The Founding of Mitchell

In 1836, the Canada Company, a large private land settlement agency, laid out a town plot (Mitchell) here on the Huron Road. Within a year, John Hicks, one of Logan Township’s earliest settlers, had erected a hotel near that point where the road crossed the River Thames. Although settlement proceeded slowly at first, a sawmill was in operation by 1842. Following the opening of the Mitchell-Blanshard Road in 1845, stores and other mills were built and, in 1851, the population had reached 150. The arrival of the Buffalo and Lake Huron Railroad in 1857 greatly stimulated the development of Mitchell, and it was incorporated as a Village in that year. In 1874, with a population of some 2,000, it became a town.

En 1836, la Canada Company, une importante agence de colonisation des terres privées, a tracé un lotissement (appelé de nos jours Mitchell) ici sur le chemin Huron. En moins d’un an, John Hicks, l’un des premiers colons du canton de Logan, avait érigé un hôtel à proximité du point où la route traversait la rivière Thames. La colonie a d’abord été mise en valeur lentement, mais dès 1842 on y trouvait une scierie en exploitation. L’ouverture du chemin Mitchell-Blanshard en 1845 a entraîné la construction de magasins et de diverses usines. En 1851, Mitchell comptait 150 habitants. L’arrivée du chemin de fer Buffalo and Lake Huron Railroad en 1857 a grandement stimulé l’essor de Mitchell, constitué en village cette année-là. En 1874, Mitchell a acquis le statut de municipalité. Sa population se chiffrait alors à quelque 2 000 habitants.