Haldimand County
Encyclopedia
Haldimand is a rural city-status single-tier municipality (but called a county) on the Niagara Peninsula
in Southern Ontario
, Canada
, on the north shore of Lake Erie
, and on the Grand River
. Municipal offices are located in Cayuga
.
. Haldimand was first created as a county
in 1800, from a portion of Norfolk. It was named after the governor of the Province of Quebec Sir Frederick Haldimand
. In 1844 the land was surrendered by Six Nations to the Crown in an agreement that was signed by the vast majority of Chiefs in the Haldimand tract. The two counties were separate until 1974, when they were reunited as the Regional Municipality of Haldimand-Norfolk.
In 2001, the counties were separated again, but the individual municipalities merged into two single-tier cities. Although they both retained the name "county" for historical reasons, each is governed as a single municipality without a county government, thus neither is a true county, and are legally classified as cities. Haldimand was formed through the amalgamation of the former Towns of Haldimand and Dunnville, and the eastern half of the City of Nanticoke.
Beginning in February 2006, a land dispute by native protesters began near Caledonia
over a housing development being built on the outskirts of town, which members of the nearby Mohawk Six Nations people claim is rightfully their land.
, Hagersville
, Caledonia
, Cayuga
and Dunnville
. Part of the Six Nations Reserve is in Haldimand County, but not within its jurisdiction. Most of Haldimand is agricultural land, although some heavy industry, including the Nanticoke Generating Station
, is located here.
Smaller communities within the municipality are Attercliffe Station, Balmoral, Bodri Bay, Brookers Bay, Byng, Canborough, Canfield, Cheapside, Clanbrassil, Cranston, Crescent Bay, Darling Road, Decewsville, Dufferin, Empire Corners, Erie, Eriestone, Featherstone Point, Fisherville, Garnet, Hickory Beach, Hoover Point, Kohler, Lambs Corners, Little Buffalo, Lowbanks, Lythmore, Moulton, Mount Carmel, Mount Healy, Nanticoke
, Nelles Corners, Peacock Point, Port Maitland
, Rainham Centre, Sandusk, Selkirk, Sims Lock Road, South Cayuga, Springvale, Stromness, Sweets Corners, Townsend
, Upper, Varency, Willow Grove, Woodlawn Park and York.
The ghost town of Indiana
is also located within Haldimand.
in 1783. The County was purchased by treaty and opened for general settlement in 1832. It was first settled by white veterans of Butler's Rangers
established there by Joseph Brant
. A large number of Germans were among the first settlers.
Source: Province of Ontario -- A History 1615 to 1927 by Jesse Edgar Middleton & Fred Landon, copyright 1927, Dominion Publishing Company, Toronto
Population trend:
and within provincial electoral riding of Haldimand—Norfolk
.
Current Mayor: Ken Hewitt
Previous Mayors:
, and Ontario Highway 6.
Niagara Peninsula
The Niagara Peninsula is the portion of Southern Ontario, Canada lying between the south shore of Lake Ontario and the north shore of Lake Erie. It stretches from the Niagara River in the east to Hamilton, Ontario in the west. The population of the peninsula is roughly 1,000,000 people...
in Southern Ontario
Southern Ontario
Southern Ontario is a region of the province of Ontario, Canada that lies south of the French River and Algonquin Park. Depending on the inclusion of the Parry Sound and Muskoka districts, its surface area would cover between 14 to 15% of the province. It is the southernmost region of...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, on the north shore of Lake Erie
Lake Erie
Lake Erie is the fourth largest lake of the five Great Lakes in North America, and the tenth largest globally. It is the southernmost, shallowest, and smallest by volume of the Great Lakes and therefore also has the shortest average water residence time. It is bounded on the north by the...
, and on the Grand River
Grand River (Ontario)
The Grand River is a large river in southwestern Ontario, Canada. From its source, it flows south through Grand Valley, Fergus, Elora, Waterloo, Kitchener, Cambridge, Paris, Brantford, Caledonia, and Cayuga before emptying into the north shore of Lake Erie south of Dunnville at Port Maitland...
. Municipal offices are located in Cayuga
Cayuga, Ontario
Cayuga is an unincorporated community and county seat in the province of Ontario, Canada located at the intersection of Highway 3 and Munsee Street and along the Grand River in Haldimand County. Cayuga is about a 20 minute drive from Lake Erie and 30 minutes south of Hamilton and 115 minutes south...
.
History
Haldimand's history has been closely associated with that of the neighbouring Norfolk CountyNorfolk County, Ontario
Norfolk County is a rural city-status single-tier municipality on the north shore of Lake Erie in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. Bloomsburg is a small town located in Norfolk County and is the hometown of David Slater. The county seat and largest community is Simcoe...
. Haldimand was first created as a county
County
A county is a jurisdiction of local government in certain modern nations. Historically in mainland Europe, the original French term, comté, and its equivalents in other languages denoted a jurisdiction under the sovereignty of a count A county is a jurisdiction of local government in certain...
in 1800, from a portion of Norfolk. It was named after the governor of the Province of Quebec Sir Frederick Haldimand
Frederick Haldimand
Sir Frederick Haldimand, KB was a military officer best known for his service in the British Army in North America during the Seven Years' War and the American Revolutionary War...
. In 1844 the land was surrendered by Six Nations to the Crown in an agreement that was signed by the vast majority of Chiefs in the Haldimand tract. The two counties were separate until 1974, when they were reunited as the Regional Municipality of Haldimand-Norfolk.
In 2001, the counties were separated again, but the individual municipalities merged into two single-tier cities. Although they both retained the name "county" for historical reasons, each is governed as a single municipality without a county government, thus neither is a true county, and are legally classified as cities. Haldimand was formed through the amalgamation of the former Towns of Haldimand and Dunnville, and the eastern half of the City of Nanticoke.
Beginning in February 2006, a land dispute by native protesters began near Caledonia
Caledonia land dispute
The current Grand River land dispute came to wide attention in Canada on February 28, 2006. On that date, protesters from the Six Nations of the Grand River began a demonstration to raise awareness about First Nation land claims in Ontario, Canada...
over a housing development being built on the outskirts of town, which members of the nearby Mohawk Six Nations people claim is rightfully their land.
Communities
The main centres in Haldimand are JarvisJarvis, Ontario
Jarvis is a small community in Haldimand County, Ontario, Canada. Jarvis is located near the towns of Simcoe, Townsend, Cayuga, Port Dover and Hagersville. It is located at the crossroads of Highway 3 and Highway 6.- Facilities :...
, Hagersville
Hagersville, Ontario
Hagersville is a community in Haldimand County, Ontario which gained international notoriety in 1990 for a gigantic uncontrolled tire fire which spewed toxic smoke for seventeen days...
, Caledonia
Caledonia, Ontario
Caledonia is a small riverside community and former town located on the Grand River in Haldimand County, Ontario, Canada. Haldimand County is in the western part of the Niagara Peninsula, and had a population of 43,280 in 2001. The current mayor of Haldimand County is Ken Hewitt; Caledonia is...
, Cayuga
Cayuga, Ontario
Cayuga is an unincorporated community and county seat in the province of Ontario, Canada located at the intersection of Highway 3 and Munsee Street and along the Grand River in Haldimand County. Cayuga is about a 20 minute drive from Lake Erie and 30 minutes south of Hamilton and 115 minutes south...
and Dunnville
Dunnville, Ontario
Dunnville is an unincorporated community of 6,000 people located near the mouth of the Grand River in Haldimand County, Ontario, Canada, near the historic Talbot Trail...
. Part of the Six Nations Reserve is in Haldimand County, but not within its jurisdiction. Most of Haldimand is agricultural land, although some heavy industry, including the Nanticoke Generating Station
Nanticoke Generating Station
The Nanticoke Generating Station is the largest coal-fired power plant in North America, delivering up to 2,760 MW of power into the southern Ontario power grid from its base in Nanticoke, Ontario, Canada. Previous to unit shutdowns, its generating capacity was 3,964 MW. It is owned by...
, is located here.
Smaller communities within the municipality are Attercliffe Station, Balmoral, Bodri Bay, Brookers Bay, Byng, Canborough, Canfield, Cheapside, Clanbrassil, Cranston, Crescent Bay, Darling Road, Decewsville, Dufferin, Empire Corners, Erie, Eriestone, Featherstone Point, Fisherville, Garnet, Hickory Beach, Hoover Point, Kohler, Lambs Corners, Little Buffalo, Lowbanks, Lythmore, Moulton, Mount Carmel, Mount Healy, Nanticoke
Nanticoke, Ontario
Nanticoke is an unincorporated community and former city located on the western border of Haldimand County, Ontario, Canada. It is southeast of Simcoe in neighbouring Norfolk County and south of Brantford...
, Nelles Corners, Peacock Point, Port Maitland
Port Maitland, Ontario
thumb|Grand River, OntarioPort Maitland is a small community in the province of Ontario Canada.It is on the North shore of Lake Erie, at the mouth of the Grand River.At one time a canal connected the Welland Canal to the Grand River....
, Rainham Centre, Sandusk, Selkirk, Sims Lock Road, South Cayuga, Springvale, Stromness, Sweets Corners, Townsend
Townsend, Ontario
Townsend is a planned community in Haldimand County, Ontario, Canada that was founded in 1970 with the expectation it would house the developing industrial region to the south around Nanticoke.-Summary:...
, Upper, Varency, Willow Grove, Woodlawn Park and York.
The ghost town of Indiana
Indiana, Ontario
Indiana is an old village site—a ghost town -- now within the precincts of the Ruthven Park National Historic Site, 1 km north of Cayuga, in Haldimand County, Ontario, Canada. The site was also referred to as "Deans" as late as 1940-1951, when it was marked on a map published by C. Tarling & Co...
is also located within Haldimand.
Historic townships
Haldimand County area 284817 acres (1,153 km²) was formed from part of the land grant to the Six NationsIroquois
The Iroquois , also known as the Haudenosaunee or the "People of the Longhouse", are an association of several tribes of indigenous people of North America...
in 1783. The County was purchased by treaty and opened for general settlement in 1832. It was first settled by white veterans of Butler's Rangers
Butler's Rangers
Butler's Rangers was a British provincial regiment composed of Loyalists in the American Revolutionary War, raised by Loyalist John Butler.Most members of the regiment were Loyalists from upstate New York...
established there by Joseph Brant
Joseph Brant
Thayendanegea or Joseph Brant was a Mohawk military and political leader, based in present-day New York, who was closely associated with Great Britain during and after the American Revolution. He was perhaps the most well-known American Indian of his generation...
. A large number of Germans were among the first settlers.
- Canborough, area 21586 acres (87 km²). Granted in 1794 by Joseph Brant to John Dochstader of Butler's Rangers. Purchased by Benjamin Canby in 1810 for 5,000, he named the village-site "Canborough. Community centre: Canborough, Darling and it touches Dunnville
- Dunn, area 15122 acres (61 km²). Opened for settlement in 1833. Community centre: Dunnville
- Moulton, area 27781 acres (112 km²). Landowner Henry John Boulton named the township from the Boulton family seat in England.
- North Cayuga, area 32825 acres (133 km²).
- Oneida, area 32598 acres (132 km²). Joseph Brant granted a 999 year lease of part of Oneida and Seneca townships to Henry Nelles, of Butler's Rangers and his sons, Robert, Abraham, William, Warner and John. Community centres were: Caledonia, Dufferin and Hagersville.
- Rainham, area 25705 acres (104 km²) Community centres: Balmoral, Selkirk, Rainham Centre and Fisherville.
- Seneca, area 41721 acres (169 km²). Community centres: York and Caledonia
- Sherbrooke, area 5098 acres (21 km²), the smallest township in Ontario. Opened in 1825 and named from Sir John Coape SherbrookeJohn Coape SherbrookeSir John Coape Sherbrooke was a British soldier and colonial administrator. After serving in the British army in Nova Scotia, the Netherlands, India, the Mediterranean , and Spain, he was appointed Lieutenant-Governor of Nova Scotia in 1811.His active defense of the colony during the War of 1812...
, a Governor-General of Canada. The Township was granted by the Indians to William DicksonWilliam Dickson (Upper Canada)William Dickson was a businessman, lawyer and political figure in Upper Canada.He was born in Dumfries, Scotland in 1769. In 1785, he emigrated to the Niagara peninsula, where he managed mills and a store for Robert Hamilton, his cousin...
(a lawyer) as a professional fee. Community centres: Stromness and Port Maitland. - South Cayuga, area 13293 acres (54 km²). Community centre: Cayuga
- Walpole, area 66213 acres (268 km²). Community centres were: Hagersville, Jarvis, Selkirk, Cheapside and Nanticoke.
Source: Province of Ontario -- A History 1615 to 1927 by Jesse Edgar Middleton & Fred Landon, copyright 1927, Dominion Publishing Company, Toronto
Demographics
-
-
- N/A=Data Not Available
-
Population trend:
- Population in 2006: 45,212
- Population in 2001: 43,728
- Population total in 1996: 42,041
Local government
The city is within the federal electoral riding of Haldimand—NorfolkHaldimand—Norfolk
Haldimand—Norfolk is a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1979 to 1997, and since 2004. Its Member of Parliament is Conservative Diane Finley...
and within provincial electoral riding of Haldimand—Norfolk
Haldimand—Norfolk (provincial electoral district)
Haldimand—Norfolk is a provincial electoral district in southwestern Ontario, Canada. It was created for the 2007 provincial election. 88.0% of the riding came from Haldimand—Norfolk—Brant while 12.0% came from Erie—Lincoln....
.
Current Mayor: Ken Hewitt
Previous Mayors:
- 2004-2010: Marie TrainerMarie TrainerMarie Trainer, born circa 1946 , is the outgoing mayor of Haldimand County, Ontario, Canada after having been defeated on October, 25th 2010 by Mayor Elect Ken Hewitt. Hewitt finished with 6,984 votes, Trainer 5,748 and third place finisher Buck Sloat with 2,929 in unofficial final results...
- 2000-2004: Lorraine BergstrandLorraine BergstrandLorraine Bergstrand was the inaugural mayor of Haldimand County, Ontario, Canada. Ms. Bergstrand helped Haldimand County make the transition from county to single-tier municipality. During the late 1990s, she lobbied strongly to get a 400 series highway to connect to or come close to Haldimand...
Transportation
Highways that travel through Haldimand include: Ontario Highway 3Ontario Highway 3
King's Highway 3, commonly referred to as Highway 3 and historically as the Talbot Trail, is a provincially maintained highway in the Canadian province of Ontario which travels parallel to the shore of Lake Erie. It has three segments, the first of which runs from the Ambassador Bridge in Windsor...
, and Ontario Highway 6.
Protected areas
- Haldimand Conservation Area
- Selkirk Provincial Park
- Taquanyah Conservation Area
- Hedley Forest Conservation Area
- Canborough Conservation Area
- Ruigrok Tract Conservation Area
- Oswego Conservation Area
- Byng Island Conservation Area
- Rock Point Provincial ParkRock Point Provincial ParkRock Point Provincial Park is a park located on the north shore of Lake Erie near the mouth of the Grand River in the Carolinian zone of southwestern Ontario. It occupies an area of 1.87 km²....
- Mohawk Island National Wildlife Area
Attractions
- Port Maitland Outer Range Lighthouse and Pier
- Canadian Heritage Grand RiverGrand River (Ontario)The Grand River is a large river in southwestern Ontario, Canada. From its source, it flows south through Grand Valley, Fergus, Elora, Waterloo, Kitchener, Cambridge, Paris, Brantford, Caledonia, and Cayuga before emptying into the north shore of Lake Erie south of Dunnville at Port Maitland...
- Grand Valley Trail
- Toronto Motorsports Park (Dragway Park)Toronto Motorsports ParkToronto Motorsports Park is a dragway and 3 kilometer roadcourse racing facility in Haldimand County, near the town of Cayuga, Ontario, Canada....
- Indiana Ghost Town
- Ruthven Park National Historic Site Mansion and Park
- Haldimand County Museum & Archives (Cayuga)
- Cayuga SpeedwayCayuga SpeedwayThe Cayuga Speedway, also known as the Cayuga 2000 Speedway, is a racing track located near Cayuga in Haldimand County, Ontario, Canada.-History:...
- Grand River Dinner Cruises
- Edinburgh Square Heritage Centre (Caledonia)
- Killman ZooKillman ZooThe Killman Zoo is located approximately 4 kilometres north of Caledonia in Haldimand County, Ontario, Canada. It is located 2 kilometres east of Highway 6 at 237 Unity Road East. It is a privately owned and operated zoo on of trails. There are picnic facilities and gift shops on site...
- Cottonwood Mansion
- Caledonia Grand Trunk Station
- The Wilson Pugsley MacDonald Museum (c. 1872) is a National Historic Site of Canada on the Canadian Register of Historic Places. The Museum was named in honour of Wilson MacDonaldWilson MacDonaldWilson Pugsley MacDonald was a popular Canadian poet who "was known mainly in his own time for his considerable platform abilities" as a reader of his poetry....
- No. 6 RCAF Dunnville Museum
- Canadian Drilling Rig Museum
- Caledonia Old Mill
- Byng Island Conservation Area and Pool
- Mohawk IslandMohawk IslandMohawk Island is a small island in Lake Erie in the province of Ontario, Canada. It was formerly known as Gull Island. The island contains the ruins of the Gull Island Lighthouse, built in 1848 and decommissioned in 1969. It is located close to the shore of Rock Point Provincial Park.Currently, no...
Lighthouse (abandoned) - Townsend Planned Community (1970)Townsend, OntarioTownsend is a planned community in Haldimand County, Ontario, Canada that was founded in 1970 with the expectation it would house the developing industrial region to the south around Nanticoke.-Summary:...
- Nanticoke Generating StationNanticoke Generating StationThe Nanticoke Generating Station is the largest coal-fired power plant in North America, delivering up to 2,760 MW of power into the southern Ontario power grid from its base in Nanticoke, Ontario, Canada. Previous to unit shutdowns, its generating capacity was 3,964 MW. It is owned by...
Notable people from Haldimand
- Birthplace of Canadian Olympic high jump medalist Ethel CatherwoodEthel CatherwoodCompetitor for CanadaEthel Mary Catherwood was a Canadian athlete.Born in Hannah, North Dakota, USA, Ethel Catherwood was raised and educated in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, she excelled at athletics, including baseball, basketball and track and field...
. - Birthplace of Canadian Women's Hockey Gold Medalist Becky Kellar-Duke
- Boston Bruins' Nathan HortonNathan HortonNathan Horton is a Canadian professional ice hockey winger who currently plays for the Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League...
, who won the Stanley Cup in 2011 - New Jersey Devils' Head Coach Peter DeBoerPeter DeBoerPeter DeBoer is the head coach of the New Jersey Devils of the National Hockey League and current part-owner of the Oshawa Generals of the Ontario Hockey League...
Surrounding Counties
- Norfolk County
- County of Brant
- City of HamiltonHamilton, OntarioHamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Conceived by George Hamilton when he purchased the Durand farm shortly after the War of 1812, Hamilton has become the centre of a densely populated and industrialized region at the west end of Lake Ontario known as the Golden Horseshoe...
- Regional Municipality of Niagara