Editing Guelph (section)

==History==

===Before European settlement===
First Nations peoples inhabited present-day Guelph as early as 11,000 years ago.<ref name="thecanadianencyclopedia.ca">{{Cite web|title=Guelph {{!}} The Canadian Encyclopedia|url=https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/guelph|access-date=June 8, 2021|website=www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca}}</ref> Before colonization, the area was considered by the surrounding [[Indigenous peoples of the Americas|Indigenous]] communities to be a "neutral" zone and was inhabited by the [[Neutral Nation]]. According to the [[University of Guelph]], "the area was home to a [[First Nations in Canada|First Nations]] community called the Attawandaron who lived in longhouses surrounded by fields of corn".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.guelphmercury.com/news-story/4910274-guelph-honours-attawandaron-aboriginal-territory-at-university-community-events/ |title=Guelph honours Attawandaron Aboriginal territory at university, community events |first=May |last=Warren |date=October 14, 2014 |publisher=Guelph Mercury |access-date=July 23, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180326064800/https://www.guelphmercury.com/news-story/4910274-guelph-honours-attawandaron-aboriginal-territory-at-university-community-events/ |archive-date=March 26, 2018 |url-status=live }}</ref> The majority of this nation, about 4,000 people, lived in a village near what is now the Badenoch area of [[Puslinch, Ontario|Puslinch]], near Morriston.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://archaeologymuseum.ca/the-attawandaron-discoveries/ |title=The Attawandaron Discoveries |publisher=Museum of Ontario Archaeology |date=June 10, 2016 |access-date=July 23, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170430180009/http://archaeologymuseum.ca/the-attawandaron-discoveries/ |archive-date=April 30, 2017 |url-status=live }}</ref> In 1784, the [[The Crown|British Crown]] purchased a tract of land, that included present-day Guelph, from the [[Mississauga people]] for approximately £1,180.<ref name="thecanadianencyclopedia.ca"/>

===Founding of Guelph===
[[File:John Galt bust.jpg|thumb|upright|Bust of John Galt, downtown Guelph]]

[[John Galt (novelist)|John Galt]], the first Superintendent of the [[Canada Company]], was hired to help colonize Upper Canada.<ref name="ldrb.ca">{{cite web |url=https://www.ldrb.ca/pages/books/3500/john-esq-galt/the-autobiography-of-john-galt |title=The Autobiography of John Galt |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150404035306/https://www.ldrb.ca/pages/books/3500/john-esq-galt/the-autobiography-of-john-galt |publisher=Lord Durham Rare Books|archive-date=April 4, 2015}}</ref> He selected Guelph as the headquarters of this British development firm. Galt was a popular [[Scotland|Scottish]] poet and novelist who also designed the town to attract settlers and farmers to the surrounding countryside.<ref name="encyclopedia">{{cite encyclopedia|encyclopedia=[[The Canadian Encyclopedia]]|title=Guelph|url=https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/guelph|access-date=September 8, 2019|last=Stelter|first=G.A.|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190609040030/https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/guelph|archive-date=June 9, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> His design intended the town to resemble a European city centre, complete with squares, broad main streets and narrow side streets, resulting in a variety of block sizes and shapes which are still in place today.<ref name="history">{{cite web|title=About Guelph: History|publisher=City of Guelph|url=http://guelph.ca/living/about-guelph/|access-date=July 22, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190719191644/http://guelph.ca/living/about-guelph/|archive-date=July 19, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> The street plan was laid out in a radial street and grid system that branches out from downtown,<ref name="electricscotland.com">{{cite book|url=http://www.electricscotland.com/canada/guelph/guelphbook.pdf|title=Guelph: A People's Heritage 1827-2002|first=Hilary|last=Stead|pages=8–10|access-date=July 22, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200302021902/https://www.electricscotland.com/Canada/guelph/guelphbook.pdf|archive-date=March 2, 2020|url-status=live}}</ref> a technique which was also employed in other planned towns of this era, such as [[Buffalo, New York]].<ref name="encyclopedia"/>

[[File:1855 Map of Guelph.jpg|thumb|Map of Guelph, 1855]]

The founding was symbolized by the felling of a tree by Galt and [[William "Tiger" Dunlop]], who would be significant in the history of [[Goderich, Ontario]], on April 23, 1827.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8407AAAAMAAJ&q=1827+guelph++tiger+dunlop|title=A history of agriculture in Ontario|first=George Elmore|last=Reaman|date=March 25, 1970|publisher=Saunders of Toronto|via=Google Books|access-date=January 21, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181013093332/https://books.google.ca/books?id=8407AAAAMAAJ&q=1827+guelph++tiger+dunlop|archive-date=October 13, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Burrows |first=C. Acton |title=The Annals of the town of Guelph, 1827 - 1877 |year=1877 |publisher=Herald Steam Printing House |location=Guelph |url=https://archive.org/stream/annalstownguelp00burrgoog#page/n18/mode/1up |page=12 |access-date=May 17, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171010055911/https://archive.org/stream/annalstownguelp00burrgoog#page/n18/mode/1up |archive-date=October 10, 2017 |url-status=live }}</ref> That was [[St. George's Day]], the [[feast day]] of the [[patron saint]] of [[England]].

The name ''Guelph'' comes, via the Italian ''Guelfo'', from the [[Bavarian language|Bavarian]] ''Welf''. It is a reference to the [[House of Welf]], and was chosen to honour [[George IV of the United Kingdom|King George IV]]—the reigning British monarch at the time of the city's founding—whose family, the [[House of Hanover|Hanover]]ians, descended from the Welfs.<ref name="history"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://media.firabcn.es/content/areaExpositor/S085013/2051118/featureProduct/920210/2013IntlHandbookUofG.pdf|title=International Handbook 2013|author=University of Guelph<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.-->|date=2013|website=Media Firabcn Spain|access-date=March 25, 2017|quote=The city was named in 1827 to honour the British Empire’s King George IV, whose family name was Gwelf. The spelling has been altered over time, but it is pronounced just as it was 185 years ago and rhymes with ‘self’.|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202053053/http://media.firabcn.es/content/areaExpositor/S085013/2051118/featureProduct/920210/2013IntlHandbookUofG.pdf|archive-date=February 2, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> It is for this reason that the city has the nickname ''The Royal City''.<ref name="electricscotland.com"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://guelphmuseums.ca/guelph-rome-and-the-origin-of-a-history-myth/|title=Guelph, Rome, and the origin of a History Myth|date=August 2015|publisher=Guelph Museums|access-date=July 23, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171005055055/http://guelphmuseums.ca/guelph-rome-and-the-origin-of-a-history-myth/|archive-date=October 5, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> The directors of the Canada Company had actually wanted the city to be named Goderich, because [[F. J. Robinson, 1st Viscount Goderich|Viscount Goderich]] had helped form the company, but reluctantly accepted the name Guelph.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WMoff9FmbiMC&q=1827+guelph++village&pg=PA63 |title=The Canada Company and the Huron Tract 1826-1853 |page=64 |first=Robert C. |last=Lee |date=2004 |publisher=Natural History, Inc. |isbn=9781770704428 |access-date=July 22, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181013093250/https://books.google.ca/books?id=WMoff9FmbiMC&pg=PA63&lpg=PA63#v=onepage&q=1827%20guelph%20%20village&f=true |archive-date=October 13, 2018 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Galt constructed what was one of the first buildings in the community to house early settlers and the Canada Company office; "The Priory" (built 1827–1828).<ref name="electricscotland.com"/> was located on the banks of the Speed River near the current [[River Run Centre]] for performing arts and could house up to 100 people.<ref name="electricscotland.com"/><ref name="therecord.com">{{cite web|url=https://www.therecord.com/living-story/6757318-historic-priory-residence-ended-up-as-firewood/|title=Historic Priory residence ended up as firewood|first=Cameron|last=Shelley|date=July 2, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Shelley |first=Cameron |date=July 2, 2016 |title=Historic Priory residence ended up as firewood |url=http://www.therecord.com/living-story/6757318-historic-priory-residence-ended-up-as-firewood/ | work=Waterloo Region Record |location=Kitchener |access-date=March 22, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://guelphpostcards.blogspot.ca/2013/03/the-priory.html |website=Guelph in postcards |title=The Priory |last=Shelley |first=Cameron |date=March 6, 2013 |publisher=Cameron Shelley |access-date=March 22, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170323053515/http://guelphpostcards.blogspot.ca/2013/03/the-priory.html |archive-date=March 23, 2017 |url-status=live }}</ref> The building eventually became the [[Canadian Pacific Railway]] Priory station on the [[Guelph Junction Railway]] before it was eventually torn down and removed.<ref name="virtualreferencelibrary.ca">{{cite web |website=Digital Archive Ontario |url=https://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/detail.jsp?Entt=RDMDC-PCR-615&R=DC-PCR-615&searchPageType=dao |title=First house in Guelph: Built in 1827, now C.P.R. station, Guelph, Ont. |publisher=Toronto Public Library |access-date=July 23, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ghra.ca/about.html|publisher=The Guelph Historical Railway Association|title=About the GHRA|access-date=July 23, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170805015056/http://www.ghra.ca/about.html|archive-date=August 5, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> A historical plaque commemorates John Galt's role with the Canada Company in populating [[Upper Canada]]'s [[Huron Tract]], calling it "the most important single attempt at settlement in Canadian history".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.waynecook.com/awellington.html |title=Historical Plaques of Wellington County |publisher=Wayne Cook |quote=Plaque #4 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170325011227/http://www.waynecook.com/awellington.html |archive-date=March 25, 2017}}</ref> (Galt was responsible for finding settlers for the 42,000 acre Halton Block that would become Guelph and its townships but also for the one million acre Huron Tract that stretched to [[Goderich, Ontario]].)<ref name="electricscotland.com"/>

By the fall of 1827, 70 houses had been built, though some were primitive.<ref name="electricscotland.com"/> In that year, the community had hired its first police constable; the first police station would be opened in 1856 at the town hall and it was moved in 1900 to the Annex building behind the court house.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.guelphpolice.ca/en/about-gps/history.aspx?_mid_=13288 |title=About GPS: History |publisher=Guelph Police Service |access-date=July 23, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190330195335/https://www.guelphpolice.ca/en/about-gps/history.aspx?_mid_=13288 |archive-date=March 30, 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref> Also in 1827, the first [[Guelph Farmers' Market]] was built; the Market House was located in the downtown area.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://guelph.ca/living.cfm?smocid=2637 |title=Market History |publisher=City of Guelph |archive-date=November 2, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101102100221/http://guelph.ca/living.cfm?smocid=2637 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Founded in 1827, James Hodgert's brewery was managed by John Sleeman until he bought a property and opened the Silver Creek Brewery in 1851. (In 1843, there were nine breweries serving the 700 people living in Guelph.)<ref>{{cite book |title=Guelph: A People's Heritage 1827-2002 |url=http://www.electricscotland.com/canada/guelph/guelphbook.pdf |first=Hilary |last=Stead |page=11 |access-date=July 23, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200302021902/https://www.electricscotland.com/Canada/guelph/guelphbook.pdf |archive-date=March 2, 2020 |url-status=live }}</ref>
[[File:The Spring Mill Distillery in a part of the defunct Allan's Mill built in 1850, Guelph.jpg|thumb|Part of [[Allan's Mill]], built in 1850, still stands in downtown Guelph]]

The first Board of Commerce also started in 1827, to stimulate economic growth; in 1866, it would be renamed the Board of Trade, and in 1919, it became the Chamber of Commerce.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.guelphchamber.com/Explore/history |title=History |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170331144024/https://www.guelphchamber.com/Explore/history |archive-date=March 31, 2017 |publisher=Guelph Chamber of Commerce}}</ref> In order to eliminate the need for farmers to take their grain to Galt or Dundas for grinding, the Canada Company built the first grist mill; the Guelph Mill was sold to William Allen in 1832.<ref name="electricscotland.com"/> A sawmill was erected in 1833 by Charles Julius Mickle, originally from Scotland,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://electricscotland.com/canada/guelph/historyndx.htm|title=The History of Guelph|website=electricscotland.com}}</ref> on the Marden Creek which runs into the Speed River; its ruin survives today. The Mickle family also built a home nearby, a year earlier. Both properties were off what is now Highway 6, an area that was Guelph Township at the time.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://ignatiusguelph.ca/about/milestones/|title=Milestones}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/mickle_sara_15E.html|title=Biography – MICKLE, SARA – Volume XV (1921-1930) – Dictionary of Canadian Biography|website=www.biographi.ca}}</ref>

In 1829, the Canada Company fired Galt because of poor bookkeeping and not obeying company policies.<ref name="ldrb.ca"/> He returned to Great Britain penniless and was imprisoned because he was unable to pay his debts.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.electricscotland.com/history/other/johngalt.htm |title=Significant Scots - John Galt |website=www.electricscotland.com |access-date=January 21, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180122072733/http://www.electricscotland.com/history/other/johngalt.htm |archive-date=January 22, 2018 |url-status=live }}</ref> In 1831, Guelph had approximately 800 residents.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/emigrationadvan00cattgoog |quote=1827 guelph established as village. |title=Emigration, the advantages of emigration to Canada, the substance of two lectures |publisher=Simpkin and Marshall |first=William |last=Cattermole |date=May 1831 |access-date=March 25, 2018|page=[https://archive.org/details/emigrationadvan00cattgoog/page/n48 32]|via=Internet Archive}}</ref> For several years, the economy of the village suffered and some residents moved away; relief came in the form of wealthy immigrants from England and Ireland who arrived in 1832.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bZRE9gaBnvAC&q=glenockie&pg=PA48 |title=Shaping the Urban Landscape: Aspects of the Canadian City-Building Process |first=Gilbert |date=1982 |publisher=Carleton University Press |last=Stelter |page=33 |isbn=9780773584860 |access-date=July 23, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181013132827/https://books.google.ca/books?id=bZRE9gaBnvAC&pg=PA48#v=onepage&q=glenockie&f=false |archive-date=October 13, 2018 |url-status=live }}</ref>

The ''Smith's Canadian Gazetteer'' of 1846 indicates that the town had a jail and court house made of cut stone, a weekly newspaper, five churches/chapels and a population of 1,240; most were from England and Scotland with a few from Ireland. In addition to many tradesmen, the community had 15 stores, seven taverns, and some industry, tanneries, breweries, distilleries and a starch factory. The Post Office was receiving mail daily.<ref>{{cite book |last=Smith |first=Wm. H. |date=1846 |title=Smith's Canadian Gazetteer - Statistical and General Information Respecting all parts of The Upper Province, or Canada West |url=https://archive.org/details/smithscanadianga00smit |location=Toronto |publisher=H. & W. Rowsell |page=[https://archive.org/details/smithscanadianga00smit/page/72 72] |access-date=March 10, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160403155457/https://archive.org/details/smithscanadianga00smit |archive-date=April 3, 2016 |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== 1855 to 1878 ===
[[File:Guelph City Hall cropped.jpg|thumb|Old Guelph City Hall]]
Guelph was incorporated as a town in 1855 and the first mayor elected was John Smith.<ref name="electricscotland.com"/> Despite optimism, the population growth was very slow until the [[Grand Trunk Railway]] reached it from Toronto, en route to [[Sarnia]], in 1856; the town was also served soon thereafter by the [[Great Western Railway (Ontario)|Great Western Railway]] branch from Harrisburg.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.trainweb.org/oldtimetrains/CPR_London/history_G_and_G.htm|website=Old Time Trains|title=Canadian Pacific Railway: London Division Branch Lines: Guelph and Goderich|access-date=July 23, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190629074121/http://www.trainweb.org/oldtimetrains/CPR_London/history_G_and_G.htm|archive-date=June 29, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> In 1856, the village became a town.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://guelph.ca/living/about-guelph/ |title=About Guelph |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |date=August 25, 2016 |website=City of Guelph |access-date=January 25, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170129002538/http://guelph.ca/living/about-guelph/ |archive-date=January 29, 2017 |url-status=live }}</ref> Two years later, the population was estimated at 4,500, up from 2,000 in 1853.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bZRE9gaBnvAC&q=glenockie&pg=PA48 |title=Shaping the Urban Landscape: Aspects of the Canadian City-Building Process |first=Gilbert |date=1982 |publisher=Carleton University Press |last=Stelter |page=42 |isbn=9780773584860 |access-date=July 23, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181013132827/https://books.google.ca/books?id=bZRE9gaBnvAC&pg=PA48#v=onepage&q=glenockie&f=false |archive-date=October 13, 2018 |url-status=live }}</ref> The first city hall, now called the [[Old City Hall (Guelph)]], was built in 1856 of Guelph stone; the building contained a market house, offices and an assembly hall. Modifications were made in 1870, 1875 and 1961.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ontarioplaques.com/Plaques/Plaque_Wellington23.html|title=Guelph City Hall 1856|date=March 1, 1992|publisher=Alan L. Brown|access-date=February 22, 2019|quote=This fine example of classical architecture was begun in 1856 following the incorporation of Guelph as a town. It was designed by William Thomas, architect of St. Lawrence Hall, Toronto, and other important buildings throughout the province, and was completed in 1857. Constructed of Guelph stone, it contained a market house, offices and an assembly hall in which many notable persons were entertained, including the Hon. John A. Macdonald, later Canada's first Prime Minister. Alterations to the building were made in 1870 and a new hall was added in 1875. Except for the clock tower which was removed in 1961, the front portion of the structure retains its original appearance.|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190223074157/http://ontarioplaques.com/Plaques/Plaque_Wellington23.html|archive-date=February 23, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> The new [[Guelph City Hall]] opened in 2009 beside the older building, which was declared a National Historic Site in 1984. The national document refers to the historic building as being "in the Italian Renaissance Revival style".<ref>{{cite web |website=Canada's Historic Places |url=https://www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=7446 |title=Guelph City Hall National Historic Site of Canada |publisher=Parks Canada |date=November 19, 1984 |access-date=February 22, 2019 |quote=its classical design in the Italian Renaissance Revival style, notably its symmetrically organized façade with slightly projecting, pedimented central pavilion, its low-pitched, hipped roof, regularly placed openings, smooth, finely cut ashlar exterior, and Italianate detailing |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190223020430/https://www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=7446 |archive-date=February 23, 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Two very successful major mills operated in Guelph for many years in the 1800s. The first was [[Allan's Mill]], first established in 1830 on the Speed River and significantly expanded to include a distillery by the next owners, the Allan family, in the 1850s. This business was extensively damaged by fire in 1876 and ceased operation as a mill; the site was later used by manufacturing companies. (In 2019, the current John Sleeman reinstated the Spring Mill Distillery on the site which also includes a condominium apartment complex.)<ref>{{cite web |url=https://mayorguthrie.com/2015/09/03/the_metalworks-project-in-guelph-launched-today-genuineguelph/ |title=THE METALWORKS PROJECT |date=September 4, 2015 |publisher=Mayor Guthrie |access-date=January 16, 2020 |quote=The Metalworks is located on the site of the former W.C. Wood plant, which operated there from 1956 until 2010. The site’s industrial heritage dates back to the 1830s, when the land was home to a distillery that was part of Allan’s Mill. It later was the site of a series of hardware and metal products manufacturers. |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190209234917/https://mayorguthrie.com/2015/09/03/the_metalworks-project-in-guelph-launched-today-genuineguelph/ |archive-date=February 9, 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.guelphtoday.com/local-news/a-look-inside-john-sleemans-new-spring-mill-distillery-11-photos-1395202 |title=A look inside John Sleeman's new Spring Mill Distillery (11 photos) |date=April 27, 2019 |publisher=Guelph today |access-date=January 16, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190428125827/https://www.guelphtoday.com/local-news/a-look-inside-john-sleemans-new-spring-mill-distillery-11-photos-1395202 |archive-date=April 28, 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[File:Goldie Mill Ruins, built 1866.jpg|thumb|Goldie Mill ruins, stabilized in 2020-2021]]
The more recent business, a sawmill known as the Goldie Mill, was also on the Speed; this building was constructed in 1866 by James Goldie, replacing an earlier mill known as the Wellington Mill and later as the People's Mill. The property, a ruin, was listed on the Canadian Register as a historic place in 2009.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=10867 |title=Goldie Mill 70, Norwich Street, Guelph, City of, Ontario, N1H, Canada |date=March 8, 2021 |work=Historic Places Parks Canada |access-date=March 8, 2021 |quote=LISTED ON THE CANADIAN REGISTER: 2009/01/22}}</ref> Goldie was a perennial Conservative candidate for the riding of [[Wellington South (federal electoral district)|Wellington South]], and his son [[Thomas Goldie]] was mayor of Guelph from 1891 to 1892. The limestone Goldie mill structure was damaged by fire in 1953 and a part of it was removed in 1969; the remaining part still stands today, in Goldie Mill Park at Cardigan Street and London Road East. The ruins, owned by the [[Grand River Conservation Authority]], were stabilized in 2019–2021 to solve a problem created by sinkholes.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://globalnews.ca/news/7647742/guelph-goldie-mill-park-reopens/ |title=Guelph's Goldie Mill Park and ruins reopens after 2 years |date=February 18, 2021 |work=Global News|access-date=March 8, 2021 |quote=}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://guelph.ca/2019/08/goldie-mills-park-and-ruins-progress-update/ |title=Goldie Mill Park and ruins progress update |date=August 27, 2019 |publisher=City of Guelph |access-date=January 16, 2020 |quote=The City has been working towards remediation of Goldie Mill Park and ruins to ensure the area is safe for public use. |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200313171125/https://guelph.ca/2019/08/goldie-mills-park-and-ruins-progress-update/ |archive-date=March 13, 2020 |url-status=live }}</ref>

The board of the [[Guelph General Hospital]] was incorporated in 1861, with James Massie as the chairman.<ref name="auto1">{{cite web|url=https://www.therecord.com/living-story/8077765-james-massie-a-mover-and-shaker-in-guelph-and-beyond/|title=James Massie: a mover and shaker in Guelph and beyond|first=Cameron|last=Shelley|date=January 19, 2018|publisher=Waterloo Region Record|access-date=January 21, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190827194048/https://www.therecord.com/living-story/8077765-james-massie-a-mover-and-shaker-in-guelph-and-beyond/|archive-date=August 27, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> The building was completed in 1875, at the cost of $9,869, and opened on August 16, 1875, with 12 beds, a small infectious room and a dispensary.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.gghorg.ca/history/ |title=History |publisher=Guelph General Hospital |access-date=July 23, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190723164401/https://www.gghorg.ca/history/ |archive-date=July 23, 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref>

The [[Gothic Revival]] style Roman Catholic church on Norfolk St., called the [[Basilica of Our Lady Immaculate]] since December 8, 2014, was built between 1876 and 1888.<ref>{{cite web |title= HistoricPlaces.ca - Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception National Historic Site of Canada |url= https://www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=7646 |date= February 23, 1990 |website= Canada's Historic Places |publisher= Parks Canada |access-date= July 23, 2019 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20190929040058/https://www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=7646 |archive-date= September 29, 2019 |url-status= live }}</ref>

By 1869, the community's manufacturing companies were served by both the Grand Trunk Railway and the Great Western Railway.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/stream/provinceontario00mcevgoog#page/n218/mode/2up |page=182 |title=The Province of Ontario Gazetteer and Directory |publisher=Robinson & Cook |location=Toronto |date=1869 |isbn=9780665094125 |access-date=July 23, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160306134022/http://www.archive.org/stream/provinceontario00mcevgoog#page/n218/mode/2up |archive-date=March 6, 2016 |url-status=live }}</ref> The first section of the Wellington, Grey & Bruce Railway, between Guelph and [[Elora, Ontario|Elora]], opened in 1870; the line would eventually run as far as [[Southampton, Ontario]],<ref>{{cite book |title=Great Western Railway of Canada: Southern Ontario's Pioneer Railway |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=g7VKCAAAQBAJ&q=Wellington%2C+Grey+%26+Bruce+Railway&pg=PA97 |page=98 |first=David R.P. |last=Guay |date=2015 | publisher=Dundurn |isbn = 9781459732841|access-date=July 23, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181013132929/https://books.google.ca/books?id=g7VKCAAAQBAJ&pg=PA97#v=onepage&q=Wellington%2C%20Grey%20%26%20Bruce%20Railway&f=false |archive-date=October 13, 2018 |url-status=live }}</ref> with stations in communities such as [[Palmerston, Ontario|Palmerston]], [[Harriston, Ontario|Harriston]], [[Listowel, Ontario|Listowel]] and [[Wingham, Ontario|Wingham]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.trainweb.org/ontariorailways/railwgb.htm|title=The Wellington, Grey & Bruce Railway|website=Trainweb.org|access-date=January 21, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170417070948/http://www.trainweb.org/ontariorailways/railwgb.htm|archive-date=April 17, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> The company was not very successful, and never did reach [[Owen Sound]] as planned, partly because of stiff competition from the Northern Railway of Canada<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Cw99fCntY5IC&q=Wellington%2C+Grey+&pg=PA43|title=Shaping the Urban Landscape: Aspects of the Canadian City-Building Process|first1=Gilbert|last1=Stelter|first2=Alan F. J.|last2=Artibise|date=September 15, 1982|publisher=McGill-Queen's Press - MQUP|isbn=9780886290023|via=Google Books|access-date=October 13, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181013132824/https://books.google.ca/books?id=Cw99fCntY5IC&pg=PA43&+Bruce+Railway#v=onepage&q=Wellington,+Grey+&+Bruce+Railway|archive-date=October 13, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> as well as the [[Toronto, Grey and Bruce Railway]]. By the mid-1870s, the Wellington, Grey & Bruce Railway was in financial trouble; it eventually became part of the Grand Trunk system, and later, the [[Canadian National Railway]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.railwaypages.com/grey-and-bruce-counties|website=Charles Cooper's Railway Pages|title=Grey and Bruce Counties|access-date=July 23, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190721054711/https://railwaypages.com/grey-and-bruce-counties|archive-date=July 21, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bZRE9gaBnvAC&q=glenockie%2C&pg=PA48 |title=Shaping the Urban Landscape: Aspects of the Canadian City-Building Process |author=Gilbert Stelter and Alan F.J. Artubise |page=48 |publisher=Carleton University Press |date=1982 |isbn=9780773584860 |access-date=January 28, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181013132827/https://books.google.ca/books?id=bZRE9gaBnvAC&pg=PA48#v=onepage&q=glenockie&f=false, |archive-date=October 13, 2018 |url-status=live }}</ref>

By January 1871, some residents of the town had access to gas, provided by the Guelph Gas Company via pipes, initially to about 100 homes.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/annalstownguelp01burrgoog|quote=Guelph Gas Company, 1871.|title=The Annals of the Town of Guelph, 1827-1877|page=[https://archive.org/details/annalstownguelp01burrgoog/page/n154 148]|first=Charles Acton|last=Burrows|date=March 25, 1877|publisher=Herald Steam Print. House|via=Internet Archive|access-date=February 2, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150206100156/https://archive.org/details/annalstownguelp01burrgoog|archive-date=February 6, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> Electricity would not become commonly available until the early 1900s, from the Guelph Light and Heat Commission.<ref name="electricscotland.com"/>

An 1877 plan to start the Guelph Street Railway, using [[horse-drawn vehicle]]s to deliver freight and passengers within Guelph, never came to fruition.<ref>{{Cite canlaw|short title =An Act to Incorporate the Guelph Street Railway Company|abbr =S.O.|year =1877|chapter = 83|link= https://archive.org/stream/statutesofprovin1877onta#page/348/mode/2up |pages=349-353}}</ref><ref name="auto1"/>

A poor house with a farm, The Wellington County House of Industry and Refuge, opened in December 1877 in a rural area near Guelph; many orphans from Guelph were admitted. The building still stands, as the Wellington County Museum and Archives.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.fcsgw.org/about-us/history-of-child-welfare-in-ontario/|title=History of Child Welfare in Ontario & Guelph/Wellington|publisher=Family and Children's Services|access-date=July 23, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180712092509/https://www.fcsgw.org/about-us/history-of-child-welfare-in-ontario/|archive-date=July 12, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.wellington.ca/en/discover/mus-thepoorhouse.aspx |title=The Poor House |publisher=County of Wellington |access-date=July 23, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190619173507/https://www.wellington.ca/en/discover/mus-thepoorhouse.aspx |archive-date=June 19, 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref>

===After 1878===
[[File:McCrae House (NHSC chart).jpg|thumb|The birthplace of [[John McCrae]] (1872–1918) author of ''In Flanders Fields'']]
[[File:Guelph City hall 1920.jpg|thumb|right|Guelph City Hall in 1920]]

Guelph was incorporated as a city in 1879 with a Special Act of the Ontario legislature.<ref name="FoundingPlaque">{{cite web |title=The Founding of Guelph |url=http://www.ontarioplaques.com/Plaques/Plaque_Wellington19.html |publisher=Alan L. Brown |access-date=July 23, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190723173207/http://www.ontarioplaques.com/Plaques/Plaque_Wellington19.html |archive-date=July 23, 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref> At this time, Guelph became politically separated from Wellington County and was no longer represented on the Wellington County Council.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.wellington.ca/en/discover/localhistory.aspx?hdncontent=# |title=Local History |date=October 17, 2017 |publisher=Wellington County |access-date=May 4, 2020}}</ref> At separation, the population was about 10,000. During the inauguration, Mayor George Howard first used the term "Royal City". The only "royals" to actually visit were John Campbell, the Marquis of Lorne, and his wife was [[Princess Louise, Duchess of Argyll]], one of Queen Victoria's daughters.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.therecord.com/living-story/8735159-flash-from-the-past-how-guelph-became-the-royal-city/|title=Flash from the Past: How Guelph became the Royal City |first=Cameron |last=Shelley |date=July 13, 2018 |publisher=Waterloo Region Record}}</ref>

Construction of the Church of Our Lady Immaculate, known as the [[Basilica of Our Lady Immaculate]] since late 2014, was already underway but would not be completed until 1883. (The twin towers were not added until 1926.)<ref>{{cite web |title=Guelph's Church of Our Lady now a Basilica |url=https://www.guelphmercury.com/news-story/5206491-guelph-s-church-of-our-lady-now-a-basilica/ |first=Tony |last=Saxon |date=December 14, 2014 |publisher=Guelph Mercury |access-date=July 14, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180714170945/https://www.guelphmercury.com/news-story/5206491-guelph-s-church-of-our-lady-now-a-basilica/ |archive-date=July 14, 2018 |url-status=live }}</ref>

A few years later, George Sleeman Sr. founded an electric radial railway, the Guelph Railway Company, an important part of the history of [[Guelph Transit]]. Only five miles of track had been laid by 1895, but the line was extended in 1902; the radial railway eventually reached Toronto, as the Ontario Hydro Electric Railways - Guelph District (owned by Ontario Hydro).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.trainweb.org/elso/guelph.htm|title=Guelph Radial Railway|website=www.trainweb.org|access-date=July 23, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170511035042/http://www.trainweb.org/elso/guelph.htm|archive-date=May 11, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> In addition to carrying passengers, the cars carted coal to heat the Ontario Agricultural College.<ref>{{cite web |title= The Guelph Electric Railway Company |url= http://www.lib.uoguelph.ca/find/find-type-resource/archival-special-collections/sleeman-collection/regional-history/electric-railway |author= <!--Not stated--> |date= 2011 |publisher= University of Guelph |access-date= March 25, 2017 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20170323053402/http://www.lib.uoguelph.ca/find/find-type-resource/archival-special-collections/sleeman-collection/regional-history/electric-railway |archive-date= March 23, 2017 |url-status= live }}</ref>

By 1886, telephones were quite common in the city. An April news article described the situation as follows. "Telephones are rapidly being introduced into private homes, where they prove a great convenience. Ladies order their groceries, consult their medical advisers, call their husbands home from the club and gossip with their friends by telephone."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://canadachannel.ca/todayincanadianhistory/index.php/April_22 |title=April 22 - Today in Canadian History |website=Canadachannel.ca |access-date=July 23, 2019 }}{{Dead link|date=September 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

In 1903 the City purchased the Guelph Light & Power Company, and four years later created the Board of Light and Heat Commissioners. Guelph was one of 13 municipalities that helped to create the provincial entity that became [[Ontario Hydro]].<ref>{{cite book |url=http://www.electricscotland.com/canada/guelph/guelphbook.pdf |title=Guelph: A People's Heritage 1827-2002 |first=Hilary |last=Stead |page=4 |access-date=July 23, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200302021902/https://www.electricscotland.com/Canada/guelph/guelphbook.pdf |archive-date=March 2, 2020 |url-status=live }}</ref>

The [[Communist Party of Canada]] began as an illegal organization in a barn behind a farmhouse on Metcalfe Street in Guelph on 1921.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://eservices.wellington.ca/Museum.JournalAndEssays/FileUploads/Volume%2008_text_images.pdf |title=Wellington County History Volum 8 |date=March 13, 2015 |work=Wellington County Museum |access-date=January 2, 2021 |quote=Founding of the Communist Party of Canada in Guelph, page 20 to 34}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.therecord.com/news/waterloo-region/2021/01/01/communist-party-of-canada-founded-at-secret-convention-in-guelph-barn-99-years-ago.html |title=Communist Party of Canada founded at secret convention in Guelph barn 99 years ago |date=January 1, 2020 |work=Waterloo Region Record |access-date=January 2, 2021 |quote=The Waterloo Region Record obtained copies of the RCMP reports under the federal Access to Information Act. This story is based on those reports, and others obtained by researchers, historians and authors that chronicle the early days of radical politics in southern Ontario.}}</ref>

Guelph was the home of North America's first [[cable television|cable TV system]]. Fredrick T. Metcalf created MacLean Hunter Television (now part of [[Rogers Communications]]) and their first broadcast was [[Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II|Queen Elizabeth's Coronation]] in 1953.<ref name="history"/> Other news-making items include the fact that the jockstrap was invented here, in 1922, by the Guelph Elastic Hosiery Company and that the man who invented five pin bowling in 1909, Tom Ryan, was originally from Guelph. Other noteworthy items: the city's covered bridge (now part of a walking trail), built by the Timber Framers' Guild in 1992, is one of only two of its type in Ontario, using wooden pins to hold it together. Note too that the [[Yukon Gold potato]] was first bred at the University of Guelph in 1966; it became available on the market in 1981.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/london/ohl-london-knights-guelph-storm-1.5084482|date=April 5, 2019|publisher=[[CBC News]]|access-date=April 7, 2019|title=Guelph invented the jockstrap and 9 other facts as Storm take on London Knights|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190407041838/https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/london/ohl-london-knights-guelph-storm-1.5084482|archive-date=April 7, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref>

Guelph's police force had Canada's first municipal motorcycle patrol. Chief Ted Lamb brought back an army motorcycle he used during the First World War. Motorcycles were faster and more efficient than walking.<ref name="history"/>

Guelph has several buildings on the [[National Historic Sites of Canada]] register: the [[Basilica of Our Lady Immaculate]], [[McCrae House]] and [[Old City Hall (Guelph)|Old City Hall]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Guelph|url=http://www.pc.gc.ca/apps/lhn-nhs/page3_E.asp?locateinp=Guelph&nhsprov=Ontario&nhschoice=nhsdesig&list4=Generate+List|work=Directory of Designations of National Historic Significance of Canada|publisher=[[Parks Canada]]|access-date=July 31, 2011}}{{Dead link|date=October 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> The city is home to the [[University of Guelph]], established in 1964, and [[Sleeman Breweries Ltd.]] The [[Ontario Agricultural College]] (OAC), the oldest part of the [[University of Guelph]], began in 1874 as an associate agricultural college of the [[University of Toronto]]. According to [[Maclean's]], the current University of Guelph, founded in 1964, "grew out of three founding colleges: the Ontario Agricultural College (1874), the Ontario Veterinary College (1862) and the Macdonald Institute (1903)".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.macleans.ca/schools/university-of-guelph/ |title=University of Guelph |publisher=[[Maclean's]] |access-date=July 23, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190707144310/https://www.macleans.ca/schools/university-of-guelph/ |archive-date=July 7, 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Guelph Collegiate Vocational Institute]] (GCVI), established in the 1840s, is one of the province's oldest high schools. The Former Canadian National Railways (VIA Rail/GO Transit) Station at 79 Carden Street was listed in 1992.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=4569 |title=Former Canadian National Railways (VIA Rail/GO Transit) Station |date=November 1, 1992 |publisher=Canada's Historic Places |access-date=February 22, 2019 |quote=The station is prominently located on high ground at the city centre. With the city hall and the armoury, it forms a triangle of historic buildings that set the tone for the city’s core. It retains its relationship with its site, including: the tracks, the adjacent war memorial; and a pedestrian subway that connects to Guelph’s main street. The station’s historic importance is recognized by the community. |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190223020440/https://www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=4569 |archive-date=February 23, 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 2017, [[Scientology in Canada|Scientology Canada]] announced it would move its Canadian headquarters to Guelph.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://kitchener.ctvnews.ca/guelph/former-drop-in-centre-to-house-church-of-scientology-1.3611069|title=Former drop-in centre to house Church of Scientology|date=September 28, 2017|work=Kitchener|access-date=October 10, 2017|language=en-CA|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171010211403/http://kitchener.ctvnews.ca/guelph/former-drop-in-centre-to-house-church-of-scientology-1.3611069|archive-date=October 10, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> Some residents protested the plan.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.guelphmercury.com/community-story/7766828-church-of-scientology-says-protesters-don-t-represent-guelph/|title=Church of Scientology says protesters don't represent Guelph|first=Jessica|last=Lovell|date=November 1, 2017|access-date=January 21, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180122001224/https://www.guelphmercury.com/community-story/7766828-church-of-scientology-says-protesters-don-t-represent-guelph/|archive-date=January 22, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> The facility was opened in the autumn of the year at 40 Baker Street.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.guelphmercury.com/news-story/8020235-guelph-in-2017-a-year-in-review/|title=Guelph in 2017: A Year in Review|first=Mercury Tribune|last=staff|date=December 30, 2017|access-date=January 21, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180122001657/https://www.guelphmercury.com/news-story/8020235-guelph-in-2017-a-year-in-review/|archive-date=January 22, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref>

A redevelopment plan for [[Downtown Guelph]] had been discussed by Council since 2007 <ref>{{cite web|url=https://globalnews.ca/news/4336055/guelph-baker-district-project/|title=Developer chosen for Guelph's Baker District project|date=July 17, 2018|publisher=Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc. Corus News|access-date=July 17, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180717191855/https://globalnews.ca/news/4336055/guelph-baker-district-project/|archive-date=July 17, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> and was finalized as the 2018 Baker District redevelopment project. The intent is to transform the Baker St. parking lot and properties fronting Wyndham Street's north end into a mixed-use development, with urban intensification. Both residential and commercial buildings will be included.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://guelph.ca/business/downtown-business/bakerdistrict/|title=Ottawa firm named Guelph's partner for Baker redevelopment|date=July 16, 2018|publisher=Guelph Today|access-date=July 17, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180718002908/https://guelph.ca/business/downtown-business/bakerdistrict/|archive-date=July 18, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> The final cost was estimated at between $315 million and $369 million. When finished, this area will include a new library, commercial, institutional and office space as well as an underground parking lot. The private enterprise partner for the project is Ottawa-based Windmill Development Group; there was also discussion about an additional partnership with [[Conestoga College]] and the [[YMCA]]. Actual construction was not expected to start until 2023. Before that date, up to $7.5 million will be spent to acquire the rest of the land that will be required.<ref name="guelphtoday.com">{{cite web|url=https://www.guelphtoday.com/local-news/city-chooses-green-developer-for-massive-baker-district-project-987290|title=City chooses green developer for massive Baker District project|date=July 16, 2018|publisher=Guelph Today|access-date=July 17, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180718001516/https://www.guelphtoday.com/local-news/city-chooses-green-developer-for-massive-baker-district-project-987290|archive-date=July 18, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref>

In October 2018, the Ontario Energy Board approved the merger of Guelph Hydro and [[Alectra]] Utilities Corporation. After the merger was completed in January 2019, the city received a 4.63 per cent stake in Alectra and a one-time dividend of $18.5 million; afterwards, annual dividends would be received. The city has one permanent seat on the company's Board.<ref>{{cite web|title=Guelph Hydro, Alectra merger approved|url=https://globalnews.ca/news/4808710/guelph-hydro-alectra-utilities-merger/|date=January 2, 2019|work=Global News|access-date=February 22, 2019|language=en-CA|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190223020906/https://globalnews.ca/news/4808710/guelph-hydro-alectra-utilities-merger/|archive-date=February 23, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref>