Historic plaque located off Highway 89 (Queen Street) at the entrance to the Cookstown to Thornton trail in Cookstown. It features a photo of the Cookstown train station, as well as the logos for the Town of Innisifl and the County of Simcoe. The sign reads: "The Cookstown to Thornton Trail follow the route of the old Beeton Sub Branch Line which was built in the mid 1870's by the Hamilton and North Western Railway. The first train came down this track on December 31, 1878 bringing produce and lumber to urban markets. Within two years, the railway was merged with the Northern Railway, and then absorbed by the Grand Trunk Railway. The line was acquired in 1920 by Canadian National Railway Co. (CN). The last passenger train travelled through here on July 2, 1960 and the last freight train in 1986. CN sold the land to area Townships in 1996. In 1825, the village of Cookstown was settled by James Kidd and his family. In its heyday, Cookstown was an important business centre for the surrounding area. It has its own newspaper, bank, blacksmiths, bakery, tailor, shoemaker, two doctors, a carriage making shop, a dozen stores, grain elevators, a miller, two hotels, and two grocery stores. In 1833, John Henry and his family settled in Thornton which was then known as Henryville. In its prime, the town boasted two grain elevators, butchers, a veterinarian, blacksmith, shoemaker, doctor, grocery stores, bank, a hotel and two general stores."
