- Erindale, Mississauga
Erindale is a historical village located within the central part of the city of
Mississauga , west ofToronto .It runs along Dundas Street West, the centre of the old village is just to the east of the
Credit River valley. A large campus of theUniversity of Toronto , known asUniversity of Toronto Mississauga , is located on the west bank of the river.History
During the 17th and 18th centuries, French trappers named the river on which Erindale sits as "Rivière du Credit". Aboriginal peoples called it the "trusting river" because the guns, knives and kettles they obtained in exchange for their furs and woven baskets were often bought on credit.
As settlement progressed, the Mississauga Indians sold their land. In the treaty of 1805 signed by Chief Quenippenon the tribe ceded convert|70784|acre|km2. A second sale of 648,000 acres (2,620 km²) followed in 1818.
The "Indian Trail" became a military road and was named Dundas Street after the British Secretary-at-War, Henry Dundas. The Credit Village developed along Dundas Street, settled mainly by people from the bustling Town of York (now Toronto.) By 1809 there were 185 settlers in the area. Sawmills and grist mills were built, powered by water diverted from the river. Most of these settlers were
United Empire Loyalists from the formerThirteen Colonies to the south or from settlements in Atlantic Canada, especiallyNew Brunswick .By 1830 the Crown was selling the land in 100 to convert|200|acre|km2|sing=on lots and streets were named after prominent people who settled there. Old Country immigrants began arriving, mingling with the United Empire Loyalists and New Brunswickers. There was also a large group of Irish immigrants who arrived from New York City.
The Credit Village became Springbrook, then Springfield and finally Erindale. Plank roads were laid over the mud of spring and fall and Erindale became a main stopping place for stagecoaches travelling between Toronto and Hamilton.
The ruins of an old hydro electric dam are situated just north of Dundas and a park is located by the river.
ee also
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Erindale GO Station
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