Between 1786 and 1800, Grafton’s population doubled from 354 to 682. By 1860, it had nearly doubled again, to 1,259, and there were now 190 working farms of various sizes and agricultural pursuits laid out beneath Banks, many using freight trains on the newly built Northern Rail to ship tons of wool, potatoes, firewood, maple sugar, and dairy products to market at a tidy profit.
