Hiram Walker, 1816-1899
Text from the plaque
Massachusetts born, Hiram Walker had by the 1850s become a successful general merchant, distiller and grain dealer in Detroit. After Michigan adopted prohibition in 1855 he acquired land across the river in Canada where he established a distillery and mill which became the nucleus of the company town of Walkerville. Soon the Walker enterprises had expanded to include cattle finishing (using distillery wastes), a river ferry, and a railway to transport the company's products. Although Walker himself lived in Canada only from 1859 to 1864, he played an important role in the economic development of western Ontario.
Transcribed from the marker, not summarised.
Find the place
The County of Essex
The City of Windsor
On the north side of 2072 Riverside Drive East
between Devonshire Road and Walker Road
N 42 19.564 W 83 00.708
Recorded June 2009. Check current access before visiting.
More information
More views
Where it stands
