Until 1790, the portage route around Niagara Falls was on the east side of the Niagara River and was controlled by the Stedman family. Philip Stedman was the man who first bought Block 1 from the Six Nations with money he earned from the Niagara portage. In 1790, for security reasons, the portage was moved to the west side of the river, along what became the Portage Road, and Robert Hamilton gained control. Originally an aboriginal trail, the new portage ran from the property of John Burch in Chippawa to the property of another Butler's Ranger, Isaac Dolson, in Queenston. In the 1790s, the government of Upper Canada constructed a road to replace the trail and the villages of Drummondville and Stamford were founded. Today's Portage Road generally follows the route of the old trail except just south of Queenston, where it was diverted by the reservoir for the hydro-electric system.