The Toronto Forest That Brought Down Napoleon
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- Опубликовано: 15 май 2024
- A forest with a story that spans the Atlantic, pitting lumberjacks against an emperor, during one of the most pivotal moments in Europe’s history. Napoleon, meet Toronto’s Rouge Valley. Explore Canada's only Urban Park: Rouge National Urban Park.
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FRENCH VERSION: • La forêt qui a vaincu ...
Clarification:
In no way are we suggesting that the masts made from pine trees in Eastern Ontario were the be-all and end-all in the multi-decade battle between much of Europe and Napoleon--far from it. Without diving too deeply into the subject, we tried to generate some context. The trees shipped to England from the Rouge Valley undermined Napoleon's hopes, and produced the naval firepower the British needed to keep him off the island. But the wars were complex, alliances strengthened and fell, Napoleon was defeated and returned.
Note:
To be clear, for simplicity sake, we used “Toronto” to refer to that muddy early settlement, even though it was originally named York. We try not to go on expository tangents, in order to keep the pacing up.
White Pines:
To all those with a strong knowledge of tree species, you may have only glanced a couple of White Pines in this episode. Fact is, we had a horrible time trying to hunt down actual White Pines in Rouge Park-the lumberjacks did a number on them. They are all over the rest of Ontario, but along the trails of the Rouge Valley, there seem to be far more Red Pines. We only had two days to film the minisode, and given how much walking was involved to get from lookout-to-lookout, we couldn’t spend ages looking for White Pines in cinematic spots.
On that note, White Pines are pretty easy to identify. Each nub on a branch sprouts five soft and long needles. They are the pine trees that look a little gentler than their counterparts, with needles that flow like feathers in a breeze. And boy can they grow tall.
White Pines aren’t just perfect for ship masts; they are great for any situation that calls for a strong, relatively knot-free, water-resistant wood. So sought after that many Ontario property deeds state that one must get permission before cutting a White Pine down-the Crown might call for lumber at any time. And for much of Toronto’s history, they were used in a peculiar way.
If you're ever in downtown Toronto and there’s a condo tower being built nearby, you might notice crews nearer to the lake pulling gigantic white pine logs out of the earth. That’s because, for the decades that Toronto’s leadership allowed it, White Pine logs were used to make ‘baskets’ that would be placed into the lake, filled with garbage and dirt, and built on top of. Toronto’s shoreline used to be much further inland (as far North as Queen Street in places), and the ‘baskets’ were the standard method for building out into Lake Ontario. And when construction crews pull those White Pine artifacts out of the ground, they are often in pristine condition, and resold nearly 100 years after they’d been cut down.
Lord Nelson:
The famous naval commander, Lord Nelson, died fighting in the Battle of Trafalgar, becoming a national hero in England. They named the public square in the heart of London "Trafalgar Square" and built a giant column to honour Nelson's memory. It's one of the most iconic landmarks in Britain. But he was also a hero over here. Defeating Napoleon's navy meant the trade route between Canada and England stayed open. People in Montreal were so happy about that they built their own column to honour Nelson in their own public square more than 30 years BEFORE the Londoners built theirs. It's still there in Old Montreal at the top of Place Jacques-Cartier. Though it just as likely could have been built as a provocation to francophones.
Nelson had also played an important role when it came to those Baltic masts. Before Napoleon's embargo, some of the other most powerful countries in Europe wanted to keep England from being able to trade with the Baltics. So they shut down the narrow channel between Sweden and Denmark - the only way into the Baltic Sea. Nelson was the hero of that episode too. He led the British fleet at the Battle of Copenhagen. When his commander gave him permission to retreat, Nelson famously lifted his telescope to his blind eye so that he couldn't see the signal. He kept fighting and won. It meant that the British got to keep trading with the Baltics right up until Napoleon's embargo.
00:00 Introduction
01:11 Origins
02:23 French Revolution
04:13 The Problem
05:09 The Solution
06:37 The Aftermath
08:25 Bonus Story
#canadianhistory #toronto #fall #hiking #trails #napoleon
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Our first Short of Season 3! There are nine more, each focused on a National Historic Site or National Park, administered by Parks Canada. We filmed them in English and French, a first for us! Be sure to stick to the end for a pretty lengthy bonus tale that relates to the Napoleonic Wars and Lake Ontario. Thanks for watching!
If your talking about the founding, shouldn't you call it york?
We thought about clarifying that in the moment but decided to keep it simple. If we make a choice like that, to side with pacing/simplicity/comprehension over exposition, we usually point that out in the description--which we did in this case. Thanks for watching!
Will you be covering Banff National Park at any point?
We've had a massive Banff-focused episode in our back-pocket for years now, we even did some scouting and preliminary filming a couple of years ago during a conference. But unfortunately it just didn't fit with the logistics of Season 3. We also leaned much more towards National Historic Sites rather than National Parks since they don't see the same amount of attention in general. Depending on how this season goes, Banff, and Alberta in general, would be one of the central focuses of a fourth season.
@@Canadiana Sounds intriguing! I shall look forward to it whenever it is time.
As an Ontario FireRanger I've always been told that the Queen owns all of the white pines and that we can not cut them down (unless they were on fire) and now I know why! Thank you Canadiana!
That's so interesting, we only recently learned that many land deeds in Ontario have that stipulation.
@@Canadiana They’ve became my favourite tree very quickly because all of the fun facts that surround them. Such as they can tell you what direction the predominant winds are just by looking at the tops of the trees. Southwesterly is what I’m used to seeing on my drive up Timmins. They also make great lightning rods leaving massive scars in their bark something I’m used to seeing!
She's not coming for them. Their empire is ruined.
@@marcolizotte2698 white pines have been my favourite tree for most of my life but only because I always thought they looked impressively wild and distinctly Canadian when I was young. Now I have many more reasons to have such a respect for them! Thank you for sharing these great facts!
I live in part of Maine that was British until after the revolution, and yeah, same here. There are MASSIVE, arrow straight pines here and there, and to this day we've always called them "Kings Pine".
I do the dad thing and tell my kids why every time we see one. The ridge behind my house has hundreds of em all in one area, so I get lots of chances... it's a dense enough concentration that I suspect they were selected and planted back in the day just for mast wood, but who knows.
I grew up in Scarborough in the seventies. As kids we rode our bikes to the Rouge river. It was about a 45 minute bike ride. We were then out in the “country”. As teenagers we rode our motorcycles and cars there. This was where we partied. Such a great experience for kids living in urban neighbourhoods. I am a little shocked that we were never taught about the British using the Rouge forest for ship building.
I worked in Rouge Park taking groups on hikes and planting trees to restore the degraded parts of the forest! I was told it was heavily logged, and that all the trees were newer growth, but it was fascinating to hear the story behind exactly how and why it was degraded so heavily!
We had such a hard time finding white pines along the southern half of the forest trails. Those lumberjacks did a number on the Rouge Valley. Maybe one day it will growth back to its former glory! Though it's already pretty glorious!
The Rouge Valley is easy to take for granted if you grew up in Scarborough but it really is a nice place.
RIP the Brigadoon 😢
@@PaulHAMCO it’s funny because I know it’s in Scarborough but as a Pickering kid for decades I also think of the Rouge as Pickering, and I also never think of Scarborough as part of Toronto since I was a Scarborough kid before that, long before amalgamation. There used to be (and I’m sure there still are) lots of deer in the fields near our house in Pickering which was about 3 klicks away from Scarborough-Pickering Townline (eastern edge of the Rouge) it was comical watching our dog (Basset hound, long body with short legs) chase them across the fields, they can really move.
Part goes into Pickering. Glen Rouge Camp Ground as well.
If I were a Canadian educator, I'd be using your mini-docs in my Canadian history classes to supplement my instruction. These are high quality, magnificent productions, and there is sooo much Canadian history - the good and the bad - that Canadians deserve to know.
If you haven't already, you should consider applying to *Heritage Canada* and the *Canada Council for the Arts* for funding grants which would allow you to produce more content more frequently. Heck I'd even suggest you approach the CBC to co-produce/air half hour (or longer) documentaries (just make sure you keep control of the project). The CBC's *_Canada: A People's History_* series (2000-2001) was a huge disappointment in that it didn't delve into the detailed depths of Canadian history.
Seriously, you and your crew are 'diamonds in the rough'.
I agree. Thank you for your comment.
absolutely agree
I totally agree we didn’t learn that much in school most stuff I learn on my own
Stay away from the corporate bullshit artists. You’ll have more freedom and credibility.
hear hear
I can’t believe you’re not a weekly show on CTV or CBC. All of your videos are so well made and informative-I’ve learned so much about Canadian history that was completely new to me!
You really want a Government run TV network to tell you the truth about your History .
….. because nobody watches cbc or ctv.
...because CBC will be defunded in 2 years!
Those networks are more concerned with rewriting Canadian history than they are with presenting it as it is. In a country where the political elite are pushing "settler" as a slur, it is not surprising that this sort of programming is no longer in vogue on revisionist/revanchist mainstream networks.
Because CTV and CBC are propaganda networks. Indoctrination, not education.
What a great story. Canada 🇨🇦 is such a vast,huge, beautiful country.All the natural resources are unmatched. So many lakes. So many lakes that have no names because there’s so many. I googled maps of Ontario and Quebec,there were no roads or homes,just lakes and forest 🌳. Quite unbelievable.
There's about 250,000 known lakes in Ontario alone, and oddly exact figures are difficult as some are inaccessible by land and require aerial identification. Some have dried up or drained naturally, and some smaller bodies of water have increased in size enough to be considered lakes.
@@plushie946 Thanks for the response. An interesting fact for sure. Ontario and Quebec is so remote. It would be fun to explore on a snowmobile in the winter for sure.
@@plushie946 Nothing but the fact of the beavers which make and remake lots of different lake networks from year to year.
@@carolfortin1457That’s an interesting fact. There must be many beaver 🦫 ponds.
I live 5 minutes from there no never been there once. I’ll have to go there soon. Thanks for the history lesson.
OMG you need to go, its so beautiful, an escape from teh hustle and bustle of city life
When I was a kid growing up in Toronto, my history teachers totally sucked! They somehow managed to tell an amazing story will little fervor and total monotony to the point of absolute boredom. No wonder no one was listening. However... if I were a history teacher now, this is exactly the way I would do it. Sit them down and tell them a good but true story they will never forget! And I sir, will never forget this one. Thank you for telling me an important part of our Canadiana that I will now tell my grandkids.
Now they teach the Battle of Quebec on the Plains of Abraham ended in a tie!! I kid you not!!
I did hear that. But without opposition to this story, it will ring true. No winners when this happens.@@JohnMartin-yj3gv
This is amazing. I live so close to this forest, it's a beautiful one, and I never realized how important the humble woods near my house was to world history.
How the EFF is it that I'm 4th generation Canadian and never learned this in public grade or high school? What other 'hidden history' about Canadian do I not know about?
Probably everything.
Thanks for this!!
There are so many great stories that we should know as Canadians but we don’t. We need to promote more of our Canadian heritage and be proud of it it is fantastic
The fun thing was I was in Belgium a couple months ago where Waterloo was about Napoleon it was phenomenal
I second this!
Went through most of my schooling in Canada and never heard of most of these stories.
That's because of the WEF/NWO agenda. Figure it out people!!!!!!
Because you learn other great stories. There’s only so much you can teach in school, so if you were taught this, it would just be something else you weren’t
I grew up in Port Union, right alongside the Rouge. I never knew any of this, nor did we learn it in school. This is absolutely Fascinating!
Had no idea and I've been driving through it for decades👍
Canada seems like a beautiful country. I hope I get to visit one day.
stop by for some pancakes!
Don’t forget the pea soup
Another fascinating, well-presented episode. Cool that you've got the French version, as well. Helpful notes in the description, too. Rock on, Team Canadiana!
Where is there a French version ?
Thank you for providing high quality documentary style content on our history! Much appreciated 🙏
Gotta say, the quality here is on display. This isn't exactly in my list of interests, as an American, but I'll be damned if it didn't hook me. Good job, Canadiana.
I've been looking for a channel like this for ages! I don't know how it's taken me this long to stumble across your videos, but boy am I sure glad I did! This is fantastic stuff!
I live in West Rouge so this beautiful national urban park is basically my "backyard". I had no idea that the "Mast" trail was related to building British ships. Great stuff & I love where I live!
Thank you Canadiana for educating us about our country because schools don’t do that anymore.
I love your take on obscure Canadian history. Most of us were never taught this part of our history.
Keep up the great work. it is very much appreciated.
My first home near Milton Ontario was an old log cabin built in 1837. I saw the land deed and I can confirm that it reserved for the Crown, any Gold or Silver mine on the property and all White Pine trees.
Co-incidentally, the logs used to build the home were: White Pine. In consideration of the Royal Navy’s role in securing the defence and wealth of G. B. then and for the previous 300 years, I’m not at all surprised White Pine masts were valued as much as they were.
I've been watching history video essays on youtube for a long time. Your content is both wonderful and structured. I do hope you keep up the amazing work! Canadian channels are already gems and yours just takes it to the next level!
My hat off for Canadiana for such great video .
The shot a 0:30 is so beautiful your drone pilot should get a raise.
I don't usually comment but had to to help your algorithm. Found the channel through YT recommend and I'm glad I did. It's fantastic! Can't wait to watch all your content.
Thanks for checking us out and the comment!
More good work!! Thanks for the story. I love Rouge.
There is a Mast Woods Road about 100km east of Rouge Park. Now surrounded by fields of corn. The whole area was once filled with pine trees of great value to the Royal Navy and any ship builder of the time.
Always excited seeing an upload from this gem of a channel!
This is absolutely FANTASTIC content! I'd like to learn more about the HMS St. Lawrence and the other ships created. This is something I had no clue about.
Thanks so much! One day we are going to get to list of Great Lakes focused episodes, there are too many great stories to cover!
@@Canadiana I look forward to seeing them!!!!
All the times I’ve been to rouge park and never knew can’t wait to go back now
Aside from the fact it wasn't Canada in 1812. Your programes should be school corrses. Your presentation is better than any I was exposed to back in my school days. Keep up the fine work.
Mention the burning of the white house in your 1812 episode. 😆
I love his voice. A great story teller!
Spent most of my summer kayaking the rouge River this year...
Definitely one of the best, if not the best, place to paddle around the city.
Rouge River was also the shooting location of the 1975 suspense film classic "Sudden Fury".
Hannibal, Clarice, Star Trek Discovery and many others.
Im in Scarborough where this is,i make trip down there,1/2 hour away.I have a ravine beside my TH,at one time it was a native settlement,they found it in 52,but moved the remains 2 blocks over,?????,got a bit history around me.
I’m so happy you folks are back! Excited for this season :)
Nice video as always. Thank you very much for making this show!
I would love to hear about the stone masons of the Rideau Canal and their influence on the architecture and culture of Eastern Ontario.
I'm so glad you've made another season! This is the good stuff
Thanks @Canadiana, great episode!
Excellent! Just learned so much in so little time. 👏👏👏
This is such beautiful work !!!
Amazing video! What an incredible storytelling!
Fabulous research and a fascinating story. Thank you
Incredibly well done video. Thank you.
Once again.. fantastic storytelling. Top notch.. bravo!!
Excellent! Fascinating and very well done!
Awesome history! Very thorough in its content and quite aesthetic in its delivery.
That was awesome, greatly appreciate the effort everyone took to create this. I'll be watching again with the kids.
This is a really beautifully edited video! Also, super interesting, visually spectacular.
Thank you for producing this amazing and educational video. I look forward to seeing more.
I’ve really been enjoying your videos today. Thanks!
What a well developed video - amazing production quality and love learning about my backyard - keep it up!
Incredible show, I cannot wait to show my kids! Thank you!
Fantastic production. Well done team Canadia !
Simply astounding, history well told is a pleasure. Thx. 👍
This is one of the most informative and well put together videos I have ever watched. Thank you to all who put this together.
Fascinating! Thank you.
Excellent and fascinating as always! Now I need to learn about HMCS St. Lawrence!
This is absolutely fantastic thank you so much, subscribed
This is really well done.
I am a very patriotic Canadian currently living in Toronto. I am truly happy to find you!
I didn't know about the Rouge Valley's history. Thank you for this exciting presentation!
Me too, proud Canadian
Well done. I used to walk some of those trails when I lived in T.O. and was completely unaware of that aspect of their history.
Finally our story in pictures. Thank You
So happy to come across your channel!! This is exactly the kind of historical content I love, facts about our local lands within a global context. I subscribed immediately and am surprised you don’t have a million already! 🍁🍁🍁
Thank you Canadiana for this video!
Well done. Love it. It's great to have a French version I can practice with. Merci.
Thanks for the history lesson. Four of us walked some of the Rouge Valley trails just last weekend. Beautiful.
this video is amazing! you deserve so many more veiws. the visuals, editing, and naration! how am i only finding you now
Love these productions👏
Excellent production and very educational.
Really really well done!
Fantastic story!! Thank you for the video.
I should say, this is a very high quality documentary that I can across recently. Keep up the great work!!! It was very interesting and well presented.
Random compliment, love the shot at 2:15, what a postcard framing of Toronto.
Man, this was so cool. My girlfriend and I hike the Mast trail all the time, and we absolutely love the Rouge.
Really interesting to learn this part of its history!
This was great, fantastic actually!!!! I'm new to the channel. Look forward to seeing previous and new videos
That first shot of you on the shore of Lake Ontario with Toronto in the background looked to good to be real!
The Rouge National Urban park is in my neighbourhood. Thank you for sharing this piece of history.
Keep em coming!
this was great, thanks!
What an amazing channel I've learnt more in your videos then my entire life including school about canadian history.
i love these trails! going there this weekend
This is one of the best educational channel on RUclips!
I grew up in Rockingham Western Australia and that was one of the gateways for the deforestation of the Southwest about 100 years after Canada. Forestry was a big industry here as well.
Yes Canada only escaped the fate of deforestation due to the sheer vastness of the forests. The technology of the time and the tiny population of the colonial settlements made it impossible to clear cut entire large forests. By the time the technology reached a point where it would be possible, protections were placed on most forests near urban areas, with exceptions only given to necessary infrastructure like railroads, and later highways and powerlines. Many forests in Canada have also never been inhabited, or only by extremely small numbers of people, and as such remain functionally untouched for tens of thousands of years.
Wait this was so well done.. omg makes so much more sense .. especially with the use of tree resources and how that impacted today
Wow that was very interesting. Thank you for this piece of history! It's 2022 and the world is still unsettled. Peace to all!
I know this season is about national parks, but one day could you do a (maybe mini) episode on the town of Collingwood, Ontario? They had a unique way of launching ships called the side launch and built many of the British and Canadian ships of WWI and WWII. Or perhaps an mini-episode on The H.M.S Nancy which played a crucial part in the war of 1812 before sinking in the Nottawasaga river and becoming a very cool museum and reinactment location. They also built an island around a the ship wreck. Anyways I just found this channel and I love it! Keep it updude!
We will absolutely keep it in mind. We have a list of over 100 sketched out episodes, all across the country, that we hope to make in the future. We have been directed by many viewers towards stories of all sizes, so we jot them down. Ontario is a province we have barely tapped--same for Alberta--so it wouldn't surprise us to be filming something in or about Collingwood down the line.
Only a couple of episodes this season focus on National Parks, most include the wide variety of National Historic Sites that cover the nation. We filmed in over 150 locations, many of which are neither National Historic Sites or Parks!
@@Canadiana Awesome to hear!
A slide launch is not a new technology, many ship yards use that method
@@JS-jh4cy Correct, but the side launch is a major part of Collingwood history and they arguably perfected it. I suppose I misspoke (mistyped?) when I said it was unique, though at the time there were very few shipyards still employing the method,
You have told this story well. Congratulations!
Great video as always homies
You guys are awesome! Love your vids
Ah History! So close, so vital, so fascinating!
Thanks for bringing these stories to life again!
The shot a 2:18 is beautiful Almost looks like a painting. If that's in camera, major props to whoever shot it
Thank you for your educational series. One day I would like to go there and walk amongst the trees.
Thank you! ❤
These videos are so well made, I can’t wait for the next one!
Thanks! We are trying to get it out this month!
I love Toronto history. Mike Filey is an historian I am very fond of.
This video is great
Amazing work as always you guys :) big fan from Canada eh?