We’re part of West Lorne’s history

Now one of the two principal villages in the municipality of West Elgin, the community of West Lorne is rooted in the history of the Talbot Settlement that came to the north shore of Lake Erie in the early 1800s.

The community took hold with the arrival of the Canada Southern Railway in the 1870s. It was first named Bismarck, after the German chancellor, and was later known as West Clayton, Dutton and Lorne before the village and train station finally settled on West Lorne after the turn of the century. The name was taken from the Lorne Mills, located south of the railway.

Along with dairy farming, mixed farming and fruit growing on the area’s rich farm land, easy access to transportation led to West Lorne’s development of light manufacturing businesses as well. In 1908, the village was separated from Aldborough township and established as a municipality. In 1998, West Lorne amalgamated with the township and the village of Rodney to form a new municipality, now known as West Elgin.

A long-time fixture of the West Lorne farm and business community was the insurance brokerage founded by Paul Gangle. When he retired to return to farming with his family, Cindy Ross and Jamey Welch took on the challenge of carrying forward the service and values of P.J. Gangle Insurance. In 2005, P.J. Gangle Insurance joined the Crawford & Danyluk insurance group serving homeowners, farms and businesses throughout Elgin County.