Bay of Quinte Carrying Place

Following the peace settlement of 1783 the British sought alternative trade routes north of the new boundary. Among these was the communication, via river and portage, between Lakes Ontario and Huron. Here, at the Bay of Quinte carrying place, on 23 September 1787, preliminary negotiations for cession of lands enclosing the route were held between some Mississauga chiefs and Sir John Johnson. The purchase of a tract at Toronto and one at Matchedash Bay was completed the next year and reaffirmed in 1805. While the route was never developed, the purchase did facilitate settlement at Toronto.