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Description : Early Days of the Marsh

Today, one of the richest and most widely known Garden Tracts in Ontario is the Bradford or the Holland Marsh. In the vegetable stores across Canada and in parts of the United States you will see potatoes, celery, lettuce, onions, and carrots, etc., bearing the label "Bradford Marsh" or simply "Marsh" as a sign of quality. But, the Bradford Marsh was not always a gardener's paradise. Unbelieveable as it may now seem, it was once nothing but an impassable marsh of Tamarack swamp, covering thousands of acres.

Beginning about Schomberg and flowing, or moving in a very sluggish manner in a northeasterly direction towards Lake Simcoe is the stream known as the Holland River, so named after a Major S. Holland, Surveyor General of Canada, who in 1971 visited the river in making a general survey of the Lake Simcoe region. This is the main river and it is joined by an eastern or Holland Landing tributary at a place called Soldier's Landing or Soldier's Bay about seven miles from the mouth. At one time, navigation to Lake Simcoe points from Soldier's Landing consisted of small craft. In 1850, when boats were larger and the western or main branch of the river was found to be much easier to navigate, having deeper water and broader streams and not so choked with marsh as the eastern branch, the steamer "Beaver" went on to the Bradford Holland River Bridge.

In 1819, the first settlers in South Simcoe, the Wallaces, the Armstrongs and the Algeos, crossed the river with great difficulty and landed at what is now known as the old wharf in the Scotch Settlement. Here for some years was the only river crossing and that was by a ferry pulled by ropes.

But by this time, the settlement at Bradford had become an accomplished fact and the question of some method of crossing the marsh and so as to give easier access to the Holland Landing had arisen. Petitions were sent to county councils and to the Government and finally under the constant urging of William Armson, Reeve of West Gwillimbury and Warden of the County, money grants were given and a road was made from Bradford to the river by laying logs across a width of marsh and filling in with earth. This was the corduroy road, the logs of which were still visible many years afterwards. Then to cross the river a floating bridge was laid down and a through direct road from Bradford to the Landing was completed and the Marsh was at least partly conquered. The ferry at the old wharf was discontinued.

In 1837 George Lount, Government Surveyor, surveyed as a townsite, the spot on the south side of the river just beyond the floating bridge, known as Amsterdam and the streets were laid out bearing such good Holland names as DeRuyder, DeWitt, VanDyke, Rubens, etc., but the townsite remained as only a townsite and no town arose, so in 1869 a lumberman named Thompson Smith acquired the patent of the unused site and built two sawmills, one on each side of the road just beyond the bridge. And the marsh was still largely unconquered. Rafts of logs were brought up the river by the tugs Victoria and Isabella, and this helped to keep the river fairly clear of weeds. The wreck of the Isabella lay near the railway bridge not so many years ago and it now probably lying on the bottom of the river.

The superintendent of the sawmills was James Durham and in 1870, Mr. Durham cut the floating bridge in two in order to get his logs through and this caused a lot of trouble but led to the erection of a bridge above the water. This bridge was 420 feet long and was complete in April 1871, the builder being Thomas McKonkey of Gilford.

To the many men working in the mills the great marsh became a familiar sight and the thought entered someone's head, why not cut that marsh grass or hay, twist it into ropes and sell it, and so was born the marsh hay industry and some use at last was made of the great wasts of land. The hay was twisted into long ropes. Later, hay-balers were brought into use and the hay was baled instead of twisted into ropes.This marsh hay was used for stuffing mattresses. Marsh hay twisting and baling went on for years and might still be the only marsh industry had not a bright idea entered the head of one D. W. (Dane) Watson, an intelligent, energetic young farmer of the Scotch Settlement who, however, had come into Bradford and acquired a grocery business where the Village Inn now stands.

This bright idea was, why not dredge a canal and drain the marsh and so turn waste land into productive soil? Mr. Watson got Professor Day of Guelph Agricultural College, interested in his idea and so was laid the germ that has sprouted into the now famous Bradford Marsh Gardens.

Article detailing the development of the Holland Marsh. It was copied from the Prof. W.H. Day Memorial Unveiling programme and published in the Witness alongside the unveiling ceremony story.

Article in a special edition of the Bradford Witness (its 100th anniversary) based on the history of the Holland Marsh.

"George Murray Gillam, 29, of R.R. 3 King, was drowned in the canal, Holland Marsh, in the early hours of Saturday morning.
Werner Ploder, son of Mr. A. Ploder, Holland Marsh, was returning home around 1:50 a.m. when tat the bridge, located at the far end of Ansnorveld, he saw the lights of a car in the water, and hurried to his home from where he called the King township police.
Bradford firemen were called, responding to the call at about 2 a.m. and they took the young man's body from the water, and a few hours later hauled the car out.
The car had gone through the guard rail of the bridge, where the water is about seven feet deep. Mr. Gillam was alone in his car."

"Had Come from Toronto Thursday - Went Bathing After Day's Work

Mushaelo (Michael) Bohoniuk, 25-year-old Ukrainian, of 70 Runnymede Rd., Toronto, was drowned in the Holland Marsh irrigation cala, at a point where the canal skirts the rear of Mr. J.W. Wilson's farm, late Saturday afternoon.
The drowned man, it appears, had come up from Toronto on Thursday and had secured work with Anglo del Zotto and F. Bollsanelo, market gardeners. Having finished work on Saturday afternoon, he had decided to bathe in the canal. Undressing and donning a pair of trunks, he left his clothes in his employer's shack, started out apparently for the canal, and nothing further was seen of him alive. ..."

"The washed out bridge on Concession 14, West Gwillimbury, might have claimed the lives of two brothers, Eddie and Paul Renald. Going to the store at Fennells for groceries their car plunged into the swollen stream at the washout and was carried about 100 yards downstream and cast up into the bush a total wreck. The brothers smashed the windshield and managed to crawl out and reach land but one suffered a broken arm and both were badly bruised and cut."

Two articles on health and safety of residents affected by the Hurricane Hazel flood. The crops are considered condemned because of their submersion, and advice on fixing your own submerged tractor.

Notice article on health and safety recommendations of flood affected areas due to Hurricane Hazel.

Two 'notice' articles for home owners and helpers of flood relief.
"Notice to Owners of Dishes at Town Hall
All who have sent pots, pans and dishes to the town hall with food are requested to call at the town hall as soon as possible and pick up their belongings. Workers can't look after the quantity of containers that is accumulating and you will help them by attending to this matter promptly."

"Advice to Owners of Submerged Motors
One of our local garage men has suggested that owners of all motor vehicles and motorized equipment, which has been submerged in water, heed the following advice: 'Do not turn over motors until magnetos and ignition system have been thoroughly dried out.' "

"A Department of Highways bulletin announced the following highways closed as a result of the flood in this area: ..."