Eastern Ontario was always a highway or corridor through which people moved, a corridor used by migration and conquest. Prior to European colonization, the Mohawks and Six Nations Iroquois settled and raided through the St. Lawrence valley. The French and British fought over the waterway, and after the American revolution, in 1812-14, it became a battleground between Americans and Canadians. At various times, much like the rest of Eastern Ontario, it also became a home for migrants looking to escape authorities or find safe haven from overseas conflicts.