Editing Barrie (section)

=== 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.