Haldimand County is a rural city-status single-tier municipality on the Niagara Peninsula in Southern Ontario, Canada, on the north shore of Lake Erie, and on the Grand River. Despite its name, it is no longer a county by definition, as all municipal services are handled by a single level of government. Municipal offices are located in Cayuga.
The county is adjacent to Norfolk County, the County of Brant, the City of Hamilton, the townships of West Lincoln and Wainfleet, and the Six Nations reserve.
History
Haldimand's history has been closely associated with that of neighbouring Norfolk County. Upper Canada was created in 1791 by being separated from the old Province of Quebec, Haldimand was created in 1798 as part of the Niagara District. It was named after Sir Frederick Haldimand, the governor of the Province of Quebec from 1778 to 1785. In 1844, the land was surrendered by the Six Nations to the Crown in an agreement that was signed by the vast majority of Chiefs in the Haldimand tract. In 1974, Haldimand was incorporated as a town by the amalgamation of the villages of Cayuga, Hagersville and Caledonia and the townships of Oneida, Seneca, North Cayuga, South Cayuga and parts of Rainham and Walpole. In 2001, Haldimand was enlarged by amalgamating with Dunnville and half of Nanticoke.
Beginning in February 2006, a land dispute by native protesters began near Caledonia over a housing development being built on the outskirts of town, which members of the nearby Mohawk Six Nations people claim is rightfully their land. The issue reignited again in February 2020, when Mohawk protesters blocked off Highway 6 again in protest of McKenzie Meadows.
Communities
The population centres in Haldimand are Caledonia, Dunnville, Hagersville, Jarvis and Cayuga. Part of the Six Nations Reserve is within the geographic area of Haldimand County, but is independent of the county. Most of Haldimand is agricultural land, although some heavy industry, including the former Nanticoke Generating Station, is located here.
Smaller communities within the municipality are Attercliffe Station, Balmoral, Bodri Bay, Brookers Bay, Byng, Canborough, Canfield, Cheapside, Clanbrassil, Crescent Bay, Decewsville, Empire Corners, Featherstone Point, Fisherville, Garnet, Hoover Point, Kohler, Little Buffalo, Lowbanks, Moulton Station, Mount Carmel, Mount Healy, Nanticoke, Nelles Corners, Peacock Point, Port Maitland, Rainham Centre, Selkirk, Sims Lock, South Cayuga, Springvale, Stromness, Sweets Corners, Townsend, Willow Grove, Woodlawn Park and York.
The ghost towns of Cook's Station, Cranston, Dufferin, Erie, Indiana, Lambs Corners, Lythmore, Sandusk, Upper, and Varency are also located within Haldimand.
Historic townships
Haldimand County's area of 309,300 acres was formed from part of the land grant to the Six Nations in 1783. The County was purchased by treaty and opened for general settlement in 1832. It was first settled by white veterans of Butler's Rangers established there by Joseph Brant. A large number of Germans were among the first settlers.
- Canborough, area . Granted in 1794 by Joseph Brant to John Dochstader of Butler's Rangers. Purchased by Benjamin Canby in 1810 for £5,000, he named the village site "Canborough. Community centre: Canborough, Darling and it touches Dunnville
- Dunn, area . Opened for settlement in 1833. Community centre: Dunnville
- Moulton, area . Landowner Henry John Boulton named the township from the Boulton family seat in England.
- North Cayuga, area .
- Oneida, area . Joseph Brant granted a 999 year lease of part of Oneida and Seneca townships to Henry Nelles, of Butler's Rangers and his sons, Robert, Abraham, William, Warner and John. Community centres were: Caledonia, Dufferin and Hagersville.
- Rainham, area Community centres: Balmoral, Selkirk, Rainham Centre and Fisherville.
- Seneca, area . Community centres: York and Caledonia
- Sherbrooke, area , the smallest township in Ontario. Opened in 1825 and named from Sir John Coape Sherbrooke, a Governor-General of Canada. The Township was granted by the Indians to William Dickson (a lawyer) as a professional fee. Community centres: Stromness and Port Maitland.
- South Cayuga, area .
- Walpole, area . Community centres were: Hagersville, Jarvis, Selkirk, Cheapside and Nanticoke.