The History of Mississauga's connection to the Legend of Rebel Gold

March of the Rebels, 1837, by CW Jefferys

Nothing quite entices the imagination like the lure, and lustre, of gold.

Back in 1837, during the tumultuous times of the Rebellion of 1837, and after the uprising at Montgomery’s Tavern on December 7, 1837 was routed and the would-be usurpers fled, the rebels scattered into the surrounding countryside. Some simply returned home, while others, seeking to flee persecution and find refuge in the United States, sought shelter and assistance along their respective routes of escape.

According to an interview collected in the 1930s, one rebel sought shelter, at least for one evening, with the King family of Mount Charles here in historic Mississauga. The story mentioned that this person was none other than the Rebel leader, William Lyon Mackenzie.

But first, you might be wondering about Mount Charles itself. Derry Road was an early surveyed thoroughfare, and as a result, a string of hamlets and rural communities developed along its route. It was the first crossroads community west of Malton, at the modern intersection of Derry Road and Dixie Road. It was originally called “King’s Crossing” or “King’s Corners”, named in honour of Charles King Sr., the first settler in the area. When Charles King Sr. arrived in 1819, the area was a dense forest with crude trails, and his nearest neighbour was Isaac Devon, who lived seven miles away. King was granted 100 acres on the northeast corner of the intersection. In 1826, his son, Charles King Jr., received a Crown grant for 100 acres adjoining his father’s farm. Father and son then jointly purchased 100 acres on the southeast corner of the intersection.

King-Baldock Farm, Mount Charles, c1900.

The first store in the community was built by Charles Sr. in 1836 on the southeast corner. In 1862 Charles Jr. was listed as the postmaster and the name of the community was changed to avoid confusion with Kingsville, Ontario. The residents decided to commemorate Charles’ first name, and they adopted the name “Mount Charles”. The “mount” may have come from good-natured humour as the entire area is relatively flat. A local farmer, William Johnston, is credited with coming up with the suggestion. This once thriving hamlet was home to a general store, post office, blacksmith, carpenter, and the Irvine weaver’s shop. The Mount Charles post office closed in 1915, and few reminders of this historic “lost village” remain on our modern landscape.

But back to our story of gold and 1837.

At the time of the Rebellion of 1837 the King family owned a 100 farm at the northeast corner of Derry and Dixie roads. At that time the family consisted of Charles King Sr. (1794-1869), his wife Elizabeth (1800-1880), and their children Mary Ann, George, William, Charles Jr., Henry, Elizabeth, Harriet, Edward, Sarah, James and Rachel, ranging in age from 17 years old to a newborn. While the family patriarch, Charles Sr., did not take part in the uprising, he was reportedly a Reform party supporter in politics, and sympathetic to the reform cause.

According to the story, William Lyon Mackenzie himself sheltered at the King home in Mount Charles while soldiers scoured the vicinity in search of rebels. The story recounts that the rebel leader buried a “pot of gold” on the hillside below the King farmhouse in order to keep it out of the hands of those who opposed the reformers’ cause. Because of his sheltering of fugitives, Charles King earned the nickname “Rebel King” in the vicinity. From the story, the buried gold has never been found.

Proclamation for the capture of Mackenzie and other rebels, 1837.

A good story. But could it be true?

Charles King received his land grant here in 1826, followed by his son Charles Jr. in 1828. The combined 200-acre property was acquired by Robert Craig in 1868, by James Jackson in 1869, by William Baldock in 1889, and by Stanley Baldock in 1936. It was Stanley Baldock who shared the story of the lost rebel gold.

As for the identity of the rebel, it is very unlikely to have been William Lyon Mackenzie himself. Mackenzie recounted his journey, and the path he took in his flight to the United States in “The Life and Times of William Lyon Mackenzie” written by Charles Lindsay in 1862. In the narrative, Mackenzie spells out his journey, which took him far to the south of Mount Charles, along Dundas Street, and would not have left time for a detour to the Mount Charles area. So other than that, we are left grasping as no other identities are presently known. That being said, the sheltering of rebels was not unheard of, and in all likelihood there is some truth behind the legend, in that the King family likely sheltered a rebel. It was also likely someone they knew.

William Lyon Mackenzie.

But what about the gold? The rebels, by and large, were farmers, with little in the means of financial support for their would-be rebellion. They had a hard time scraping together funds to feed the gathered rebels at Montgomery’s Tavern in the days leading up to the rebellion. While the rebels could have had some funds that they secreted away during their flight from the authorities, a veritable “pot of gold” seems most unlikely.

However, legends usually begin with a kernel of truth. Although Stanley Baldock did not provide the source of his information, it is possible, given his ownership of the former King farm, that stories had passed down from owner to owner. Stanley himself was born in 1893, more than 50 years after the events of 1837. It is possible, even likely, that the story of sheltering rebels expanded over time. Perhaps money left in safekeeping with the King family became, over time, a buried pot of gold. We do not know. And to the best of our knowledge, no gold has even been found.

But what if …?