Ch. 19 Rural Settlement Patterns

What factors influence rural settlement patterns? Where we live Ontario Quebec Other animations

Factors inflluencing rural settlement patterns: 1.RESOURCES forestry, mining, 2. TRANSPORTATION water, rail, road 3. GOVERNMENT POLICY - cultural tradition

3 Rural Canadian Settlement Patters The long lots of southern Quebec The concession system of S. Ontario The section system of the Prairies

LONG LOTS OF QUEBEC Attracted to the fertile soil of the area Transportation was by water – both summer and winter Everyone needed access, therefore, narrow lots After the river lots were settled, a second row was settled along a road parallel to the river

Long lot system of Southern Quebec

Land owners divided their land into narrow strips which they sold. Farm houses Land owners divided their land into narrow strips which they sold. Wooded lot

Characteristics of the long lot system Wooded areas located at the back of the lots Houses in a linear pattern located at the front of the lot

Mississippi River The French "long-lot" system, which granted river access to the greatest number of people, is clearly still visible today along the Mississippi River

Lots were thin and farmhouses were close together. This was important as people were dependent upon each other for labour and companionship during the long dark winters.

Villages grew up along the roads and tended to be linear with farm houses near the road and uncut sections of trees grouped together along back of the property.

Where is this? (note the long lot pattern) Island of Montreal

Concession System = land was surveyed into blocks Southern Ontario Concession System = land was surveyed into blocks

Concession System of Southen Ontario Rich agricultural land Roads and later railways main transportation Settlement occurred after survey of land Concessions = land enclosed by a grid pattern (Most of these survey lines are now major roads.)

Concession roads 2 km apart Concession roads are straight, and follow a square grid, usually oriented to a local lakeshore.

Question: why was there a different system in Ontario than Quebec? Answer: Ontario was settled later than Quebec and technology to build roads was much improved. This system of survey and road building was supervised by John Graves Simcoe.

Section system of the Prairies

Western Canada was surveyed before there was large scale settlement Western Canada was surveyed before there was large scale settlement. The federal government want to settle the west quickly because: It was afraid the U.S. might take over the land. 2. The population was growing and there was a demand for more land. 3. The government wished to avoid land disputes that occurred in the U.S. when their west was settled (lawlessness, etc.).

Section system of the Prairies The government needed a fast, efficient system to settle the west.  The baseline was the 49th parallel and survey lines were drawn on maps every 6 miles (10kms) parallel to the baseline. These were called township lines.  The enclosed squares, called townships, are 36 miles square. These were subdivided into 36 one-square-mile blocks called sections.  Each section was subdivided into quarter-sections.

These squares were subdivided into 36 sections, each 1 mile by 1 mile. survey lines were 6 miles apart Baseline - 49th parallel

each “section” was 1 mile by 1 mile each section was sub-divided into 4 “quarter-sections”, which were given to settlers, or reserved for churches, schools, the railways, the Hudson Bay Company, etc

 Each family was given a quarter section which they could keep if they built a house and cleared a certain amount of it within a given period of time. Many settlers came from Eastern Europe (even some from Iceland). The farms were larger than in the east because the combination of poorer soil and climate conditions meant lower profits per hectare.

Grain elevators were constructed at regular intervals along the rail lines (for farmers to bring their grain to) and villages and towns grew around these locations.

On average, grain elevators tended to be 13 miles apart along the railway lines.

Resource-Based Settlements settlements grow at locations where there are natural resources and usually in areas where a survey had not taken place.  Examples of resource-based settlements include fishing ports on coasts, mining and lumbering towns, hydroelectric sites, recreational spots, scientific and military communities, and transportation locations.

Sudbury

Niagara Falls

Service Based Settlements A variety of services are needed by people who live in lightly populated areas. Scattered settlement is found along major roads. E.g. transportation, gas stations, motels, grocery store…

Activity Complete the activity on page 232-233 and answer all questions. Due next class to be handed in. Complete questions # 7, 8 page 233-34