CHAPTER XVII

LUCAN TOWN

[ Main Street in Lucan, By Permission of Ray Fazakas, Unknown, Private Collection of Ray Fazakas  ]Lucan is the modern name of the old village of Marysville. [...] It is the principle town of the north-eastern section of the county, and the centre of a large trade as well as of a rich agricultural district. During its earlier years, it was looked upon as "the wildest town in Canada;" but descriptions were exaggerated of the evil, and forgotten in toto of the good, parts of the community; until truth came to the rescue and compelled an acknowledgement that, after all, only a few wild visitors made the place notorious. [...] Its grain market was no less celebrated than its cattle trade; so, that while the press was reporting unfavorably on its social condition, society and trade were both flourishing, almost ignorant of the existence of the noisy desperadoes who came occasionally to it to show that a busy trade centre could not continue in its course without a street broil or a tragedy.

[...] Criminal Statistics. — The following table from the criminal statistics gives the ratio of criminals per thousand of population in the cities and chief towns of Ontario.

Criminal Statistics of the Chief Cities and Towns of Ontario
CITIES AND TOWNS POPULATION OFFENCES,TOTAL RATION TO 1,000 OF THE POPULATION
Toronto 126,169 4,943 39.17
Hamilton 43,982 2,377 55.17
Ottawa 37,020 1,033 27.90
London 26,315 906 34.42
Kingston 15,827 474 29.94
Brantford 12,570 487 38.74
St. Thomas 10,271 279 27.16
Guelph 10,195 179 17.55
Belleville 10,139 299 29.49
Peterborough 8,160 307 35.43
Chatham 8,342 175 20.97
Windsor 7,608 289 37.98
Woodstock 7,533 336 44.80
Source: Unknown, "History of the County of Middlesex, Canada" (Toronto: W.A. & C.L. Goodspeed, 1889). Notes: J.J. Talman Regional Collection, University of Western Ontario Archives.

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