History of Grey County
The land we know as Grey County was familiar to Native peoples of the Huron, Petun, and other nations. Place names such as Newash (later Brooke) and Pottawatomi come from that era. When the British acquired this land, they referred to it as The Queen's Bush. The first two townships surveyed into farm lots were "Alta" and "Zero", soon renamed Collingwood and St. Vincent. Colonization roads, mail roads, and natural harbours gave access for settlers. In their inexperience, they relied on their Native neighbours for advice on planting, woodcrafting, and medicine.
Grey County was established in 1852, with its headquarters at Sydenham (Owen Sound), and separated from the Counties of Simcoe and Wellington in 1854. Some other important dates from that period:
1856 - division of Grey into 4 Common School Districts
1858 - Grey County assumes 5 major roads
1865 - a County Directory lists 16 townships, 4 towns, and 44 villages or post offices
From early times, trade and commerce grew from the County's natural resources: fish, fur, forests and minerals. Rivers powered sawmills and gristmills. Furniture factories used local hardwoods and weavers made cloth from the wool of local sheep. Fruit-growing began early, and by 1930, more that 16,000 acres of "Georgian Bay Apples" carried the fame throughout North America.
Stone quarries and cement works used the wealth of the ground, while shipping and shipbuilding looked to the water for their commerce. Owen Sound and Meaford had grain elevators from 1845.
Heritage is important in today's Grey County, and preserved for the future by museums, historical societies and the newly opened Archives. Several community histories, as well as biographies and other books tell with pride the stories of people from the past.