Windsor and Essex County has a longer history than you may think – Southwestern Ontario has been inhabited since at least 10,000 BCE. The Museum of Ontario Archeology details what a day in the life of a Paleo-American living near The Great Lakes was like in an excellent short story.
Since roughly 500 CE, Indigenous groups have lived in Windsor and Essex County, some referring to it as Wawiiatanong. Essex County is the traditional territory of the Anishnaabeg people of the Three Fires Confederacy, though many other groups have lived here. Essex County still has a strong Indigenous community; the Kennedy Woods Storyboard Trail is written by Caldwell First Nation’s Janne Peters and shares traditional knowledge and Anishanaabemowin words. Learn more out the trail here.
Essex County was officially incorporated into Upper Canada, part of The British Empire, in 1792. This makes the community more than 75 years older than Canada! Even before that, there were French agricultural settlements on either side of the Detroit River. The community where LaSalle is today was called “La Petite Cote” because it was smaller than the settlement across the river.
Both settlements used “ribbon farms” to divide the land, which are long, narrow plots of land that allow many farmers to access the river. These farms determined the layout of Windsor’s downtown area and are why the North/South streets run so close together.
Of course, Royal LePage Binder has only been here since the 1970s, but that seems like a long time ago now! Our agents are invested in Windsor and Essex County’s past and future – get in touch with one today.
Looking for an experienced REALTOR ® that specializes in real estate across Windsor and Essex County? At Royal LePage Binder Real Estate, we are focused on helping you unlock your future.
