Saltford, Ontario

43°45′15″N 81°41′45″W / 43.754167°N 81.695833°W / 43.754167; -81.695833 Saltford is a small unincorporated community in Ontario, Canada, located at the intersection of Highway 21 and Saltford Road, on the east bank of the Maitland River in the township of Ashfield-Colborne-Wawanosh just east of Goderich. In early 1866, local entrepreneur Samuel Platt discovered the presence of brine while drilling for oil in the community. He subsequently developed a salt extraction business, using an evaporation process. This discovery inspired the development of several salt extraction operations in the immediate area, eventually culminating in the opening of the Sifto Salt mine in nearby Goderich, currently (2007) the third largest salt producer in the world.

Saltford's name has been changed several times throughout its history. In 1834, brothers William and Robert Dunlop named their settlement on the north shore of the Maitland River Gairbraid, after their mother's home in Dunbartonshire, Scotland. The name changed to Bridgend Place, Maitlandville, and finally in 1879, Saltford.^[1]