Yonge Street 1903
Yonge Street was originally a military trail linking Lake Ontario with the northern Great Lakes. For this reason, it is unusually long and straight. It was founded by John Graves Simcoe, the Lieutenant-Governor of Upper Canada (now Ontario) in 1793. Simcoe chose its beginning and end points based on a historical trail created by Huron Indians. The trail was used by numerous European explorers, such as Samuel de Champlain in 1615. Simcoe named the street after Sir George Yonge, the British Secretary of War at the time. Yonge Street was fundamental in the planning and layout of Toronto and Ontario. It was the site of Toronto's first subway line and also serves as the dividing line between the east and west parts of Toronto and York Region.