Indigenous History and the 'Holland River'

You currently stand on the Nokkiida trail. "Nokkiida" is an Ojibwa term meaning "Walking Together". The river itself has a long history- called the Escoyondy by the Wendat, and the Miciaguean by the Anishinaabe, the river is known as a “Carrying Place”. It connected Lake Ontario to Lake Simcoe and beyond- the area called Toronteau. This area was a rendezvous point for many different tribes- and later, for the British colonizers. In 1794, the river was renamed the “Holland River”, after Samuel Johannes Holland, a Dutch explorer. The Indigenous carrying place became a trade route for settlers looking for easy ways to participate in the fur trade. However, by the mid 1800’s, the fur trade was dying out, more and more settlers were moving to Upper Canada, and Indigenous people were slowly pushed out. Despite the dwindling population of Indigenous people, the lands were not ceded to the Canadian government until 1923.