Blenheim, Ontario
| Blenheim | |
|---|---|
| Unincorporated community | |
| Nickname(s): Heart of the Golden Acres | |
| Coordinates: 42°20′0″N 81°59′55″W / 42.33333°N 81.99861°W | |
| Country | Canada |
| Province | Ontario |
| Municipality | Chatham-Kent |
| Settled | 1825 |
| Incorporated (town) | 1885 |
| Area | |
| • Total | 4.45 km2 (1.72 sq mi) |
| Population (2011) | |
| • Total | 4,563 |
| • Density | 1,025.3/km2 (2,656/sq mi) |
| Time zone | EST (UTC-5) |
| • Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| Forward sortation area | N0P 1A0 |
| Area code(s) | 519 and 226 |
| NTS Map | 040J08 |
| GNBC Code | FAJXB |
| Website | www.blenheimontario.com |
Blenheim (2011 population 4,563) is a community located in south-central Chatham-Kent, Ontario, Canada.
By 1783, there were French settlers in Detroit and Windsor. There were also settlers in the Niagara and Kingston region, but no real settlers to speak of in the Kent County region. In 1790, Alexander McKee negotiated Treaty #2 of 1790 with Pottowatomie, Huron, Chippewa, and Ottawa leaders in Detroit to acquire what is now Southwestern Ontario. With this area now being British-owned, settlers began moving rapidly into this new land area, and eventually, the County of Kent, and Blenheim.
Land began being surveyed in 1791 in Harwich township under the order of Lt.-Col. John Graves-Simcoe. Joining his crew was a man named Thomas Talbot who expressed great interest in this land, and Simcoe granted him any plot of land he so desired. He decided on a plot where present day Fingal resides. Being a man with substantial finances, he set out to begin road-building in Southwestern Ontario in 1800. His main road was designed to go all the way to Detroit. It consequently ran directly along a ridge of high land, and on that ridge is where present-day Blenheim stands. The great Talbot Project was suspended until the end of the War of 1812.
After the War of 1812, North American settlers began arriving in this area to live peaceful lives after a violent war, as did settlers who came from England after a European war with France. After timber clearing, this land was ready for growth. Blenheim itself was established in 1825-1850. It was amidst 10 miles (16 km) of dense forest, and its development lagged behind other nearby settlements. Albert Robertson purchased this land, and after the real estate traded hands over a few years, Harvey Halstead, Thomas Lynch, and George Hughson were recorded as the first three lot-tenants who built homes.
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