Historic Downtown Walking Tour

An Overview of the History of Galt In 1784, the British Crown granted to the Six Nations Confederacy, in perpetuity, all of the land along the Grand River six miles deep on each side of the river, from its source to Lake Erie. The Six Nations, led by Joseph Brant, had the land surveyed in 1791 and divided it into their own Reserve lands and large tracts which they intended to sell to land developers. The parcel of land along the Grand River known as Block 1 was purchased by Philip Stedman from the Six Nations on February 5, 1798. This property, containing 94,305 acres, later became known as the Township of Dumfries. Philip Stedman died a few years later, and the entire Block 1 was ultimately purchased on July 3, 1816 by William Dickson Sr. for a total of 24,000 pounds, or a little over a dollar per acre. It is interesting to note that Philip Stedman…only 18 years before … had paid just 8,841 pounds! William Dickson Sr., born in Scotland, and a resident of Niagara-on-the-Lake, set off to tour his newly purchased land accompanied by Absalom Shade, a carpenter from Buffalo, New York and a person who would become a leading businessman in the community. In 1816, they chose where Mill Creek flows into the Grand River as the site for Shade’s Mill. To reinforce the new settlement’s distinct Scottish heritage, in 1825 it was renamed Galt in honour of the Scottish novelist and Canada Company Commissioner John Galt, a friend of William Dickson … and a person who would go on to play a significant role in the development of Guelph, Ontario in 1827. The settlement grew slowly, and began to prosper with the development of textile mills, foundries and factories. The opening of the railway in 1855 contributed to the prosperity of the community and in 1857 Galt was incorporated as a town, with a population of nearly 3,000 souls. The face of the main streets also changed over time, as stone buildings were erected to replace the original wooden ones often lost to fire, resulting in Galt being known as the “granite city”. On January 1, 1973 the City of Galt ceased to exist as a separate political entity as it merged with Preston and Hespeler to create the newly formed city of Cambridge, Ontario. History of the Dickson Family There are a few names that will come up during the tour, especially about the Dickson family, as they played such a critical role in the development of Galt. The Honorable William Dickson was born in Dumfries, Scotland (hence the name of the Township), on July 13, 1769, the son of a merchant. William immigrated to Canada in 1785 to join his cousin in Quebec, and ultimately settled in Niagara about five years later, where he married Charlotte Adams. They had three sons: Robert, William Jr. and Walter. In 1803, Mr. Dickson was granted a special licence to practice law at the provincial bar, which led to an interesting story of an illegal dual being fought, and William Dickson mortally wounding his opponent. He was also taken prisoner during the war of 1812 and removed to the United States for a period of time, after which he returned to Canada, and in 1815, was made a member of the Legislative Council of Upper Canada. William Dickson Sr. made significant efforts to attract people from Scotland, specifically Dumfries, Roxbrugh and Selkirk counties, to settle in what was still called Shade’s Mills, and this Scottish heritage is evident in the names and architecture of the area. While Mr. Dickson Sr. only lived in Galt for 11 years, he left the administration of the land to his sons, particularly William Jr. The Honorable William Dickson Sr. died in February, 1846 at the age of 77 and is buried in St. Mark’s Church cemetery in Niagara-on-the-Lake. The tour: Begins at the Cambridge Farmers’ Market