The History of Oshawa stretches back thousands of years from the first native settlements to the arrival of the Europeans and the industrialization of the 19th century when Oshawa was known as the Manchester of Canada. Visit the Oshawa Community Museum and Archives, where Oshawa's history resides, to learn more about the stories that have shaped our history from the crossing where the canoe was exchanged for the trail to the modern city that is Oshawa now.