INTRODUCTION

The motorist of the 1980’s speeding along the Blueshank Road, Route 107, with one eye on the highway, cannot miss sight of the peaceful coun- tryside, the neatly kept homes and the general atmosphere of well-being as he passes through the little community of Wilmot Valley.

But the hurry of the present day may not allow the traveller to turn aside and follow the road running south that leads through the real valley and to the bridge over the little stream that in the olden days was the centre of attraction and indeed the very core of early settlement.

A SETTLER, a STREAM, and a SAWMILL —— these three com- ponents have been the beginnings of many a community on Prince Edward Island and, coupled with the determination and resourcefulness of other pioneer families, have led to the fruitful and satisfying development of the natural wealth of land and people.

From this beginning the people of Wilmot Valley have, with diligence and resolution, lived and worked and maintained this goodly heritage. Their efforts must not be forgotten.

The people of this community have a known past, a story that has been in the making for two centuries and this statement of past events will be preserved in printed form in this Community History, “A BRIDGE TO

THE PAST’ ’.