They Left Their Mark: Surveyors and Their Role in the Settlement of Ontario

Wesley B. Turner is an associate professor of history at Brock
University and author of The War of 1812: The War That Both Sides Won
and The Military in the Niagara Peninsula.

Before discovering the role of surveyors in Ontario, the reader is
informed about land surveying in ancient Egypt, Sumer, and Babylonia as
well as in Roman and medieval Europe. There follows an account of French
activity in Canada, including the first mapping of the Great Lakes. It
is Chapter 5 before Ladell begins to concentrate on the area that is now
Ontario.

Also provided in the book is information on the science of surveying
and map-making, and considerable detail on the political and economic
setting within which surveyors performed their increasingly varied
tasks. The general historical treatment sometimes overwhelms the
specific story of land surveyors, described by the author as “the
shock troops of settlement.” Finally, there is an account of the
development of the professional standing of Ontario land surveyors, a
standing symbolized and regulated by the Ontario Association of Land
Surveyors.

The book is the product of thorough research, although a few useful
sources were missed. There are maps, diagrams, and informative
appendices. Unfortunately, this attractive and informative book is
marred by an awkward format and tiny print.