70 King St. N. |
Ontario Tourism Region : Huron, Perth, Waterloo and Wellington
Description From Owner:
- Pop. 83,318. A city in the Reg. Mun. of Waterloo on the Grand R. and Hwys 7,8 & 86, immediately NW of Kitchener.
- In 1798, Joseph Brant, acting for the Six Nations Indians, sold 94,000 acres (38,070 ha) of land to Richard Beasley, James Wilson, and Jean-Baptiste Rosseaux.
- In 1800 Beasley began to sell land to immigrants of German descent from Pennsylvania. Joseph Sherk and Samuel Betzner were the frrst permanent settlers.
- In 1802, new settler Samuel Bricker discovered that the deeds the settlers held were worthless; Beasley had not been sole owner of the land he sold and the tract was heavily mortgaged.
- In 1804 two of the settlers were sent to Pennsylvania to persuade relatives and friends to buy the land in Waterloo for $20,000.
- Under the leadership of John Eby, a joint stock company known as the German Company was formed. Bricker was appoin¬ted agent, and Daniel Erb became his assistant.
- The $20,000 was wrapped in rags and brought to Waterloo C. by wagon.
- That wagon is now in the Waterloo County Museum. Abraham Erb, who moved from Franklin C., PA, in 1806, is credited with founding Waterloo, which is named after Waterloo in Belgium.
- Erb built a sawmill and in 1816, a grist mill, which saved farmers having to haul their wheat to Dundas for milling.
- The mill drew many colonists to the district, but settlement was stymied for many years by Erb's refusal to sell any of his land in small lots. In 1844 the Kuntz family established a brewery, which eventually became Carling's Brewery.
- In 1807 Joseph Seagram bought a partnership in the local distillery and eventually took over the operation. In 1874 Waterloo County's first Saengerfest, a major choir and band festival, was held.
- It was so successful that a special arena was built for the annual event. In 1882 the Waterloo Musical Society was organized and the Waterloo Band Festival was started in 1932.
- Waterloo is a partner with Kitchener in the annual Oktoberfest celebrations, started in 1969.
Map Below gives Canadian Geographical Names
Natural Resources Canada in the Region of Waterloo.
Natural Resources Canada in the Region of Waterloo.
Address of this page: http://www.ruralroutes.com/waterloo