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TheToronto Carrying-Place Trail, also known as theHumber Portage and theToronto Passage, was a majorportage route inOntario, Canada, linkingLake Ontario withLake Simcoe and the northernGreat Lakes.^[1] The name comes from theMohawk termtkaronto, meaning "the place where the trees grow over the water", an important landmark on Lake Simcoe through which the trail passed.

From Lake Ontario, the trail ran northward along the eastern bank of theHumber River. It forked atWoodbridge, with one path crossing the east branch of the Humber and running along the west side of the river to the vicinity ofKleinburg, where it crossed the river again. This trail was probably used during the seasons when the water was low enough to ford. The other path of the fork followed the east side of the river and angled cross-country toKing Creek, joining the other fork before crossing the river nearNobleton, some 50 kilometres (31 mi) north of Lake Ontario. From there it runs north over theOak Ridges Moraine to the western branch of theHolland River, and from there north-east into Lake Simcoe some 80 kilometres (50 mi) north.

A second route of the trail runs from Lake Ontario at theRouge River, following the river northwest to the Oak Ridges Moraine.^{[page needed]} Crossing the Moraine it met the eastern branch of the Holland River nearAurora, Ontario. This arm appears to have been favoured by the French explorers in the area, without ever having seen the Humber arm. Near the mouth of the Rouge River, theSeneca had established a village by the name of Ganatsekwyagon. TheBead Hill site in Rouge Park is believed to contain the archaeological remains of the village. Traces of a village have been found on theOakdale Golf & Country Club grounds, adjacent to the Toronto Carrying-Place Trail.^[2]

Once into Lake Simcoe, known asOuentironk among theFirst Nations people living in the area, the trail continues north through straits on the north end of the lake intoLake Couchiching. These straits, an important fishing area, gave rise to the name Toronto, as this is "the place where the trees grow over the water". The First Nations peoples had planted trees in the narrows between the lakes to act as a weir to catch fish, at what is now known as theMnjikaning Fish Weirs historic site. From there the trail follows theSevern River intoGeorgian Bay. Many of the major First Nations tribes lived in the area around and to the north of Lake Simcoe, which were easily reachable via the many rivers leading to the lake.

It is widely stated that the first European to see the Humber arm wasÉtienne Brûlé, who traveled it with a group of twelveHuron in 1615. However it is now believed that this is in error, and he actually traveled further west, toLake Erie.^[3]

Further French settlement used the Humber portion of the trail primarily. Near the mouth of the Humber and along the Toronto Passage was a trading post calledTeiaiagon, where the French and English met with the locals for trading. The site is marked with a plaque, and the ruins of a 19th-century mill stood nearby until the year 2000, when it was demolished and replaced by a new hotel, built in the style of the existing adjacent Tea Room. This included the construction of three forts on or near the trail. The first of these, known asMagasin Royal or Fort Douville, was built in 1720 about 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) north of Lake Ontario on the Humber. The second,Fort Toronto, was built in 1750 only a few hundred metres north of the lake, right on the trail. The final one,Fort Rouillé (but also known widely as Fort Toronto), was built about 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) to the east of the river during 1750 and 1751, and the site lies near the current bandstand atExhibition Place.

The trail was widely used by both French and Englishfur traders until Toronto started to be permanently settled in the early 19th century, bringing to a close over a millennium of use. The connection north to Lake Simcoe was then made alongYonge Street, constructed after Simcoe followed the eastern branch into Toronto.

• Great Indian Warpath
• Name of Toronto

Wikimedia Commons has media related toToronto Carrying Place.

• "Richmond Hill History". - map showing the western arm as it was when Yonge Street was being laid out.
• "The Coming of the French"(PDF). Archived fromthe original(PDF) on 15 November 2005. - part of a lengthy article on the Humber, this section contains a map of the southern portions of the trail.
• "The real story of how Toronto got its name". Natural Resources Canada. Archived fromthe original on 9 November 2013.

• History of Toronto
• Portages in Canada
• Historic trails and roads in Ontario
• History of transport in the Regional Municipality of York

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