Canadian Land and Emigration Company
Encyclopedia
In 1859, the Crown Lands Department in Province of Canada
advertised a block of land for sale in (what is now) Haliburton County. The purpose for the sale of the land was to promote rapid settlement of the newly created townships in the district through private enterprise. The townships included in the sale were Dysart, Dudley, Harcourt, Gilford, Harburn, Bruton, Havelock, Eyre, Clyde, and Longford. In 1861, the land was purchased by a group of gentlemen from Great Britain, charted as follows:
The first Chairman of the Company was Thomas Chandler Haliburton
, whose name was given to the first village to be established within the company’s lands and later to the County of Haliburton.
Lengthy negotiations were carried on between the Company, and the Department of Crown Lands concerning the selection of townships and the terms of sale. The Department agreed to pay for the survey
of the outlines of the townships, but the Company had to pay for the survey within the townships and their subdivision into lots.
Brookes Wright Gossage with other surveyors
under his direction began work in the townships of Dysart and Longford. At first, Gossage was in partnership with John Stoughton Dennis
and later with Vernon B. Wadsworth. As many as sixty or seventy men were employed on the project at one time, and large sums of money were required for wages and provisions. Although the Company had to pay for all the land except swamp. When the survey was completed it showed 403125 acres (1,631.4 km²) in the ten townships of which 41,000 deducted as swamp, leaving 362125 acres (1,465.5 km²) to be paid for at 50 cents per acre.
From the outset the Company had difficulty in selling the lands. The distance of the townships from the settled parts of the province, the absence of good roads, the rough nature of the country, the Civil War
in the United States
, the Fenian raids
on the border, and rival attractions of Western Canada
, all combined to discourage sales.
From 1863 to 1870, a large number of emigrants came to settle in the region. By 1871, the Company had sold 16650 acres (67.4 km²) to settlers and a number of town lots to various purchasers. Most of the company’s profits were realized from the sale of timber. In 1872, the Company built a road between the villages of Kennaway and Haliburton. Also, the Company contributed greatly to the cost of the connection of a telegraph line to Haliburton. In 1877, the Company contributed to the construction of the Victoria Railway from Kinmount
to Haliburton with the hopes of increasing settlement in the townships.
By 1883, the Province of Ontario had begun to open up neighbouring townships of Haliburton and Muskoka with offers of free land grants, the Company found settlers were even more reluctant to purchase Company lands. The Company was unable to cope with this competition. As a result, it was decided to offer for sale its complete holdings and undertakings in Canada. The Company was purchased by W.H. Lockhart Gordon and James Irwin on April 11, 1883. Mr. Irwin had previously been involved in lumbering in the area, beginning in 1877.
On April 10, 1889, Letters of Patent were issued by the Province of Ontario incorporating the new Canadian Land and Immigration Company, of Haliburton Limited. From 1890 to 1897 little activity took place. Sales of land and timber cutting right had practically ceased. In 1895, Mr. Irwin declared bankruptcty and the bank (most likely the Canadian Bank of Commerce
) took possession of his rights and interest in Haliburton, which included Irwin's shares in the new Company. During the 1920s the Company sold the entire township of Bruton to the Hydro-Electric Power Commission of Ontario and proceeds from the sale allowed the Company to buy back from the bank the timber cutting rights previously licensed to Irwin.
During the depression, lumbering activities ceased once again, but as more roads were constructed, the region began to develop as a tourist and vacation area, and land sales began to increase. At the outbreak of World War II
, lumbering activities intensified, and carried on into the post-war years. By the end of 1946, all of the land originally purchased by the Company had been sold. The Canadian Land and Immigration wound up its affairs, surrendered its charter, and ceased to exist.
Of the ten townships purchased by the Company, Longford was located in the County of Victoria
, while the others were then a part of Peterborough County
. These, along with other townships of Peterborough County
, Victoria County
and Nipissing District
, were incorporated as the Municipality of Haliburton in 1874, which became Haliburton County
. The Municipality of Dysart et al., include townships of Dysart, Dudley, Harcourt, Guilford, Harburn, Bruton, Havelock, Eyre and Clyde, formerly belonging to the Canadian Land and Emigration Company Limited.
Province of Canada
The Province of Canada, United Province of Canada, or the United Canadas was a British colony in North America from 1841 to 1867. Its formation reflected recommendations made by John Lambton, 1st Earl of Durham in the Report on the Affairs of British North America following the Rebellions of...
advertised a block of land for sale in (what is now) Haliburton County. The purpose for the sale of the land was to promote rapid settlement of the newly created townships in the district through private enterprise. The townships included in the sale were Dysart, Dudley, Harcourt, Gilford, Harburn, Bruton, Havelock, Eyre, Clyde, and Longford. In 1861, the land was purchased by a group of gentlemen from Great Britain, charted as follows:
- 1st: The name of Company is The Canadian Land and Emigration Company Limited.
- 2nd: The registered office of the Company is to be established in England.
- 3rd: The objects for which the company was established were:
- The purchase, holding, alienation, sale, lease and disposal of lands or property of any kind, in the Province of Canada.
- The survey, improvement, clearance and cultivation of the lands belonging to or under control of the Company.
- The promotion and encouragement of settlement thereon, by the loan of money to settlers and others, and the establishment of Schools and the erection of places of Worship.
- The opening, making, improving and maintaining of roads, railways and other communications and the subscription of any Railway Undertaking, with a view to the settlement, cultivation and improvement of such lands.
- The promotion of emigration into the said province from the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland or elsewhere and generally the performance of such acts, matters and things as are incidental or otherwise conductive to the attainment of the before mentioned objects or any of them and also such additional or extended objects as the Company may from time to time, by special resolution, determine and resolve.
- 4th: The liability of the shareholders is limited.
- 5th: The nominal Capital of the Company is: Two hundred and fifty thousand pounds divided into Fifty thousand Shares, of Five pounds each.
The first Chairman of the Company was Thomas Chandler Haliburton
Thomas Chandler Haliburton
Thomas Chandler Haliburton was the first international best-selling author from Canada. He was also significant in the history of Nova Scotia.-Life:...
, whose name was given to the first village to be established within the company’s lands and later to the County of Haliburton.
Lengthy negotiations were carried on between the Company, and the Department of Crown Lands concerning the selection of townships and the terms of sale. The Department agreed to pay for the survey
Surveying
See Also: Public Land Survey SystemSurveying or land surveying is the technique, profession, and science of accurately determining the terrestrial or three-dimensional position of points and the distances and angles between them...
of the outlines of the townships, but the Company had to pay for the survey within the townships and their subdivision into lots.
Brookes Wright Gossage with other surveyors
Surveying
See Also: Public Land Survey SystemSurveying or land surveying is the technique, profession, and science of accurately determining the terrestrial or three-dimensional position of points and the distances and angles between them...
under his direction began work in the townships of Dysart and Longford. At first, Gossage was in partnership with John Stoughton Dennis
John Stoughton Dennis
Lieutenant-Colonel John Stoughton Dennis was a Canadian surveyor, militia officer, and civil servant.In 1866, Dennis led an ill-fated militia attack against the Fenians at Fort Erie. Dennis is noted for his role in precipitating the Red River Rebellion by his 1869 surveys of the Red River Settlement...
and later with Vernon B. Wadsworth. As many as sixty or seventy men were employed on the project at one time, and large sums of money were required for wages and provisions. Although the Company had to pay for all the land except swamp. When the survey was completed it showed 403125 acres (1,631.4 km²) in the ten townships of which 41,000 deducted as swamp, leaving 362125 acres (1,465.5 km²) to be paid for at 50 cents per acre.
From the outset the Company had difficulty in selling the lands. The distance of the townships from the settled parts of the province, the absence of good roads, the rough nature of the country, the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, the Fenian raids
Fenian raids
Between 1866 and 1871, the Fenian raids of the Fenian Brotherhood who were based in the United States; on British army forts, customs posts and other targets in Canada, were fought to bring pressure on Britain to withdraw from Ireland. They divided many Catholic Irish-Canadians, many of whom were...
on the border, and rival attractions of Western Canada
Canadian Prairies
The Canadian Prairies is a region of Canada, specifically in western Canada, which may correspond to several different definitions, natural or political. Notably, the Prairie provinces or simply the Prairies comprise the provinces of Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba, as they are largely covered...
, all combined to discourage sales.
From 1863 to 1870, a large number of emigrants came to settle in the region. By 1871, the Company had sold 16650 acres (67.4 km²) to settlers and a number of town lots to various purchasers. Most of the company’s profits were realized from the sale of timber. In 1872, the Company built a road between the villages of Kennaway and Haliburton. Also, the Company contributed greatly to the cost of the connection of a telegraph line to Haliburton. In 1877, the Company contributed to the construction of the Victoria Railway from Kinmount
Kinmount, Ontario
Kinmount is a village with a population of approximately 500, located on the Burnt River in Ontario, Canada. The village is now part of the City of Kawartha Lakes. The village's hinterland covers large sections of both Haliburton and Peterborough counties for which it is a shopping and cultural...
to Haliburton with the hopes of increasing settlement in the townships.
By 1883, the Province of Ontario had begun to open up neighbouring townships of Haliburton and Muskoka with offers of free land grants, the Company found settlers were even more reluctant to purchase Company lands. The Company was unable to cope with this competition. As a result, it was decided to offer for sale its complete holdings and undertakings in Canada. The Company was purchased by W.H. Lockhart Gordon and James Irwin on April 11, 1883. Mr. Irwin had previously been involved in lumbering in the area, beginning in 1877.
On April 10, 1889, Letters of Patent were issued by the Province of Ontario incorporating the new Canadian Land and Immigration Company, of Haliburton Limited. From 1890 to 1897 little activity took place. Sales of land and timber cutting right had practically ceased. In 1895, Mr. Irwin declared bankruptcty and the bank (most likely the Canadian Bank of Commerce
Canadian Bank of Commerce
The Canadian Bank of Commerce was a Canadian bank cofounded in 1867 by William McMaster. The Canadian Bank of Commerce opened in Toronto with a charter in 1866 that it purchased from the defunct Bank of Canada, which folded in 1858....
) took possession of his rights and interest in Haliburton, which included Irwin's shares in the new Company. During the 1920s the Company sold the entire township of Bruton to the Hydro-Electric Power Commission of Ontario and proceeds from the sale allowed the Company to buy back from the bank the timber cutting rights previously licensed to Irwin.
During the depression, lumbering activities ceased once again, but as more roads were constructed, the region began to develop as a tourist and vacation area, and land sales began to increase. At the outbreak of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, lumbering activities intensified, and carried on into the post-war years. By the end of 1946, all of the land originally purchased by the Company had been sold. The Canadian Land and Immigration wound up its affairs, surrendered its charter, and ceased to exist.
Of the ten townships purchased by the Company, Longford was located in the County of Victoria
Victoria County, Ontario
The County of Victoria, or Victoria County, was a county in the Canadian province of Ontario. It was formed in 1854 as The United Counties of Peterborough and Victoria, and gained independence in 1863. In 2001, the county was dissolved and reformed as the city of Kawartha Lakes...
, while the others were then a part of Peterborough County
Peterborough County, Ontario
Peterborough County is located in Southern Ontario, Canada. It is projected to reach a population of 159,840 by 2031, according to the Ontario Ministry of Finance's Ontario Population Projections Update...
. These, along with other townships of Peterborough County
Peterborough County, Ontario
Peterborough County is located in Southern Ontario, Canada. It is projected to reach a population of 159,840 by 2031, according to the Ontario Ministry of Finance's Ontario Population Projections Update...
, Victoria County
Victoria County, Ontario
The County of Victoria, or Victoria County, was a county in the Canadian province of Ontario. It was formed in 1854 as The United Counties of Peterborough and Victoria, and gained independence in 1863. In 2001, the county was dissolved and reformed as the city of Kawartha Lakes...
and Nipissing District
Nipissing District, Ontario
Nipissing District, Ontario is a district in Northeastern Ontario in the Canadian province of Ontario. It was created in 1858. The district seat is North Bay.In 2006, the population was 84,688...
, were incorporated as the Municipality of Haliburton in 1874, which became Haliburton County
Haliburton County, Ontario
Haliburton is a county of Ontario, Canada, known as a tourist and cottage area in Central Ontario for its scenery and for its resident artists. Minden Hills is the county seat. Haliburton County was established in 1983, but had existed as the Provisional County of Haliburton since 1874...
. The Municipality of Dysart et al., include townships of Dysart, Dudley, Harcourt, Guilford, Harburn, Bruton, Havelock, Eyre and Clyde, formerly belonging to the Canadian Land and Emigration Company Limited.