Welcome to Route 1812 ~ Pathways to Peace ~ Western Corridor War of 1812-1814

Ontario Visited is pleased to welcome Pathways to Peace ~ Western Corridor 1812-1814 to our Article Section of Ontario Visited ~ War of 1812 Website. We thought we would start by introducing the Western Corridor 1812-1814 Projects. We welcome you to visit their website at www.westerncorridor1812.com for all details and current information.

The Head of the Lake Loop
Includes the communities of Ancaster, Dundas, Hamilton and Stoney Creek

The term "Head of the Lake" derived from an earlier French term: “Fond du Lac”.  The portage here connected Lake Ontario to Lake Erie, from Dundas over the height of land to the streams running down to the Grand River at Brant’s Ford (Brantford).   As one of the ancient routes bypassing Niagara Falls, the area from Burlington Heights through Cootes Paradise to the portage at Dundas was a major gathering point for First Nations and early settlers. 

Following European colonization, the Head of the Lake came to refer to a larger area including Barton (Hamilton), Ancaster and Dundas.  This meaning was used during, and in the years following, the War of 1812.  Although the goal of several American advances during the war, this area with its strategic Heights, remained in British hands. 

Richard Beasley built his merchant home on Burlington Heights as early as the late 1780’s.  During the summer of 1813, the British army, recognizing the strategic importance of Beasley’s property, built a supply depot and defensive earthworks (still visible today) there.  After the Battle of the Thames, soldiers and warriors retreated to this area with their families.  Between 4,000 and 7,000 people congregated on Burlington Heights, including many whose properties were destroyed during the raiding and fighting in South Western Upper Canada in late 1813 and 1814.

By late fall of 1813, the area was the site of numerous “hospitals” for soldiers.  There were hundreds of patients at Burlington Heights and all available buildings, including the Union Hotel, in and around the village of Ancaster were used as places of convalescence for the soldiers.  Many homes abandoned by deserters to the US were also confiscated for this purpose.  In Barton, Doctor Case’s homestead was used as a hospital in June 1813, as it was half way between the Stoney Creek battle site and Burlington Heights.  Doctor Case and his family cared for all soldiers, on both sides of the war. There is so much to see and do, plan to visit again. Join us with Ontario Visited’s next Blog issue as Route 1812 Journey continues…