Modern Mississauga and Heritage Mississauga have come together to present an ongoing series called “Way Back Wednesday.”
We’ll share information about the history of Mississauga here and answer your questions.

Today’s topic is about Mississauga's Alpha Mills Road.

Alpha Mills Road is named after the Alpha Grist Mill, which was established by Christopher Row (also spelled “Rowe”) in 1826 or 1827. The mill was located along the Credit River, and the road, now known as Alpha Mills Road, led to the mill-site.
The mill was purchased by the Gooderham & Worts firm in 1858, and its operation was overseen by James Gooderham, who at the time lived in Streetsville. The mill was lost to fire around 1869, although the exact date of the fire is unknown.

One report suggests that the mill may have been intentionally burned, as it was no longer required by Gooderham & Worts and that they did not wish for any competition if another operator were to purchase the mill. This is not known for certain, but has overshadowed the history of the site.

Today the mill site is unrecognizable, and there are no known surviving remnants of the mill operation here. As for the road itself, running east off of Mississauga Road, it is an old route in its own right. It appears in an 1859 survey, but may actually date to the creation of the mill by Christopher Row in the late 1820s.