Sir William Mackenzie
(1849-1923)

Photos by contributor Wayne Adam - July, 2009

Plaque Location

The City of Kawartha Lakes
In Kirkfield, on the north side of Portage Road (Road 48)
half a block west of Kirkfield Road (Road 6)
N 44 33.770 W 78 58.886

Plaque Text

An outstanding entrepreneur, Sir William Mackenzie with his partner Sir Donald Mann built the Canadian Northern Railway, opening large areas of the west to settlement. Born in present day Kirkfield, Mackenzie excelled in financing and constructing railways. He diversified into mining and shipping, developed Ontario's first major hydro-electric power system, and electrified streetcar lines in Toronto and Winnipeg, as well as in Brazil. His major work, the transcontinental Canadian Northern Railway, completed in 1915, later formed a large component of the Canadian National Railways.

Related Ontario plaque pages
Sir William Mackenzie 1849-1923
The Canadian Northern Railway

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