before being destroyed by a fire in 1934. In 1883, the local farmers and other residents established the Pickering Cheese Factory as a joint stock company. Also known as the Pickering Butter and Cheese Company, the factory was located at the south-east corner of Kingston Road and Ritchie Road (then called Westney Road). The factory was not very profitable, and the stockholders criticized the board of directors for paying the dairy farmers over the market rate for milk. The factory ultimately failed because there were not enough farmers to supply the milk. In 1886, the factory was sold by auction. Attempts to reopen the factory in 1889 failed because of insufficient milk supply. The property of the factory was later turned into a subdivision. Transport The War of 1812 increased military traffic on the Kingston Road, contributing to the development of the Duffins Creek settlement. The soldiers, who used the road more frequently, contributed to its maintenance. The frequency of the stagecoach service increased from twice per week to daily. The increase in the passenger traffic benefited the local businesses, particularly the inn keepers. The stagecoach service became largely obsolete with the arrival of the Grand Trunk Railway in 1856. However, the demand for local transportation increased because of the considerable distance between the core Pickering Village and the Pickering Railway Station. William Peak (presumably a descendant of an earlier settler of same name) and others provided livery service, carrying mail and passengers between the two points. In 1891, an iron bridge was constructed across the Duffins Creek on Kingston Road. In 1920, the Department of Highways replaced the iron bridge with a concrete bridge. During 1910–1912, a proposal to bring The Toronto Eastern electric railway was taken up. Track had been laid from Port Hope in the east to Church Street in the Pickering Village in the west. The right-of-way had been negotiated up to Dunbarton in the west, but there was difficulty in negotiating entry into Toronto. As a result, the entire project was halted, and when the World War I began in 1914, the rails were lifted and shipped to France. The line was completely abandoned during the 1920s. In 1921, the Kingston Road was paved. Two companies - Collacut Coach Lines of Pickering and Del-Ray Coach Lines of Oshawa - operated bus service along Kingston Road, connecting Pickering Village to Toronto. Telephone In 1844, the telephone