Text from the Plaque
The intersecting of the Tecumseh Road, named for the eminent Indian leader, by the Great Western Railroad line in 1854 stimulated settlement in this largely French-Canadian area. A community gradually developed, and in 1873 it contained a sawmill, several stores and hotels, and a population of about 200. The village, first called Ryegate, and later Tecumseh, evolved from a local service center to a shipping point for area timber, cordwood, and especially grain. The establishment of the fruit canning industry by 1903 further diversified local business activity, but the suburban extension of the Sandwich, Windsor, and Amherstburg Railway to Tecumseh in 1907 was a major factor in its subsequent growth. In 1921 Tecumseh was incorporated as a town with a population of 978.
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