The history of the Town of Walden is full of interesting stories, and the origin of the name "Walden" is one which is worth repeating. We only have to go back to the year 1972 to find the origin of the name Walden. At that time, the Regional Municipality of Sudbury was being formed and it meant the uniting of independent towns and townships into larger bodies.

What is now the Town of Walden was made up of The United Townships of Drury Denison and Graham, Waters Township, and the Town of Lively. These areas were organized with their own councils and mayors (Reeves). In addition, Lorne, Louise, and Dieppe Townships and parts of the Townships of Trill, Fairbanks, Creighton and Snider were included in what was to become the Town of Walden.

In 1972, Charles White, then Reeve of Waters Township, chaired a joint meeting of the member groups to discuss a number of issues surrounding the upcoming amalgamation. One of the topics was a name for the new municipality.

Councillor Gertie Falzetta of Drury Denison and Graham recommended that the new town be known as "Makada" an early Ojibway name for Black Lake. Councillor John Robertson of Lively suggested that the name be "Walden". He said the "W" from Waters, the "L" from Lively, and the "Den" from Denison could be combined to make up the name "Walden". He also remembered a county named Walden he knew as a young boy in Scotland. Other names were also suggested but it was these two, "Makada" and "Walden", that made it to the final selection process. In 1973, the Town of Walden was established and Tom Davies was appointed the first Mayor.

With the new town established, a crest was needed to unite the settlements.  Randy Grover, Director of Physical Services for the Town of Walden provided the design that would become the town crest.

The crest is meant to signify "Unity". The central torch reflects the Olympic torch, a unifying symbol for the competitors from many countries. The seven orange flames represent the seven areas within the Town of Walden. Inside the seven orange flames are six red flames representing the named or known named areas within Walden: Lively-Creighton, Waters, Naughton, Whitefish, Worthington, and Beaver Lake.

Through the amalgamation of the City of Greater Sudbury in 2001, the Town of Walden became a significant part of our city and is still regarded as one of the best communities in which to live.

Material compiled from the Greater Sudbury Heritage Museums Archives.