Holland Marsh in Newmarket in York Region, Ontario — Central Canada (North America)

The Dutch Settlement of Holland Marsh

Photographed by Tim Boyd, March 9, 2026

1. The Dutch Settlement of Holland Marsh Marker

Inscription. The Holland Marsh consists of 7000 acres of reclaimed land in the Schomberg River Valley. Named after an early provincial official, this fertile area was drained between 1925 and 1930. John Snor, Canadian Representative of the Netherlands Emigration Foundation, visited the sparsely settled Marsh and proposed the relocation here of recent Dutch immigrants in Ontario. Assisted by grants from the Netherlands, Canada, and Ontario, fifteen Dutch families, many from Friesland and Groningen originally, settled on the Marsh in 1934 and formed the nucleus of the community of Ansnorveldt. Later, Dutch farmers settled throughout the Marsh. Through skilled farming practice and cooperative management, the Dutch were the first group successfully to develop the Marsh as one of Ontario's most important vegetable growing districts.

Erected by Ontario Heritage Foundation.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Agriculture • Immigration • Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical year for this entry is 1934.

Location. 44° 4.8′ N, 79° 32.305′ W. Marker is in Newmarket, Ontario, in York Region. It

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is in Holland Marsh. It is on Bernhardt Road 0.1 kilometers east of Dufferin Street, on the right when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 18997 Dufferin Street, Newmarket ON L3Y 4V9, Canada. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Greater Toronto,

specifically on the Golden Horseshoe,

in the York, Durham and Headwaters Area,

and 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 8 kilometers of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Elizabeth Gwillim Simcoe (approx. 4.5 kilometers away); The Scotch Settlement (approx. 6.3 kilometers away); Meeting House of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) 1810 (approx. 6.4 kilometers away); The Kelley Swing Bridge (approx. 6.7 kilometers away); Pioneer Burying Ground (approx. 6.8 kilometers away);

Photographed by Tim Boyd, March 9, 2025

2. The Dutch Settlement of Holland Marsh Marker

Facing north toward Bernhardt Road

Newmarket Radial Railway Arch (approx. 7 kilometers away); The Founding of Newmarket (approx. 7.4 kilometers away); Mazo de la Roche 1879-1961 (approx. 7.4 kilometers away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Newmarket.

Draining the Holland Marsh, 1925 image. Click for full size.

3. Draining the Holland Marsh, 1925

Bradford West Gwillimbury library (public domain(

Dutch houses in the Holland Marsh, 1934 image. Click for full size.

4. Dutch houses in the Holland Marsh, 1934

Bradford Public Library (public domain)

Credits. This page was last revised on March 18, 2026. It was originally submitted on March 17, 2026, by Tim Boyd of Hamilton, Ontario. This page has been viewed 19 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on March 17, 2026, by Tim Boyd of Hamilton, Ontario. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.