Discover one of Ontario's most beautiful towns, Stratford, Ontario located in Perth County, situated on the traditional territory of the Anishinabek Nation and Haudenosaunee Confederacy. The settlement began with the surveying of the Huron Road by the Canada Company in 1828 by agent William "Tiger" Dunlop.
Some of Stratford's historical highlights include:
- 1832 Thomas Mercer Jones, Canada Company Director named the village Stratford and the creek known as the Little Thames was renamed the Avon River
- 1834 Surveyor John MacDonald created the town plan
- 1853 Perth County separated from Huron District
- 1856 Grand Trunk Railway arrives beginning the town as a major railway centre
- 1886 Stratford incorporated as a city and furniture industry established
- 1904 Parks Board established, Upper Queen's Park Horticultural System created including area where Festival Theatre now stands
- 1905-1912 Canadian National Railway dissuaded from laying tracks along Avon River
- 1933 General Strike
- 1936 Thomas Orr established Shakespearean Gardens
- 1953 Tom Patterson and local supporters opened the Stratford Festival
Using Toronto Public Library's Digital Archive you can discover many of Stratford's famous landmarks, colourful people who have shaped the town and the Stratford Festival. Here are a a few Stratford photos and postcards available from our Digital Archive:
Landmarks
People
Stratford Festival
See also
- TPL's blog post Lyn Cook: Librarian and Children’s Author from Ontario
