Stratford is a city on the Avon River in Perth County in southwestern Ontario located at the junction of Highways 7-8 and 19. When the area was first settled by Europeans in 1832, the town site and the river were named after Stratford-upon-Avon, England. In 1832, the Canada Company initiated the development of "Little Thames" as the market centre for the eastern Huron Tract. By 1834, a tavern, sawmill, and gristmill were built and a year later a post office called Stratford was opened. With the coming of the railroad in the 1850s, the village became a thriving administrative and commercial centre. Railway repair yards were opened here in 1871, and the town continued to expand. The town is the home of the Stratford Shakespeare Festival which began in 1953. The annual festival brings thousands of theatre goers and tourists to the area. The world-renowned festival takes place in four theatres throughout the city. The Stratford Summer Music Festival has been held for several seasons and features indoor and outdoor performances by international, classical, and world music artists as well as young Canadian performers around downtown Stratford. Each year twenty-four white swans and two black swans are released into the Avon River.