Oakville in Halton Region, Ontario — Central Canada (North America)

From Wheat to Strawberries

Pioneer Industry

— Sixteen Mile Creek Trail —

From Wheat to Strawberries Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Tim Boyd, February 20, 2024

1. From Wheat to Strawberries Marker

Inscription. This region’s first farmers. mainly of British descent, established themselves on lots of 200 acres after the Mississauga purchase of 1805. As they cleared their land, their first products for sale were timber and potash (from the burning of trees and stumps). By the 1840s most area farms had been cleared, and wheat became the principal crop.

After 1857, the price of wheat dropped dramatically. Farmers in the Oakville area responded by diversifying into small fruit production, particularly strawberries. Strawberries were native to the Oakville area but became a commercial crop through improvements by farmers such as John Cross who farmed on land between the railroad and Lower Middle Road (QEW).

By 1870 the Oakville area had over 300 acres of strawberries.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Agriculture • Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical year for this entry is 1805.

Location. 43° 27.195′ N, 79° 40.922′ W. Marker is in Oakville, Ontario, in Halton Region. It is on Cornwall Road 0.2 kilometers west of Trafalgar Road, on the right when traveling east. Tthe marker is in Old Mill Parkette. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 120 Cornwall Road, Oakville ON L6J 7V8, Canada. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Greater Toronto,

specifically on the Golden Horseshoe,

in the Hamilton-Halton-Brant Area,

and specifically in the Toronto Metropolitan Area.

It is also in Central Canada.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once a British colony,

the Viceroyalty of New France,

the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy,

and Rupert’s Land.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this

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marker: The Oakville Basket Company (here, next to this marker); Oakville’s First Industrial Era (here, next to this marker); Industrial Change 1810 to 1870 (here, next to this marker); The Lorne Scots (approx. 1.1 kilometers away); Oakville Cenotaph (approx. 1.1 kilometers away); Oakville and Trafalgar, 1806-1870 (approx. 1.1 kilometers away); Town Drinking Fountain (approx. 1.1 kilometers away); An Isolated Township (approx. 1.1 kilometers away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Oakville.

Photographed by Tim Boyd, February 20, 2024

2. From Wheat to Strawberries Marker

From Wheat to Strawberries marker photo detail image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Reuben Sallows

3. From Wheat to Strawberries marker photo detail

Oakville Historical Society

4. From Wheat to Strawberries marker photo detail

Oakville Historical Society, 1902

5. From Wheat to Strawberries marker photo detail

Credits. This page was last revised on March 6, 2024. It was originally submitted on March 2, 2024, by Tim Boyd of Hamilton, Ontario. This page has been viewed 188 times since then and 9 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on March 2, 2024, by Tim Boyd of Hamilton, Ontario. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.