Description: I would reckon that lots of people from the U.K. don't know that Toronto was orginally called York. I found this particularly interesting because I live near the actual York in the U.K. and so was quite keen to learn something of the history of the region. Basically modern Toronto began it's life as a garrison on the site of the current Fort York built in 1793 by Lieutenant Governor John Graves Simcoe. He built the garrison because he was fearful of war with the United States. The fort was originally on the shoreline of Lake Ontario, although now it is quite a way inland because of siltation and land reclamation. The fort was going to be a major naval base to control Lake Ontario and was indeed required for several battles with the US.
We visited on a day when many of Toronto's attractions were free to enter and so didn't have to pay anything to get in. There were lots of people in historical dress doing tours of various parts of the fort, everything from the type of guns they used to the roles of women. We listened to a few of the speakers as they were setting off from the main base, but decided to wander round ourselves. There are several huts/buildings that have been set up as barracks and officers quarters with replica and actual furniture to give you a real idea of what life was like in the garrison.
We particularly liked the officer's quarters where dressed up ladies were cooking some recipes from an actual cookbook of the time. What made me laugh most was the amazement of some of the other visitors at the fact people could cook elaborate dinners over an open fire. There are plenty of things to see and do in Fort York, you can learn about the various battles and the regiments that were based here. You can spend a whole afternoon looking at the different canons, guns and ammunition that were used. You do all this with a backdrop of modern day Toronto, with it's skyscrapers and the CN tower, something that is quite magical to do!
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