Editing Barrie (section)

== History ==

=== Before 1900 ===
Barrie is situated on the traditional land of the [[Wyandot people|Wendat]] and [[Anishinaabe]]g peoples.<ref name=":1">{{cite encyclopedia |title=Barrie |encyclopedia=[[The Canadian Encyclopedia]] |date=December 16, 2020 |last=Moreau |first=Nick |publisher=[[Historica Canada]] |url=https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/barrie |access-date=June 5, 2021}}</ref> At its inception, Barrie was an establishment of houses and warehouses at the foot of the [[Nine Mile Portage]] from [[Kempenfelt Bay]] to [[Fort Willow]], an indigenous transportation route that existed centuries before Europeans arrived in [[Simcoe County]].<ref name=":1"/> The portage linked Kempenfelt Bay through Willow Creek, connecting [[Lake Simcoe]] to the [[Nottawasaga River]] which flows into [[Georgian Bay]] off [[Lake Huron]].

Barrie played an integral role in the [[War of 1812]]. During the war, the city became a [[supply depot]] for British forces and, in addition, the Nine Mile Portage was adopted by the British military as a key piece of their supply line which provided a strategic path for communication, personnel and vital supplies and equipment to and from Fort Willow and Georgian Bay/Lake Huron. Today, the Nine Mile Portage is marked by signs along roads in Barrie and in [[Springwater, Ontario|Springwater Township]]. The scenic path from Memorial Square to Fort Willow is accessible to visitors year-round.

In 1815, [[Lake Simcoe–Lake Huron Purchase|Treaty 16]] was signed, which transferred 250,000 acres of land from the [[Chippewa]] people to the colonial government.<ref name=":1" /><ref>{{Cite web |publisher=[[CIRNAC]] |date=March 7, 2016 |title=Treaty Texts – Upper Canada Land Surrenders: Lake Simcoe Treaty No. 16 |url=https://www.rcaanc-cirnac.gc.ca/eng/1370372152585/1581293792285#ucls15 |access-date=June 5, 2021}}</ref> In 1818, Treaty 18 was signed, which resulted in the surrender of an additional 1,592,000 acres of land.<ref name=":1" /><ref>{{Cite web |publisher=[[CIRNAC]] |date=March 7, 2016 |title=Treaty Texts – Upper Canada Land Surrenders: Lake Simcoe-Nottawasaga Treaty No. 18 |url=https://www.rcaanc-cirnac.gc.ca/eng/1370372152585/1581293792285#ucls16 |access-date=June 5, 2021}}</ref> The British supply depot would continue to prove useful for portaging Europeans and settlers making their way to northern and western [[Upper Canada]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.muskokaregion.com/news-story/3596892-volunteers-help-preserve-barrie-s-war-of-1812-heritage/ | title=Volunteers help preserve Barrie's War of 1812 heritage | date=September 12, 2004 }}</ref>

The city was named in 1833 after [[Robert Barrie|Sir Robert Barrie]], who was in charge of the naval forces in Canada and frequently commanded forces through the city and along the Nine Mile Portage. Barrie was also the final destination for a branch of the [[Underground Railroad]]. In the mid-19th century, this network of secret routes allowed many American slaves to enter Barrie and the surrounding area. This contributed to the development (and name) of nearby [[Shanty Bay, Ontario|Shanty Bay]]. In 1846, the population of Barrie was roughly 500, mostly from England, Ireland and Scotland. A private school, three churches, a brick courthouse and a limestone jail, (built in 1842), were in operation.<ref>{{cite web |title=Simcoe County Court-House and Gaol |url=http://www.ontarioplaques.com/Plaques/Plaque_Simcoe25.html |publisher=Ontario's Historical Plaques |access-date=14 November 2018}}</ref> Local businesses included three [[tavern]]s, six stores, three [[Tanning (leather)|tanneries]], a wagon maker, a bakery, a cabinet maker and six shoemakers, as well as a bank.<ref>{{cite book |last=Smith |first=Wm. H. |date=1846 |title=Smith's Canadian Gazetteer - Statistical and General Information Respectin All Parts of The Upper Province, or Canada West|url=https://archive.org/details/smithscanadianga00smit |location=Toronto |publisher=H. & W. ROWSELL |page=[https://archive.org/details/smithscanadianga00smit/page/9 9]}}</ref>

By 1869, Barrie became the county seat of Simcoe County, flourishing with a population of over 3,000 people. With this population increase came the establishment of prominent businesses and landmarks. In 1850, Edward Marks had established the Barrie Hotel (now called the Queen's Hotel), the oldest continuously running hotel in Barrie, James and Joseph Anderton established the Anderton Brewery in 1869, which would go on to be one of Barrie's largest employers for years, and Edmund Lally opened one of the Canadian Bank of Commerce's original branches in Barrie in 1867.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Heritage Barrie Walking Tour Directory|url=https://www.barrie.ca/Culture/Heritage/Documents/Walking-Tours/Downtown-East-Walking-Tour.pdf|website=Barrie.ca|access-date=June 20, 2022|archive-date=October 7, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221007050052/https://www.barrie.ca/Culture/Heritage/Documents/Walking-Tours/Downtown-East-Walking-Tour.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Sneath |first=Allen |title=Brewed in Canada: The Untold Story of Canada's 300-Year-Old Brewing Industry |publisher=Dundern Press |year=2001 |pages=350}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=THEN AND NOW: By all accounts, Barrie's banking history dates back to early 1800s |url=https://www.barrietoday.com/then-and-now/then-and-now-by-all-accounts-barries-banking-history-dates-back-to-early-1800s-5291346 |access-date=2022-06-20 |website=BarrieToday.com |date=April 24, 2022 }}</ref> A line of the [[Northern Railway of Canada|Northern Railway]] was opened in 1853, connecting Barrie with Toronto and several other municipalities in Simcoe County and [[District Municipality of Muskoka|Muskoka]]. The [[Hamilton and North-Western Railway]] (H&NW) also ran through Barrie, and the two railways would eventually reorganize into the Northern and North Western Railway in June 1879. [[Allandale Waterfront GO Station|Allandale Station]] was the primary train station serving Barrie at the time. The [[Grand Trunk Railway]] purchased the original Northern Railway in 1888, and the line serving Barrie would become a branch of the [[Canadian National Railway]] (CNR). Throughout the latter of the 19th century, [[steamship]]s ran from Barrie to the [[District Municipality of Muskoka|Muskoka Territory]], [[Orillia, Ontario|Orillia]] and other communities and stages were taking passengers to [[Penetanguishene]].<ref>''The Province of Ontario Gazetteer and Directory''. H. McEvoy Editor and Compiler, Toronto : Robertson & Cook, Publishers, 1869</ref>

The period of 1870 to 1890 defined Barrie's downtown development with a series of raging fires that sequentially destroyed multiple landmarks, giving rise to the moniker that Barrie was "among the best burning towns in Canada."<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://www.simcoe.com/news-story/2069137-huge-fires-defined-barrie-s-downtown-development/|title=Huge fires defined Barrie's downtown development|date=2007-12-07|website=Simcoe.com-CA|access-date=2019-07-31}}</ref> Many local businesses like breweries, tanneries and sawmills depended on fire to operate, endangering the ramshackle assortment of wooden homes and buildings that made up the city centre.

One of the most destructive fires came in mid-1875 when the entire section north of Dunlop Street to Collier Street, bounded by Clapperton and Owen Streets, was reduced to ash, destroying around 20 local businesses.

=== 20th century ===
In the next century, the modern streets and buildings of Barrie began to take form in a massive rebuilding process. Other landmarks to eventually burn down over the years include the Queen's Hotel (1915) and two of Barrie's largest and most prominent companies; the Sevigny Carriage Shop and the Anderton Brewery in 1916.<ref name=":0" />

During the [[World War I|First World War]], residents of Barrie helped to construct [[Canadian Forces Base Borden]] (CFB Borden) as a means of additional support and to serve as a major training centre of [[Canadian Expeditionary Force]] battalions. The base would open on July 11, 1916, and since then has become the largest Canadian Forces Base in Canada, playing an important role through the remainder of the war by training some 350,000 troops for deployment in Europe. During World War II, the [[Royal Canadian Navy]] named a {{sclass2|Flower|corvette}} {{HMCS|Barrie}}.

On September 7, 1977, a private aircraft, owned by Falconbridge Nickel Mines Ltd, dropped altitude to {{convert|500|ft|m|0}} in dense fog and struck CKVR's {{convert|1,000|ft|m|adj=on|0}} transmitter tower, killing all five people aboard the plane and destroying the tower and antenna. The station's {{convert|225|ft|m|adj=on|0}} auxiliary tower was also destroyed with damage to the main studio building. CKVR returned to the air on September 19 at a reduced power of 40,000 watts until a new {{convert|1,000|ft|m|adj=on|0}} tower was built in 1978.

The 1980s and 1990s was a period of substantial growth for Barrie, with the population tripling in the span of 25 years. In 1981, the city had a population of 38,423; in 2006, Barrie had 128,430 residents living within city limits. The first larger scale developments would begin during this time, including high-density waterfront condos and the new Barrie City Hall which started construction in October 1985.{{citation needed|date=July 2022}}

On May 31, 1985, Barrie was struck by a [[1985 Barrie tornado|devastating F4 tornado]] that killed eight people. Over 600 homes were damaged or destroyed by the tornado, and of those roughly one-third were rendered uninhabitable. About 155 people were also injured during the storm, and the tornado remains today one of the most destructive and violent in Canadian history. The tornado caused $150 million (1985 [[Canadian dollar|CAD]]), equivalent to $326 million CAD as of 2022.

Between June 12–13, 1987, a sculpture called ''[[Spirit Catcher]]'' by [[Ron Baird]] was moved to Barrie from [[Vancouver]], [[British Columbia]], where it had been exhibited as part of [[Expo '86]]. The sculpture was permanently erected at the foot of Maple Avenue on the shore of Kempenfelt Bay and has since become a major Barrie landmark and tourist attraction. However, with the re-development along the waterfront and Lakeshore Drive, the city is considering moving the Spirit Catcher to a gravel outcropping at the foot of Bayfield Street.

=== 21st century ===
On January 12, 2004, the former [[Molson Brewery|Molsons plant]] was found to be home to an illegal marijuana grow-op housing an estimated 30,000 marijuana plants with an estimated street value of $30 million (~${{Format price|{{Inflation|index=US-GDP|value=30000000|start_year=2004}}}} in {{Inflation/year|US-GDP}}); at the time, it was the largest marijuana grow-op bust in Canada's history.

Barrie's [[Park Place (Ontario)|Park Place]] (formerly Molson Park) was chosen to host [[live8|Live 8]] Canada on July 2, 2005.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/1119352066774_150 |title=Barrie, Ont. to host Canadian edition of Live 8 |access-date=September 14, 2006 |url-status = dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051226043121/http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/1119352066774_150 |archive-date=December 26, 2005 }}</ref> The overall success of the concert helped support a plan to convert the former [[Molson Park]] lands into a commercial district. Construction of Park Place began in 2008 but was temporarily interrupted by the [[Great Recession]] and an [[Ontario Municipal Board]] (OMB) appeal that proposed a rezoning of the Park Place lands that was initially denied by the City of Barrie. Construction resumed in 2010.

[[File:July 15th Tornado Barrie1.jpg|thumb|July 15, 2021, tornado damage]]

An explosion in the Royal Thai restaurant, housed in the landmark Wellington Hotel at the "Five Points" intersection in downtown Barrie, occurred at 11:20pm on December 6, 2007. The fire quickly spread to several neighbouring buildings and firefighters battled the blaze well into the following morning, requiring assistance from other Simcoe County fire services. Officials estimated the damages to be in the millions. The 100-year-old Wellington Hotel building collapsed later in the morning.<ref name="canada.com">{{cite web   |url=http://www.canada.com/topics/news/national/story.html?id=4f3ddae9-5044-4f4d-a4fb-7adee1d63299&k=71332 |title=Massive blaze destroys six buildings in Barrie |date=December 7, 2007 |access-date=December 7, 2007| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20071209023032/http://www.canada.com/topics/news/national/story.html?id=4f3ddae9-5044-4f4d-a4fb-7adee1d63299&k=71332| archive-date= December 9, 2007 |url-status = live |last1=Service |first1=Canwest News }}</ref><ref name="ctv.ca">{{cite web |title=Fire destroys historic buildings in Barrie, Ont. |url=http://toronto.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20071207/barrie_fire_071207/20071207?hub=TorontoHome |date=December 7, 2007 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20071210055740/http://toronto.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20071207/barrie_fire_071207/20071207?hub=TorontoHome| archive-date= December 10, 2007 |url-status = dead}}</ref> On February 17, 2008, two people were charged in connection with the fire after the Ontario Fire Marshal's office concluded the explosion and subsequent fire were the result of arson.<ref>{{cite web |title=Pair charged in Barrie fire had ties to destroyed restaurant |url=http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Canada/2008/02/18/pf-4856783.html|publisher=Canoe.ca CNEWS|access-date=February 4, 2011|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120709132558/http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Canada/2008/02/18/pf-4856783.html|archive-date=July 9, 2012|url-status = usurped}}</ref>

In 2013, Barrie was [[Sister city|twinned]] with the English town of [[Harrogate]] as a result of Sir Robert Barrie's close connection to it.<ref>{{Cite web |title=International Partnership Between City of Barrie, Canada and the Harrogate District |url=http://www.harrogate.gov.uk/pages/International-partnership-between-City-of-Barrie,-Canada-and-the-Harrogate-district.aspx |publisher=Harrogate Borough Council |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140802062642/http://www.harrogate.gov.uk/pages/International-partnership-between-City-of-Barrie,-Canada-and-the-Harrogate-district.aspx|url-status=live| archive-date=August 2, 2014}}</ref>

On July 15, 2021, a tornado struck neighbourhoods in south Barrie, leaving several people injured and causing serious damage to property.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/tornado-warning-environment-canada-1.6104484 |title='Catastrophic' damage in Barrie, Ont., after tornado hits leaving several injured |publisher=[[CBC News]] |date=July 15, 2021}}</ref>  Environment Canada categorized it as an EF2 on the [[Enhanced Fujita scale]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Rodrigues |first1=Gabby |title=Environment Canada confirms EF-2 tornado with 210 km/h winds touched down in Barrie |url=https://globalnews.ca/news/8033046/tornado-ef2-barrie-ontario-storm/ |publisher=[[Global News]] |date=July 16, 2021}}</ref>