| Bolton is a village in the town of Caledon, located in the region of Peel just north of Toronto. The town itself, although receptive to new development has managed to retain it’s small town charm.
Bolton was named after James Bolton, who built a grist mill here for his brother George, an English immigrant who purchased 200 acres of land on the Humber River. Two years later in partnership with his uncle, James Bolton, one of Albion Township's earliest settlers, he erected a grist-mill. This provided the nucleus around which a community known as Bolton's Mills was established by 1830. A post office named " Albion" was opened in 1832.
The area was originally inhabited by native peoples for over 10,000 years. Material left or lost by First Nations peoples who lived here from the ice age on have been unearthed. In fact when the first Treaty for the southern part of Peel was signed in 1805 a mile wide corridor was left out of the agreement, along the valley of the Credit River, to accommodate the movement of natives between Lakes Simcoe, Huron and Ontario. The second Treaty, which included what is now Bolton was signed in October 1818 by William Claus, representing the British Crown and four male native leaders, representing different 'clans' of the Mississaugas.
Although George was the founder of Bolton it was James' children that subsequently claimed that distinction, purchasing the Mill and other land from George in 1834 and becoming the prominent members of the community. The Boltons were educated and advocates of Government Reform. They supported William Lyon Mackenzie and helped elect him as their representative. James Bolton left the area for the United States soon after the Rebellion of 1837.
Today Bolton is an interesting mix of old and new. For the adventurous there are miles of hiking and biking trails. The Caledon Trailway and Etobicoke Creek Trail are multi-purpose (hiking, biking, cross-country skiing, equestrian) trails with a compacted aggregate surface. Other trails in the area consist of the Bruce Trail, the Humber Valley Heritage Trail, the Oak Ridges Trail, the Elora-Cataract Trail and the Trans Canada Trail.
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