Exploring Great Destinations in the Niagara Region, Ontario, Canada

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Home | All About Niagara | The History of Niagara | Niagara Townships

Stamford Township

The Township of Stamford was bordered by the Niagara River to the east, to the south by the Welland River which divided it from the townships of Willoughby and Crowland, to the west the Township of Thorold and to the north by the townships of Niagara and Grantham.

The first settlement in the township was called Mount Dorchester in honour of Guy Carleton, Earl of Dorchester. It was the second township to be surveyed after Niagara.

In 1792 it received the name Stamford by Governor Simcoe, following the naming conventions he had set for the county. By 1794 there were about seven families all of British ancestry living within the township.

The township of Stamford suffered many casualties during the War of 1812 as well as having most of the buildings in the township burned by the Americans. Lundy's Lane, named after one of the earliest settlers ran through the centre of the township. As well the township extended along the Niagara River for seven miles and included the Falls at Niagara as well as the Whirlpool, and northward to Queenston Heights.

From here an early road known as the Portage Road ran in a southerly direction passing through the village of Stamford as well as Niagara Falls (Clifton) and Chippawa. Early settlers to this township soon discovered the area was ideal for growing fruit and within a few short years farmers fields of wheat and flax were substituted with orchards of pears, cherries, peaches, strawberries and grapes.

In fact the growing of these tender fruits was so lucrative that in 1885 five tonnes a day of fresh fruit was shipped to markets in Toronto, London, Hamilton and Montreal by way of the railway. In 1885 the population of the town exceeded 2,000 inhabitants.

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