and culminating in 1819, when Upper Canada Attorney-General John Robinson declared any slaves living in Canada were now free. Most of these former slaves settled and integrated into the communities where they were freed. By 1833, all slaves in British North America and the Empire were free, the first major power in world history to abolish slavery. This affected even the village of Milles roches, as a place where former slaves settled. The aftermath of the American Revolution resulted in the formal division of Upper and Lower Canada (later, Ontario and Quebec) to accommodate loyalists fleeing persecution in the new United States. Distribution of land throughout Southern Ontario brought major change to Eastern Ontario. Cornwall (and the surrounding area), originally called "Royal Township #2" and "Johnstown", was a rough place, and bred a local culture of self-reliance. Mille Roches' settlers and residents were more effectively integrated into the increasingly tight-knit region after the Loyalist arrival, with Cornwall as its economic centre. Integration and community Mille Roches, like many of the local communities, was unusual in Canada at the time for being quite socially integrated. Characterized by a mix of economic migrants, refugees and opportunists, the local population was a blend of different social classes and ethnic backgrounds. The interdependence demanded by isolation and the lack of either support or interference from authorities meant that villagers in the region were obliged to rely on each other for support. The original native population was remarkably welcoming, and the Iroquois were especially known for integrating newcomers and adapting to change. Many people in the region have some native ancestry as a result, and family bonds have long linked the formal reservations and the surrounding area. Growth and development Among many other sites, Mille Roches was originally an obstacle for water navigation up the St. Lawrence river. Rapids prevented the deep-bottomed hulls of ocean-going ships from moving inland into the Great Lakes basin. Boats would have to unload, their contents carted and carried overland, and then be re-loaded. Calls for building a canal at this spot on the river came very early. The area immediately around Mille Roches had been used as a source of attractive, highly prized and sought-after black stone for a long period before being formally settled by Europeans. North of the townsite were limestone quarries, which had already been in use by suppliers in Montreal, and the name of the