The eastern boundary of Bradford is the Holland River, named for Samuel Holland first Surveyor General of British North America, who passed this way on an exploration from Toronto to Balsam Lake, by way of Lake Simcoe, in 1791

For several years the Holland River and Lake Simcoe provided the only means of transportation. Holland Landing was the northern terminus of Yonge Street. The military route to Georgian Bay during the war of 1812, crossed Lake Simcoe to Kempenfelt Bay, then by the Nine Mile Portage to Willow Creek and the Nottawasaga River. The Penetanguishene Road built between 1814–1815, from Kempenfelt Bay, provided an alternate route to Georgian Bay, however, early settlers also used this route to get to the frontier of Simcoe County, bypassing the areas of West Gwillimbury and Essa townships.

The first settlers to cross the Holland River arriving in the fall of 1819, were three Irishmen-James Wallace, Lewis Algeo and Robert Armstrong. This was about the same time as the Auld Kirk Scotch Settlement was established, however, the pioneers of West Gwillimbury were mostly Protestants from Northern Ireland.

The new settlers sent a petition to the province of Upper Canada early in 1824, stating they were separated from the settlements of Yonge Street, by an impassable swamp. On January 24 the Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada made a grant for the first main road in West Gwillimbury (4 Geo. 1V., chap 29). The contract for the first Corduroy road across the Holland Marsh, was completed by Robert Armstrong and his sons in the fall of 1825. Connecting with other contactors sections and the previously constructed road from Kempenfelt Bay, the road became known as Penetanguishene Road. Later Yonge Street, now, Simcoe County Road 4.

The original road (Bridge Street) did not curve onto Holland Street, but continued straight to what is now Scanlon Ave. near Colborne Street, from there the road continued north while another road led southwest to the Scottish settlement. It was at this junction that the settlement was first established. William Milloy, formerly of Coulson’s Corners, built a small log tavern there in the fall of 1829. Other businessmen included James Drury, merchant; James Campbell, shoemaker and Thomas Driffel, blacksmith. John Peacock, an old soldier from London, England, had settled as a merchant and became the first postmaster in 1835.

Bradford becomes a town

Bradford was incorporated as a Village in 1857, with a population of about 1,000 people. Only a few years prior to this, the Northern Railway of Canada was built through the town. The train station was constructed by the Grand Trunk Railway and later used by the CNR. Bradford was incorporated as a town in 1960.

The Downtown Core has survived two fires. The first, on May 23, 1871, destroyed upwards of one hundred homes including all of the business part of the village except two hotels being consumed. However, a new downtown area arose where most buildings were made of brick.

Bradford es el país primario del área urbana de la Ciudad de Bradford West Gwillimbury, Ontario, en Canadá. Bradford es una comunidad de actividades agropecuarias hermosa y próspera, conocida como The Holand Marsh, localizado en el Holand River que fluye en el Lago Simcoe. Dentro de los límites municipales hay varias comunidades más pequeñas, como: Bond Head, Dunkerron, Green Valley, Pinkerton, Fisher’s Corners, Newton Robinson, Coulson and Deerhurst.

Today many of the buildings still exist and make up the downtown core. The second fire was in the 1960s with damage only to the northwest corner of the intersection at Highway 11 and Highway 88.

One of its famous historical landmarks that still operates to this day is the Village Inn Hotel. The Village Inn is situated at the crossroads of Highway 88 and Highway 11, and is the Legendary Landmark at the four corners of Bradford, Ontario. Food, lodgings, and hospitality serve as its trademark. This history goes back to the 1900’s, to horse and buggy days, when the Village Inn was a favourite meeting place for local residents and travellers en route for other parts of the country. The building survived a couple of fires including the great downtown fire of 1957. In 1980, it was hit by a crane that was trying to negotiate the intersection.

The architect of the Village Inn was, E.J. Lennox, one of Toronto’s foremost architects who also built Toronto’s Old City Hall, the West Wing of the Ontario Legislature – Queens Park, and the King Edward Hotel. In celebration of the 40th anniver

sary under the same management, the Village Inn has undergone an extensive makeover. “It was an opportunity to upgrade the exterior and inspire downtown merchants to follow suit”, said partner Stephen Dykie. Drawings were rendered by Archxes Design under the direction of John Robulak. Local tradesmen, engaged to provide their skills and knowledge, included Van Kuik Masonry, Gord Cook, and Rod Layden.
The Village Inn, once again, graces downtown Bradford in a proud and stately fashion. The friendly management (the Dykie family) and staff continue to welcome local residents and tourists to enjoy fabulous food, entertainment, and hospitality.

Early industry

The village of Bradford was established to supply the agricultural interests of its surrounding area, for a brief period in the mid-19th century, lumbering was a major industry, as trees had to be removed in order to commence farming.

In 1824 entrepreneurs John Thorpe and Mark Scanlon obtained a government grant for the construction of a grist mill on a stream north of the settlement, although the partnership was dissolved about 1832, Scanlon built two sawmills in that vicinity. Water power being the only means of motive power at the time, as many as six mills were located on Scanlon Creek at one time. The family of Thomas Maconchy, one of the early settlers of Gilford, built a sawmill in Bradford at the bridge over the Holland River, in 1840. It was the first mill at that location.

When the Ontario, Simcoe and Huron Railway was constructed, it was said to be through an almost continuous forest for most of the distance from Toronto to Barrie. Sometime after the line opened, Toronto lumber merchant Thompson Smith put up a large sawmill on the river near the Bradford station. First evidence of Smith in the village was 1862 when his partner James Durham cut the Holland River bridge in two, while driving logs to the mill.

Thompson Smith’s mill was the second largest in the area, next to the Sage mill at Bell Ewart. Smith added a second mill at Bradford, as well as contracting with Durham’s mill in Barrie. Only a decade after the arrival of the railway at Lake Simcoe, pine for the mills was running low. In 1867 H. W. Sage persuaded Thompson Smith to join with him in the formation of the Rama Timber Transport Company, to supply Lake Simcoe mills with timber. With logs coming from as distant as Head Lake, Smith put up a third mill, south of the Holland River bridge in 1869. Following an example set by American lumberman Henry W. Sage, Thompson Smith established a number of mills at Cheboygan, Michigan.

Bradford farmland Primarily carrot crops

In 1923, William Henry Day began the drainage system that turned the wetlands of the Holland Marsh into arable land, which now consists of thousands of acres where fresh vegetables are grown.
Demographics
The 2006 Statistics Canada Census lists the population of Bradford West Gwillimbury (the local census unit) as 24,039.[1] Bradford West Gwillimbury has people from many different backgrounds ranging from Portugal, Italy, the Netherlands, Germany, United Kingdom, Hungary, and Ukraine. The overwhelming majority of Bradford’s residents are caucasian.

Uno de sus famosos monumentos históricos que aún opera hoy en día es el Village Inn Hotel. Situado en el cruce de la autopista 88 y la autopista 11, es el hito legendario en las cuatro esquinas de Bradford. Comida, alojamiento y hospitalidad son su marca registrada. Esta historia se remonta a la década de 1900, a días de caballos y el coche, el Village Inn era un lugar de encuentro para los residentes y los viajeros que transitaban para otras partes del país. El edificio sobrevivió a un par de incendios, incluyendo el gran incendio del centro de 1957.

Education

There are 11 schools in the town, including two secondary schools:
Bradford District High School (Public)
Holy Trinity High School (Catholic).
Elementary schools include:
Fred C. Cook Public School
W.H. Day Elementary School
Fieldcrest Elementary School
Sir William Osler Public School
Hon. Earl Rowe Public School
St. Charles Catholic School
St. Jean de Brebeuf Catholic School
Marie of the Incarnation Catholic School
Mother Teresa Catholic School
There are no university or college campuses in Bradford.

Notable people

Karleen Bradford, (born December 16, 1936) Canadian children’s author
Denise Garrido, Miss Earth Canada 2008 and Miss World Canada 2010
Mike Kilkenny, major league baseball player
Brandon Mashinter, AHL/NHL hockey player with the Worcester Sharks and San Jose Sharks
Rob Zepp, hockey player with the Eisbären Berlin of the DEL

Transportation

Bradford’s downtown core is situated at the intersection of former Highway 11 (now, County Road 4) and 88 (now, County Road 88). County Road 88 intersects with Ontario’s Highway 400, a limited-interchange multi-lane major thoroughfare that connects to Toronto in the south and “cottage country” in the north. This portion of Highway 11 is one of the few connecting routes between Highway 404 to the east and the 400 to the west, creating considerable through traffic. It can be tough to drive through the town on long weekends.

Public transit in Bradford is very limited. GO Transit has bus routes that connect the town to Barrie and Newmarket, and Bradford also has a station on GO Transit’s commuter train network. The GO Train service had its first inaugural run through Bradford in 1982. At the time, the commuter train went as far north as Barrie. Over the years the service to Barrie was stopped. This caused Bradford to be a terminus for the commuter trains to Toronto. However, the City of Barrie purchased the rail line north of Bradford with the hope of reintroducing rail service to Barrie. GO Train service resumed as of December 2007 to the city of Barrie.

Sitios de Atracción e Interes

Lugares Recreativos y turísticos :
Scanlon Creek Conservation Area
Simcoe County Museum
Holland Marsh Wineries
Bradford Lions Park
Bradford Community Centre
BWG Leisure Centre / Pool Facilities
The Club  at Bond Head Golf Club
The Highlands Golf Club
Holland Marsh Soup Festival

Carrot Fest Anual Festival

Yogi Bear’s Yellystone Park and Camp Resort
Bradford Farmer’s Market todos los sábados en Verano

Estamos ubicados a media hora de Canada’s Wonderland, a 5 minutos de la autopista hwy 400 a 10 minutos del Centro Comercial Upper Canada  Mall y Cookstown Mall, a 15 minutos de las playas y parques de Barrie e Innisfill Beach y a 40 minutos de las Playas de Wasaga y Sitios del Norte.

Bradford Fest

Carrot Fest

The Town of Bradford West Gwillimbury is pleased to announce that BWG’s Carrot Fest has been recognized for the third year in a row as one of the top 100 events as per Festivals and Events Ontario – the authority for festivals and events in the province.  Over 5,000 events were submitted for this award. The 2013 Carrot Fest will take place on Saturday August 17, 2013 and staff is now accepting vendor applications for the market.  Many new attractions are planned for this year’s event and staff is very excited about the continuing evolution that the event will take moving forward. On July 1, thousands of residents and visitors came out to celebrate our country’s 145th birthday in Canada’s Vegetable Capital Region, Bradford West Gwillimbury.

Canada Day in Bradford

A big thank-you goes out to the many staff, sponsors and partners who helped to ensure the success of Canada Day 2012.  Canada’s Vegetable Capital: Canadian just like you! We are justly proud of the nation we have built together over the last 145 years. Since the earliest days of our nation’s history, Canada has been a land of promise. We have built a society that celebrates achievement and excellence while, at the same time, maintaining a strong respect for human rights. Our participation in Celebrate Canada activities brings us together, strengthens our communities and helps us to understand the significance of the citizenship we all share.  Come out and wish our great nation a Happy Birthday!

Farmer’s Market

Local residents and travelers are invited to come by the annual outdoor Bradford Farmer’s Market located in the parking lot of the New Library and Cultural Centre. Running on a new day, 8:00 am to 1:00 pm every Saturday from May 26th until Thanksgiving weekend, the Farmer’s Market promises to provide the same high quality local produce as previous years, coupled with more vendors, more entertainment and more community involvement.
Date/Time: Saturday’s from 8:00 AM - 1:00 PM
Season: May 26th - October 6th
NEW Location: Library & Cultural Centre Parking Lot
425 Holland Street West

Soupfest

Every year at the Holland Marsh . This year will be happening on  Saturday, October 5, 2013 Ansnorveldt Park . All vendors and restaurants around the area come and do testing and participate.

Special thanks to Adriana McNeill Salinas
Pictures provided by
Zwoman Graphics and Pothography
Andrew Hamilton / iPROCLAIM studio
Wikipedia.com