In 1854, the government faced with a decreasing supply of Crown land in the southern part of what is now Ontario began a network of "Colonization Roads" to encourage the settlement of the southern fringe on the Precambrian Shield. The Victoria Road, constructed 1859-64, extended from the present village of Glenarm for 38 1/2 miles to the Peterson Road in Oakley Township. Most of the "free-grant" lots along its southern portion were quickly taken up by settlers attracted by the regions lumbering industry, which provided employment and a market for agricultural produce. The land however, proved to be marginal and as lumbering declined later in the century, the region's population decreased. The northern section of Victoria Road was eventually abandoned, but part of the remainder became Highway 505.

Location

At the intersection of County Road 35 and Highway 45 in Uphill, about 20 km north of Kirkfield

Themes

• Communities
• Transportation systems and communications