Kingston Mills waterfall and Rideau Canal Locks

The Kingston Mills was constructed under the direction of the commanding officer of the British garrison at Kingston in 1783.  He was told to construct both a saw and a grist mill to provide boards and flour for the Loyalist settlers arriving the following year.

He chose the site of the falls to be the Great Cataraqui River in 1784.  This site was one of the earliest mills sites in Ontario - soon more mills had succeeded shortly thereafter.  

In 1914 - 130 years later the present electric generating station was constructed to harness the power of the falls.

We climbed down around back of the Kingston Mills waterfall to find a low, small to moderate-sized cascade with a total height of about 8 metres.  We were lucky to find it in full flow because it can range from a trickle in summer to torrent in spring.  

Around dusk the sun casts a wide angle across the beach which is located just to the south of the mills.  An open park with shallow, sandy shorelines great for picnics and kid-friendly.  Directly just east of the falls are locks 46 - 49 on the Rideau Canal.

I hadn't been here since I was a child, and didn't recognize it at first until I saw some of the familiar historical landmarks which brought back memories.  

The Rideau canal was designated a National Historic Site of Canada on May 25, 1925 as part of the Rideau Waterway which was designated as a Canadian Heritage river in 2000.

The Rideau Canal is a series of lakes and rivers and connecting locks from Kingston to Ottawa for 202 km (125 miles). 

The Rideau canal was built between 1826 and 1832 by private contractors, John Redpath and Thomas McKay (I looked up Redpath to see if it was the same man who established the Redpath sugar refinery and found that it was)

The Rideau canal not only provided merchants from overseas to ship goods to Montreal and Ontario, but it also was critical in assisting in the defense of Canada by allowing boats to to travel to and from Montreal to the Great Lakes without having to travel down the St. Lawrence in potential gunshot range of the Americans.

It had officially opened in May 1832 and has been operating ever since.

The amazing thing about the locks is that they are still operated by hand, using the same mechanism that were used to operate the locks back in 1832.

There is something really special about being here.  No wonder so many millionaires have built homes along the St. Lawrence along with quaint cottages.  Yet still it all feels so undisturbed where young families are swimming in a sheltered bay while others are busy making sand castles.

It was such an awesome day.

Iroquois Locks Gauging Station - St. Lawrence Seaway

About half an hour north-east of Brockville is a tiny little town called Iroquois situated on the banks of the St. Lawrence Seaway. 

The St. Lawrence Seaway is connected by 5 short canals consisting of 15 locks - I've seen the Welland Canal which consists of 8 locks (7 of them in the north end and the 1 in the south)  which connects Lake Ontario to Lake Erie.

 The Iroquois canal contains only 1 lock and is only 0.3 nautical miles the smallest of the 5 (the other three canals are named South Shore, Beauharnois and the Wiley-Dondero).  

Altogether the Seaway canals are made up of 15 locks which are filled and emptied by gravity.  I've always found this such a spectacular event when it's put in motion.

While visiting, the lock was lifted to allow a large Algoma Conveyor which carries a max cargo dead-weight of 36800 megatons, with the ability to discharge cargo at a rate of 5400 MT an hour.  You've probably seen the Algoma many times if you live near Lake Ontario as it is currently used to trade in all areas of the Great Lakes with cargoes of grain, salt and iron ore among an oleo of other materials (aggregate) carried in 5 separate 'holds' on the vessels.

If you pass through Iroquois you might also want to check out the Iroquois beach in the warmer month especially if you have kids.  The beach is marked by buoy lines and has floating docks connected to the shore.

Great sand and shallow water entry so safer for young kids - they also have lifeguards on staff along with change rooms.

It was a beautiful day in May, so the parking lot was completely full with waiting cars to get in after over a year of being cooped and the long winter this would have explained that!

We made the next detour to the watch the lift locks here instead.  Lots of history right here in Ontario to discover.

 

Brockville Museum, The Mill and Brock trail

The Brock trail runs along the banks of the beautiful St. Lawrence River. The city was named after General Isaac Brock. It is also home of the famous "Pink Pills for Pale People" manufactured by George Fulford. His home is still standing today. 

The Brock Trail is a 8 km scenic pathway, part of the Ontario Waterfront Trail that runs along Brockville's beautiful waterfront and through city parks. The trail also moves north following Butler's Creek and Buell's Creek with the trail ending on Centennial Rd. at the southern border of the Mac Johnson Wildlife Area. 

Brockville Railway Tunnel

Trails are paved and can accommodate bicycles, roller blades, wheelchairs, and strollers. You might also want to visit the Brockville Railway Tunnel, Blockhouse Island, or one of the other parks along the river. Swimming, scuba diving, or just relaxing in one of the riverfront parks are popular activities. 

 

I had to wait until the rain stopped as the skies opened up when I pulled in the parking lot.  It was a very muggy day, so everyone was relieved by the downpour.  Kids were jumping in puddles, even some of the young moms gave up trying to hide under the trees and just allowed themselves to get drenched.

Once the last spell had lifted, I got out of the car and proceeded to the trail.  Just east of the parking lots is a large mill pond first created in the 1790s to serve Daniel Jones saw mill, located near the mouth of Jones' Creek.  

In the 1850s an additional grist Mill was operated by the Shepherd family.  The pond lasted for over 90 years, ans was drained about 1884 to allow for the construction of the CPR rail line to the waterfront.

A little further you can see the Isaac Beecher House.

The land was first granted to United Empire Loyalist Daniel Jones in 1790.  In 1824, Isaac Beecher bought the Jones property and in the 1840 he added the large stone house.  Beecher a tanner by trade owned the house until his death in 1870.  In 1897 the house and surrounded property was sold to the central Canada coal company in 1976 the City of Brockville with the assistance of the Brockville and district historical society bought the site to establish a permanent museum.

In 1981 after restoration and renovation, the Beecher house doors were opened as the Brockville Museum.

During the pandemic a lot of these indoor attractions are closed off from the public - if you're passing through you'll want to check out Brockville.  The homes especially are so unique.  A lot of the historical value is still kept in the small town.  I loved it.

Upper Canada Village (Battle of Crysler's Farm)

If you have never been to Upper Canada Village, I encourage you to spend a day here.  The park incorporates a strong memorial to the Battle of Crysler's Farm (yea that's the correct spelling :) which occurred in November 1813 ('The war of 1812")

In November 1813, an American army of some 8000 men commanded by major General James Wilkinson moved down the St Lawrence Seaway on their way to Montreal.

 

Wilkinson was followed and harassed by a British soldiers consisting of about 800 regulars, militia and Natives commanded by Lieut.-Col Joseph Morrison.  On November 11 Morrison's force was attacked by a contingent of the American army numbering about 4000 men commanded by Brigadier-General J.P. Boyd.

The hard fought battle resulted in the withdrawal of American troops from the battlefield.  This victory combined with the defeat of another invading army at Chateauguay on October 26 saved Canada from conquest in 1813!

Further historical sites at the village is a look at a rural English-Canadian life setting during the year 1866 with over 40 historical buildings including several working mills (woollen, grist and saw mills), and trades buildings (blacksmith, tinsmith, cabinetmaker, bakery and cheese-maker).

The park also is situated on the shores of the St. Lawrence seaway so there's plenty of spectacular views and places for picnics here and there situated on the property.

Located in Morrisburg, Ontario.  As the village was closed when we were there, please check first before heading out as I believe it's now open to the public for summer hours. 

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Other parts of the Crysler Park at Upper Canada village include a marina, a pond, a train that takes you through the park and plenty of space for a picnic.