Map of the Week: A view of Upper Canada's infancy

Elizabeth Simcoe traveled to Upper Canada with her husband John Graves Simcoe after his appointment as first British governor of the colony in 1791. They would stay for the next five years.

As well as her more famous diary, Simcoe produced a series of sketches and watercolours of the traveled areas along the St. Lawrence and Lake Ontario, then a string of tiny settlements perched on the edge of the wilderness.

At least one was painted on birch bark. Some of her subjects still exist, like the Scadding Cabin, now at the CNE grounds. Some are recognizable from natural features, like Queenston and Cootes Paradise. Others have vanished, like the Long Sault rapids near Cornwall, which were drowned to make way for the St. Lawrence Seaway.

More images can be found at the online exhibit of Simcoe’s work at the Ontario Archives site.

Click on image to see map.