Woodstock

Woodstock (2005 population 34,000) is a city and the county seat of Oxford County in southwestern Ontario, Canada. Woodstock is located 80 miles southwest of Toronto, north off the 401, along the historic Thames River. It is known as the Dairy Capital of Canada and promotes itself as "The Friendly City."

The city was first settled in 1800, when it was determined by Sir John Graves Simcoe, governor of what was then known as Upper Canada, that the area would make a good townsite. Woodstock was incorporated as a town in 1851 and a city in 1901.

Vansittart Avenue (named after Admiral Henry Vansittart, an early settler) in Woodstock's west end has one of the finest residential Victorian streetscapes in the province.

A special place is reserved in the hearts of Woodstonians for their beloved Springbank Snow Countess, commemorated by a life-size statue (designed by acclaimed area agricultural artist Ross Butler) which is located on Dundas Street East in Woodstock.

This concrete statue was made to honour a record-setting milk production by a Holstein Freisian cow. The statue was first unveiled on August 4, 1937. Springbank Snow Countess was born on November 18, 1919 and died August 9, 1936. During her lifetime, she produced 9,062 pounds of butterfat, impressive at that time. The statue was erected by the Holstein Freisian Association of Canada. It cost $4,000 to design and erect in 1937.

The cow has become an important symbol to Woodstock and is used in many cultural events, such as the annual Cowapolozza Festival. As well, the word COW has become an operating anagram for the CITY OF WOODSTOCK (COW).