Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry United Counties, Ontario
Encyclopedia
The United Counties of Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry is an upper tier county
and census division
in the Canadian
province of Ontario
. The county seat is Cornwall
. The City of Cornwall and the sovereign Mohawk Nation
of Akwesasne
are included in the census division, but are politically separated from Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry United Counties.
There was a total population of 110,399 in the census division Canada 2006 Census
. The county borders with Quebec
to the east and New York
to the south; the only census division in Ontario to border both Quebec and the United States
. The sovereign Mohawk Nation
of Akwesasne
is a territory partly within the county and straddling the border of both Quebec and New York.
people built earthen mounds, such as those at Serpent Mounds Park
and Cameron's Point. They were gradually replaced about 1000-1300 CE by the Owasco people, who had migrated northward. They practiced more settled agriculture.
These people are believed to have developed into the Iroquoian-speaking people, of which the St. Lawrence Iroquoians
are identified as having settled along the river valley of the same name. They spoke Laurentian
, practiced agriculture, and built fortified villages, such as those visited and described by explorer Jacques Cartier
. They were a group distinct from the Iroquois
Five Nations based in present-day New York. Historians believe the Mohawk
Iroquois pushed out or destroyed the St. Lawrence Iroquoians by 1600 and used the uninhabited territory as a hunting and trapping ground. In the 17th and early 18th century, some settled at Kahnawake, south of Montreal.
Some 30 families of converted Mohawk who had lived at Kahnawake founded Akwesasne
upriver in the late 1750s. It is now the largest Mohawk territory in Canada, with about 12,000 people
The county comprises six of the original eight Royal Townships of Upper Canada
: Lancaster, Charlottenburgh, Cornwall, Osnabruck, Willamsburgh and Matilda. These six townships were divided into 12 a few years after their creation. Each set of four townships became one of three separate counties: Lancaster, Charlottenburgh, Kenyon and Lochiel became Glengarry County
, Cornwall, Osnabruck, Finch and Roxborough became Stormont County
, and Williamsburgh, Matilda, Winchester and Mountain became Dundas County
. The three counties were later united to form the current county.
The townships of Cornwall, Osnabruck, Williamsburgh and Matilda were impacted by the creation of the St. Lawrence Seaway in 1958, when construction plans required the flooding of a number of communities along the shore of the St. Lawrence River. Ten communities in Cornwall and Osnabruck, known collectively as The Lost Villages
, were abandoned and completely flooded. One community each in Williamsburgh and Matilda were relocated to higher ground.
The 12 townships were amalgamated back into six, although along different boundaries from the original Royal Townships, in 1998.
Most of the county, with the exception of North Glengarry, constitutes the federal and provincial electoral district of Stormont—Dundas—South Glengarry
. North Glengarry is part of the electoral district of Glengarry—Prescott—Russell
. Both districts are currently represented by Conservative
MPs federally (Guy Lauzon
and Pierre Lemieux
), and by Conservative MPPs provincially (Jim McDonell
and by the Liberal in Glengarry—Prescott—Russell
by [Jean-Marc Lalonde]]).
County
A county is a jurisdiction of local government in certain modern nations. Historically in mainland Europe, the original French term, comté, and its equivalents in other languages denoted a jurisdiction under the sovereignty of a count A county is a jurisdiction of local government in certain...
and census division
Census division
Census division is an official term in Canada and the United States. The census divisions of Canada are second-level census geographic unit, below provinces and territories, and above "census subdivisions" and "dissemination areas". In provinces where they exist, the census division may correspond...
in the Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
province of Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
. The county seat is Cornwall
Cornwall, Ontario
Cornwall is a city in Eastern Ontario, Canada and the seat of the United Counties of Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry, Ontario. Cornwall is Ontario's easternmost city, located on the St...
. The City of Cornwall and the sovereign Mohawk Nation
Mohawk nation
Mohawk are the most easterly tribe of the Iroquois confederation. They call themselves Kanien'gehaga, people of the place of the flint...
of Akwesasne
Akwesasne
The Mohawk Nation of Akwesasne is a Mohawk Nation territory that straddles the intersection of international and provincial borders on both banks of the Saint Lawrence River. Most of the land is in what is otherwise the United States...
are included in the census division, but are politically separated from Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry United Counties.
There was a total population of 110,399 in the census division Canada 2006 Census
Canada 2006 Census
The Canada 2006 Census was a detailed enumeration of the Canadian population. Census day was May 16, 2006. The next census following will be the 2011 Census. Canada's total population enumerated by the 2006 census was 31,612,897...
. The county borders with Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
to the east and New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
to the south; the only census division in Ontario to border both Quebec and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The sovereign Mohawk Nation
Mohawk nation
Mohawk are the most easterly tribe of the Iroquois confederation. They call themselves Kanien'gehaga, people of the place of the flint...
of Akwesasne
Akwesasne
The Mohawk Nation of Akwesasne is a Mohawk Nation territory that straddles the intersection of international and provincial borders on both banks of the Saint Lawrence River. Most of the land is in what is otherwise the United States...
is a territory partly within the county and straddling the border of both Quebec and New York.
History
The area along the St. Lawrence River had been settled by indigenous peoples for thousands of years. About 2,000 years ago, the Point Peninsula ComplexPoint Peninsula Complex
The Point Peninsula Complex was an indigenous culture located in Ontario and New York from 300 BCE to 700 CE . The people are thought to have been influenced by the Hopewell traditions of the Ohio River valley...
people built earthen mounds, such as those at Serpent Mounds Park
Serpent Mounds Park
Serpent Mounds Park is a private campground, day-use park, and a National Historic Site of Canada located in Keene, Ontario. Serpent Mounds is currently owned and operated by the Hiawatha First Nation, a historic Mississaugas people.- History :...
and Cameron's Point. They were gradually replaced about 1000-1300 CE by the Owasco people, who had migrated northward. They practiced more settled agriculture.
These people are believed to have developed into the Iroquoian-speaking people, of which the St. Lawrence Iroquoians
St. Lawrence Iroquoians
The St. Lawrence Iroquoians were a prehistoric First Nations/Native American indigenous people who lived from the 14th century until about 1580 CE along the shores of the St. Lawrence River in present-day Quebec and Ontario, Canada, and New York State, United States. They spoke Laurentian...
are identified as having settled along the river valley of the same name. They spoke Laurentian
Laurentian
Laurentian may refer to:*Anything related to Saint Lawrence or the Saint Lawrence River*Laurentia, the craton at the heart of the North American continent...
, practiced agriculture, and built fortified villages, such as those visited and described by explorer Jacques Cartier
Jacques Cartier
Jacques Cartier was a French explorer of Breton origin who claimed what is now Canada for France. He was the first European to describe and map the Gulf of Saint Lawrence and the shores of the Saint Lawrence River, which he named "The Country of Canadas", after the Iroquois names for the two big...
. They were a group distinct from the Iroquois
Iroquois
The Iroquois , also known as the Haudenosaunee or the "People of the Longhouse", are an association of several tribes of indigenous people of North America...
Five Nations based in present-day New York. Historians believe the Mohawk
Mohawk nation
Mohawk are the most easterly tribe of the Iroquois confederation. They call themselves Kanien'gehaga, people of the place of the flint...
Iroquois pushed out or destroyed the St. Lawrence Iroquoians by 1600 and used the uninhabited territory as a hunting and trapping ground. In the 17th and early 18th century, some settled at Kahnawake, south of Montreal.
Some 30 families of converted Mohawk who had lived at Kahnawake founded Akwesasne
Akwesasne
The Mohawk Nation of Akwesasne is a Mohawk Nation territory that straddles the intersection of international and provincial borders on both banks of the Saint Lawrence River. Most of the land is in what is otherwise the United States...
upriver in the late 1750s. It is now the largest Mohawk territory in Canada, with about 12,000 people
The county comprises six of the original eight Royal Townships of Upper Canada
Upper Canada
The Province of Upper Canada was a political division in British Canada established in 1791 by the British Empire to govern the central third of the lands in British North America and to accommodate Loyalist refugees from the United States of America after the American Revolution...
: Lancaster, Charlottenburgh, Cornwall, Osnabruck, Willamsburgh and Matilda. These six townships were divided into 12 a few years after their creation. Each set of four townships became one of three separate counties: Lancaster, Charlottenburgh, Kenyon and Lochiel became Glengarry County
Glengarry County, Ontario
thumb|right|Glengarry located within OntarioGlengarry County , an area covering , is a county in the Canadian province of Ontario, and is historically known for its settlement of Scottish Highlanders due to the Highland Clearances.Glengarry was founded in 1792 by Scottish loyalists, mainly from...
, Cornwall, Osnabruck, Finch and Roxborough became Stormont County
Stormont County, Ontario
Stormont County area is a county in the Canadian province of Ontario.Stormont was created in 1792, however, it was settled seven years earlier in 1785. Veterans of Loyalist regiments were among the first settlers...
, and Williamsburgh, Matilda, Winchester and Mountain became Dundas County
Dundas County, Ontario
Dundas County is a county in the Canadian province of Ontario.Dundas was created in 1792 by the area's first settlers: German Loyalists who had fought with Sir John Johnson in the American Revolutionary War. The settlers, descendants of the Palatine immigrants to America in 1710, had immigrated to...
. The three counties were later united to form the current county.
The townships of Cornwall, Osnabruck, Williamsburgh and Matilda were impacted by the creation of the St. Lawrence Seaway in 1958, when construction plans required the flooding of a number of communities along the shore of the St. Lawrence River. Ten communities in Cornwall and Osnabruck, known collectively as The Lost Villages
The Lost Villages
The Lost Villages are ten communities in the Canadian province of Ontario, in the former townships of Cornwall and Osnabruck near Cornwall, which were permanently submerged by the creation of the Saint Lawrence Seaway in 1958....
, were abandoned and completely flooded. One community each in Williamsburgh and Matilda were relocated to higher ground.
The 12 townships were amalgamated back into six, although along different boundaries from the original Royal Townships, in 1998.
Townships
- North DundasNorth Dundas, OntarioNorth Dundas is a township in Eastern Ontario, Canada, in the United Counties of Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry, and spread across the South Nation River and the East Castor River watersheds....
- North GlengarryNorth Glengarry, OntarioNorth Glengarry is a township in eastern Ontario, Canada, in the United Counties of Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry. It is a predominantly rural area located between Ottawa-Gatineau, Montreal and Cornwall-Massena....
- North StormontNorth Stormont, OntarioNorth Stormont is a lower tier township in eastern Ontario, Canada in the United Counties of Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry. The township was incorporated on January 1, 1998 by amalgamating the former townships of Finch and Roxborough with the independent village of Finch.-Communities:The township...
- South DundasSouth Dundas, OntarioSouth Dundas is a township in eastern Ontario, Canada, in the United Counties of Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry along the north shore of the St. Lawrence River...
- South GlengarrySouth Glengarry, OntarioSouth Glengarry is a township in eastern Ontario, Canada on the St. Lawrence River in the United Counties of Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry.The township was created on 1 January 1998, by amalgamating the townships of Charlottenburgh and Lancaster with the independent village of...
- South StormontSouth Stormont, OntarioSouth Stormont is a township in eastern Ontario, Canada, in the United Counties of Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry. The township was incorporated on January 1, 1998, by amalgamating the former geographic townships of Cornwall and Osnabruck....
Counties
- Dundas CountyDundas County, OntarioDundas County is a county in the Canadian province of Ontario.Dundas was created in 1792 by the area's first settlers: German Loyalists who had fought with Sir John Johnson in the American Revolutionary War. The settlers, descendants of the Palatine immigrants to America in 1710, had immigrated to...
- Glengarry CountyGlengarry County, Ontariothumb|right|Glengarry located within OntarioGlengarry County , an area covering , is a county in the Canadian province of Ontario, and is historically known for its settlement of Scottish Highlanders due to the Highland Clearances.Glengarry was founded in 1792 by Scottish loyalists, mainly from...
- Stormont CountyStormont County, OntarioStormont County area is a county in the Canadian province of Ontario.Stormont was created in 1792, however, it was settled seven years earlier in 1785. Veterans of Loyalist regiments were among the first settlers...
Politics
The head of Council (called Warden) is elected annually by internal election from Council's members. Steven Byvelds, the Mayor of South Dundas, is the United Counties of Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry's 2011 Warden.Most of the county, with the exception of North Glengarry, constitutes the federal and provincial electoral district of Stormont—Dundas—South Glengarry
Stormont—Dundas—South Glengarry
Stormont—Dundas—South Glengarry is a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 2004.Its population in 2001 was 98,933.-Geography:...
. North Glengarry is part of the electoral district of Glengarry—Prescott—Russell
Glengarry—Prescott—Russell
Glengarry—Prescott—Russell is a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 1953...
. Both districts are currently represented by Conservative
Conservative Party of Canada
The Conservative Party of Canada , is a political party in Canada which was formed by the merger of the Canadian Alliance and the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada in 2003. It is positioned on the right of the Canadian political spectrum...
MPs federally (Guy Lauzon
Guy Lauzon
Guy Lauzon is a Canadian politician. He is a current member of the Canadian House of Commons, representing the riding of Stormont—Dundas—South Glengarry as a Conservative. He was born in St...
and Pierre Lemieux
Pierre Lemieux
Pierre Lemieux is a politician in Ontario, Canada. He is the MP for the riding of Glengarry—Prescott—Russell in Canada's 39th general election. He represents the Conservative Party of Canada...
), and by Conservative MPPs provincially (Jim McDonell
Jim McDonell
Jim McDonell is a Canadian politician, who was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario in the 2011 election. He represents the electoral district of Stormont—Dundas—South Glengarry as a member of the Ontario Progressive Conservative Party caucus....
and by the Liberal in Glengarry—Prescott—Russell
Glengarry—Prescott—Russell
Glengarry—Prescott—Russell is a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 1953...
by [Jean-Marc Lalonde]]).
See also
- Eastern OntarioEastern OntarioEastern Ontario is a subregion of Southern Ontario in the Canadian province of Ontario which lies in a wedge-shaped area between the Ottawa River and St. Lawrence River...
- Southern OntarioSouthern OntarioSouthern Ontario is a region of the province of Ontario, Canada that lies south of the French River and Algonquin Park. Depending on the inclusion of the Parry Sound and Muskoka districts, its surface area would cover between 14 to 15% of the province. It is the southernmost region of...
- Census divisions of OntarioCensus divisions of OntarioIn the Canadian province of Ontario, there are three different types of census divisions: single-tier municipalities, upper-tier municipalities and districts...
- Transit Eastern OntarioTransit Eastern OntarioTransit Eastern Ontario is a commuter bus service which operates from communities along the Highway 417 corridor, east of Ottawa in Eastern Ontario, Canada...
operated under the authority of The North Glengarry Prescott Russell (NGPR) Transport Board