Brantford is located on the Grand River, 104 km southwest of Toronto. Originally inhabited by the Neutrals, the territory is part of a vast territory that the British government granted to the Six Nations in 1784, as a reward for their loyalty during the American War of Independence and in compensation for the loss of their territory in the Mohawk Valley (see Iroquois). In 1825, the settlement was named Brant's Ford in honour of Mohawk Chief Joseph Brant. European settlers settled there in 1805. They were welcomed by the six nations who ceded their rights to the city in 1830 and settled on reserves across the river. With the arrival of the railway in 1856, Brantford became the distribution centre of a rich agricultural region. In the 20th century, the manufacturing sector is booming and remains the main engine of the economy. Brantford is also known as an educational centre. It houses Mohawk College, a Wilfrid Laurier University campus and the W. Ross Macdonald School for the Blind (opened in 1872). Ontario's first Protestant church, St. Joseph's Church. Paul, Her Majesty's Mohawk Chapel, was built in 1785 thanks to a gift from George III; Joseph Brant and his son are buried in the adjacent cemetery. Brantford is known as Telephone City because Alexander Graham Bell worked here in his hometown on the invention of the telephone and in August 1876 he had his first long-distance conversation in Paris, Ontario, 11 km away. The Bell property, designated a national historic site in 1997, includes the restored Bell house and the Henderson House, which was the first telephone company office in Canada. The Cultural Forest Centre follows the history and culture of the Six Nations. Kanata Village is a living museum that confirms the atmosphere of a 17th century Iroquois village. Famous personalities associated with Brantford are painter Robert Whale, manufacturer Alanson Harris, Ontario Premier Arthur Hardy and hockey player Wayne Gretzky.