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HISTORY & HAMLETS
History History of Brockton Two main rivers flow through Brockton. The Saugeen River is larger and meanders through the farm land in the western half of the municipality. The Teeswater River twists and turns through the Greenock Swamp and northern farmlands also in the western half of Brockton. These rivers meet just north of the Municipality in the village of Paisley and become the mighty Saugeen River which empties into Lake Huron at Southampton. Both rivers greatly contributed to the Queen’s Bush development by encouraging settlers and providing access to the inner portions of the early municipalities. The Saugeen was used for transportation of goods and supplies in the early 1880’s. A paddle wheeler, the “water witch”, plied the river between Walkerton and Paisley as a passenger and freight boat. The Teeswater River was also used for commerce. It was the main link of Henry Cargill’s logging operation in the Greenock Swamp, floating thousands of board feet of lumber to the mills in Cargill. The Saugeen is one of the cleanest rivers in Ontario, with a history of excellent fishing and recreational activities. Alex Wilkinson came into the area to complete a survey in 1847. In 1848, the Durham Road was surveyed from the Garafraxa Road (Durham) to the Penetangore River (Kincardine) on Lake Huron. Upon completion of this large survey, the first settlers began to arrive in 1848. To obtain their free grant land of fifty acres from the Crown, they needed to fulfill certain requirements. According to the terms, twelve acres were to be cleared in four years. A dwelling (18x24 feet) was to be erected and the applicant was to take up continuous residency on the land. By 1854, all surveyed lots had been taken up in the Townships by various nationalities: Irish, Scottish, French Canadians, Loyalists, British and also German.
As the various settlers moved onto the lands many new services were required. Churches and schools were built, but not all of the new arrivals were farmers. Some congregated in hamlets, villages and eventually in town sites. They provided other services such as stores, taverns, hotels, post offices and tailors. To serve the needs of the surrounding residents, blacksmiths, sawmills and grist mills, harness and wagon shops sprung up locally. Many of these hamlets and villages took on strange names as were associated with memories of the settlers’ homelands. In Greenock (1852): Cargill (1854), Chepstow (1852) and Pinkerton (1854). Brant consisted of Eden Grove (1869), Ellengowan, Vesta (1852), Dunkeld (1868), Solway, Malcolm (1858) and Elmwood (1864). Walkerton was removed from Brant Township and designated a town in 1871 by an Act of a prolonged, intense, bitter and convoluted political battle, even before the population had grown to fulfill the requirement for a town designation. Joseph Walker, the founding father, became the first mayor in 1850 and led the battle for the County Town in 1865. The Wellington Grey/Bruce Railway arrived in Walkerton during 1872 causing the population to increase from 1,000 persons to 3,061 citizens during the next 10 years. Walkerton had the first hydro and street lights in the area by 1882 and by 1907 had expanded the service to Mildmay and Formosa. The town continued to grow over the years with many businesses and industries enhancing this expansion. In 1978 the Ontario Government ordered provincial municipalities to amalgamate. The Town of Walkerton, Township of Greenock and the Township of Brant joined together to form the Municipality of Brockton on January 1, 1999. Brockton continues to be the leading municipality of Bruce County. Mrs. Frank Eidt, a former resident, stated, “Let us hold fast to the heritage which has been handed on to us by the pioneers of this great land.” |
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