In 1837 James W. Little, a militia officer and land speculator of neighbouring Raleigh Township, purchased land here at the intersection of Ridge Road and Communication Road, the latter planned by Lieutenant-Governor John Graves Simcoe to connect the town of Chatham with Lake Erie. Little surveyed a village plot, named Blenheim, but sold few lots before 1847. The completion in that year of Rondeau Harbour and of Communication Road fostered the development of lumbering, and within a few years a steam sawmill had been erected at Blenheim. By 1857 the population had increased to about 450. As lumbering declined Blenheim emerged as a prosperous agricultural centre. It was incorporated as a Village, with a population of 1,096, in 1874, and as a Town in 1885.

Location

At the municipal building, 35 Talbot Street West, Blenheim

Themes

• Communities
• Industry and trade
• Transportation systems and communications