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The Elgin County Plowman's Association Page The Elgin County Plowman's Association (ECPA) was established in late August 1922 at a meeting held in the offices of the Elgin County Representative of the Ontario Department of Agriculture and Food, C. W. Buchanan. At this meeting the following executive officers were elected: Alex Anderson, President; William Wadland, First Vice-President; Sam Garton, Second Vice-President; and Fred Carr, Secretary. At the same meeting, the following directors were appointed: Roy Evely; J.J. Ashton; C.W. Buchanan; J.R. Teeple, Reeve, Yarmouth Township; and R. A. Penhale, President, Elgin County Board of Trade. The Association organized the inaugural Elgin County Plowing Match, held October 17-18, 1922 on the farms of James Todd and Alex Anderson near St. Thomas, Ontario. An estimated 4,000 people attended the event, won by William Wadland, Yarmouth Township. The Second Annual Elgin County Plowing Match was organized by the Elgin County Plowmen's Association and held October 23-24, 1923 on the farms of Mrs. W.A. Hill and D.W. Bearss, just north of St. Thomas, Ontario. William Wadland, Yarmouth Township was declared champion for the second consecutive year. The Third Annual Elgin County Plowing Match was held October 29, 1924 on the farm of J.H. Miller, just north of Dutton, Ontario. The Elgin County Plowmen's Association continued to organize an annual plowing match in Elgin County for many years, although some years were missed as a result of the economic conditions during the depression of the 1930s and the Second World War, 1939-1945. The Elgin County Plowmen's Association was a key partner, with the Ontario Plowmen's Association, the County of Elgin, and the Elgin County Branch of the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food, in organizing the International Plowing Match events held in Elgin County in 1940, 1960, and 1985. Please click here to view our image gallery for the ECPA. Don't forget to check out the Elgin County Archives website for more information. Our collection contains minutes of the meetings, records relating to the Elgin County Plowing Matches organized by the Association for the period 1979-1984, and records relating to the Association's bid to the Ontario Plowmen's Association to host the 1985 International Plowing Match and Farm Machinery Show in Elgin County. Back to Top |