creeks and rivers such as

2541-509: Is Canada's smallest forest zone, but it is home to a very high biodiversity of species due to it being one of the warmest regions in the country. Over 500 rare and/or endangered species are located in this region and is estimated to contain around 25% of Canada's species at risk , including the American badger , Midland painted turtle , Jefferson salamander , monarch butterfly , and southern flying squirrel . Southwestern Ontario's climate

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2662-572: Is a major fixture of the sporting landscape in the region, with all major cities hosting OHL teams. Southwestern Ontario teams regularly experience high attendance, with the London Knights and Kitchener Rangers regularly boasting the highest attendance in the league. In the late 2000s, former BlackBerry co- CEO Jim Balsillie made three unsuccessful attempts to purchase and move an NHL franchise to Southern Ontario , with planned destinations being either Kitchener or Hamilton ; in 2006 with

2783-741: Is a road that runs from St. Thomas to London, with a small section of freeway running north from Highway 401, formerly known as Highway 126. Southwestern Ontario also has multiple road connections with the United States. These include the Ambassador Bridge in Windsor, the Bluewater Bridge in Sarnia, and the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel that runs from downtown Detroit to downtown Windsor. A new bridge crossing,

2904-480: Is central to the regional economy, with major active automotive plants being located in Windsor, London, Ingersoll , Woodstock , and Cambridge. The effects of the 2008–2010 automotive industry crisis on Canada included a large number of plants shutting down across the region in the following years. The 2020s saw a widespread resurgence in industrial development, predominantly due to the comparative lack of available land for development and fast-rising property prices in

3025-501: Is concentrated at lakeshore sites located at river mouths ; no known site of this type, however, has been located on the Grand River. No evidence of fish at upland sites has been found, suggesting a pattern of seasonal upland hunting and lowland fishing. Tincombe points out, however, that fishing may still have occurred on the upper Grand River, notwithstanding a lack of surviving remains at sites. He further proposes areas around Caledonia and Brantford as persistent places of occupation in

3146-521: Is currently being planned. Freight rail in the region is dominated by CN Rail and CPKC , the two major cross-national Canadian rail companies. Smaller railway companies operating in the region include Essex Terminal Railway , Goderich-Exeter Railway , Ontario Southland Railway , Southern Ontario Railway , and Waterloo Central Railway . Southwestern Ontario has two major ports, located in Goderich and Windsor, that service cargo ships as part of

3267-486: Is heavily influenced by the proximity of the Great Lakes . Winters in the region are typically milder than the rest of Ontario due to the gradual release of stored heat in the lakes. Despite this, however, portions of the region experience significantly more snow than others due to lake-effect snow caused by eastward winds. A portion of the regional Snowbelt is located in Bruce, Grey, Huron, and Middlesex Counties. In

3388-438: Is home to three major airports; Region of Waterloo International Airport (YKF) , London International Airport (YXU) , and Windsor International Airport (YQG) , in addition to multiple minor airports in various smaller communities, such as Sarnia Chris Hadfield Airport (YZR) and St. Thomas Municipal Airport (YQS) . The three major airports predominantly offer limited international flights (mainly to vacation destinations such as

3509-462: Is the falls and Gorge at Elora . The Grand River is the largest river that is entirely within southern Ontario's boundaries. The river owes its size to the unusual fact that its source is relatively close to the Georgian Bay of Lake Huron , yet it flows southwards to Lake Erie, rather than westward to the closer Lake Huron or northward to Georgian Bay (most southern Ontario rivers flow into

3630-504: The Bluewater Highway due to its route along the shore of Lake Huron). Southwestern Ontario's political sentiments have largely been influenced by its historical position as Canada's manufacturing heartland. The cities of Windsor , London , and Waterloo Region have historically been political strongholds for both the provincial and federal New Democratic Party , owing to all three having historically been major centres for

3751-551: The Conestogo , Speed , Eramosa , Irvine and Nith rivers. The Grand River has Southern Ontario's largest watershed. Because the watershed is an ecosystem with natural borders, it includes and crosses many municipal boundaries and can be considered a transitional area between Southwestern Ontario and the Golden Horseshoe region that surrounds the west end of Lake Ontario . Its headwaters are near Dundalk in

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3872-623: The Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 increased penalties against runaway slaves and those who aided them. Because of this, some freedom seekers left the United States altogether, traveling to Canada or Mexico . Approximately 100,000 enslaved Americans escaped to freedom. Beginning in 1643, slave laws were enacted in Colonial America , initially among the New England Confederation and then by several of

3993-606: The Golden Horseshoe . Multiple large investments in electric vehicle production were also made in the region in the 2020s, and resulted in the establishment of multiple plants for battery production in Windsor and St. Thomas . (2021) (2016) (2011) (2006) (2001) (km) (km) Density (/km) Southwestern Ontario is located within the Mixedwood Plains Ecozone (as classified by Environment and Climate Change Canada, further subclassified into

4114-727: The Great Lakes . Sections of Southwestern Ontario are occasionally referred to as Bluewater Country . This is predominantly used to refer to the areas surrounding Lake Huron , but is also used in areas around Lake Erie , to a lesser extent. Multiple locations and roads carry this moniker, including the Municipality of Bluewater (located in Huron County ), the Blue Water Bridge and Bluewater Trail System in Sarnia , and Ontario Highway 21 (informally being referred to as

4235-1081: The Great Lakes/St. Lawrence Seaway system. The Port of Goderich is predominantly used for the export of salt from the Goderich Salt Mine, but also moves grain and calcium chloride. The Port of Windsor is significantly more developed and is the third-busiest Great Lakes port, behind the ports in Hamilton and Thunder Bay . The port of Windsor moves a wider variety of cargo including aggregates, salt, grain, fertilizer, lumber, steel, petroleum, vehicles and machinery. Minor ports are also located in Sarnia, Kingsville , Owen Sound , and Nanticoke . The Owen Sound Transportation Company currently operates passenger ferry services connecting Leamington to Pelee Island , and Tobermory to Manitoulin Island in Northern Ontario . Southwestern Ontario

4356-678: The Grey Cup prior to the formation of the CFL in 1958, including the Brantford Redskins , Kitchener-Waterloo Dutchmen , London Lords , Sarnia Imperials (2-time Grey Cup champions in 1934 and 1936 ), and Windsor Royals of the Ontario Rugby Football Union . The combined London-Kitchener TV market, as of 2023, is the fourth largest media market in Canada, and the largest in Canada without representation from

4477-884: The Mohawk nations of the Iroquois destroyed the smaller Neutral tribe in the 17th century, in the course of attacking and severely crippling the Huron /Wyandot. The Iroquois were seeking to dominate the lucrative fur trade with the Europeans. It was during this warfare that the Iroquois attacked the Jesuit outpost of Sainte-Marie among the Hurons . The Jesuits abandoned the mission after many Wyandot and numerous priests were killed here. To survive, remnants of The Neutral tribe migrated in 1667 to La Prairie ( Caughnawaga or Kahnawake ),

4598-825: The Pittsburgh Penguins , in 2007 with the Nashville Predators , and in 2009 with the Arizona Coyotes . Grand River (Ontario) The Grand River , formerly known as the River Ouse , is a large river in Ontario , Canada. It lies along the western fringe of the Greater Golden Horseshoe region of Ontario which overlaps the eastern portion of southwestern Ontario, sometimes referred to as Midwestern Ontario, along

4719-539: The Princess Point complex ( c.  500 CE – 1000 CE) are strongly associated with the Grand River by archaeologists. Princess Point sites cluster heavily along the river's length, where the focus and concentration of Princess Point people shifted from their earlier territory around Princess Point near Hamilton . Princess Point people were attracted to the fertile Grand River floodplains , in common with other peoples engaging in maize horticulture around

4840-719: The Seven Years' War , the Grand River Valley remained largely unoccupied and largely uncharted. An explorers' map in 1669 showed the River as being called the Tinaatuoa or Riviere Rapide. A 1775 map shows it as Urse, a name which also appeared on a 1708 map and on Bellin’s Carte des Lacs of 1744. The d’Anville map of 1755 shows the river Tinaatuoa but adds the words Grande River at its mouth. Other 18th Century names were Oswego and Swaogeh. In 1792, Simcoe tried to change

4961-482: The Southern United States were concerned that free states would protect people who fled slavery. The United States Constitution , ratified in 1788, never uses the words "slave" or "slavery" but recognized its existence in the so-called fugitive slave clause ( Article IV, Section 2, Clause 3 ), the three-fifths clause , and the prohibition on prohibiting the importation of "such Persons as any of

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5082-591: The U15 Group , the association of Canada's dominant research universities. The accent/dialect in the region, Southwestern Ontario English , is distinct from the rest of Ontario. The region also has a small Francophone population, predominantly located around the Windsor area, owing to the region's historical roots in French colonization . Local identity is heavily rooted in historical industries like agriculture and automotive manufacturing , as well as proximity to

5203-630: The United States border with Michigan in Sarnia to London, where it connects with Highway 401 in southern London. Highway 403 connects with Highway 401 in Woodstock and runs east toward Brantford, where it continues toward Hamilton and the Greater Toronto Area . Additional major provincial highways in the region include Highway 3 , Highway 4 , Highway 6 , Highway 7 , Highway 8 , Highway 10 , and Highway 85 . Additionally,

5324-440: The automotive industry . The decline and subsequent economic stagnation over the following decade resulted in the emergence of populist and protectionist political attitudes in cities like Windsor and London, holding the strongest such attitudes in Canada, ranking amongst Prairie cities like Regina , Saskatoon , Edmonton , and Calgary . Southwestern Ontario has never been the home of any professional sports franchises from

5445-711: The contemporary "Big Six" leagues ( MLB , NBA , NFL , NHL , MLS , and CFL ), with the exception of the NHL's Detroit Cougars (now the Detroit Red Wings ) in 1926-1927 , when they played at the Border Cities Arena (now Windsor Arena ) in Windsor for a singular season while the Detroit Olympia was under construction. Multiple cities historically hosted professional hockey teams from the OPHL in

5566-416: The north star to make her way north. She preferred to guide runaway slaves on Saturdays because newspapers were not published on Sundays, which gave her a one-day head-start before runaway advertisements would be published. She preferred the winters because the nights were longer when it was the safest to travel. Tubman wore disguises. She sang songs in different tempos, such as Go Down Moses and Bound For

5687-578: The 16th and 17th centuries, the Grand River valley was inhabited by the Neutral people . This was a name given to them by European settlers, as they refused to side with either the Iroquois or the Petun tribes during their conflicts in the area. An Iroquoian people, they had close trade and cultural relations with other Ontario Iroquoian societies such as the Huron and Petun . The Wyandot , another distinct Iroquoian-speaking nation, who resided northeast of

5808-619: The 1830s. Indigenous peoples had occupied Southwestern Ontario for thousands of years prior to European settlement. Archaeological sites such as the Princess Point Complex and the Parkhill Complex indicate the presence of Paleo-Indians in the area dating back approximately 11,000 years. First Nations peoples located in the region included Anishinaabe , Algonquin , Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) , and Wendat peoples. Initial European settlement and colonization of

5929-414: The 1920s until the early 2000s, when Ontario bought out the tobacco quotas of most farms in the region in 2008 for $ 300,000,000 CAD. While some tobacco farms still remain, most have switched to alternative crops, including specialty crops like ginseng , hazelnut , and mushrooms . Fruits such as blueberries , strawberries , raspberries , blackberries , gourds , apples , and tomatoes are also grown in

6050-607: The 1950s and 1960s, there was a tendency for archaeologists in eastern North America to identify sedentarization with progress on a conceptual level. Some sites may have had a number of distinct occupations, occurring in different seasons and for different purposes. Nevertheless, there is a broad grouping of sites into warm-weather, lowland sites characterized by ground stone tools and fishing equipment, or cold-weather, upland sites with abundant scrapers and projectile points, possibly indicating fall and winter deer hunting activities. Evidence of Late Archaic fishing activities in Ontario

6171-563: The American War of Independence, the Crown purchased land from the Mississaugas in Upper Canada to award as grants to Loyalist refugees as compensation for their property losses in the colonies. Loyalists from New York, New England and the South were settled in this area, as the Crown hoped they would create new towns and farms on the frontier. In the 19th century, many new immigrants came to Upper Canada from England, Scotland, Ireland and Germany seeking opportunity. Settlements were popping up all over Southern Ontario, and many colonists coveted

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6292-441: The American automotive companies such as Chrysler , Ford , General Motors , and Studebaker . Production increases during World War I and World War II allowed the industry to grow significantly, at one point making Canada the second largest automotive manufacturer globally, exporting predominantly to other countries within the British Empire . The Canadian and United States automotive industries were eventually integrated with

6413-420: The British Crown for help, as they had promised aid for allies. In gratitude for their assistance during the war, the Crown awarded the Iroquois land in Upper Canada. Brant led Mohawk from the Upper Castle and families of the other Six Nations to Upper Canada. They first settled at what is present-day Brantford, where Brant crossed, or ‘forded’ the Grand River. It was also called Brant's Town. Not all members of

6534-428: The French explorers and Coureurs de bois came to the region in search of fur and other items of value to Europeans, the Grand River Valley was among the last areas of southern Ontario to be explored. Since the French worked closely with their Native allies in the acquisition of fur and trading of European goods for it, they went only where the natives resided. Even after the English conquered New France in 1760 during

6655-405: The French. The Iroquois League in New York then was neutral or sided with the British. Because different nations were on different sides in this war, it was difficult for the Iroquois nations to adhere to the Great Law of Peace and avoid killing each other. They managed to avoid such bloodshed until the American Revolution (1775–83). Other descendants of the Neutrals may have joined the Mingo ,

6776-423: The Gordie Howe International Bridge, is currently under construction and slated to open in 2025, and is meant to serve as a direct freeway-to-freeway connection between Highway 401 and E.C. Row in Windsor and Interstate 75 in Detroit . Via Rail operates inter-regional passenger train service on the Quebec City–Windsor Corridor , in Windsor-London-Toronto and Sarnia-London-Toronto configurations, running both on

6897-422: The Grand River flows from Dundalk to Lake Erie with numerous tributaries flowing into it: The Conestogo River joins the Grand at the village of Conestogo just north of Waterloo . The Eramosa River joins the Speed River in Guelph . The Speed River joins the Grand in Cambridge . The Nith River joins the Grand in Paris . Prior to the most recent glaciation—the Laurentide —an earlier river flowed through

7018-415: The Grand River valley, had long competed to remain independent of their enemy the Iroquois Confederacy , a powerful alliance of five nations based around the Great Lakes in the present central and western New York state area. Caught in between, the Neutrals paid dearly for their refusal to ally. Historical accounts differ on exactly how the Neutral tribe was wiped out. The consensus is that the Seneca and

7139-449: The Grand River, '' O:se Kenhionhata:tie'' means "Willow River," for the many willows in the watershed. During the 18th century, the French colonists named it '' Grande-Rivière . It was later renamed as Ouse River by John Graves Simcoe for the River Great Ouse near his childhood home in Lincolnshire on the east coast of England. The anglicized form of the French name has remained in common use. The Ojibwe name for Grand River

7260-445: The Lake Erie Lowland and Manitoulin-Lake Simcoe regions), which largely consists of glacial till and glaciolacustrine sand / silt / clay plains underlain by sedimentary limestone , dolostone , siltstone , sandstone , and shale bedrock, with pockets of evaporite gypsum and salt beds. Bedrock is rarely exposed in the region, with the exception being the Bruce Peninsula . The vast majority of Southwestern Ontario maintains

7381-424: The Lake Erie north shore and Pelee Island in Essex County. Additionally, the VQA recognizes additional emerging wine regions located in Norfolk County, Georgian Bay, and Lake Huron east shore. The energy sector is a major industry in Southwestern Ontario. Energy production in the region is sourced from a mixture of nuclear , hydroelectric , wind , solar , and natural gas sources. The bulk of energy production in

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7502-469: The Lake Erie north shore and under the Lake Erie lake bed. The chemical industry also has a strong presence in Sarnia, to the point that the area including Sarnia and St. Clair Township is colloquially known as Chemical Valley . The chemical industry has its origins around the same time as the oil industry, during World War II, when tropical sources of natural latex for rubber production were being threatened. The federal government designated Sarnia as

7623-401: The Late Archaic, due to a high concentration of consecutively dated sites from that period. One especially significant site, the Johnson Flats site ( Borden AgGx-214), is located on a former bar in the Grand River near Caledonia. Discovered in 1994, the site contains materials dating to the Early, Middle, and Late Archaic periods, as well as the later Princess Point complex . The people of

7744-594: The Ontario government announced plans to expand the plant's generating capacity by an additional 4,800 MW to meet growing energy demands in the province. Additional energy production is supplemented by wind, solar, and hydroelectric power. Large-scale wind turbine fields are located predominantly in Essex County, Chatham-Kent, and Lambton County. Belwood Lake , Conestogo Lake , Fanshawe Lake , Guelph Lake , Pittock Reservoir , and Wildwood Lake are all artificial reservoirs created for local hydroelectric production. The petrochemical and oil/natural gas industry also has

7865-402: The Province of Quebec from 1763 to 1791, and eventually the Province of Upper Canada from 1791 to 1841. One of the earliest British settlements, Port Talbot , was settled by Thomas Talbot in 1803, and was amongst the first successful settlements due to the construction of Talbot Trail , one of the earliest major roads in the region. Kitchener, originally known as Ebytown and later Berlin ,

7986-432: The Six Nations moved north. Remnants of the past confederacy live today throughout New York state, some on federally recognized reservations. In 1784 the British Crown awarded to the Six Nations the " Haldimand Tract ", a tract of land "six miles deep from each side of the river beginning at Lake Erie and extending in that proportion to the [source] of the said river." Much of this land was later sold or otherwise lost to

8107-543: The Six Nations. A portion of this tract near Caledonia, Ontario , is the basis for the 2006 Caledonia land dispute , in which the Six Nations filed a land claim with the government. The Six Nations reserve south of Brantford, Ontario, is what remains of the Haldimand Tract. Throughout the 19th century, many Anglo-Canadian settlements developed along the Grand within former Six Nations territory, including Waterloo , Berlin (now Kitchener ), Cambridge , Paris , Brantford , Caledonia , Dunnville and Port Maitland . After

8228-425: The States now existing shall think proper to admit" ( Article I, Section 9 ). The Fugitive Slave Act of 1793 is the first of two federal laws that allowed for runaway slaves to be captured and returned to their enslavers. Congress passed the measure in 1793 to enable agents for enslavers and state governments, including free states, to track and capture bondspeople. They were also able to penalize individuals with

8349-482: The United States, Mexico , and the Caribbean ) on a seasonal basis, in addition to some select all-season routes to other Canadian cities. All airports also offer frequent connecting flights to Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) , usually via Air Canada . Southwestern Ontario has multiple tertiary education institutions in the form of both universities and colleges . Two universities, University of Waterloo and University of Western Ontario , are part of

8470-422: The United States—including Spanish Florida , Indian Territory , and Western United States —and into Canada and Mexico. The Underground Railroad was initially an escape route that would assist fugitive enslaved African Americans in arriving in the Northern states; however, with the passage of the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850, as well as other laws aiding the Southern states in the capture of runaway slaves, it became

8591-444: The abundance of arable land and warmer climate that provides for a longer growing season than the rest of the country. Most of the land area in the region is used for agriculture. Common crops grown in the region include sweet corn , soybean , winter wheat , and canola . Tobacco was also historically grown in the tobacco belt , centred on the towns of Delhi , Aylmer , and Tillsonburg in Elgin, Oxford, and Norfolk Counties from

8712-542: The acts or prevent the capture of escaped enslaved people by setting up laws to protect their rights. The most notable is the Massachusetts Liberty Act. This act was passed to keep escaped slaves from being returned to their enslavers through abduction by federal marshals or bounty hunters. Wisconsin and Vermont also enacted legislation to bypass the federal law. Abolitionists became more involved in Underground Railroad operations. In order to throw off

8833-429: The area where synthetic petroleum-based rubbers would be developed for use in the allied war effort. Over time, various chemical companies, including Bayer and NOVA Chemicals , have built many facilities in the region for the production of various chemicals, including plastics , paints , lubricants , food additives , cosmetics , rubbers, and other chemicals. The presence of local underground salt beds resulted in

8954-472: The automotive sector in Southwestern Ontario. The modern regional automotive industry has multiple large-scale plants in the region, in addition to numerous smaller automotive parts manufacturers/suppliers. The following large automotive plants are currently active or under construction in the region (as of 2024): Food and beverage processing also has a significant regional presence, owing to

9075-582: The capturing of fugitive slaves was a federal matter in which states did not have the power to interfere. Many free state citizens were outraged at the criminalization of actions by Underground Railroad operators and abolitionists who helped people escape slavery. It is considered one of the causes of the American Civil War (1861–1865). Congress repealed the Fugitive Acts of 1793 and 1850 on June 28, 1864. Many states tried to nullify

9196-693: The case of Ableman v. Booth , the latter was charged with aiding Joshua Glover's escape in Wisconsin by preventing his capture by federal marshals. The Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled that the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 was unconstitutional, requiring states to violate their laws. Ableman v. Booth was appealed by the federal government to the US Supreme Court, which upheld the act's constitutionality. The Underground Railroad

9317-413: The chemical industry. Additionally, smaller-scale oil and natural gas development is common in rural Ontario, with small shale oil pools and natural gas deposits being found in local sedimentary bedrock. Shale oil pools are commonly found in Essex County, Chatham-Kent, and Lambton County, where small oil wells can often be seen operating on farms. Natural gas deposits are largely found and exploited along

9438-540: The chiefs upon leases; which, although legally invalid, the government did not at the time consider it equitable or expedient to cancel." 42°51′19″N 79°34′40″W  /  42.85528°N 79.57778°W  / 42.85528; -79.57778 Fugitive slaves in the United States In the United States, fugitive slaves or runaway slaves were terms used in the 18th and 19th centuries to describe people who fled slavery . The term also refers to

9559-464: The cities of Windsor and London have municipally-owned expressways. E.C. Row Expressway is a fully grade-separated freeway running east-west through Windsor, formerly known as Highway 2 . Veteran's Memorial Parkway is a limited-access highway running north-south through London, formerly known as Highway 100. Dougall Avenue is a road in Windsor with a small section of freeway running north from Highway 401, formerly known as Highway 3B. Highbury Avenue

9680-572: The core sections of the Golden Horseshoe . A more traditional definition of the region boundary can be traced back to early colonial districts in the British Province of Quebec and Upper Canada . The Western District , originally known as the Hesse District from 1788 to 1792, was originally designated as everything west of a north-south line intersecting the extreme projection of Long Point into Lake Erie , which roughly follows

9801-500: The designation of the Grand as a Canadian Heritage River . The Grand Valley Dam, located near the village of Belwood , helps to control the flow of water, especially during periods of spring flooding. The dam, completed in 1942, is commonly referred to as Shand Dam , named for a local family who were displaced by filling of the dam's reservoir, Lake Belwood . With a watershed area of 7,000 square kilometres (2,700 sq mi),

9922-748: The early 20th century who competed for the Stanley Cup prior to the formation of the NHL in 1917, including the Berlin Dutchmen (who challenged the Montreal Wanderers for the Cup in 1910 ), Brantford Indians , Galt Professionals (who challenged the Ottawa Senators for the Cup in 1909 and 1911 ), Guelph Royals , and Waterloo Colts . The region has also historically hosted multiple Canadian football teams that competed for

10043-430: The eastern boundaries of modern Grey, Dufferin, Wellington, Brant, and Norfolk Counties. The northern portion of Southwestern Ontario is sometimes referred to as Midwestern Ontario . This area includes Perth, Huron, Wellington, Dufferin, Bruce, and Grey Counties, corresponding roughly with the historical boundaries of Queen's Bush , an area of crown land that did not see formal subdivision or wide-scale settlement until

10164-485: The federal Fugitive Slave Acts of 1793 and 1850 . Such people are also called freedom seekers to avoid implying that the enslaved person had committed a crime and that the slaveholder was the injured party. Generally, they tried to reach states or territories where slavery was banned, including Canada , or, until 1821, Spanish Florida . Most slave laws tried to control slave travel by requiring them to carry official passes if traveling without an enslaver. Passage of

10285-576: The frontier of the Mohawk Valley had resulted in massacres and atrocities on both sides, aggravating anti-Iroquois feelings among the colonists. Without consultation or giving the Iroquois a place in negotiations, the British ceded their land in New York to the new United States. The Iroquois were unwelcome in the newly created nation. After the war, Six Nations leader Joseph Brant appealed to

10406-548: The latter part of the Early Archaic period . During the Late Archaic period ( c.  4500 RCYBP to c.  2800 RCYBP), water levels in Lake Erie and Lake Ontario were higher due to drainage reasons as the land continued to deglaciate . The people of the Late Archaic were mobile hunter-gatherers who had not yet developed ceramics . While Late Archaic people in what is now southern Ontario used

10527-414: The legislation as a way in which the federal government overstepped its authority because the legislation could be used to force them to act against abolitionist beliefs. Many free states eventually passed "personal liberty laws", which prevented the kidnapping of alleged runaway slaves; however, in the court case known as Prigg v. Pennsylvania , the personal liberty laws were ruled unconstitutional because

10648-406: The length of this river. From its source near Wareham, Ontario , it flows south through Grand Valley , Fergus , Elora , Waterloo , Kitchener , Cambridge , Paris , Brantford , Ohsweken , Six Nations of the Grand River , Caledonia , and Cayuga before emptying into the north shore of Lake Erie south of Dunnville at Port Maitland . One of the scenic and spectacular features of the river

10769-529: The manufacturing industry, and subsequently having large proportions of a unionized workforce, which the NDP's policies have historically favoured. Rural segments of the region have historically voted consistently for both the provincial Progressive Conservative party and federal Conservative Party of Canada . In the Great Recession , the manufacturing industry suffered significant decline, particularly in

10890-514: The most days on average with lightning per year. Southwestern Ontario also regularly experiences severe weather events, including tornadoes , due to its proximity to the Great Lakes and warmer-than-average weather during the summer. Under the Köppen climate classification , the vast majority of Southwestern Ontario has a humid continental climate , with a large portion of the area experiencing

11011-668: The most notable runaway slaves of American history and conductors of the Underground Railroad is Harriet Tubman . Born into slavery in Dorchester County, Maryland , around 1822, Tubman as a young adult, escaped from her enslaver's plantation in 1849. Between 1850 and 1860, she returned to the South numerous times to lead parties of other enslaved people to freedom, guiding them through the lands she knew well. She aided hundreds of people, including her parents, in their escape from slavery. Tubman followed north–south flowing rivers and

11132-759: The name of Grande Riviere to Ouse, after a river in England and the Thomas Ridout map of 1821 shows "Grand R or Ouse". Simcoe failed because the name Grand River had been in common usage for some time by then. Apart from large numbers of Tuscarora and Oneida , who mainly allied with the American colonists, the other four nations of the Iroquois Confederacy sided with the British during the American War of Independence . Warfare throughout

11253-432: The nearest Great Lake , which is why most of them are small), thus giving it more distance to take in more water from tributaries . The river's mostly rural character (even when flowing through the edges of Waterloo and Kitchener), ease of access and lack of portages make it a desirable canoeing location, especially the stretch between West Montrose and Paris . A number of conservation areas have been established along

11374-440: The north. The Grand River flows south-south-east. Luther Marsh, a 52-square-kilometre wetland on the upper Grand, is one of the largest inland wetlands in southern Ontario and provides habitat for waterfowl, including least bittern and black tern , and amphibians . It is also an important staging area during bird migrations . The importance of the watershed (7000 square kilometers or 2600 square miles) has been recognized by

11495-484: The northern route through Stratford and Kitchener, and the southern route through Woodstock and Brantford. GO Transit also operates inter-regional commuter rail in the region, currently limited to as far west as Waterloo Region on the Kitchener Line . In fall 2021, the provincial government announced a pilot program extending GO commuter rail service to London through Stratford and St. Mary's , but this service

11616-698: The original Thirteen Colonies . In 1705, the Province of New York passed a measure to keep bondspeople from escaping north into Canada . Over time, the states began to divide into slave states and free states . Maryland and Virginia passed laws to reward people who captured and returned enslaved people to their enslavers. Slavery was abolished in five states by the time of the Constitutional Convention in 1787. At that time, New Hampshire , Vermont , Massachusetts , Connecticut and Rhode Island had become free states. Legislators from

11737-758: The people now known as the Seneca in Oklahoma. After the desolation of the Neutral tribe, the Iroquois Confederacy used the Grand River Valley as a hunting ground and trapping territory. Though the Six Nations (by then including the Tuscarora ) held the territory by right of conquest, they did not settle it, apart from a limited presence on the northern and western shores of Lake Ontario . When

11858-654: The phenomenon of site stratification observed on Lake Huron. This phenomenon is also observable in reference to Lake Erie. For example, the Canada Century site (located on the Welland River ) lies 17 kilometres (11 mi) north of the Lake Erie shore, but may once have been significantly closer. Due to the absence of ceramics, it is difficult to date Archaic sites. It is generally believed that sites were occupied seasonally, though there are notable exceptions to this. The archaeologist Chris Ellis argues that in

11979-448: The primary vehicular traffic network in Southwestern Ontario is served mainly by the controlled-access 400-series highways . Highway 401 , the main highway in the network, starts in Windsor at the terminus of the under-construction Gordie Howe International Bridge and runs northeast to Waterloo Region , where it continues northeast through the Golden Horseshoe and Eastern Ontario . Highway 402 , another major highway, runs east from

12100-527: The prize Grand River Valley. The 1846 Gazetteer relates the history of the First Nations of the area as follows: "In 1784, Sir F. Haldimand ... granted to the Six Nations and their heirs for ever, a tract of land on the Ouse, or Grand River, six miles in depth on each side of the river, beginning at Lake Erie, and extending to the head of the river. This grant was confirmed, and its conditions defined, by

12221-487: The region due to extensive agricultural development and urbanization, but conservation efforts are underway to preserve and/or protect these forests. Three major federally protected areas, Point Pelee National Park , Bruce Peninsula National Park , and Long Point National Wildlife Area , are located in Southwestern Ontario. In 2021, the federal government announced plans to designate a new National Urban Park in Windsor's Ojibway Prairie Complex . The Carolinian forest zone

12342-589: The region is produced by the Bruce Nuclear Generating Station in Kincardine . The plant is the second largest nuclear generating station in the world. The plant began operation in 1971 and currently has a generating capacity of 6,550 MW spread across 8 CANDU PHWR reactors. It is anticipated to eventually reach a generating capacity of 7,000 MW through uprates achieved as a result of an ongoing reactor refurbishment program. In 2023,

12463-512: The region occurred in the 17th and 18th centuries by the French as part of the colony of Canada within New France . The oldest continually-inhabited European settlement in Southwestern Ontario is Windsor, which originated as a southerly extension of the settlement of Fort Detroit in 1701 and was established as la Petite Côte in 1749. Further development occurred under the British as part of

12584-677: The region to emerge as Canada's manufacturing heartland. Automotive manufacturing is a major component of the regional manufacturing sector. The Canadian automotive industry first emerged in Windsor and Chatham-Kent in the early 20th century, with the first large-scale automotive plant in Canada being opened in Walkerville in 1904 by the Ford Motor Company of Canada . Early domestic automotive brands in Canada were based in Windsor and Chatham-Kent, including Brooks , Gray-Dort , and Hyslop and Ronald , but were eventually dominated by

12705-679: The region, settling and owning farms in areas such as Essex County, Chatham-Kent , and Queen's Bush . The region's economy was predominantly focused on agriculture until the late 19th century, when industrialization of the region began to occur. Southwestern Ontario emerged as an ideal location for manufacturing due to the presence of cheap and abundant hydroelectric power sourced from the nearby Niagara Falls , and eventually became Canada's manufacturing heartland, which attracted multiple heavy industrial sectors, including automotive manufacturing , chemical production , petrochemical refinement and transport, and food processing . Automotive manufacturing

12826-567: The region. Cattle ranching is also another important agricultural industry in Southwestern Ontario, with dairy and beef farming, standardbred horse breeding and training, sheep , poultry , and pig farming being common. The dairy and cheesemaking industry in Southwestern Ontario has been predominantly concentrated in Oxford, Perth, and Wellington Counties, with the region accounting for approximately 56% of Ontario's milk production as of 2020. Sugar bushes for maple syrup production also have

12947-521: The river, and are managed by the Grand River Conservation Authority . The Grand Valley Trail stretches 275 km along the river's valley between the town of Dundalk and Lake Erie . In 1669 the indigenous name '' Tinaouatoua'' was recorded by Galinée . A 1945 book about the Grand River recorded the spelling ' Tinaatoua' and attributed it to the Seneca , though its sources are unclear. The Mohawk name for

13068-625: The same time. Floodplains provided rich soils for cultivation, as well as easy access to riverine resources. Indeed, early evidence of lake sturgeon fishing on the Grand River has been discovered at the Cayuga Bridge site, which is also associated with the Princess Point complex and dated to AD 700–900. Thousands of fish remains were also unearthed at the Porteous and Holmedale sites near Brantford, which date to around AD 1000. By

13189-518: The signing of the APTA in 1965, which reduced cross-border tariffs and production inefficiencies in Canada, resulting an increase in motor vehicle exports to the United States and domestic parts production, but came at the cost of the decline of domestic automotive brands and consolidation of plants. The signing of NAFTA in 1994 with the United States and Mexico further integrated automotive production across North America , leading to further decline of

13310-452: The slave states agreed to have California enter as a free state, the free states agreed to pass the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850. Congress passed the act on September 18, 1850, and repealed it on June 28, 1864. The act strengthened the federal government's authority in capturing fugitive slaves. The act authorized federal marshals to require free state citizen bystanders to aid in the capturing of runaway slaves. Many free state citizens perceived

13431-494: The southernmost populated area in Canada, is located south of Point Pelee in Lake Erie. Southwestern Ontario was originally covered by vast forests prior to agricultural development in the region. Two forest regions are located in Southwestern Ontario; Carolinian forest , located predominantly along Lake Erie and the southern tip of Lake Huron, and Great Lakes-St. Lawrence forest , located around Lake Huron and Georgian Bay. A very small percentage of forest coverage areas remain in

13552-799: The strong agricultural industry. Major food products processed in Southwestern Ontario include refined grains , tomato paste , sauces , condiments , meat products , canned foods , dairy products , parcooked foods , rendered products , and dietary supplements . Major plants include Cargill in London, Maple Leaf in Brantford , London, Guelph, and New Hamburg , Highbury Canco in Leamington , Bonduelle in Tecumseh , Ferrero in Brantford, and Jamieson in Windsor. Beer and liquor production

13673-531: The tracking dogs off the trail, escaped slaves rubbed turpentine on their shoes, or scattered "soil from a graveyard" on their tracks. Another technique for scent masking was the use of wild onions or other pungent weeds. Enslavers were outraged when an enslaved person was found missing, many of them believing that slavery was good for the enslaved person, and if they ran away, it was the work of abolitionists , with one enslaver arguing that "They are indeed happy, and if let alone would still remain so". (A new name

13794-550: The woods as they made their way north. Hiding places called "stations" were set up in private homes, churches, and schoolhouses in border states between slave and free states. John Brown had a secret room in his tannery to give escaped enslaved people places to stay on their way. People who maintained the stations provided food, clothing, shelter, and instructions about reaching the next "station". Often, enslaved people had to make their way through southern slave states on their own to reach them. The network extended throughout

13915-505: Was a major historical industry in the region. Windsor was an important location for production during Prohibition in the United States , where alcohol was smuggled across the Detroit River . Multiple large breweries and distilleries are located in Southwestern Ontario, in addition to a large number of small craft brewers , distillers , and local wineries . The following are located in the region (as of 2024): The vast majority of

14036-539: Was a network of black and white abolitionists between the late 18th century and the end of the American Civil War who helped fugitive slaves escape to freedom. Members of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), African Methodist Episcopal Church , Baptists , Methodists , and other religious sects helped in operating the Underground Railroad. In 1786, George Washington complained that

14157-472: Was discontinued in fall of 2023 due to poor ridership and travel times along the corridor. As of 2024, the provincial government and Waterloo Region are planning for an extension of GO rail service into Cambridge. Only one municipality in Southwestern Ontario, Waterloo Region, currently has a rail-based transit system in operation. This transit system is known as the iON LRT and runs from Waterloo to Kitchener. A southern extension of this rail line into Cambridge

14278-526: Was established by German Mennonite and Pennsylvania Dutch settlers in 1807, after sections of the Haldimand Tract were purchased from the Six Nations in 1798. London, originally called Georgiana upon its selection in 1793 as the potential site of the future capital of Upper Canada, was formally founded in 1826 by John Graves Simcoe , the first Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada . Guelph

14399-554: Was founded in 1827 by John Galt as a headquarters for the Canada Company . Many other cities in the region did not see major settlement until the mid-19th century, when agricultural expansion was occurring. During the early-to-mid 19th century, the region was the northern terminus of the Underground Railroad for enslaved African Americans seeking escape from the United States. Thousands of slaves escaped to

14520-438: Was invented for the supposed mental illness of an enslaved person that made them want to run away: drapetomania .) Enslavers would put up flyers, place advertisements in newspapers, offer rewards, and send out posses to find them. Under the Fugitive Slave Act, enslavers could send federal marshals into free states to kidnap them. The law also brought bounty hunters into the business of returning enslaved people to their enslavers;

14641-555: Was originally shipped by tankers through the Great Lakes from Superior, Wisconsin until the 1953 expansion of the Enbridge pipeline system into Sarnia. Today, Sarnia is home to 3 major oil refineries owned by Suncor , Imperial Oil , and Shell Canada . An additional refinery owned by Imperial Oil is located in Nanticoke . These refineries collectively supply much of the province's fuel demand, in addition to providing feedstocks for

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