page_title: Bruce County
section_title: Municipal history
hierarchical_section_title: Bruce County / History / Municipal history
caption_attribution_description: English: This is the uncommon 1857 issue of J. H. Colton’s map of Quebec, which at the time was called Canada West or Upper Canada. Covers from Essex in the south to Renfrew in the north, and from Lambton in the west to Glengabby in the east. Includes a detailed inset of Wolf Island and the Vicinity of Welland Canal and Niagara Falls. Divided and color coded according to county and province. Shows major roadways and railroads as well as geological features such as lakes and rivers. Like most Colton maps this map is dated 1855, but most likely was issued in the 1857 issue of Colton’s Atlas . This was the only issue of Colton's Atlas that appeared without his trademark grillwork border. Dated and copyrighted: “Entered according to the Act of Congress in the Year of 1855 by J. H. Colton &amp; Co. in the Clerk’s Office of the District Court of the United States for the Southern District of New York.” Published from Colton’s 172 William Street Office in New York City, NY.
context_page_description: Bruce County is a county in Southwestern Ontario, Canada comprising eight lower-tier municipalities and with a 2016 population of 66,491. It is named for James Bruce, 8th Earl of Elgin and 12th Earl of Kincardine, sixth Governor General of the Province of Canada. The Bruce name is also linked to the Bruce Trail and the Bruce Peninsula. It has three distinct areas. The Peninsula is part of the Niagara Escarpment and is known for its views, rock formations, cliffs and hiking trails. The Lakeshore includes nearly a hundred kilometers of fresh water and soft sandy beaches. Finally, the Interior Region has a strong history in farming.
context_section_description: Huron County was organized in the Huron District in 1845, and the District itself (which had been continued for judicial purposes) was abolished at the beginning of 1850. Legislation passed later in the same session of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada provided instead for it to be reconstituted as the United Counties of Huron, Perth and Bruce, with the territory of the Bruce Peninsula withdrawn and annexed to Waterloo County. The Bruce Peninsula was later withdrawn from Waterloo and transferred to Bruce in 1851. The County of Perth was given its own Provisional Municipal Council at that time, and was separated from the United Counties in 1853.
  In 1849, the Huron District Council initially united the area of the county with the United Townships of Wawanosh and Ashfield as a single municipality, which lasted until 1851 when Wawanosh and Ashfield were withdrawn. The area then became known as the "United Townships in the County of Bruce", which lasted until its division into municipalities in 1854.
  A Provisional Municipal Council was established for Bruce County at the beginning of 1857, Walkerton was initially proclaimed as the county seat, in preference to Kincardine, but local opposition (including an abortive attempt to have the county divided into Bruce and Saugeen) forced the proclamation to be deferred until each town and village had presented a case for its selection. A subsequent proclamation confirmed Walkerton's selection. In 1863, the provisional council promoted a bill in the Legislative Assembly to divide the county into the counties of Bruce and Wallace, but it only went as far as second reading and did not proceed further. The provisional council later asked for legislation to provide for a referendum as to whether Walkerton, Paisley, Kincardine or another place would be the most acceptable choice. The referendum was held in September 1864, and Paisley received a plurality of the votes. In early 1865, the provisional council asked for legislation to confirm the result, but changed its mind later in the year in favour of Walkerton. Confirming legislation was passed in 1866 to provide for the dissolution of the United Counties on January 1, 1867, with Huron and Bruce becoming separate counties for all purposes.
caption: Canada West in 1857. Bruce County is marked in light green.
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