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HISTORY
The land on which the Markland Wood neighbourhood is built was originally granted
to John Silverthorn in 1810. Silverthorn was an experienced millright and immediately
built a saw mill and a grist mill on the banks of the Etobicoke River skirting
his property.
The Silverthorn
Mills were the focal point of this community as local farmers
brought their grain to the grist mill to be ground into flour
and their logs to the saw mill to be cut into lumber. The present
day "Mill Road" was a shortcut used by the farmers
on their way to the mills.
The Silverthorn
Mills operated until 1870 when the water flow in the Etobicoke
River decreased to the point where it could no longer power
the mills. The Silverthorn family then turned their attention
to farming. They proved to be as adept at farming as they were
at milling, and even sold tomatoes from their farm to the nearby
Campbell Soup Company.
The Silverthorn
family saw the city at their doorstep when they decided to sell their farm to
developer Mark Cavotti in 1958. Cavotti's associates honoured him by naming this
development Markland Wood. Thus a neighbourhood was born.
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