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WHITBY FREE PRESS, WEDNESDAY, JULY 30, 1980, PAGE 9 FOurhistorical heritage By EUG;INE IIENRY. Whitby's foremrost hiistorian How Whi*tby got i*ts name of the acreage was around the harbour and he called this first settiemnent "Win- dsor" on the Big Bay. Peter Perry came here in 1836 and located his first general store two miles nor- th of Windsor Harbour at the intersection of Governor Simcoe's York to Kingston highway and the Centre Road, that is now Hwy. 12. In this way, Perry created a cross roads trading centre. It became known as Perry's Corners and several years would pass before it would be changed finally to Whit- by. PëtêTf Perry and other creative businessmen promoted trade and com- merce throughout this whold area and as a result Windsor Harbour became a thriving export centre, for shipments to the United States in par- ticular. The federal government recognized the need for im- proved harbour facilities and these were carried out in 1843 and 1844. Piers were built, dredging was done the light house was constructed on the west pier. Ontario cities and towns were starting to grow, at this point in time and. place names were becoming in- creasingly important for postal services and other matters. In some instances there were two towns with the same name. Such was the case of our Windsor and that town in south western On- tario that has since become the motor city of Canada. Meanwhile it became clear to all concerned, that Windsor's new name, would be applicable to Perry's Corners as well. When people move to distant lands they often name their new settiements after towns and cities at home, across the seas. When the time came for our people to select a new name for Windsor, they did just that. They remembered Yorkshire in England and selected the prestigious and ancient port town of Whitby as our namesake for al time. What an appropriate and happy choice it was. That was in 1848. From Whitby came England's greatest maritime explorer Captain James Cook of the Royal Navy. When we chose Whitby as the name for our town we acquired this authentic hero of the seas as well. Next week I wil write about-Captain James Cook, navigator as a hero for Whitby. It took the Town of Whit- by, in Canada a long time to get its present name. As a matter of fact, 50 years passed by, before the final choice was made in 1848. Because the primeaval forests were dense, in these parts, in very early times and because there werç no roads here abouts in the days of first settlement (1795-1800) those who wan- ted to travel through Central Canada in those days, did 80 by boat. Early explorers, traders, settlers and boatmen were all familiar with our big, niarsh lined bay on Lake On- t.ario from earliest times, and that is how they named it, simply "Big Bay." In 1819, a man by the name Of John Scadding, established the firat planned community in this area, on 1,000 acres of land that were granted to him in 1802. Sorne ~ju WANTED! NEW & USED CARS SALES REPS. Salary Plus Commission Plus Bonus Plus Incentives Company Demonstrator Supplled Short Hours Benefit Plan Pension Plan Experi ence an asset but flot necessary. SEE JIM VANDERWATER IN PERSON 1120 DUNDAS ST E WHITBY