Nassagaweya Township. Opened in 1819, its name was derived from the Mississauga word niizhozaagiwan, meaning "having two outlets", which was the original name of the Sixteen Mile Creek. Community centres were Campbellville, Darbyville and Eden Mills.
Trafalgar Township, opened in 1806, the year of the Battle of Trafalgar. The township was settled in 1807. Community centres were Milton, Oakville, Bronte.
First Nations land surrenders
The lands that eventually formed part of Halton were acquired from the Mississauga Indians as follows:
Municipal organization and evolution
Along with Wentworth County, Halton County was created in 1816 as part of the Gore District, consisting of the townships of Trafalgar, Nelson, Flamborough, and Beverley, together with certain blocks of land on the Grand River and reserved lands to the rear of the townships of Blenheim and Blandford. In 1821, the county was expanded through the addition of the townships of Esquesing, Erin, Nassagaweya, Eramosa, and Garafraxa, together with certain church land. In 1838, on the creation of Wellington District, the townships of Garafraxa, Nichol, Woolwich, Guelph, Waterloo, Wilmot, Dumfries, Puslinch, Erin and Eramosa were withdrawn from Halton and transferred to it, to be known as Waterloo County. Upon the passage of the Act of Union 1840, for electoral purposes Halton became two ridings for electing members to the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada: When the East and West Ridings were renamed for their respective counties in 1845, the township of Erin continued to be part of Halton for electoral purposes. When the Gore District was abolished in 1850, the township of Erin was fully withdrawn and Halton County was united with Wentworth County to form the United Counties of Wentworth and Halton. As a result of a territorial reorganization in 1851, Halton County was reduced in size, with only the townships of Esquesing, Trafalgar, Nassageweya and Nelson remaining, and the union of counties was abolished in 1854. As settlement progressed, several urban areas developed and were organized into separate villages and towns: In 1861, the County population was about 22,794. In 1958, Burlington amalgamated with the township of Nelson and annexed part of the township of East Flamborough. Oakville did the same in 1962, through amalgamation with Bronte and the township of Trafalgar. As a consequence, special legislation was passed to provide that votes of members of the county council were to be allocated according to the populations of the respective municipalities, provided that the combined number of votes for Burlington and Oakville would not be greater than the total votes allocated to the remaining municipalities. In 1974, Halton County was replaced by the Regional Municipality of Halton.
