Early period The present-day Pickering was
Aboriginal territory for thousands of years. The
Wyandot (called the Huron by Europeans), who spoke an
Iroquoian language, were the historical people living here in the 15th century. Archeological remains of a large village have been found here, known as the
Draper Site. Later, the Wyandot moved northwest to
Georgian Bay, where they established their historic homeland. There they encountered French explorers in the early 17th century, followed by missionaries and
fur traders. The first recorded history of this area was made in 1669, when the French
Jesuit missionary François de Salignac de la Mothe-Fénelon noted reaching what he called the
Seneca (more likely the
Onondaga) village of
Gandatsetiagon, on the shores of
Frenchman's Bay (for whom it would be named). The Onondaga (and the Seneca) were among the Five Nations of the
Iroquois Confederacy. The Onondaga (and other Iroquois) generally occupied territory to the south and west of Lakes Ontario and Erie in present-day New York that extended into Pennsylvania and the Ohio Valley, where they maintained hunting grounds. (The Seneca were located farther west, near
Seneca Lake, among the
Finger Lakes. Fenelon wintered at the village and started missionary work with this people.)
Township of Pickering The British took over Canada in 1763 following defeat of the French in the
Seven Years' War, known in Colonial America as the
French and Indian War. British colonial settlers were steadily migrating into the area from eastern areas of Canada. There is some controversy over the identity of the earliest European settler in the area. The township was originally called "Edinburgh" but in 1792 was renamed after the town of
Pickering in the English county of
Yorkshire. Pickering Village, now part of Ajax, emerged as the major population and commercial centre of the Pickering Township in the early 19th century. The conversion of a local trail into the
Kingston Road in 1799 contributed greatly to the increased settlement in the area. In 1807,
Quakers led by
Timothy Rogers settled in the area, and by 1809, the population of Pickering Township consisted of 180 people, most of whom lived along the
Duffins Creek. In 1811, the Pickering Township became a separate municipality. Several
sawmills,
gristmills, taverns, and other businesses operated in the area. During the
War of 1812, the maintenance of the Kingston Road improved because of the increased military traffic and further contributed to the development of the area. A few communities also developed in the smaller
Carruthers Creek watershed, including
Audley (now part of Ajax), Kinsale, and Salem. In 1849, the village of Dunbarton was established along the Dunbarton Creek. In 1851, the Pickering Township was severed from the
York County, and became a part of the newly established
Ontario County. and the decline continued in the first half of the 20th century. After the
World War II, urbanization began in the southern part of Pickering, and later spread to other parts of the Township. The development of Seaton picked up pace in the 21st century, but as of 2022, only 1,549 of the 20,989 planned units had been built. The city also considered the development of a new community called Veraine, to be built in northeastern Pickering. The city also saw a rise in the number of
high-rise condos. ==Cityscape==