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The Cyclopedia of New Zealand [Otago & Southland Provincial Districts]
Balfour
Balfour is the name of a township and farming district on the Waimea Plains line of railway, ten miles distant from Lumsden, and twenty-seven miles from Gore. It is in the Oreti riding of the country of Southland, and in the electorates of Wakatipu and Wallace. The population in the year 1901 was 123 with thirty-four additional at Ardlussa Flat, and forty-seven at Black Swamp. Originally, the site was part of the Longridge station—the homestead of which is seven miles away on the hills—and the settlement dates from 1884, when Balfour was surveyed as a township. The post office and railway station combined stands at an altitude of 540 feet above the sea, and daily mails are received and despatched. A commodious hotel adjoins the station, and there are three stores, two smiths' shops, a bakery, a butchery, two carpenters' shops, and a large grain store belonging to the well-known firm of Messrs Wright, Stephenson and Co. An extensive farming district surrounds the township, the valley being fully eight miles across. The Longridge creek runs through the district, which is generally well watered. The local churches represent the Presbyterian, Anglican and Roman Catholic bodies. There is a flourishing public school, and a public hall owned by a local company. The line of railway running through Balfour was constructed under the auspices of the New Zealand Agricultural Company, which owned a large tract of land in its native tussock. The land was ultimately taken over by the Government, and the station at Balfour dates from 1899. In addition to the business premises already named, there are well-equipped livery and bait stables, where visitors can obtain vehicles to get about the surrounding country. The land in the immediate vicinity of the township is level, but the settlement creeps up the hills on both sides of the valley. In 1881, there were no houses on the site of the township, but in 1882, Mr John Macpherson, the pioneer settler of the district, erected a store, took out an hotel license a year later, and built Longridge Hotel in 1884. In addition to the Longridge sheep station, there are three other stations in the district; Glenure, six miles away; Waimea, four miles and a-half; and Ardlussa, six miles distant.