Col. Danforth's Kingston Road
In 1799 an American entrepreneur, Col. Asa Danforth, was granted the contract to build a road connecting the new town of York (Toronto) to Kingston through the virgin forests north of Lake Ontario. He was to be paid $90 per mile to oversee construction, but conflicts with the local administrators soon emerged. When Col. Danforth completed his road in December 1800, it was deemed substandard, and he was never fully paid for the work. He returned to the United States a bitter and bankrupt man.
By 1815 a new Kingston Road was rebuilt along today's alignment. Col. Danforth's road either fell into disuse, or parts were repurposed for local travel. In Scarborough, this road branched north from today's Kingston Road just east of Victoria Park. It still survives in various connecting streets, including Clonmore Drive, Military Trail and, most notably, Danforth Road.
Business Directory