Bruce County History

 Print This Page

Through the Arches of the Years

Long before it was inhabited, the land that became Bruce County was shaped by ice ages, semitropical seas, weathering and mellowing into a rocky finger pointing northwest into Lake Huron.

After yet more centuries, native peoples arrived. Seeking what many of today’s visitors want, they found abundant fishing, clear waters, and secure refuge. They settled, hunted, and traded.

By the 1800s, very few Europeans had passed along Lake Huron’s shore. They left scanty records, and few traces of their presence. Not until the push to open more land for settlement did the surveyors and town-builders, farmers and innkeepers begin to arrive. They came by way of the lake, along trails and down rivers from the more established areas of Canada, or from the even more crowded countries of Europe.

The oldest townships were surveyed into farm lots and opened to settlers in 1850, a mere century and a half ago. At first one of three United Counties, Bruce was joined with Huron and Perth, our neighbours to the south. Bruce’s first County Council represented eleven townships. Later, five more were added, then nine villages and six towns.

Numbers tell some of the history: in 1851, the first census recorded 2,837 residents. Thirty years later, the population here totaled 65,218.

In 1867, Bruce was established as an independent County. Its name honours James Bruce, the Scottish Earl of Elgin and Kincardine, who had been Governor General of Canada at the time of the land treaties with the native peoples.

As historian Norman McLeod wrote in 1968:

…people of Bruce have reason to be proud of what has been accomplished since those early settlers laid the sure foundations. Through the arches of the years, the story is magnificent.

Bruce County today is still a vibrant place to live and work. Locals and visitors alike have enjoyed Bruce County for generations. Since Bruce County opened up for settlers the population has fluxuated greatly, but no matter where our people go, Bruce County is always considered home.

As W. Sherwood Fox wrote in 1952 in his book The Bruce Beckons:

Enjoy it, enjoy it, I say, for it abounds in wonderful things.

The Crest

The Coat of Arms is a blend of those of the Bruce Clan and the Province of Ontario.

The lion and the red cross of St. Patrick in the lower part of the shield are borrowed from the Bruce Clan crest. The three maple leaves and the red cross of St. George in the upper right come from the Ontario crest. The coat of arms is completed with a County coronet, and a banner with the original motto used by the County since it received official status in 1867.

The Latin “IN DEO IMPERIUM SED POPULUS ADMINISTRAT” translates as:

“Administration by the People, but under the authority of God”.

The Coat of Arms was officially adopted by Bruce County in 1967.

The Tartan

The beautiful Bruce County Tartan is derived from the family colours of James Bruce, Earl of Elgin and Governor General of Canada at the time Bruce County was incorporated in 1867.

Steeped in history, the red, yellow and green depict not only the Bruce clan tartan, but the beautiful foliage of millions of trees that cover the area. The white and deep blue represent the glistening waves washing the 367 miles of shoreline bordering Lake Huron and Georgian Bay, as well as the many fresh water streams throughout the area.

The Bruce County Tartan is registered in Edinburgh and patented in Canada. It may not be reproduced without permission. The Women’s Institutes of Bruce County assumed responsibility for promotion and sales of all tartan supplies in 1973. All profits derived from this venture are used for projects beneficial to the residents of Bruce County. Virgin wool yard goods, ties and souvenir giftware are available in leading stores in Bruce County.

Song of the Tartan

Hurrah, for the Tartan “The County of Bruce”,
How gallant and showy to wear,
With the red of our maples aflame on the hills,
Mid the green of the pines that are there.

There’s the gold of the waving grain fields,
The white of the pounding surf
That rides o’er our dark blue waters,
Like a horse on a mossy turf.

A gay matching kilt for the lad and the lass,
And a suit or a stole for my dame,
A free swinging pladie for Jamie and me,
Dress all our our family the same.

Come people of Bruce and others besides,
Wear it with pride and a sense of your own,
For ye ken there the story of Bruce County
In the colours of the tartan, proudly shown.

Olive E. Hepburn