McKillop Ward
The first settlers in the former McKillop Twp. arrived in the 1820's and it is believed that Patrick Carlin and Michael Rawley may have secured deeds for property as early as 1827-28. Prior to 1845, there were only 321 people in the township but by 1860, that number had expanded to 2,425. It is a testament to both the quality of McKillop land and the energy of the early farmers that by 1860 there were 10,000 acres under cultivation and the value of farms was estimated at over $500,000. The ward has no large urban area but the hamlet of Winthrop was the site of the township offices and was a milling centre early in the area's history. McKillop is still one of the most productive agricultural areas in Ontario and has stayed successfully rural and agricultural in nature.
As North Line leaves McKillop Ward it takes a short jog at Walton. It becomes Brussels Line as it heads north along the western edge of the former Grey Twp., passing through the village of Brussels on its journey.
Grey Ward
Neither the former Grey Twp. nor Brussels were part of the original Huron Tract as purchased by the Canada Company. The area was part of a large section of land often called the Queen's Bush, which extended north towards the Bruce Peninsula. Lots were not officially offered for sale until 1854 although this had not stopped a number of settlers from simply setting up shop so to speak. Grey became a separate municipality in 1856, and by 1861 the population was 2,461.
In 1858, the central government in Toronto chose a central plot of 500 acres for a town site. Originally known as 'The Plot' or 'Grey', the site has been called Cranbrook since 1878.
Although the provincial government of the day laid out a fairly substantial village, it was not to be. The hamlet had its growth stunted when it was decided to have County Rd 12, then called the North Gravel now Brussels Line, run up the westerly edge of Grey Township. This sift meant that the main road for opening up the area now ran through Brussels (then Ainleyville) providing that village with the chance to flourish. Cranbrook was further hampered when the railway was aligned during construction close to another of Grey's settlements, Ethel, farther to the north.
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