Alexander Aitkin

Alexander Aitkin (or Aitken and died 1799) was a Scottish surveyor. He served as deputy surveyor general in 1784 and later the first surveyor general of Upper Canada.

Aitkin was from Berwick-Upon-Tweed, Northumberland^[1] to David Aitken and possibly Catherine.^[2]

He served as deputy surveyor for Mecklenburg, Penetanguishene Harbour, and Lake Simcoe.^[3] He was responsible for surveying and creating the first city plan for Toronto and made plans for the York Harbour in 1793.^[4]^[5]

Lot Street, later to be renamed Queen Street, was the first concession street in York. The original street was 6,600 feet or 1.25 miles (approx. 2 km) in length.^[6]

He died of tuberculosis at an early age and was buried in Kingston, Ontario on 1 January 1800.^[7]

References[]

^ Lobies, Jean-Pierre; Lobies, François-Pierre; Zeller, Otto; Zeller, Wolfram (1988). IBN: Index bio-bibliographicus notorum hominum (in Latin). Biblio Verlag. p. 288. Retrieved 14 June 2018.
^ "Biography – AITKEN, ALEXANDER – Volume IV (1771-1800) – Dictionary of Canadian Biography". www.biographi.ca. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
^ Publications of the Champlain Society: Ontario series. Champlain Society. 1963. p. 17. Retrieved 14 June 2018.
^ Guillet, Edwin C. (1933). Early Life in Upper Canada. University of Toronto Press. p. 152. ISBN 9781487598037. Retrieved 14 June 2018.
^ McHugh, Patricia; Bozikovic, Alex (2017). Toronto Architecture: A City Guide. McClelland & Stewart. p. 11. ISBN 9780771059902. Retrieved 14 June 2018.
^ Bébout, Rick. "Queen Street: Thematic Preview". Retrieved 14 June 2018.
^ Turner, Glenn (2015). The Toronto Carrying Place: Rediscovering Toronto's Most Ancient Trail. Dundurn. p. 168. ISBN 9781459730472. Retrieved 14 June 2018.