Nine Mile Portage Willow Depot National Historic Event of Canada, Springwater, Ontario
Posted by: 
colincan
N 44° 23.702 W 079° 49.288
17T E 593858 N 4916425
The once native trail at Nine Mile Portage near Lake Simcoe served the British as a vital military link between the Lower and Upper Great Lakes during the War of 1812. Willow Depot (now the reconstructed Fort Willow) was the main point of supply.
Waymark Code: WMTPJF
Location: Ontario, Canada
Date Posted: 12/24/2016
Views: 2
In 1812 the dire message that British North America was at war with the United States was sent from Fort George on the Niagara Peninsula to the far flung British military outpost at Fort St Joseph (southeast of present day Sault Ste Marie). It was not telegraphed, e-mailed or sent by cell phone, rather sent post haste by canoe thanks to the determination of the paddlers. Thus alerted, the British garrison was enabled to launch a preemptive strike at American held Fort Michilimackinac. Had this fort remained in American hands it might have proven to be a permanent obstacle to the further westward expansion of Canada. The crucial message went by way of Nine Mile Portage, a traditional native trail at Barrie. This east-west land link at the time connected the then recently constructed Yonge Street, an initiative of John Graves Simcoe, with the Nottawasaga River which flowed north into Georgian Bay. The inland route thus formed allowed for secure transportation well away from the American frontier of the lower Great Lakes. Willow Depot stood astride Nine Mile Portage and supplies from here provisioned the outposts to north and west well after the war. Later, explorers such as David Thompson and Sir John Franklin passed through it. Fort Willow now stands as a reconstructed palisade. This designation was made in 2014. A federal plaque was erected in 2016.
Classification: National Historic Event
Province or Territory: Ontario
Location - City name/Town name: Springwater Township, Simcoe County
Link to Parks Canada entry (must be on www.pc.gc.ca): [Web Link]
Link to HistoricPlaces.ca: Not listed
|
Visit Instructions:As a suggestion for your visit log, please make every effort to supply a brief-to-detailed note about your experience at the Waymark. If possible also include an image that was taken when you visited the Waymark. Images can be of yourself, a personal Waymarking signature item or just one of general interest that would be of value to others. Sharing your experience helps promote Waymarking and provides a dynamic history of your adventures.
Recent Visits/Logs:
| There are no logs for this waymark yet. |
|
|
|