Tecumseh, Ontario

In 1792, Tecumseh, then known as Ryegate Postal Station, had only three families. Ryegate Postal Station was renamed in 1912 during the death centennial of Tecumseh, the Shawnee leader who was killed in battle in the War of 1812. Tecumseh had a large Franco-Ontarian population. When nearby Windsor started to grow into the area, there arose conflict between the Loyalists and the Canadiens.

The creation of Tecumseh Road in 1838 and the establishment of the Great Western Railway opened up the area for settlement. The town became an important railway depot and stopover for travellers. County residents took horse and buggy into Tecumseh and then transferred onto the train, journeying by rail the rest of the way into Windsor. Several hotels were started in Tecumseh to accommodate travellers. The Bedell Hotel, the Soulliere Inn, the Hebert and the Hotel Perreault were some of the places most frequented by travellers and locals alike.

The French were for the most part the original settlers of Tecumseh, the majority of them descendants of the Frenchmen who had established their seigneural land holdings along the banks of the Detroit River in 1700s.

As the Town of Windsor grew, Tecumseh began to experience new blood when the overflow of immigrants coming to the city began to settle in the peripheral regions as well. Indicative of the change was the mix-up created by the introduction of the tomato to the area of Tecumseh. Many of the English residents of the community refused to touch the suspicious red vegetable believing it to be a ″Love Potion″ concocted by the amorous Frenchmen. The first post office was located on the northeast corner of Tecumseh and Lesperance Roads and was operated by a Mr. Christie. Some of the first businesses in Tecumseh included a lumber mill operated by J.B.Cada; a grocery store operated by Arthur Cecile; a cheese factory on Banwell Road operated by Joseph Breault; a bakery owned by John Dugell; three butcher shops; a canning factory and a brewery eventually closed under Carling Brewery. In 1921 it was felt that Tecumseh was not getting its fair share of improvements in proportion to the taxes paid to the municipality of Sandwich East. A group of people headed by Malcolm Clapp petitioned the legislature to separate from the township and incorporate as the Town of Tecumseh with a population of 978. Dr. Paul Poisson was appointed as the first mayor of the town. The real growth in Tecumseh occurred in 1931 with the establishment of the Green Giant Factory as Fine Foods of Canada. Green Giant (now Bonduelle) is still located in Tecumseh and continues to employ full and part-time workers.

As the population grew, so did the demands for services. The Ontario Provincial Police started policing the Town in 1948 with 2 officers. In 1922 a fire chief was appointed although no fire department was in existence, the fires were fought by town volunteers.

In 1999, as part of a reorganization of Essex County, Tecumseh was merged with the Village of St. Clair Beach, and the Township of Sandwich South into the Town of Tecumseh. In 2003, the City of Windsor annexed approximately 23 square kilometres (8.9 sq mi) from the Town of Tecumseh. Now considered to be a bedroom community of Windsor, Tecumseh is often cited as an example of urban sprawl; new subdivisions have developed on some of Canada's most valuable agricultural land beginning in the late 1980s.

Besides the town proper of Tecumseh itself, the town of Tecumseh comprises a number of villages and hamlets, including Fairplay, Maidstone, Oldcastle, Paquette, Paquette Corners (partially) and St. Clair Beach (formerly from Maidstone Township).

Tecumseh has a population of 23,229 people, a decrease of 1.6% from the 2011 census count. The median household income in 2005 for Tecumseh was $90,206, which is above the Ontario provincial average of $60,455. Most of the population is of Franco-Ontarian descent.[7]

Mother tongue:

• English only 17,535
• French only 1,915
• English and French 1,734
• Other language(s) 3,040

Aboriginal population:

• Aboriginal identity population 364
• Non-Aboriginal identity population 23,860

Visible minority population characteristics:

• Chinese 200
• South Asian 460
• Black 55
• Filipino 210
• Latin American 105
• Southeast Asian 87
• West Asian 15
• Visible minority, n.i.e. 35
• Multiple visible minority 10
• Not a visible minority 22,805

Population Distributed by Age (%):[8]

• 0 to 14 years 15.2%
• 15 to 64 years 65.6%
• 65 years and older 19.2%
• 85 years and older 2.2%

The average age in Tecumseh is 43.4 years old.

• Frosinone, Italy (May 2009)[16]
• Oldcastle, County Meath, Ireland (April 23, 2009)[16]
• Tecumseh, Michigan (January 19, 2013)[16]

• List of townships in Ontario

• Official website