The inspiration for this cache series was the average Cambridge resident's confusion on where the boundaries are for Galt, Preston & Hespeler. Since all three of these communities grow into each other to form Cambridge, the boundaries are not that obvious.
This cache series is dedicated to exploring Preston's boundaries. Preston is bordered (on the west) by the city boundary limits, (on the south) by the Grand River and city boundary limits, (on the north) by Highway 401, and (on the east) by Industrial Rd. (through to Cambridge Memorial Hospital along the Grand River).
Be sure to also enjoy the Where the heck (in Cambridge) am I? Galt and Hespeler series...
Where the heck (in Cambridge) am I? West Galt
Where the heck (in Cambridge) am I? North Galt
Where the heck (in Cambridge) am I? East Galt
Where the heck (in Cambridge) am I? SouthEast Galt
Where the heck (in Cambridge) am I? Galt Final
Where the heck (in Cambridge) am I? Hespeler
For those interested in the history lesson, read on...
The City of Cambridge was created in January, 1973. It was formed by the amalgamation of the City of Galt, the Towns of Hespeler and Preston, and parts of the Townships of Waterloo and North Dumfries. The history of the area is a diverse and interesting one.
In 1816, a large block of land originally owned by the Six Nations Indians was purchased by William Dickson - a Scotsman who dreamed of founding a settlement to attract his fellow lowland countrymen. Scots from the "old country" immigrated to the village called Shade's Mill. In 1827, the Canada Company Commissioner, John Galt, visited the area and, in his honour, the village was re-named Galt.
John Erb, a Pennsylvanian, built a sawmill on land bordering the Speed River in 1806. He called his settlement Cambridge Mills. During the 1830's, the village grew rapidly and when William Scollick surveyed the community in 1834, he re-named it in honour of his English home town - Preston.
Originally a hamlet called Bergeytown, and then named New Hope by its Pennsylvanian settlers, a thriving town grew on the banks of the Speed River. One prominent citizen was Jacob Hespeler who built a dike and diverted the river to provide power to his gristmill. He also opened a sawmill, a distillery, a woollen mill and a cooper shop. In 1859, the town adopted the name Hespeler.