The Crawford Purchase was an agreement that surrendered lands that extended west along the north shore of the
St. Lawrence River and
Lake Ontario from the
Mississaugas
The Mississauga are a subtribe of the Anishinaabe-speaking First Nations peoples located in southern Ontario, Canada. They are closely related to the Ojibwe. The name "Mississauga" comes from the Anishinaabe word ''Misi-zaagiing'', meaning "hose ...
to the
British crown to enable
Loyalist
Loyalism, in the United Kingdom, its overseas territories and its former colonies, refers to the allegiance to the British crown or the United Kingdom. In North America, the most common usage of the term refers to loyalty to the British Cro ...
settlement in what is now a part of eastern
Ontario, Canada. The agreement was made in 1783 in exchange for various items.
Background
Land in the eastern region of what is now Ontario was being settled by Loyalists and their Native allies in 1783. This area was originally the domain of the
Iroquois, but became occupied by the
Mississaugas
The Mississauga are a subtribe of the Anishinaabe-speaking First Nations peoples located in southern Ontario, Canada. They are closely related to the Ojibwe. The name "Mississauga" comes from the Anishinaabe word ''Misi-zaagiing'', meaning "hose ...
by 1700. An arrangement needed to be worked out with the Mississaugas before the land became organized for settlement.
Agreement
Frederick Haldimand, governor of the
Province of Quebec instructed
Sir John Johnson, Inspector General of Indian Affairs, to begin land purchase negotiations. Negotiations were led by Captain William Radford Crawford of the
King's Royal Regiment of New York. The agreement was signed on 9 October 1783 on
Carleton Island and gave the British title to "all the lands from the Toniata or Ongara River (now Jones Creek near
Brockville
Brockville, formerly Elizabethtown, is a city in Eastern Ontario, Canada, in the Thousand Islands region. Although it is the seat of the United Counties of Leeds and Grenville, it is politically independent of the county. It is included with Le ...
) to a river in the
Bay of Quinte within eight leagues to the bottom of the said Bay including all the islands extending from the lake as far back as a man can travail (sic) in a day". The actual extent comprised an area of land from near
Gananoque to the
Trent River and about 30 miles inland.
The Mississaugas received gifts which consisted of blankets, clothing, guns, ammunition, and "as much red cloth as would make a dozen coats and as many laced hats".
[Mika et al 1987, p. 21.]
The Crawford Purchase was designated an
Event of National Historic Significance on 17 May 1929.
See also
*
Toronto Purchase
*
John Ross (1744–1809)
John Ross (1744 – 1809) was a British Army officer in the French and Indian War and the American Revolution. He is best known for commanding a mixed force of approximately 600 (some sources say 1750) regulars, Loyalists, and Indians in a raid ...
References
;Notes
;Bibliography
* Mika, Nick and Helma et al. ''Kingston, Historic City''. Belleville: Mika Publishing Co., 1987. .
*Osborne, Brian S. and Donald Swainson. ''Kingston, Building on the Past for the Future''. Quarry Heritage Books, 2011.
Crawford Purchase National Historic EventRetrieved 2015-09-11
*
{{refend
1783 in Canada
Events of National Historic Significance (Canada)
Mississaugas