Monkland, once a booming railroad centre, now a calm, tranquil, picturesque village, is located in the old Township of Roxborough now the Township of North Stormont. It nestles at the crossroads of Highway 138 and 43.
At one time Monkland was the terminal point between Smiths Falls and Montreal.
Monkland’s first settlers are believed to have arrived in the late 1700’s and were of United Empire Loyalist descent. At the end of the American Revolution the British Government was forced to deal with those Americans who had wished to remain loyal to their monarch. To do this the British Government issued grants of free land from Montreal westward into what is present-day Ontario. Soldiers and their dependents were given first options on the lots and so settlement took place from the river back throughout the concessions.
There are three different stories as to how Monkland received its name.
The first of these states that Monkland was named after Sir Charles Stanley, Viscount of Monk who became Governor General of Canada in 1861.
Another Source claims that Monkland was named after a small place outside Glasgow, Scotland.
Another source speculates on several references to the fact that the community once went by the name of “Muck Land” before 1860 and might have derisively renamed it Monkland as a questionable honour to Lord Monck.
From Discover Glengarry,
Tourism 2010 Edition
