Yonge Mills

In 1776 the thunder of guns drove huge waves of new immigrants northward to what was left of British North America. Thousands of Americans, who wished to remain loyal to the British crown, fled the newly formed United States in search of lands where they could retain their British nationality. Of the approximately 7,500 people who arrived, many settled in the area that was eventually to become known as Upper Canada and later the province of Ontario. These people became known as United Empire Loyalists, an identity they retain to this very day.