Culture,
The Days of the Indians
American Revolution,
1784 - 1803
Cartier’s
"New France", 1535 - 1740
Point Iroquois, 1800 - 1845
Prosperity On The
Rise, 1842 - 1898
The Dawn Of The
Century, 1900 - 1942
A Whole New Town, 1950 -
2000
Recognized as the most
fearsome and violent tribe, the Iroquois Indians roamed the St.
Lawrence region for years. Originally from upstate New York between
the Adirondack Mountains and Niagara Falls, they migrated to Eastern
Ontario through conquest of other tribes. Originally called Iroqu
which means rattlesnakes as an insult from other tribes it was changed
when the French pioneers added the "ois" to the end to make
Iroquois. As for the name given to them by themselves, it was
Haudenosunee, meaning "people of the long house". The
Iroquois were a feared tribe because of their blood hungry demeanor,
political unity and cannibalism. In Canada, Iroquois physically
occupied very little of their land except for parts along the St.
Lawrence and chose to remain in their homeland in upstate New York.
However in 1779, during the American Revolution, Iroquois sided with
the British forces and consequently the Americans were able to invade
their homeland and this drove numerous members into southern and
eastern Ontario where they remained. Already with plenty of land and
now inhabitants in upper St. Lawrence and Quebec, half of the Iroquois
population resided in Canada and has ever since.
Culture,
The Days of the Indians
Very little
distinguished the Iroquois from other Iroquian-speaking tribes. Unlike
today’s society the women in the Iroquois held all the power, they
determined all property and kinship decisions and each clan was headed
by the clan mother. After marriage the men and their children would
move into the wife’s longhouse with her family. The women oversaw
much of the work done on the farms during the spring and summer. Other
than fishing and hunting, the men’s role in the villages was
warfare. The tribes ate very little other than fruits and vegetables,
their diet consisting mainly of corn, beans, and squash. The
importance of agriculture to the Iroquois was clearly demonstrated by
six annual agricultural festivals held with prayers of gratitude for
their harvest. Many of their rituals and pow-wows were held on Point
Iroquois, where the Seaway locks now rests.
The political system
was very unique and because of it they dominated the first two hundred
years of colonial history in both Canada and the United States. In
fact since this political system was organized prior to the Europeans,
it is believed that the Europeans were influenced by the Iroquois’
elaborate system of checks, balances, and supreme law. Because their
numbers in size were rarely larger than the enemy, they needed some
kind of edge to win battle after battle like they did and this was
because of their unity, sense of purpose and superior political
system. This in combination with military strength they were able to
conquer empires which led to the possession of a large portion of the
land in the St. Lawrence region. Other than their political system, a
trait of the Iroquois that separated them from many other tribes was
their torture and cannibalism. An example of this was that they would
make grotesque wooden faces to frighten evil spirits believed to cause
illnesses.
Cartier’s
"New France", 1535 - 1740
In 1535, Jaques
Cartier made his first voyage to the St. Lawrence region and his
second to the "New World", he set out with three ships, the
Grande Herminel, the Petite Herminel, and the Emerillon. He traveled
from Stadacona (Quebec) to Hochelaga (Montreal), visiting the various
villages of Indians on his path. He found Hochelaga to be a very
enchanting place with a great fortress, large corn fields, and a
population of over three thousands natives. Between these two points
he encountered at least eleven Iroquian-speaking villages growing
larger and spreading. It was this first trip to the St. Lawrence
region that he named the famous river on August 10th, 1535.
Cartier was quite
impressed at the scenery along the St. Lawrence, writing in his
journal, "Along both shores we had sight of the finest and most
beautiful land it is possible to see, being as level as pond and
covered with the most magnificent trees in the world". Cartier
made his second voyage in 1541-42 to the same land, but didn’t find
much different from his first voyage, the same tribes, the same
villages, and the same rituals. However in 1603 when Cartier returned
for a third time all of the Iroquois villages along the St. Lawrence
were gone, instead he found Montagnais and Algonkin tribes inhabiting
the land. The French people started to inhabit the St. Lawrence area
and had started an alliance with the Iroquois’ enemy, the Algonkin.
When Iroquois tried to re-establish itself in the area they were
forced out and lost several battles because of the alliance between
the French and the other natives. All of this changed in 1610 when a
band of Dutch Traders arrived in New York. The Iroquois and Dutch
began trade of fur for firearms. With a new found weapon, the Iroquois
sought revenge on both the French and their allies. They pushed the
French well North of the Hudson Valley and the Great Lakes, the
Iroquois were now in position to regain complete control of the fur
trade in the St. Lawrence region.
In 1620 Great
Britain began its colonization of "The New World" and in
1629 they captured Quebec and the French were dangling on the ropes.
This may not seem important to the Iroquois but it was the pushing
stone in complete recapture of the St. Lawrence region. Because the
French were gone, the Iroquois’ enemies had nobody to trade fur for
firearms and the Iroquois took this opening and exploited it. When the
French returned to the land in 1632 with the Treaty of St. Germaine en
Laye, Iroquois was dangerously close to gaining sole control of Upper
St. Lawrence and Southern Ontario. By 1656 the Iroquois League was the
most dominant force in North America, not even the Europeans could
have stopped them. This power was exercised at will, they had forced
twenty-four different tribes to either join part of their League or
relocate, most choosing the latter. Their growing power and alliance
with Great Britain gave stability to the Iroquois for years. In 1667,
the French and Iroquois signed a peace treaty ending their wars. Now
the Iroquois concentrated heavily on other native tribes to battle.
Those wars in combination with epidemics and European settlers was
decreasing and dispersing their population and by 1740 it was at an
all time low.
American
Revolution, 1784 - 1803
During
and after the years of the American Revolution the St. Lawrence region
prospered in population with many Iroquois natives moving out of their
homeland in upstate New York into Canada. Along with them came the
first United Empire Loyalists, with the majority of them being of
German descent, around 1784 sailing up the St. Lawrence River. Many of
these Loyalist as well as English pioneers settled into the villages
along the shore. Because of its accessibility from the lakes and St.
Lawrence River and its beautiful scenery, Iroquois then known as
Cathcart located in Matilda Township (named after the eldest daughter
of King George III, princess Royal Charlotte Augusta Matilda in 1787),
was a popular place. The Iroquois natives inhabited where Old Iroquois
and Point Iroquois were along with the United Empire Loyalists and
British pioneers. People continued to flow into the town and British
pioneers and soldiers also moved down along the St. Lawrence from
Quebec and Montreal. Even though settlers were moving into the St.
Lawrence region, Iroquois was still mostly inhabited by the natives. 
In
1784, the first settlers of the village of Iroquois arrived. They were
Michael Carman, Martin Walter, Jacob Coons, Ault Brouse and Peter
Brouse, all of whom were United Empire Loyalists. The most famous
being Michael Carman and his two sons, Jacob and George. The village
of Iroquois has recognized them with the naming of the Carman Road and
the Carman House Museum, his original home. Like many others, Michael
Carman in 1803, traded a horse, saddle and bridle for two hundred
acres of land on the waterfront. He built his home and began a
business as a contractor. The Brouse family opened a store on Point
Iroquois and were very successful with it.
Point
Iroquois, 1800 - 1845
Point Iroquois was
growing and more European and United Empire Loyalists were inhabiting
it. But as the Europeans arrived the natives were losing their power
and spacious living area. They didn’t have the freedom they once did
and their culture was being lost in the shuffle.
In the early 1800s,
the Great War of 1812 commenced and the Americans were heading towards
the Fort of Montreal by means of the St. Lawrence. With many British
settlers in the area, the British Government decided to have a fort
built on Point Iroquois because of its great strategic location,
overlooking the river and both shores. The contract was given to
Michael Carman. His son Jacob Carman recalls the time in his
autobiography written in 1814, "In this year my father took a
large contract from the British Government to furnish all the square
timber they should want to build a fort on Point Iroquois, which took
us all winter and a good part of the summer, and from what I saw of
the job. 
It
paid well. I saw him bring home two boxes of silver coins, each
containing one thousand dollars, and I found one of the boxes to be a
very good lift.". There was also to be a battery built East of
Iroquois to help supply timber. However with strong British and
Canadian forces under General James Wilkinson’s command, the
Americans never reached this far and were defeated at the famous
battle of Chrysler Farm on November 11, 1813. With the Americans
defeated there was no longer a reason for the construction so both the
battery and Fort were dissembled. With the end of the War of 1812, the
Village of Iroquois was ready to flourish economically.
Many of the natives
left the village because of the Europeans and United Empire Loyalists
and so the culture of Iroquois changed as well. There were no more pow-wows
and agricultural ceremonies but instead the town was more modern with
the construction of various businesses. In 1817 a post office was
opened with James Glasford as postmaster but was later moved to George
Brouse’s store with him as postmaster in 1827on Point Iroquois.
George would later open other stores in the village. Much of the
growth was on the Point prior to 1840. There were also churches and
cemeteries located on the Point as well as houses and a few
businesses. Even with all the prosperity, Iroquois was still short the
population requirement to be an Incorporated Village. Between the
years of 1827 and 1845 the first school was built and named the Shaver
School, located on the waterfront. After that a school was opened in
the Lutheran Church in Iroquois. A few years later a log school house
was built, this time on the East Side of the swamp; where the present
village is.
Prosperity
On The Rise, 1842 - 1898
Followed by this was
the first set of locks at Point Iroquois with construction starting in
1842 and not finishing until 1847. These five years saw the largest
amount of growth in the village, mostly in part because of the set of
locks being built. After construction of the locks, more of the growth
was North of it, in Old Iroquois. Then in 1845 a stone grammar school
was built in the village. By 1850 Iroquois had such businesses as a
bakery, grocery store, liquor store, tanning business and 
even
a physician. With the growing town a major transportation system was
needed and in 1854 the Grand Trunk Railway was constructed on the
North side of Old Iroquois. Because of the railway a station and a
telegraph office was built into George Brouse’s store.
Iroquois
was still short the required population to be an incorporated village.
The residents of Iroquois were discontent because they were paying
their tax money to Matilda Township but receiving very little in
return. They had yet to have their roads fixed or sidewalks made.
However in 1857 a few powerful men from Iroquois went to the
Legislature of Upper Canada with a Special Act of Incorporation and it
was passed, Iroquois was now separate from Matilda Township. The
following year in 1858 Iroquois’ first newspaper was published under
the title "The Iroquois Chief". In 1859 the public sidewalks
were laid and the planked roads were paved with broken stones.
Iroquois was the most modern village in the area and still growing.
The 1860’s were a
boisterous time for the citizens of Iroquois with several merchants,
grocers, milliners, carpenters, shoemakers, bakers, butchers, tailors,
blacksmiths, masons, dyers, manufacturers of lumber, flour, tools,
trunks and tinware either in the village or on the Point. In 1875 the
first town hall was constructed for six thousand dollars. The 1880's
brought even more inhabitants and businesses. In 1883 a large roller
mill was constructed on the same site as the flour mill had stood
before it burned to ashes. In 1885 a by-law was passed for the
construction of waterworks and on July 1, 1886 Iroquois citizens
turned on their taps for the first time and a great celebration
followed. In that same year the Dundas County Farmer’s Institute
originated with John Harkens the first president. It was due time for
the prosperous village to have a means of communication other than
mail and this was by phone, with the first line being installed in
1885. It was used only for long distance calls at that time. The line
ran from Montreal to Kingston. The office was in Mr. J. Tindale’s
jewelry store. Up until 1887 the phone line was only used for long
distance calls and the first directory was made with six subscribers.
By 1898 that number had doubled and there was now twelve. The village
had grown even more.
The
Dawn Of The Century, 1900 - 1942
The
1900's in Iroquois saw many patriots lost to wars. There were citizens
of Iroquois sent to the Boer War in South Africa and to both World War
I, 1914-1918, and the second World War,
1939-1945. However there were even more steps in the construction
of the village as it grew and became more self-reliant. In 1901 a
by-law was passed approving the construction and operation of a
"Municipal Electric Light and Power Plant". Iroquois now had
a waterworks system, a new set of Locks, a major transportation means
in the Grand Trunk Railway, a telephone line, various businesses and
manufacturers all prospering, churches and cemeteries, and now they
could power it all on their own with the Power Plant.
Unfortunately though the power plant burned in 1949 and Iroquois
because of its size and total power used opted to be supplied power
from Ontario Hydro instead of building another plant.
A few
short years later, in 1907, Iroquois added another manufacturer.
Originally to be a shoe factory, the promoters failed to fulfill their
agreement and Gass and Caldwell became proprietors of the property.
Caldwell’s, now known as C.S. Brooks Corporation, is the largest
industry in Iroquois providing jobs for more than three hundred
people. The next venue that was needed in the village was an
entertainment facility and in approximately 1922 on Point Iroquois the
Point Iroquois Pavillion was opened. Inside there was a dance floor
and barnstand where different travelling bands would come to perform,
the most notable being "The Toronto Ramblers", playing music
anywhere from Hawaiian and Waltz to Swing and Jazz. This attracted
every citizen. They all walked to the Point just to listen. However in
the 1930s because of the disapproval of the churches the Pavillion was
closed and became a home. Some of the band members decided to stay in
the town and made a life here. A fire department was built 1939 with
fifteen volunteers. Come 1945 the Village of Iroquois had one hotel,
three clothing stores, a drug store, a jewelry store, three
restaurants, a butcher shop, three grocery and meat stores, the Bank
of Montreal, three garages, a furniture store and funeral home, a feed
store, two hardware stores, Bell Telephone, dry cleaners, three
churches, a Town Hall, Public and High Schools, Power House, Egg
Grading station, C.N.R. Railroad and station, newspaper, Royal
Canadian Legion, Thompson’s Lumber and Coal, two lawyers, a dentist
and a pool room. Not only were there many businesses but the
population was growing and the total number of telephones kept in
service had risen to 340. Sadly though in 1942, James E. Tindale
passed away and ever since the Iroquois phone office has been looked
after by the Brockville manager.
A
Whole New Town, 1950 - 2000
During
the 1950s a dramatic and unprecedented event in the area occurred, the
Village of Iroquois was to be moved North of the railway. Anything
remaining that could not be moved was to be destroyed and the way for
a newer, more modern and the most advance Locks in Eastern Ontario
were to be built. The Seaway Locks were to be no less than 800ft. by
80ft. with a depth never less than 27ft. There were many questions and
concerns with the moving of the town but Hydro reassured everybody
that the new site would prosper. 
All
the stores in the old town would be put into the plaza, the most
modern in Canada, the same one as today. Everybody would have their
home moved or rebuilt. In the present village there are only four
homes that didn’t have to be moved or rebuilt. With the new Locks
the old set was turned into a boat dock and a gas station was put in.
The celebration of a successful relocation brought the Queen Elizabeth
and Prince Philip to the new plaza.
The railway was
removed as was part of Highway #2. You can still see where it ran, the
air strip by the beach runs right overtop of where the tracks were.
The moving of the town also saw the loss of the swamp and bog as well
as the farmer’s field just North of the old town. A lot of things
changed but it was still the same village with the same people behind
all the new buildings and businesses. Once all the moving was done, a
new village was ready to continue to grow.
In 1967 the airport
strip was laid and the 1st fly-in Breakfast was held. It is
still a big event in the town today attracting people from as far as
300 miles away with around 1200 people attending. A large number of
local citizens even wake up early in order to get a fresh cooked
breakfast at the event. Playgrounds and ballparks were added. A horse
racing track and golf coarse were constructed as well as a campground.
Every year new facilities were added and old ones repaired.
Recreational programs were added such as soccer, baseball and
basketball. Swimming lessons are offered at the beach with everything
being looked after by the Iroquois Recreation Committee. As time
passed interests of the town varied with new people moving in and
older ones moving out. Horse races were not as popular and the track
was removed and replaced with a small sub-division, Bridlewood. By
1997 it was decided that Williamsburg, Morisburg, Matilda and Iroquois
would amalgamate, the council being South Dundas.
The building of the
present Village Of Iroquois was a long process, from the early
settlers of Europeans and United Empire Loyalists to the relocation of
the town. Then amalgamation and as Iroquois enters the new millennium
everything is running smoothly and we are ready for another thousand
years of history.
