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The Problem of Land: Farmland Distribution in Upper Canada in Early 1800’s. Social Studies 10 MUNDY - 2008. Image Source: www.wikimedia.org. Upper Canada in the early 1800’s was occupied by Native Peoples (mostly Ojibwa, but also Cree, Assiniboin and Chipewyan)
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The Problem of Land:Farmland Distribution in Upper Canada in Early 1800’s Social Studies 10 MUNDY - 2008
Image Source: www.wikimedia.org • Upper Canada in the early 1800’s was occupied by Native Peoples (mostly Ojibwa, but also Cree, Assiniboin and Chipewyan) • As well, the Hudson’s Bay Company and the Northwest Company competed for furs, although the number of traders in the area were few • Although timber production was important here, farming was relatively new and few lived on the land At that time...
Source: http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com • In Lower Canada farmers had been providing food for the colony for a few hundred years • However, Upper Canada, despite seeing large growth in its population in its main city York, had few farms to rely on for food • Hence, Upper Canada was forced to purchase their food from other colonies, like Lower Canada • Since these colonies were in competition with each other for trade, other colonies would tax their food sold to Upper Canada, making it very expensive for its people The Need for Farms
Image Source: www.wikimedia.org Image Source: www.ontariogeneaology.com • Given that Upper Canada stretched through areas with soils suited to agriculture (see map), the government decided to zone the land for farming • They surveyed the area and mapped the region into TOWNSHIPS with each 200 acre farms (1 acre = 4 square kilometres) • The government then sent posters and advertising to Britain, France, the U.S. and various countries claiming that cheap land was available here for those willing to come and farm it The Opportunity...
For most immigrants, especially in areas like Ireland and Scotland, owning a farm was highly desirable • In these places, many were TENANT FARMERS who were expelled from the lands because the owners wished to convert them to sheep ranches (which were MUCH more profitable) • Many farmers moved to the cities to find work in the factories, only to find low pay, dangerous work and poor conditions • The thought of owning a farm in a faraway place was a means of hope and escape The Dream
Unfortunately, the distribution of land in Upper Canada did not end up being fair: • Members of the colonial government and other wealthy residents decided to buy up much of the farmland before anyone arrived • Acting as LAND SPECULATORS, they hoped to resell the land at a higher price to the incoming farmers to make a profit for themselves • Hence, when immigrant farmers arrived on coffin ships, they found they had little choice, as there was no cheap land available The Catch...
Image Source: beothic.blogspot.com • To add more problems, the colonial government of Upper Canada decided to donate some of the newly mapped farmland to the Anglican Church (CLERGY RESERVES) and themselves (CROWN RESERVES) • CLERGY RESERVES were meant to give the church both land to build new churches within the new farm areas, and an income as they sold the unneeded lands to farmers • CROWN RESERVES were for the government of Upper Canada to sell whenever they needed funds for operating the government if they did not have enough tax money on a given year More Catches!
As a result, many immigrants found they had travelled too far to turn back; many paid high prices for good land, others took whatever poor land was left over, others went to the cities to find work • For the owners of land and the government, their motive was not only profit, but to hold the power to decide who they would allow to farm • This was important to them because, as British Loyalists, they wanted only those farmers who would share their values The Result...
