May 3rd, 2026
D. Rollings

       Churchville played a surprisingly important role in the initial establishment of Holstein-  Friesian cattle in Canada. Between October 1887 to April 1896, the Credit Valley Stock Farm operated in the community. Situated on the east half of Lot 2, 4th Concession WHS, it fronted onto Creditview Road, just north of the Borgstrom’s eventual property. It backed onto Jack Fraser’s farm. The Credit runs through the north east corner of the lot and the property would eventually form parts of Eldorado Park and Lionhead Golf Club. Long-time Churchville residents may recall the property being called “Homestead”.

       Three brothers from West Flamborough, W. B. Smith, G.W Smith and D.E. Smith, purchased the lot in Chinguacousy Township on October 1st, 1887. D. E. took on management responsibiilties for the operation.

Daniel, or D.E. Smith, as his name always appeared, was a graduate of the University of Toronto who had previously pursued a career as a high school teacher. He was a passionate advocate for Holsteins and their care, and was published many times for his work. The motivation behind the brothers’ new business was to establish themselves as a Canadian importer and dealer of purebred Holstein-Freisian cattle; something that nobody had ever successfully done at that time. 

    Although Holsteins now comprise about 93% of the national herd, they were quite uncommon in Canada until the end of the 19th Century. D.E Smith wrote a history of the breed for the Farmer’s Advocate in 1889:

They were introduced into North America as early as 1613, by the early Dutch farmers, who settled on the banks of the Hudson. In 1625, the West India Company brought in a second lot. Then followed a long period, in which little is known of these cattle in America. The Holland Land Company sent over, in 1795, six cows and two bulls, which was followed by Hon. Wm. Jarvis bringing over, in 1810, two cows and one bull. Between 1825 and 1830, Mr. Le Roy brought over a few head, and between 1852 and 1859, Mr. Chenery imported seven head. Most of these became mixed with other breeds and were not kept pure; and in 1860, the few that remained were destroyed on account of a disease that broke out.

   The makings of the modern national herd began when Holsteins were imported from the Netherlands in the 1880s. The breed was initially met with skepticism, but the Smith Brothers, being smart opportunists, saw a great potential for these huge “Black & Whites” who produced more milk by far than any other dairy breed.

     After purchasing the farm, the Smith Brothers began importing cattle from Michigan, New York, New Hampshire and Iowa. Their purchases included Holsteins that were bred and registered in the Netherlands and were brought to North America by U.S. importers. 

     The Smith Brothers named their farm the Credit Valley Stock Farm and eventually grew their herd to 80 head of cattle. They sold bulls when they were young and maintained two breeding bulls at any given time. Holstein bulls are notoriously large, dangerous and unpredictable and breeders usually keep just one for every 25-30 heifers. True to nature, their herd produced a significant amount of high-quality milk. The stock farm was located conveniently close to the CPR stop at Steeles Avenue and Churchville Road, and milk cans were picked up for sale in Toronto almost daily from the small flag-stop station.

    D.E. Smith in particular understood that the greater Holstein market needed to grow in order for their stock farm to succeed. He worked hard to create a community of breeders in Ontario, published several books on the topics of Holstein breeding and care and regularly entered his cattle in local fairs. The Farmer’s Advocate periodical wrote about the Credit Valley Stock Farm on many occasions and publications as far away as Montreal provided readers with updates about the Smith Brothers’ successes and offerings. 

     D.E. served as a founding member, the first Secretary-Treasurer, and then eventually president, of the Holstein-Friesian Association of Canada. During his time with the Association he also edited and published the first Canadian Herd Book, which detailed the history and lineage of the many Holsteins in the country up to that time. This was a huge undertaking, for which he received much respect from the growing community of Holstein breeders.  He later served as the first secretary of the Dominion Cattle-Breeders Association (1892). His devotion to the cause of cattle breeding made him well-known and appreciated in circles around the country. He served as President and Secretary of the Peel Farmer’s Institute and often gave lectures on their behalf about cattle breeding.

    D.E. Smith, as a university graduate and trained teacher, put his writing skills to good use in the cause of promoting the breed. He presented papers at gatherings of Holstein breeders, including at a meeting in Guelph on March 15th, 1889, where he spoke on the topic of “The Quality of Holstein Milk”. The principal of the Ontario Agricultural College was in attendance that evening and he voiced his agreement with D.E. Smith’s claims that Holstein milk was significantly better in quantity and quality than that from any other breed of cattle.

   In 1893, D.E. Smith wrote and published a book called “The Farmer’s Most Profitable Cow and How to Feed Her”, which described effective means for selecting and raising dairy cows. The entire book has been scanned and uploaded to the Internet Archive; you can read it here.

     The Smith Brothers enjoyed great success at local fairs, which also helped to promote their business interests. At the Provincial Exhibition in 1889 (the final itinerant one, to be succeeded by the CNE), their Holsteins won twelve prizes, including nine firsts and three seconds.

     Two of their stock bulls, Mink’s Mercedes Baron and Tirannia 2nds’s Prince Castine were particularly renowned. Mink Mercedes Baron’s dam had won the Public Test in Chicago in 1883, taking home the Breeder’s Gazette Shield. This particular competition had been open to all breeds and to the entire world. 

    Tirannia 2nd’s Prince Castine grand-dam had previously set the record for the most butter at the Detroit Exhibition in 1889, making the best Show Record in America. His other grand-dam won the Ohio State Fair butter test and the Sweepstakes Butter Test at Buffalo International Exhibition in 1888. Tirannia 2nd’s Prince Castine was chosen by the Smith Brothers to breed with the offspring of Mink’s Mercedes Baron.

      The Smith Brother’s dream came to a sad end within nine short years. It may be difficult to comprehend, considering that Holsteins eventually came to completely dominate dairying in Canada and the United States, but there was simply no demand for Holstein cattle in Peel Region at that time. Indeed, Holstein importers and breeders continued to be met with significant suspicion and resistance from established dairies in the area, where other breeds were already firmly established. The brothers could not make their business plan profitable. 

    The end came on March 11th, 1896, when a public auction was held at the farm and the herd, plus their coveted Large Improved Yorkshire Sows and “very choicely bred” horses, were sold off. An article detailing the day described it as being a bad one for the Smith Brothers, as everything sold for shockingly low prices. This was blamed on the economic depression that was impacting the province at that time. As a result, many of Canada’s finest-bred Holsteins were dispersed to different parts of Ontario, the U.S. and Manitoba.

     The failure of the Credit Valley Stock Farm inadvertantly sowed the seeds of dairy's future much closer to home. Many locals, some of whose names our readers will  surely recognize, were suddenly able to purchase the finest animals on the market for bargain-basement prices. Peel farmers who purchased Holsteins that day included Joseph Snell of Snelgrove, J. Pickering of Brampton (who would eventually purchase the farm on the south west side of the bridge and move his herd to Churchville), William Early and T. Early of Norval, A. Lougheed of Churchville, George Cheyne of Derry-West, Frank Hillock of Brampton, James Fallis of Brampton (future MPP who purchased famed bull Tiranon 2nd’s Prince Castine), Alexander Trimble of Brampton, John Bingham of Norval,  J.J. McGill of Norval, N. Harrett of Brampton, Richard Lyons of Huttonville, Chartres Letty of Churchville, John Hamilton of Lisgar, Matthew Ingram of Churchville and Darius McClure of Springbrook.

     I grew up in Churchville in the 1980s and 90s; a full century after the Smith Brother's failed experiment. I have many vivid memories of Holstein cows at farms all over Peel Region. In fact, they are the only breed of cow that I recall ever seeing. I remember visiting the Fraser’s herd and learning to milk them as a member of the 1st Huttonville Scouts. The Fraser's farm was located at the west end of Lot 2, Concession 4 WHS -  the other half of the lot where the Smith Brother’s farm was located. As I write this, I wonder how many of the herds that were distributed around Peel found their origins at the Smith Brother’s 1896 auction?