Markdale is a community in the
Municipality of Grey Highlands, in
Grey County
Grey County is a county in the province of Ontario. The county is located in the Southwestern Ontario region, and is a part of the Georgian Triangle. At the time of the 2021 Canadian census the population of the county was 100,905. Owen Sound is ...
,
Ontario
Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...
, Canada. The population was 1,216 in 2016, an increase of 3.5% from 1,175 in 2011. In 2016, the average age of the population was approximately 43 years old.
History
Markdale was first settled in 1846 and originally called East Glenelg, after a nearby township. In 1864, it was renamed Cornabus after the Scottish hometown,
Islay
Islay ( ; , ) is the southernmost island of the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. Known as "The Queen of the Hebrides", it lies in Argyll and Bute just south west of Jura, Scotland, Jura and around north of the Northern Irish coast. The island's cap ...
, of the postmaster, Donald MacDuffie (1814–1892). The post office was established in 1869.
In the 1870s, new railways were a vital economic engine for small Ontario towns, as evidenced by nearby
Flesherton
Flesherton (population 584) is a community in the Municipality of Grey Highlands, in Grey County, Ontario, Canada, located at the junction of Highway 10 and Grey County Road 4 (formerly Highway 4). Although the area initially showed a high rate ...
, which had failed to prosper after the
Toronto, Grey and Bruce Railway
The Toronto, Grey and Bruce Railway (TG&B) was a railway company which operated in Ontario, Canada in the years immediately following the Canadian Confederation of 1867. It connected two rural counties, Grey County, Ontario, Grey County and Bruce ...
decided to bypass it.
In 1873, the same railway wanted to make Cornabus a stop on its route from Toronto to
Owen Sound
Owen Sound (2021 Canadian Census, 2021 Census population 21,612) is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. The county seat, seat of government of Grey County, it is located at the mouths of the Pottawatomi River, Pottawatomi and Sydenham River ...
if it could find land on which to build a station. A local landowner, Mark Armstrong, sold a parcel of land to the railway on the condition if the new station bore his name. Accordingly, the hamlet of Cornabus became Markdale and saw an immediate increase in business when the railway station opened. Fifteen years later, Markdale was incorporated as a village in 1888.
The local newspaper, ''
The Markdale Standard
The ''Markdale Standard'' was a newspaper in Markdale, Ontario, in Grey County Canada from 1880 until 2012. The paper was continuously published for 132 years with a circulation of 1,300. The paper was known for its longevity and outlasting its ...
'', was first published in 1880 and continued until 2012.
In 1957, the Regal Films production of the 1958
B film
A B movie, or B film, is a type of cheap, low-budget commercial motion picture. Originally, during the Classical Hollywood cinema, Golden Age of Hollywood, this term specifically referred to films meant to be shown as the lesser-known second ...
, ''
Wolf Dog
''Wolf Dog'', also known as ''A Boy and His Dog'', is a 1958 Western film directed and produced by Sam Newfield and produced by Regal Films. The film stars Jim Davis and Allison Hayes.
Plot
Cast
*Jim Davis
Production
In August 1957, Newfield ...
'', starring
Allison Hayes
Allison Hayes (born Mary Jane Hayes; March 6, 1930 – February 27, 1977) was an American film and television actress and model.
Early life
Allison Hayes was born to William E. Hayes and Charlotte Gibson Hayes in Charleston, West Virginia. She ...
and
Jim Davis, was filmed on location in Markdale as well as nearby
Holland Township.
In 2001, Markdale was amalgamated with the townships of Artemesia, Euphrasia and Osprey to form Grey Highlands.
On August 20, 2009, an F2
tornado
A tornado is a violently rotating column of air that is in contact with the surface of Earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. It is often referred to as a twister, whirlwind or cyclone, although the ...
originated in
Durham Durham most commonly refers to:
*Durham, England, a cathedral city in north east England
**County Durham, a ceremonial county which includes Durham
*Durham, North Carolina, a city in North Carolina, United States
Durham may also refer to:
Places
...
, 20 km southwest of Markdale, with one fatality. It continued on to Markdale and caused F0 damage locally.
Amenities
Markdale is home to several industries including
Chapman's Ice Cream and Medike Leather Products. Public services include an
Ontario Provincial Police
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) is the State police, provincial police service of Ontario, Canada. The OPP patrols Provincial highways in Ontario, provincial highways and waterways; protects Government of Ontario, provincial government buil ...
detachment, a fire department, 80-bed
Bright Shores Health System
Bright Shores Health System is a hospital network in Grey and Bruce counties in Ontario, Canada.
It operates six hospitals sites, including the 400-bed Owen Sound Regional Hospital. The other five hospitals are Lion's Head Hospital, Markdale Ho ...
Hospital, a public library, an arena and community centre, and a curling and golf club.
Events
There are several annual festivities, including the Rotary Club's Street Frolic in July, and the Agricultural Society's Markdale Fall Fair in late August.
Sports
The village was a charter member of the
Central Ontario Hockey League and participated at the senior and junior levels under several nicknames, including
Markdale Majors. For two seasons, the
Grey Highlands Bravehearts
The Wiarton Rock was a Canadian junior ice hockey, Junior ice hockey team based in Wiarton, Ontario, and a member of the Greater Metro Junior A Hockey League (GMHL). The Rock relocated multiple times, spending time in King City, Ontario, King Cit ...
of the
Greater Metro Junior A Hockey League
The Greater Metro Junior A Hockey League (GMHL) is a Canadian developmental junior ice hockey league. The league has primarily had teams in the Greater Toronto Area, Central Ontario, Northeastern Ontario, and Quebec.
As of December 2019, the le ...
played out of the Centre Grey Recreation Complex. The
Grey Highlands Hawks
The Grey Highlands Hawks were a United Hockey Union-sanctioned junior ice hockey
Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines a ...
are an original member of the
Canadian Premier Junior Hockey League
The Canadian Premier Junior Hockey League (CPJHL) was a Canadian-based junior ice hockey league based in Ontario. The CPJHL was sanctioned by the United Hockey Union, the junior hockey branch of the Amateur Athletic Union.
History
The CPJHL was ...
that played out of the Centre Grey Recreation Complex.
Notable people
*
William Mulock
Sir William Mulock (19 January 1843 – 1 October 1944) was a Canadian lawyer, businessman, educator, farmer, politician, judge, and philanthropist. He served as vice-chancellor of the University of Toronto from 1881 to 1900, negotiating the f ...
, lawyer, businessman, educator, farmer, politician, judge, and philanthropist
*
Chris Neil
Chris Neil (born June 18, 1979) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey winger (ice hockey), right winger. Neil was drafted in the sixth round, 161st overall, in the 1998 NHL Entry Draft by the Ottawa Senators, and played his entire NHL ca ...
, Enforcer for the Ottawa Senators
*
Thomas Simpson Sproule, builder; Member of Parliament; Speaker of the House of Commons; member of the Senate
*
Brad Tiley
Bradley Phillip Tiley (born July 5, 1971) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman.
Playing career
Born in Markdale, Ontario
Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Ce ...
, professional ice hockey player
*
Harris Turner
Harris Turner (October 3, 1887 – August 12, 1972) was a Canadian journalist, soldier, publisher, and politician in Saskatchewan. In 1915, he joined the Canadian military and went overseas with the Canadian Expeditionary Force. He fought in t ...
, soldier, journalist and politician
References
External links
Municipality of Grey HighlandsRead the ''Markdale Standard'' from 1880-1951 online
{{authority control
Communities in Grey County
Former villages in Ontario
Populated places disestablished in 2001