In 2026, Stanley will commemorate 200 years since the commencement of European settlement, marked by the arrival of the brig Tranmere from England, via George Town, on 24 October 1826.  The vessel was unloaded 27 October when 14 indentured servants, together with livestock and essential supplies, came ashore. This event marked the beginning of the first permanent European settlement west of the Mersey River.

The settlement, then known as Circular Head, continued to grow and, in 1842, was officially proclaimed a town and renamed Stanley in honour of Lord Stanley, the British Secretary of State for War and the Colonies.