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The picturesque village of Ridgeway takes its name from the limestone
ridge which runs through it from north to south. The main street of town
aptly named Ridge Road, follows this ridge, and was part of one of the
first two wagon trails in Bertie Township, connecting Point Abino on Lake
Erie to Miller’s Creek on the Niagara River.

Ridgeway has a rich 200-year history, as it was settled by the United
Empire loyalists in the late 1700’s, and was originally a farming
com-munity. In the 1850’s the Buffalo, Brantford and Goderich Railway line
was put through, and service industries began to develop around the
train stop on Ridge Road. The business district spread north from there
towards Dominion Road. In 1873 the post office was opened, having
been moved from Point Abino.

A year later the town hall for Bertie Township was built in Ridgeway, and now this building houses the Fort Erie Historical Museum. By 1886 Ridgeway had a population of 800, and also boasted three taverns, twenty shops, three planing mills, a gristmill, three churches and a public school.
 

An important battle took place in Ridgeway, near the intersection of Ridge and Garrison Roads on June 2nd, 1866. Irish-American revolutionaries known as Fenians invaded Canada as part of an attempt to oust the British and create an independent Irish republic.

This was the largest of these border skirmishes. Canadian militiamen under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Alfred Booker arrived by train and marched to battle the invaders. The Fenians retired to Fort Erie and returned to Buffalo the same night. The Battle of Ridgeway shocked the country, spurring improvements to Canada’s defenses, and helping to bolster the movement for confederation, which took place the next year.

Ridgeway is now a part of the Town of Fort Erie, and its quaint charm is enjoyed every year by many visitors to its festivals,and by those who just want to experience its inviting atmos-phere and unique shops. In recent years the rail line has been converted to a lovely walking and cycling trail, part of a trail system circling the Niagara region.