Almonte—today a vibrant ward within Mississippi Mills—first came into being around 1818 when David Shepherd claimed Crown land to establish a sawmill and gristmill on the Mississippi River at Shepherd’s Falls . Known initially as Shipman’s Mills, the community soon adopted a string of names (Ramsayville, Waterford) before settling on Almonte around 1855, honouring Mexican general Juan Almonte, likely as a nod to his principled stance during US–Mexican conflicts.

By mid‑19th century, Almonte had embraced its place in the booming Ottawa Valley timber trade, its river rapids powering multiple woollen and textile mills. As many as seven mills operated by 1850, giving rise to the nickname “Manchester of North America” . The arrival of the Brockville & Ottawa Railway in 1859—and later integration into the Canada Central and Canadian Pacific lines—cemented the town’s industrial importance by moving lumber and goods to broader markets.

Tragedy struck during the snowy night of December 27 1942, when a troop train crashed into a passenger train at Almonte station—one of Canada’s worst rail disasters, claiming 39 lives and injuring more than 150. Today, that history is preserved at the North Lanark Regional Museum, which offers poignant exhibits on the wreck alongside displays on pioneer life and the region’s milling heritage.

From a surveyor’s viewpoint, Almonte exemplifies classic 19th‑century Ontario town design—a mill-centered settlement at a riverbend, laid out in relation to natural topography and industrial corridors. The mill properties aligned tightly with the river, while early rail lines intersected original land grants, defining concession axes that still guide parcel boundaries today. The shift from river power to rail logistics marked a defining realignment in cadastral planning—and Almonte’s historic grids continue to underpin how land is divided, referenced, and preserved.