The Grand River has played an essential part in the development of the Brantford, Brant County, Six Nations and New Credit communities.

In 1784, Captain Joseph Brant and the Six Nations Indians of the Iroquois Confederacy were given a large land grant, which they made their village. Brant's crossing of the river gave the initial name to the area: Brant's ford.
In 1847 the European settlers named the village Brantford. Brantford was incorporated as a city in 1877.

Among the Anglo-Canadian residents were Alexander Graham Bell and his family. The first working model of the telephone is built in Boston, but Bell invented it in Brantford in July 1874.

As part of the invention and development of the telephone, Canada's first telephone factory was built here, and the city was called "Brantford, The Telephone City".