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Elmira is the largest community within the Township of Woolwich in the Regional Municipality of Waterloo and is located to the north of the city of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada. The community was listed as a population centre in the Canada 2011 Census, with a population of 9,931 living in the community.〔Statistics Canada. 2012. Elmira, Ontario (Code 0258) and Ontario (Code 35) (table). Census Profile. 2011 Census. Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 98-316-XWE. Ottawa. Released February 8, 2012. http://www12.statcan.ca/census-recensement/2011/dp-pd/prof/index.cfm?Lang=E (accessed February 20, 2012).〕 ==History== While the land comprising Woolwich Township originally belonged to the Huron followed by the Mohawk Indians, the first settlers arrived in Woolwich Township in the late 18th century. In 1798, William Wallace was one of the first settlers in the area after he was deeded of land on the Grand River for a cost of $16,364. Originally Block three of Indian Lands, this area now comprises a large part of Woolwich Township. The parcel of land called "Woolwich' was named in honour of a government surveyor. In 1806, Wallace sold the major portion of his tract to Mennonites. Benjamin Eby, the secretary of the Germany Company had come to the area, along with his friend Henry Brubacher. On a tour of exploration, the young men wandered into Wallace's Woolwich. Enamoured by the country, Eby formed a land company in Pennsylvania. The following year, he returned with a barrel of silver dollars, plus prospective settlers - the Musselmans, Martins, Hoffmans, and Gingerichs. Wallace sold the Germany Company of land at $1.00 an acre. On May 1, 1807, Eby received the deed and the release of the mortgage. Woolwich Township gained recognition as an official township in 1816. In 1834, Edward Bristow became one of Elmira's first settlers when he purchased of land at this location for 50 cents per acre. A community by the name of Bristow's Corners was already in existence in 1839 when a post office was assigned there. Local merchant Samuel Weber had been visiting New York State in the early 1850s and was apparently impressed with Elmira, New York. This may have been a factor in the decision of Woolwich Township council on February 22, 1853 to rename the community Elmira. In the 1850s, German settlers moved into the community. Among these were: Oswald, Esche, Steffen and Tresinger. Like most of the township, the primary settlers in the Elmira area were Mennonites, who still form a significant proportion of the population today. The town still retains much of its traditional Pennsylvania Dutch character. Many Old Order Mennonites can still be seen on the local roads using their traditional horse and buggy transportation.〔http://www.visitor.on.ca/elmira/〕 In 1861, the Elmira House was erected as numerous artisans and merchants came to Elmira to earn a living. As a result, Elmira became known as an 'enterprising' community. In December 1886, Elmira entered a new chapter of its history with the incorporation of the settlement as a village by charter. At this date, the population of the newly incorporated village stood at 760 people. Throughout the 1870s and 1880s, Elmira acquired various cultural trappings, including a brass band (1873) and a library (1885), which boasted an initial membership of 20 people. The Bandstand, located in Gore Park, is a reminder of the centre of entertainment in a small town in the early 20th century. It was built in 1912 by A.M. Bowman, from a design prepared by members of the Elmira Musical Society. On January 1, 1923, Elmira, with a population of 2500, became an incorporated town. During the 1960s under contract with the U.S. government, Elmira's Uniroyal chemical plant (which changed its name to Crompton Company in 2001 and then to Chemtura in 2006) was one of seven manufacturers supplying the U.S. military with the toxic herbicide Agent Orange. Due to the poor disposal practices of the toxic waste associated with the manufacture of Agent Orange and other chemicals, contamination has seeped down to the aquifer in and around Elmira. This contamination, NDMA (N-nitrose dimethylamine), forced local water wells to close in 1990. Water is now delivered via a pipeline from Waterloo and other near local areas. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Elmira, Ontario」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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