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 Talbot Trail
Includes the communities of St. Thomas, Port Stanley, Sparta, and Richmond

The Talbot Trial portion of Route 1812 consists of a stretch of the Talbot Road, the first part of which was opened in 1811 to facilitate settlement.  Unfortunately it also provided a highway for the Americans and disaffected locals who periodically raided the region’s settlers, looting everything from clothes to horses and destroying their crops. Surprisingly most settlers stuck it out during the war and remained on the farms they had spent months or years clearing.  The losses recorded in the last and most serious raid; that of General McArthur in November 1814; shows that the farms were still producing crops and livestock late in the war.

The relative calm in the region brought members of the Quaker settlement in Niagara to the area to find a refuge from the fighting in their part of the province. Initial land purchases took place in 1813, around what is now the village of Sparta, which takes that year as its founding date and celebrates its 200^th anniversary in 2013.

Most of the settlers that were resident in the London District served in the militia, commanded by Col. Thomas Talbot, the principal land agent. They were present at Lundy’s Lane and some assisted with the invasion of Detroit under Sir Isaac Brock who was forced to put in for shelter at three points along this part of the Lake Erie shoreline during his passage to Detroit. 

Travel this part of the historic Talbot Trail and learn all the stories from the families left to defend their homes.  You will also find more Barn Quilts as part of the Southwest Ontario Barn Quilt Trails. 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…