In a recent article we discussed how the harvest of marsh hay became a viable industry in the late 19th century. Today we will carry the story forward to learn how the Marsh was transformed from densely wooded and overgrown swampland to the bountiful farmland of today.
The draining of the Holland Marsh was the brainchild of Dave Watson. Though largely unrecognized today, he nonetheless made a major contribution to shaping modern Bradford-West Gwillimbury. Born on a farm in Bond Head in 1867, W.D. (Dave) Watson was immersed in agriculture from a young age. Upon reaching adulthood, he purchased his own farm in West Gwillimbury.
Hardworking and interested in new innovations in agriculture, success on his farm was quick in coming. Later, Watson opened a grocery store in Bradford, but even as he entered the retail industry he remained greatly interested in agriculture.
A visionary, Watson saw unfulfilled potential in the Holland Marsh. He believed that the land could be reclaimed for farming and devoted his time to realizing that dream.
He began in 1910 by inviting Professor William Henry Day of the Ontario Agricultural College in Guelph to come to Bradford to study the feasibility of draining the marsh.
Day was certainly impressed with what he found. The muck, he found, measured anywhere between two and forty feet in depth, and was extremely rich in organic nutrients. What’s more, Day was convinced that a system of canals, dike embankments, and pump installations could drain the marsh and make it ideal for raising crops.
Enthused, Watson and Day formed the Holland Marsh Syndicate, negotiated the purchase of 4,000 acres of marshland, and began the process of preparing it for agricultural development.
Unfortunately, they almost immediately ran into governmental hurdles. The townships of King and West Gwillimbury were reluctant to allow the reclamation project, stalling the entire venture. Watson grew disenchanted, threw up his hands in disgust, and bowed out.
It wouldn’t be until the mid-1920s, several years after Watson’s death, that the process of draining the Holland Marsh finally overcame municipal intransigence and finally began. It was a monumental effort, requiring the construction of 28kms of canals, six pumping stations, and the clearing of 7,000 acres of land. It took more than five years to complete, beginning in 1925. The result was a vast stretch of land with incredibly rich soil.
But reclaiming the soil from wilderness was just the beginning. In my next Postcard Memories column, we’ll look at the troubles and travails the first Holland Marsh farmers experienced.
