It wasn't lumber or agriculture that opened up this area - it was gold.
Back in the late 1800's, the village of Wabigoon was a busy way-station to the nearby mining settlements of Goldrock and Manitou. The siren call of gold was heard in far-off cities and for a time prospectors, miners, entrepreneurs and adventurers generally, flocked to the area in search of their fortune. But the heyday of the gold mines was relatively short-lived.
More enduring proved to be the call of the land itself. under the federal government's Homestead Act, large tracts of virgin land became available for sale at unbelievably low prices. Soon, because of the desire of every farmer to own the land he tilled, many adventurers headed west.
One story given a lot of credence in this area and related in George Wice's history of Dryden, "Carved From the Wilderness", describes a train trip by Minister John Dryden in 1893. When the train stopped at Barclay Tank, a few miles east of where Dryden stands today, the minister noticed the heavy stands of clover growing alongside the tracks. On inquiry, he was told that settlers travelling west were in the habit of cleaning out refuse while the trains took on water. From the seed scattered in this manner, the clover had started and spread.
He deduced from this that the land must indeed be fertile and in 1894 he stared an experimental farm and by 1897 there was a small group of settlers.
The settlers decided at that time they wanted a name change for their community. They petitioned Toronto to change the name from New Prospect to Dryden, in honour of their founder, Mr. Dryden. This was agreed to, the community grew and prospered, and by 1910 it was incorporated as a town.
Although the CPR served Dryden and immediate area well, the area was opened up that much more with the arrival of the Trans-Canada Highway. The original trail from Vermilion Bay to Wabigoon was constructed in 1927-28, varying from the then-existing highway as the new road went through Eagle River.
In 1931 a new alignment was started which did not vary much from the present highway. This section was officially opened in 1935, although it had a gravel surface until 1949, when it was finally paved.
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