In 1858, during the construction of the Grand Trunk Railway through this region, Nelson Southworth purchased land here on this line, donated a site for a station and laid out a village plot that he named Thedford. The hamlet that developed, however, took the name of the depot, Widder Station, which opened to serve the nearby village of Widder. During the 1860s, Widder Station grew steadily as a shipping point for square timber, lumber, grain and cattle and, by 1869, the community consisted of 350 inhabitants. The addition of several industries, including a steam saw and grist-mill and a planing mill, fostered the village's growth and it was incorporated as the Village of Thedford by a county bylaw of 1877.

Location

In Thedford Park, Main and King streets, Thedford

Themes

• Communities
• Industry and trade
• Transportation systems and communications