On April 13,1837 the Government of Upper Canada commissioned Charles Rankin P.L.S. [later of Owen Sound] to lay out the Garafraxa Colonization Road from Oakville to Owen Sound [then called Sydenham] under direction of Surveyor General John McAuley. The British wanted to open a Colonization Road to allow access to the Queen's Bush by newly arriving immigrants. This land had been acquired through Indian Treaties in 1830's. Rankin's team proceeded as far as Garafraxa Township at which time the Rebellion of Upper Canada brought the venture to a halt. The government felt that Rankin's course was too long and set about to make some adjustments. Finally in 1841 the government sent John McDonald P.L.S. [later of Goderich] to rework the earlier survey. There were approximately 210 lots [EGR] East of the Garafraxa Road in Glenelg. The first Bentinck township pioneers north of Durham had their Location Tickets registered as early as 1842-1843.
The earliest settlers in the pioneer lines of the Garafraxa Trail in Bentinck had originated on the Isle of Mull, Argyleshire, Scotland. In the earliest times it is claimed that over 90% of the settlers on Concession 1-2-3 West Garafraxa Road [WGR] were Gaelic speaking. Their children learned to speak English when the first school sections were formed.
Landmarks along the Garafraxa Road north of Durham included: Rocky Saugeen at Sideroad 15, Tobermory Hotel at McCormick's Sideroad [Sideroad 12], Latona Community, and Dornoch at the north end of the township.
Landmarks along the Durham Road west of Durham included: Hutton Hill, Vickers, Allen Park, and Campbell's Corner.
Earliest Locatees North of the Durham Road in Bentinck
Adlam, Alexander, Beagan, Black, Blakely, Botterell, Bratten, Brown, Buck, Bull, Burns, Cook, Davis, Dixon, Flewelling, Forman, Fullerton, Hatch, Huckle, Jacklin, Laidlaw, Marshall, McCormick, McGrasde, Mighton, McKenna, Killingbeck, McDonald, McDougall, McGillivray, McParland, Mervyn, Patterson, Riley, Reay, Scoles, Smith, Sommerville, Waetman, Waldick, Whiteford
Earliest Locatees South of The Durham Road in Bentinck
Ball, Bottrell, Campbell, Carrol, Donaghue, Fortney, Flintoff, Fursman, Hassenjagger, Hopps, Innes, Johnston, Kernahan, Lawrence, Lawson, Matthews, McCarte, McCartney, McCaul, McCallum, McDonald, McKnight, McLaughlin, McMahon, McTavish, Moffat, Morton, Neville, Park, Purves, Richardson, Robertson, Shup, Spiers, Stubbs, Wall, Wiggins, Wiley, Wilkinson, Willis, Wilson
Earliest Locatees West of the Garafraxa Road in Bentinck
Aldred, Allen, Backus, Barnes, Beaton, Black, Blake, Boulten, Boyd, Burgess, Cameron, Campbell, Clark, Connor, Corlett, Crispen, Cuff, Deadman, Douglas, Dunsmoor, Deans, Ellison, Edge, Enright, Fletcher, Flood, Hooper, Hopkins, Hunter, Hutton, Jamieson, Johnston, Laybourne, Lee, Livingstone, McArthur, McAssey, McCallum, McClinton, McCoskery, McDonald, McDougall, McFarlane, McGillivray, McKechnie, McKinnon, McLance, McLean, McLennan, McPhail, McQuarrie, Morden, Morton, Mountain, O'Donnell, Patterson, Petty, Roy, Schofield, Skene, Smith, Storrey, Stewart, Strang, Turner, Vollett, Waddell, Wright