Tecumseh, Ontario
Encyclopedia
Tecumseh is a town on Lake St. Clair east of Windsor
, Ontario
, Canada. It has a population of just over 24,000.
Tecumseh enjoys long summers and mild winters. Originally a small Franco-Ontarian
settlement with only a church, a school, a post office, a hotel and a general store, Tecumseh is now rapidly growing and offers many fine restaurants, shopping areas, medical facilities, and has a growing industrial and commercial sector.
Food processing is a major industry in Tecumseh, as Carrière owns a food processing plant near the heart of the town. The plant originally was Green Giant
and Pillsbury Company/Green Giant sold in the late 1990s to Family Tradition. Family Tradition recently sold the food processing plant to Carrière.
The Tecumseh Corn Festival has been recognized as one of the Top 100 Festivals in Ontario by Festivals and Events Ontario.
, leader of the Shawnee Tribe who was killed at battle in the War of 1812
. Tecumseh had a large Franco-Ontarian
population, and when nearby Windsor started to grow into the area, there arose conflict between the Loyalists and the Canadiens.
The creation of Tecumseh Road in 1838 and the establishment of the Great Western Railway opened up the area for settlement. The town became an important railway depot and stopover for travellers. County residents took horse and buggy into Tecumseh and then transferred onto the train, journeying by rail the rest of the way into Windsor. Several popular hotels were started in Tecumseh to accommodate travellers. The Bedell Hotel, the Soulliere Inn, the Hebert and the Hotel Perreault were some of the places most frequented by travellers and locals alike.
The French were for the most part the original settlers of Tecumseh, the majority of them descendants of the Frenchmen who had established their seigneural land holdings along the banks of the river in 1700s.
As the Town of Windsor
grew, Tecumseh began to experience new blood when the overflow of immigrants coming to the city began to settle in the peripheral regions as well. Indicative of the change was the mix-up created by the introduction of the tomato to the area of Tecumseh. Many of the English residents of the community refused to touch the suspicious red vegetable believing it to be a "Love Potion"concocted by the amorous Frenchmen. The first post office was located on the northeast corner of Tecumseh and Lesperance and was operated by a Mr. Christie. Some of the first businesses in Tecumseh included a lumber mill operated by J.B.Cada; a grocery store operated by Arthur Cecile; a cheese factory on Banwell Road operated by Joseph Breault; a bakery owned by John Dugell; three butcher shops; a canning factory and a brewery eventually closed under Carling Company. In 1921 it was felt that Tecumseh was not getting its fair share of improvements in proportion to the taxes paid to the municipality of Sandwich East. A group of people headed by Malcolm Clapp petitioned the legislature to separate from the township and incorporate as the Town of Tecumseh with a population of 978. Dr. Paul Poisson was appointed as the first mayor of the town.The real growth in Tecumseh occurred in 1931 with the establishment of the Green Giant Factory as Fine Foods of Canada. Green Giant (now Carriere) is still located in Tecumseh and continues to employ full and part time workers.
As the population grew, so did the demands for services. The Ontario Provincial Police
started policing the Town in 1948 with 2 officers. In 1922 a fire chief was appointed although no fire department was in existence, the fires were fought by town volunteers.
In 1999, as part of a reorganization of Essex County
, Tecumseh was merged with the Village of St. Clair Beach
, and the Township of Sandwich South into the Town of Tecumseh. In 2003, the City of Windsor
annexed approximately 23 square kilometres (8.9 sq mi) from the Town of Tecumseh. Now considered to be a bedroom community of Windsor, Tecumseh is often cited as an example of urban sprawl
; new subdivisions have developed on some of Canada's most valuable agricultural land beginning in the late 1980s.
English Public Schools:
English Catholic Schools:
Tecumseh has a population of 24,224 people, which was a slight decrease of 0.3% from the 2001 census count. The median household income in 2005 for Tecumseh was $90,206, which is above the Ontario provincial average of $60,455. Most of the population is of Franco-Ontarian descent.
Mother tongue:
Aboriginal population:
Visible minority population characteristics:
is the municipal bus service, operated by First Student Canada
, which commenced on December 21, 2009.
A connection can be made to Transit Windsor
services at Tecumseh Mall.
, Italy (April 23, 2009) Oldcastle, County Meath
, Ireland (May 2009)
Windsor, Ontario
Windsor is the southernmost city in Canada and is located in Southwestern Ontario at the western end of the heavily populated Quebec City – Windsor Corridor. It is within Essex County, Ontario, although administratively separated from the county government. Separated by the Detroit River, Windsor...
, 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....
, Canada. It has a population of just over 24,000.
Tecumseh enjoys long summers and mild winters. Originally a small Franco-Ontarian
Franco-Ontarian
Franco-Ontarians are French Canadian or francophone residents of the Canadian province of Ontario. They are sometimes known as "Ontarois"....
settlement with only a church, a school, a post office, a hotel and a general store, Tecumseh is now rapidly growing and offers many fine restaurants, shopping areas, medical facilities, and has a growing industrial and commercial sector.
Food processing is a major industry in Tecumseh, as Carrière owns a food processing plant near the heart of the town. The plant originally was Green Giant
Green Giant
Green Giant and Le Sueur are brands of frozen and canned vegetables owned by General Mills. The mascot of Green Giant is the Jolly Green Giant....
and Pillsbury Company/Green Giant sold in the late 1990s to Family Tradition. Family Tradition recently sold the food processing plant to Carrière.
The Tecumseh Corn Festival has been recognized as one of the Top 100 Festivals in Ontario by Festivals and Events Ontario.
History
In 1792, Tecumseh, then known as Ryegate Postal Station, had only three families. In 1912. Ryegate Postal Station was renamed Tecumseh in honour of TecumsehTecumseh
Tecumseh was a Native American leader of the Shawnee and a large tribal confederacy which opposed the United States during Tecumseh's War and the War of 1812...
, leader of the Shawnee Tribe who was killed at battle in the War of 1812
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
. Tecumseh had a large Franco-Ontarian
Franco-Ontarian
Franco-Ontarians are French Canadian or francophone residents of the Canadian province of Ontario. They are sometimes known as "Ontarois"....
population, and when nearby Windsor started to grow into the area, there arose conflict between the Loyalists and the Canadiens.
The creation of Tecumseh Road in 1838 and the establishment of the Great Western Railway opened up the area for settlement. The town became an important railway depot and stopover for travellers. County residents took horse and buggy into Tecumseh and then transferred onto the train, journeying by rail the rest of the way into Windsor. Several popular hotels were started in Tecumseh to accommodate travellers. The Bedell Hotel, the Soulliere Inn, the Hebert and the Hotel Perreault were some of the places most frequented by travellers and locals alike.
The French were for the most part the original settlers of Tecumseh, the majority of them descendants of the Frenchmen who had established their seigneural land holdings along the banks of the river in 1700s.
As the Town of Windsor
Windsor, Ontario
Windsor is the southernmost city in Canada and is located in Southwestern Ontario at the western end of the heavily populated Quebec City – Windsor Corridor. It is within Essex County, Ontario, although administratively separated from the county government. Separated by the Detroit River, Windsor...
grew, Tecumseh began to experience new blood when the overflow of immigrants coming to the city began to settle in the peripheral regions as well. Indicative of the change was the mix-up created by the introduction of the tomato to the area of Tecumseh. Many of the English residents of the community refused to touch the suspicious red vegetable believing it to be a "Love Potion"concocted by the amorous Frenchmen. The first post office was located on the northeast corner of Tecumseh and Lesperance and was operated by a Mr. Christie. Some of the first businesses in Tecumseh included a lumber mill operated by J.B.Cada; a grocery store operated by Arthur Cecile; a cheese factory on Banwell Road operated by Joseph Breault; a bakery owned by John Dugell; three butcher shops; a canning factory and a brewery eventually closed under Carling Company. In 1921 it was felt that Tecumseh was not getting its fair share of improvements in proportion to the taxes paid to the municipality of Sandwich East. A group of people headed by Malcolm Clapp petitioned the legislature to separate from the township and incorporate as the Town of Tecumseh with a population of 978. Dr. Paul Poisson was appointed as the first mayor of the town.The real growth in Tecumseh occurred in 1931 with the establishment of the Green Giant Factory as Fine Foods of Canada. Green Giant (now Carriere) is still located in Tecumseh and continues to employ full and part time workers.
As the population grew, so did the demands for services. The Ontario Provincial Police
Ontario Provincial Police
The Ontario Provincial Police is the Provincial Police service for the province of Ontario, Canada.-Overview:The OPP is the the largest deployed police force in Ontario, and the second largest in Canada. The service is responsible for providing policing services throughout the province in areas...
started policing the Town in 1948 with 2 officers. In 1922 a fire chief was appointed although no fire department was in existence, the fires were fought by town volunteers.
In 1999, as part of a reorganization of Essex County
Essex County, Ontario
Essex County is a county and census division located in Southwestern Ontario and covers an area at the southernmost tip of Canada. The administrative seat is Essex...
, Tecumseh was merged with the Village of St. Clair Beach
St. Clair Beach, Ontario
St. Clair Beach is a community in the town of Tecumseh, Ontario, Canada. Until 1998, the village was a separate entity, but was amalgamated into Tecumseh.St...
, and the Township of Sandwich South into the Town of Tecumseh. In 2003, the City of Windsor
Windsor, Ontario
Windsor is the southernmost city in Canada and is located in Southwestern Ontario at the western end of the heavily populated Quebec City – Windsor Corridor. It is within Essex County, Ontario, although administratively separated from the county government. Separated by the Detroit River, Windsor...
annexed approximately 23 square kilometres (8.9 sq mi) from the Town of Tecumseh. Now considered to be a bedroom community of Windsor, Tecumseh is often cited as an example of urban sprawl
Urban sprawl
Urban sprawl, also known as suburban sprawl, is a multifaceted concept, which includes the spreading outwards of a city and its suburbs to its outskirts to low-density and auto-dependent development on rural land, high segregation of uses Urban sprawl, also known as suburban sprawl, is a...
; new subdivisions have developed on some of Canada's most valuable agricultural land beginning in the late 1980s.
Schools
French Catholic Schools:- École élémentaire catholique Saint-Antoine - 1317 Lesperance Road, Tecumseh, Ontario
- École élémentaire catholique Sainte-Marguerite d'Youville - 13025 St Thomas Street, Tecumseh, Ontario
- École secondaire catholique l'Essor - 13605 St.Gregory Road, Tecumseh, Ontario
English Public Schools:
- Victoria Public Elementary School - 12433 Dillon Drive, Tecumseh, Ontario
- A. V.Graham Public Elementary School - 815 Brenda St, Tecumseh, Ontario
- D. M. Eagle Public Elementary School - 14194 Tecumseh Rd. Tecumseh, Ontario
English Catholic Schools:
- St. Gregory Catholic Elementary School - 13765 St Gregory Rd, Tecumseh, Ontario
- St. Pius X Catholic Elementary School - 644 Lacasse Boulevard, Tecumseh, Ontario
- Saint Peter Catholic Elementary School - 2451 St Alphonse Rd, Tecumseh, Ontario
Demographics
| Census | Population |
|---|---|
| 1871 | 200 |
| 1911 | 300 |
| 1921 | 978 |
| 1931 | 2,129 |
| 1941 | 2,412 |
| 1951 | 3,543 |
| 1961 | 4,476 |
| 1971 | 5,165 |
| 1981 | 6,364 |
| 1991 | 10,495 |
| 2001 | 25,105 |
| 2006 | 24,224 |
Tecumseh has a population of 24,224 people, which was a slight decrease of 0.3% from the 2001 census count. The median household income in 2005 for Tecumseh was $90,206, which is above the Ontario provincial average of $60,455. Most of the population is of Franco-Ontarian descent.
Mother tongue:
- English only 17,535
- French only 1,915
- English and French 1,734
- Other language(s) 3,040
Aboriginal population:
- Aboriginal identity population 364
- Non-Aboriginal identity population 23,860
Visible minority population characteristics:
- Chinese 200
- South Asian 460
- Black 55
- Filipino 210
- Latin American 105
- Southeast Asian 87
- Arab 95
- West Asian 15
- Visible minority, n.i.e. 35
- Multiple visible minority 10
- Not a visible minority 22,805
Local Attractions
- Beach Grove Golf and Country Club
- Ciociaro Club of Windsor & Multiplex
- Local South Festivals
- Southwestern Ontario Vinters Association
- Sun Parlor R/C Flyers
Transit
Tecumseh TransitTecumseh Transit
Tecumseh Transit provides a public transportation service for Tecumseh, Ontario, a suburb of the city of Windsor. Launched in 2009, the service is municipally owned but operated under contract by First Student Canada...
is the municipal bus service, operated by First Student Canada
First Student Canada
First Student Canada, a subsidiary of the British company FirstGroup and a division of FirstGroup America, is a major contractor of school bus services and public transit systems. The company provides services in Canada comparable to those delivered by sister companies First Transit and First...
, which commenced on December 21, 2009.
A connection can be made to Transit Windsor
Transit Windsor
Transit Windsor is a company that provides public transportation in the city of Windsor, Ontario. Transit Windsor provides transportation to more than 6 million passengers each year, covering an area of and a population of 218,000....
services at Tecumseh Mall.
Notable residents
- Joseph GroulxJoseph GroulxJoseph Groulx c.1884-? was purportedly a Franco-Ontarian storyteller from Tecumseh, Ontario, an area of Southwestern Ontario with a small, French-speaking minority.-Claimed significance of Groulx's work:...
, French-language storyteller - Chris LoriChris LoriChris Lori is a Canadian bobsledder who competed from the late 1980s to the late 1990s. Competing in four Winter Olympics, he earned his best finish of fourth in the four-man event at Albertville in 1992. Lori won the Bobsleigh World Cup four-man championship in 1989-90...
, Olympic bobsledderBobsleighBobsleigh or bobsled is a winter sport in which teams of two or four make timed runs down narrow, twisting, banked, iced tracks in a gravity-powered sled that are combined to calculate the final score.... - Dave SteenDave SteenDavid Lee Steen, CM is a retired Canadian decathlete, a three-time member of the Canadian Summer Olympic Games team and the first Canadian to score more than 8,000 points in the decathlon....
, Olympic bronze medal-winning decathleteDecathlonThe decathlon is a combined event in athletics consisting of ten track and field events. The word decathlon is of Greek origin . Events are held over two consecutive days and the winners are determined by the combined performance in all. Performance is judged on a points system in each event, not... - Kyle WellwoodKyle WellwoodKyle Wellwood is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre who plays for the Winnipeg Jets of the NHL. He was originally selected by the Toronto Maple Leafs 134th overall in the 2001 NHL Entry Draft and played his first three seasons in the NHL with Toronto, before joining the Vancouver Canucks in...
, Eric WellwoodEric WellwoodEric Wellwood is a Canadian professional ice hockey left winger who plays for the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League . He is the younger brother of Kyle Wellwood.-Playing career:...
- Professional hockey players - former NHL players Mark RenaudMark RenaudMark Joseph Renaud is a former professional ice hockey defenceman. He was drafted in the fifth round, 102nd overall, by the Hartford Whalers in the 1979 NHL Entry Draft. He played in the National Hockey League with Hartford and the Buffalo Sabres.In his NHL career, Renaud appeared in 152 games...
, Tim KerrTim KerrTimothy E. Kerr is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey right winger who played 13 seasons in the National Hockey League for the Philadelphia Flyers, New York Rangers and Hartford Whalers.-Playing career:...
, Bob BoughnerBob BoughnerRobert Boughner , nicknamed The Boogieman, is a retired professional ice hockey defenceman and was an assistant coach of the Columbus Blue Jackets for the 2010/11 season...
, Warren RychelWarren RychelWarren Stanley Rychel is a Canadian former professional ice hockey Left winger who played eight seasons in the National Hockey League. He is currently part-owner of the Windsor Spitfires of the Ontario Hockey League.-Career:...
, Adam GravesAdam GravesAdam Graves is a former professional hockey player. He is best-known for his ten-year tenure with the New York Rangers. He also played for the Detroit Red Wings, Edmonton Oilers, and San Jose Sharks...
, Ernie GoddenErnie GoddenErnie Alfred Godden is a retired professional ice hockey centre who played five games for the Toronto Maple Leafs of the NHL He was chosen 55th overall by the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1981 after scoring 87 goals as a junior in the OHL and making the league's first all-star team...
and Bob ProbertBob ProbertRobert Alan Probert was a Canadian professional ice hockey forward. Probert played for the National Hockey League's Detroit Red Wings and Chicago Blackhawks... - Taylor HallTaylor HallTaylor Strba Hall is a Canadian ice hockey left winger currently playing for the Edmonton Oilers of the National Hockey League . He was the first overall pick in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft. Hall has had a highly successful junior career, helping the Windsor Spitfires to two consecutive Memorial Cup...
, current NHL player and first overall selection in the 2010 NHL Draft
Sister towns
FrosinoneFrosinone
Frosinone is a town and comune in Lazio, central Italy, the administrative seat of the Province of Frosinone. It is located about 75 km south-east of Rome close to the Rome-Naples Autostrada A1...
, Italy (April 23, 2009) Oldcastle, County Meath
Oldcastle, County Meath
Oldcastle is a town in County Meath, Ireland. It is located in the north-west of the county near the border with Cavan, approximately 21 km from Kells. The R154 and R195 regional roads cross in the town's market square...
, Ireland (May 2009)