The Queen's Rangers
This plaque honours the first British regiment raised specifically for service in Upper Canada (now Ontario).
Location:
Opposite the entrance to Ontario Place, Exhibition Place, Toronto
Themes:
Transportation systems and communications, War and conflict
Plaque text:
The young province of Upper Canada (Ontario) required troops to defend it and to build public works essential to its development. The Queen's Rangers was the first regiment raised in Britain specifically for service in the colony. It arrived in 1792 and was stationed in York (Toronto) in 1793. Over the next three years, the regiment constructed government buildings and fortifications. It also cut important roads through the forest, including Yonge Street north to the Holland River and Governor's Road (Dundas Street) west to London. In 1794, detachments were posted along the Great Lakes in response to mounting tensions on the frontier with the United States. When the regiment was disbanded in 1802, many of its men settled on lands in nearby Etobicoke Township.
