Iroquoian peoples arrived between 1,200 and 4,000 years ago, and both the Mohawk and the Oneida consider the Adirondacks to be part of their territory.

The Mohawks are known as Kanienkehaka, or "the people of the flint," and they were considered the keepers of the Eastern door for this edge of Haudenosaunee territory.

The name Canton was supposedly [citation needed] selected due to contemporary interests in the China trade.

The Brick Chapel Church and Cemetery was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2005.

U.S. Route 11 runs through Canton and is served by Adirondack Trailways, with stops in Gouverneur, Watertown and Syracuse to the west, and Potsdam, Malone and Rouses Point to the east.

To the north on New York State Route 68, Ogdensburg borders Canada at the Johnstown crossing, which in turn is an hour from the capital, Ottawa.

The CSX Transportation former New York Central Railroad St. Lawrence Division runs through the town.

Until 1964 the New York Central operated passenger trains from Massena, through the town, to Watertown, and to Syracuse to meet up with the NYC mainline.