Fred Dahms

Wellington County Fred Dahms

Regional history at its best.

One of Ontario's most beautifully pastoral counties exists just minutes from the urban sprawl of Toronto, Mississauga and Hamilton. In this lively look at historic and modern Wellington County, resident author, photographer and geographer Fred Dahms examines how an ancient legacy of water and stone has shaped its many communities -- where and how they were built, their architecture and their degree of economic success.

The county's remarkable landforms and waterways include such popular destinations as Rockwood's caves and potholes, the Elora Gorge, North America's largest kettle lake at Puslinch and many more. Its cities, towns and villages boast thousands of charming 19th-century limestone homes and public buildings, as well as many historic mills.

The book pays particular attention to the "Royal City" of Guelph and the twin tourist towns of Elora and Fergus, but it also discusses the smaller villages and hamlets and the entire county's surprising wealth of artists and artisans.

Included are the following communities:

• Aberfoyle
• Aboyne
• Arthur
• Belwood
• Clifford
• Crieff
• Drayton
• Elora
• Erin
• Fergus
• Guelph
• Harriston
• Hillsburgh
• Minto
• Morriston
• Mount Forest
• Orton
• Palmerston
• Puslinch
• Rockwood
• Salem