Long before this town was called Oakville, a lot of things has transpired that lead to the discovery and development of what is now known as the largest town of Ontario.
In the beginning, it was believed that the Native Mississaugas settled in this land. They are nomadic fishers and hunters, but they did some corn planting on the flat lands at the mouth of rivers. It was in 1793 when the land was first surveyed, but couldn’t be constructed through Indian land. But in 1806, using the first survey in 1793, the Provincial Surveyor Samuel Wilmot surveyed the “New Territory” into lots. These later became Toronto, Nelson, and Trafalgar Townships.
Beginnings of Oakville
The Native Mississaugas decided to sell the land they reserved at the mouth of Sixteen Mile Creek in 1820. Since it was an area where water is easily accessible, many sought after the land. One of them is Colonel William Chisholm, a businessman from Burlington Bay. He bought the land and built a harbor and shipbuilding yard to attract other industries. He had great plans for this land, to make it a center for trading of goods.
The town was then called Oakville, but Colonel Chisholm did not move here. Instead, he left the management of the area to his son, Robert Kerr Chisholm, and to his brother-in-law, Merrick Thomas. From 1827 to 1830, the town slowly progressed as a saw mill and the first tavern was established. It was in 1857 when Oakville was recognized as a town.
Black History of Oakville
It is also worth mentioning that Oakville’s lakeshores are a part of history, as American slaves entered the town through the lakes and travelled through the Underground Railroad in search of freedom. To honor this part of history, there are permanent exhibits in Oakville Museum that displays written accounts of the events that took place.
Developments at Oakville
As small establishments emerged, more settlers came to Oakville. Aside from the saw mill, a grist mill was built as well. There were also three churches in town, and several manufacturing companies producing wagons, saddles, threshing machines, watches, and other metal goods. Timber has also been a primary product of the town used in ship building and making barrels. Wheat has been a very important export product too, which prompted businessmen to buy from farmers and built huge warehouses. Then, they shipped the goods to the market.
Depression and Survival
Two factors greatly affected the town’s growing economy – the end of the Crimean War and the construction of the Grand Trunk Railway. The first one caused a huge surplus of wheat around the world, while the latter reduced the shipments and industries through the harbor. Many factories closed down because of this.
Later on, farmers tried fruit production to survive. Strawberries became the primary crop, which became an unexpected success. In fact, Oakville was known as the strawberry capital of Canada. Basket production also became a new industry explored in Oakville. Soon, the town has been discovered as a great location, especially during summer. A lot of guests arrived in steamships, and this helped the town pull through the economic depression. Citizens started businesses to offer goods to visitors, and industries like breweries progressed once again.
At present, Oakville is the largest and one of the most prosperous town in Ontario, attracting thousands of visitors every year.
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