A brief history of Milton, Ontario

The town took root out of a settlement by Jasper Martin along the Sixteen Mile Creek, after Martin immigrated from Newcastle, England with his wife Sarah and two sons on May 17, 1818. Martin was granted 100 acres of land, from the Crown in 1820, designated Lot 14, Concession 2, Township of Trafalgar, Halton County, in the District of Gore. He later built a grist mill along the creek and created a pond, known as Mill Pond, to power the mill. The mill became the centre of settlement for others as they settled in the region. In 1837 the area had approximately 100 people and was named Mill Town. The two principal property owners of the young town were the Martins and the Fosters. The current site of Milton's town hall was donated from Mr. Hugh Foster (and thus, Hugh Foster Hall).

Milton was incorporated into a town in 1857, after being chosen as county seat for Halton. In 1974, the present municipal structure was created when the Regional Municipality of Halton replaced Halton County. The new town of Milton added parts of the former township of Esquesing (most of this township comprises Halton Hills), all of Nassagaweya Township including the village of Campbellville, and the northern sections of Trafalgar and Nelson from (a 1962 annexation of the former townships) Oakville and Burlington respectively.

With the addition of the Niagara Escarpment lands, tourism, recreation, and heritage conservation have increased in importance. The Halton Region Museum, which has a large number of historic agricultural buildings, and the Halton County Radial Railway museum are located in Milton, as is Country Heritage Park (formerly the Ontario Agricultural Museum).

Five parks operated by Conservation Halton reside in the town and Mohawk Raceway is located near Campbellville.

In recent years the addition of parts of the Niagara Escarpment has meant that Milton has become a major tourist hot spot, built around the idea of environmental and historical conservation.