Pakenham, Ontario
| Mississippi Mills | |
|---|---|
| Town (lower-tier) | |
| Town of Mississippi Mills | |
Pakenham
|
|
 Mississippi Mills within Lanark County. |
|
 Mississippi Mills
|
|
| Coordinates: 45°13′N 76°12′W / 45.217°N 76.200°WCoordinates: 45°13′N 76°12′W / 45.217°N 76.200°W | |
| Country |
 Canada
|
| Province |
 Ontario
|
| County | Lanark |
| Settled | 1810s |
| Formed | January 1, 1998 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Town |
| • Mayor | Shaun McLaughlin |
| • Governing Body | Mississippi Mills Town Council |
| • MP | Scott Reid (CPC) |
| • MPP | Jack MacLaren (OPC) |
| Area | |
| • Total | 519.53 km2 (200.59 sq mi) |
| Population (2011) | |
| • Total | 12,385 |
| • Density | 23.8/km2 (62/sq mi) |
| Time zone | EST (UTC-5) |
| • Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| Postal code FSA | K0A |
| Area code(s) | 613 |
| Website | www.mississippimills.ca |
Mississippi Mills is a town in eastern Ontario, Canada, in Lanark County on the Mississippi River. It is partly located within Canada's National Capital Region.
The Town of Mississippi Mills was incorporated on January 1, 1998, by amalgamating the town of Almonte with the townships of Ramsay and Pakenham.
Almonte's first settler was David Shepherd, who in 1819 was granted 200 acres (0.81 km2) by the Crown to build and operate a mill. The site became known as Shepherd's Falls. That name was never official, however, as Shepherd sold his patent after his mill burned down. The buyer of the patent, Daniel Shipman, rebuilt the mill and the settlement became known as Shipman's Mills in 1820.
The majority of Shipman's Mills' early settlers were Scottish. The town grew to encompass thirty stores and forty other businesses. A textile mill town almost from the start, at its peak it boasted seven busy woolen mills. During this time of rapid expansion the town changed its name from Shipman's Mills to Ramsayville and then to Waterford. When in 1855 the newly created Canadian post office pointed out there was already a Waterford in Ontario, the town needed yet another name change.
Relations between the United States and Great Britain had been antagonistic since the War of 1812. Border skirmishes between Mexico and the United States increased this antagonism. Mexican general Juan Almonte had fought in these skirmishes, and by 1853 had become Mexico's ambassador to the United States. Since the people of Waterford mistrusted the U.S., and General Almonte had resisted the U.S., they decided to honour Mexico and the general by renaming the town Almonte. This makes Almonte the only town in Ontario named after a Mexican general. The name change appears to have happened in 1856, though the post office didn't record the new name until 1859.
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Wikipedia