Grant

Introduction

Grant was a small farming community that was settled in the first half of 19th century. A post office was opened in 1869, followed by a school in 1872. Grant also had a store and cheese factory. A church was finally added in 1892.

Tragedy struck in 1897 following a controlled burn along the railway tracks that got out of hand. Railway workers were burning brush and debris when the fire, fanned by high winds, began spreading along the tracks. The area sustained serious damage. Sadly two people from Grant, who were in a house just beyond the settlement, lost their lives.

Although Grant was a farming community, the soil was not of good quality. Once the trees were removed, erosion began to set in. It was continuing to increase at an alarming pace and the soil was rapidly turning into a fine sand. By the turn of century residents began leaving; the last families left in late 1940s.

In 1919 the Prescott-Russell United Counties embarked on a program to stabilize the soil and reforest the entire area, a brain child of Agronom Ferdinand Larose. County authorities purchased the farms and the planting began. Today Larose Forest is the second largest planted forest in the world.

There are no buildings left in Grant. A school and church foundation and the cemetery still remain. A Remembrance Day Ceremony has been held every November 11 at 11 a.m. since year 2000. Learn More