The province remained mainly untouched and unexplored. Vast primeval forests covered most of the province. The demand for wood around this time was enormous. Wood was used for heating homes, building ships, houses, furniture and an array of other uses. During the Napoleonic Wars, Britain was cut off from its source of wood from the Baltic Sea region and was desperately looking for new sources to fill this void. Up until this time it had been too costly to transport the lumber over an ocean but suddenly that all changed. Shiploads of squared timbers of white and red pine sailed for England, returning with new settlers and those looking to make a fresh start in this new land. These newcomers worked tirelessly in the lumber trade, cutting timbers from spring until fall and then sending them down river to their destinations. Some, like John Egan from Ottawa, or John Rudolphous Booth made a fortune on the lumber trade. Booth built an industrial empire consisting not only of his lumber trade but also a railroad, a pulp and paper mill and a fleet of river barges. By the end of the nineteeth century Ontario was deriving 28 percent of its revenue from the lumber trade. Canals were also being built to handle this boom in the lumber trade. The Welland Canal was built between 1824 and 1829 by William Hamilton Merritt as a way for vessels to bypass the mighty Niagara Falls, while transporting goods to market. The Rideau Canal, built between 1826 and 1832, linked Ottawa to Kingston. The rise of steamboat travel was flourishing by the 1800’s with John Molson launching the first on inland waters in 1809. In 1816 the first steamer the Frontenac sailed on Lake Ontario. The railroad had recently been developed in England and they proved to be a great advantage over steamships for commercial purposes. They could handle very heavy, bulky loads with ease. By 1839 a sixteen km railroad, drawn by horses was completed around Niagara Falls. In 1850 Canada had 110 km of track in 1860 it had 3200 km. Railroads could service areas that couldn’t be reached by water and could open up new areas of the province to settlement. Much of the growth of the industrial regions of southern Ontario was due to the availability of hydroelectric power from the Niagara River.
Ontario is a province of lakes and trees. Forests cover 74 percent of Ontario. Approximately 6 percent of Ontario’s area is inland water. There are at least 250,000 lakes within the province’s borders, most of them located within the Canadian Shield. The Canadian Shield makes up approximately half the land area of Ontario. Ontario’s highest point is in the Canadian Shield near Lake Timiskaming: Ishpatina Ridge (693 m/2,274 ft). Ontario has the largest and most diversified economy of any Canadian province. It is a major manufacturing and agricultural center and has one of the highest incomes per capita of any province. Ontario’s economic success is based on advantages such as its plentiful natural resources, cheap power, a skilled and well-educated workforce, and convenient transportation links to markets elsewhere in Canada, the United States, and overseas. |
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