How Grand Lake Oakfield Communities got their start

Lt-Colonel John Wimburn Laurie came to Canada in 1861 following service in the Crimean War, and in 1866 acquired 3000 acres of woodland at Grand Lake.  He had grand plans for the property, brought families from Devonshire, England, and established the Estate of Oakfield, which included cottages, a school, church, and a model farm noted for its Guernsey cattle. Once the employees started to retire from working on the farm the Laurie family would gift a house to the employee. This practise is what brought us the communities we now know today.