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WIIITBY FREE: PRESS, WEDNESDAY, DE-CU'MBIER 3, 1980, PAGEli11 ~JJu Lierîtage Bv 111 HE{IINRY Some Canadians have the mistaken impression that nothing happened around Oshawa until Col. Sam McLaughlin started to make General Motors cars there, after World War I. Those familiar with local history are aware, however, that the days of First Set- tiement and the develop- ment that followed, occured a hundred years before that much publicized, co-venture deal, made ýOshawa, the Motor City of Canada. Free Press readers should know' that Oshawa had a good and growing industrial base well before the l9th century came to an end and long before the McLaughlin's decided to move their carniage works from Enniskllen to Oshawa in 1876. It was John Graves Sim- coe, first Governor of Upper Canada who triggered set- tiement and the, eventual development of Oshawa, in the same manner that he moved things in Whitby, with his land surveys and settiement poicies in the century turning years of 1795-1800. He laid out military roads between Windsor and the Quebec border and set the bundaries for the districts, odnie and townships that would provide formanor der for the first settlers who were Jooking for land, peace, security and political stability in a new land. Back in those days, Whit- by and Oshawa were in the same township and until mid-way through l9th cen- tury, the rivalry for growth was intense, on-going and real indeed. in the first early period of development Whitby was the dominant community in this area. With the passage of timne and industrial growth Loife before McLaughi around Oshawa, the situation changed and that is the gist of our local history story for today. The first permanent set- ter .of the Whitby/Osbawa area were Loyalist Arnericans who came to these parts from Putney Vermont. Benjamin Wilson, his wife and two young men by the namnes of L. Lock- wood and E. Ransomn have the distinction of being our first settiers and they took up land Just east of Oshawa harbor, a stones throw fromn where the Weston Sugar Refinery now stands. Other loyalists joîned the Wilson's soon after and two names in particular became well known in this region - the Conants and the Farewells. There were others like Ritson, Henry, MeGili, Kirkland and Pickell.' Free Press REaders should be mindful of the fact, that these first settier came looking for land and they found some of the best, in Upper Canada, within a few miles from here, in the Whitby/Oshawa area. In the beginning the Oshawa economy was based not in industry but in agriculture. There were three harbors, at Frenchman's Bay, at Whitby and in Oshawa. The harbor at Oshaswa was inferior to Whitby's because there was no protected basin for refuge. Oshawa had water power, however, in the fast-flowing, creek that ran down to Lake Ontario,' through the emerging littie community. This water power became CONT'D ON PG.- 211 THE WHITBY JAYCEES' SANTA CLAUS PARADE Saturday December 6th- 10 arn *DISNEYLAND CHARACTERS 0.4rS *FLOATS 'r *FREE BALLOONS e OPP GOLDEN HELMETS *e TTC BANDS DOWN rOWN SECTION OF WHITBV GIFFRD Sr SponsredbyDENIS O'CONNOR MARY ST. HIGH SCHOOL the Town of W hltby zz -~Trophies or cash prizes will be awarded to the _14 entrants of the best floats, bands and majoret- te groups. The prizes wîul encourage originality DUNDAS ST WEST DUNDAS ST. EAS1 and entertalning holiday music. 0 The parade is one of the Jaycees many com- munity oriented projects. Judging f rom the - expanded effort so far, it wiII be a great suc- - 'Jr I WHITBY SANTA CLAUS PARADE ROUTE DOMINION PLAZA SATURI)AY. I)ECEMBER 6. lOai CENTENNIAL PARK Our Historical Oshawa at the turn of the century