Lady Simcoe's 1792 Snapshot of Southern Ontario
Lady Elizabeth Simcoe's 200 year old diary creates a "word-picture" of Southern Ontario, foreign to all of us. If wishing to experience that world contact us at Grand River Rafting.
As Governor Simcoe's wife, she dwelt in a world of elite social evening parties... but by day explored and experienced the 1790 wilderness of Southern Ontario. From her entries, I know this is a woman I would have enjoyed meeting.
One of her strange wishes was to have a forest deliberately set on fire, so that she could stroll through it. She talks about how she enjoys walking through local forests that are burning... she loves the smell of the fire, it keeps the mosquitoes away and delights in watching burning torches erupt from hollow trees. When was the last time we had a forest fire in this area?
She is fascinated with seeing wildlife. She visits the homes of dignitaries with local collections of live or stuffed animals, reptiles and birds. She states that Indians use blunt arrows so not to damage the plumage on song birds. She writes about seeing her first stuffed five foot plus rattlesnake eating a black squirrel (the extinct timber rattler). She also sends samples of birds and insects to other people. She is delighted to discover the concept of preserving dried plants between the pages of a book. And there is the mention of being visited by the famous Alexander McKenzie from his travels to the Pacific Ocean... and he gives the Simcoes a sea otter pelt.
People sent her all kinds of wildlife gifts. From the road clearing project to London, she opens a barrel with two rattle snakes... she describes them as dark and ugly with whizzing rattles. She is given a killed loon from Lake Ontario which she relates to a black swan. She receives a "cross fox" hide, which is a red fox with a black cross marking on its back. Someone sends her an owl with a 5ft wing span. Natives present her with the largest tortoise (snapping turtle) she has ever seen. Another non-animal gift she delights in, is a large Montreal birch canoe to travel out on Lake Ontario.
The wildlife is abundant. On the new-cut road to Lake Simcoe (Young St), Indians killed over 500 deer along a seven mile strip. In April and November the sky is dark with migrating passenger pigeons, which people knock from the sky with sticks. There is mention of over 700 rattlesnakes being killed in one year at Burlington Bay. She talks about a night paddle with shoals of fish around the torch-lit canoe. A day's catch of 600 whitefish and 100 sturgeons in the nets of Lake Ontario. There is a huge population of wolves because the Indians don't hunt them... no use for their pelts or meat. In June -July she records millions of yellow-black, swallow-tailed butterflies along the shore of Lake Ontario. She writes about a field invaded by gray-colored grasshoppers... she states the entire field appeared to be moving. She even writes about hearing a panther night scream among the Thousand Islands.
Her ice fishing excursion to a native hut on Lake Ontario is fascinating. She states the Indians have cut a large hole which is covered over with a framed blanket. They lift the blanket off and use a small wood carved fish in the water to attract other fish. The fish attracted are muskie and pickerel, which they spear! Her only complaint is getting cold feet while watching.
Concerning Indians, she has many notes. Chiefs are distinctive, followed by aides and only the Chiefs shake hands with the Governor. On her first meeting with Joseph Brant she describes him as having expressive features of cunning and that he is wearing braided sweet grass around his neck. She finds the Mohawk to be a very beautiful people but describes the Mississagas as dirty, idle, un-warlike and drunk. She talks about the Mohawks traveling up to fifty-five miles a day by foot. She notes the rumor that some of the Six Nation Chiefs which died, may have been poisoned at a meeting with western nations. She mentions a huge Indian burial ground of bones unearthed at Lewiston.
Other notes on Indians... some sacrifice dogs or eat them when very ill. She talks about 50 Indians canoeing in to setup camp near some Senecas... they did not waste a motion and were so quiet and their arrival unnoticed... a vast contrast to the British soldiers. She mentions that the Indians hate snakes more then the British. She talks about Indians painting their faces black when mourning. A mourning bundle on the back of a Chippewa woman containing a lock or finger/toe nail of her husband, wood cut by him and leather made by him to keep him with her. She loves how silent the birch bark canoe glides on the water. She sees Indians spearing six foot sturgeon by torchlight. The Indians refer to the "Big Dipper"as the Fisher with the broken tail. And that Six Nation women remover their husbands knives if they are going to a celebration with drinking.
There is a diary account of Col. Simcoe being accidentally shot by one of his own soldiers. The soldier was shooting at an Indian dog that was stealing his pork. The dog was severely wounded. An Indian, Simcoe and his friend who were walking by also were hit by shot. Simcoe gave the angry Indian the soldier's rifle to appease him, and reprimanded the soldier. A piece of lead was lodged in the knuckle bone on Simcoe's finger and he did not have it removed until five weeks later. She also writes how General Wolfe was shot by a French Priest, from behind a wooden fence, and believes the priest is still alive.
Lady Simcoe records the first white expedition from Niagara to Detroit by land in February, 1793. Her husband took 5 officers, a dozen soldiers and 20 Indians to do the five week trip. She talks about the huge areas of oak savannah without underbrush, the finding of a petroleum spring and the decision to make London on the Thames River the capital.
Lady Simcoe loves the "game" of the land. We find her feasting on venison, wild turkey, eel and rabbit. Her favorite is black squirrel and her least favorite, bear. She states that coon and porcupine taste like pork or lamb. She finds passenger pigeons delicious. The wild-rice fed black ducks of Lake Simcoe were very tasty. The red trout from the streams (brook) are her favorite fish. She also dines on whitefish and salmon from Lake Ontario. In fact Lady Simcoe likes fishing.
Her plant knowledge is interesting. She prefers the syrup of Black Walnut to Sugar Maple trees, and uses the syrup of birch for vinegar. She talks about delicious butternuts, Indians bringing her underwater cranberries and edible chestnuts. She enjoys wild asparagus. She collects wild strawberries and other berries frequently. She talks about discovering ginseng, golden thread, and sarsaparilla. She even collects buds from sassafras to make a tea and uses hemlock tea as a tonic.
Lady Simcoe did everything, the only things that bothered her were: rattlesnakes, Indians running at her firing guns, violent whitewater, the rumor the "Americans are coming!" and the cloud swarms of mosquitoes. An amazing woman!
As Governor Simcoe's wife, she dwelt in a world of elite social evening parties... but by day explored and experienced the 1790 wilderness of Southern Ontario. From her entries, I know this is a woman I would have enjoyed meeting.One of her strange wishes was to have a forest deliberately set on fire, so that she could stroll through it. She talks about how she enjoys walking through local forests that are burning... she loves the smell of the fire, it keeps the mosquitoes away and delights in watching burning torches erupt from hollow trees. When was the last time we had a forest fire in this area?
She is fascinated with seeing wildlife. She visits the homes of dignitaries with local collections of live or stuffed animals, reptiles and birds. She states that Indians use blunt arrows so not to damage the plumage on song birds. She writes about seeing her first stuffed five foot plus rattlesnake eating a black squirrel (the extinct timber rattler). She also sends samples of birds and insects to other people. She is delighted to discover the concept of preserving dried plants between the pages of a book. And there is the mention of being visited by the famous Alexander McKenzie from his travels to the Pacific Ocean... and he gives the Simcoes a sea otter pelt.People sent her all kinds of wildlife gifts. From the road clearing project to London, she opens a barrel with two rattle snakes... she describes them as dark and ugly with whizzing rattles. She is given a killed loon from Lake Ontario which she relates to a black swan. She receives a "cross fox" hide, which is a red fox with a black cross marking on its back. Someone sends her an owl with a 5ft wing span. Natives present her with the largest tortoise (snapping turtle) she has ever seen. Another non-animal gift she delights in, is a large Montreal birch canoe to travel out on Lake Ontario.
The wildlife is abundant. On the new-cut road to Lake Simcoe (Young St), Indians killed over 500 deer along a seven mile strip. In April and November the sky is dark with migrating passenger pigeons, which people knock from the sky with sticks. There is mention of over 700 rattlesnakes being killed in one year at Burlington Bay. She talks about a night paddle with shoals of fish around the torch-lit canoe. A day's catch of 600 whitefish and 100 sturgeons in the nets of Lake Ontario. There is a huge population of wolves because the Indians don't hunt them... no use for their pelts or meat. In June -July she records millions of yellow-black, swallow-tailed butterflies along the shore of Lake Ontario. She writes about a field invaded by gray-colored grasshoppers... she states the entire field appeared to be moving. She even writes about hearing a panther night scream among the Thousand Islands.
Her ice fishing excursion to a native hut on Lake Ontario is fascinating. She states the Indians have cut a large hole which is covered over with a framed blanket. They lift the blanket off and use a small wood carved fish in the water to attract other fish. The fish attracted are muskie and pickerel, which they spear! Her only complaint is getting cold feet while watching.
Concerning Indians, she has many notes. Chiefs are distinctive, followed by aides and only the Chiefs shake hands with the Governor. On her first meeting with Joseph Brant she describes him as having expressive features of cunning and that he is wearing braided sweet grass around his neck. She finds the Mohawk to be a very beautiful people but describes the Mississagas as dirty, idle, un-warlike and drunk. She talks about the Mohawks traveling up to fifty-five miles a day by foot. She notes the rumor that some of the Six Nation Chiefs which died, may have been poisoned at a meeting with western nations. She mentions a huge Indian burial ground of bones unearthed at Lewiston.
Other notes on Indians... some sacrifice dogs or eat them when very ill. She talks about 50 Indians canoeing in to setup camp near some Senecas... they did not waste a motion and were so quiet and their arrival unnoticed... a vast contrast to the British soldiers. She mentions that the Indians hate snakes more then the British. She talks about Indians painting their faces black when mourning. A mourning bundle on the back of a Chippewa woman containing a lock or finger/toe nail of her husband, wood cut by him and leather made by him to keep him with her. She loves how silent the birch bark canoe glides on the water. She sees Indians spearing six foot sturgeon by torchlight. The Indians refer to the "Big Dipper"as the Fisher with the broken tail. And that Six Nation women remover their husbands knives if they are going to a celebration with drinking.There is a diary account of Col. Simcoe being accidentally shot by one of his own soldiers. The soldier was shooting at an Indian dog that was stealing his pork. The dog was severely wounded. An Indian, Simcoe and his friend who were walking by also were hit by shot. Simcoe gave the angry Indian the soldier's rifle to appease him, and reprimanded the soldier. A piece of lead was lodged in the knuckle bone on Simcoe's finger and he did not have it removed until five weeks later. She also writes how General Wolfe was shot by a French Priest, from behind a wooden fence, and believes the priest is still alive.
Lady Simcoe records the first white expedition from Niagara to Detroit by land in February, 1793. Her husband took 5 officers, a dozen soldiers and 20 Indians to do the five week trip. She talks about the huge areas of oak savannah without underbrush, the finding of a petroleum spring and the decision to make London on the Thames River the capital.
Lady Simcoe loves the "game" of the land. We find her feasting on venison, wild turkey, eel and rabbit. Her favorite is black squirrel and her least favorite, bear. She states that coon and porcupine taste like pork or lamb. She finds passenger pigeons delicious. The wild-rice fed black ducks of Lake Simcoe were very tasty. The red trout from the streams (brook) are her favorite fish. She also dines on whitefish and salmon from Lake Ontario. In fact Lady Simcoe likes fishing.
Her plant knowledge is interesting. She prefers the syrup of Black Walnut to Sugar Maple trees, and uses the syrup of birch for vinegar. She talks about delicious butternuts, Indians bringing her underwater cranberries and edible chestnuts. She enjoys wild asparagus. She collects wild strawberries and other berries frequently. She talks about discovering ginseng, golden thread, and sarsaparilla. She even collects buds from sassafras to make a tea and uses hemlock tea as a tonic.Lady Simcoe did everything, the only things that bothered her were: rattlesnakes, Indians running at her firing guns, violent whitewater, the rumor the "Americans are coming!" and the cloud swarms of mosquitoes. An amazing woman!
