Darnley Grist Mill Ruins

In the early part of the 1800's, Crooks Hollows was at the centre of some progressive industrial growth in Upper Canada.  Named after James Crooks, its founder, who saw that Spencer creek had a lot of potential in the town to build and grow upon.

During the war of 1812, James Crooks, who saw the soldiers in the area were having a very difficult time, had built the Darnley Grist Mill with the hopes of producing flour for bread.  James Crooks saw the Spencer creek to not only power the mill, but to provide water for the crops as well as drinking water.  He obviously was a visionary.  Darnley Mill was the first of several businesses that had developed.  Soon a distillery, blacksmith shop and a general store opened its doors.

Ten years later, the old grist mill was made into Upper Canada's first paper mill.  But Crooks sold it off because of lack of power.  This is when I find the story gets a little strange.  The paper mill had passed through three hands (Helliwell, Ellen Bansley, Robert Sanderson) before it was eventually sold to Mr. Stutts in 1878.  James Stutts and his sons ran the business for 7 years.  Until one gloomy gray day such as this one, when the boiler had blown the roof off the boiler house as well as the roof of the main building killing one of Stutts sons' John.

Although Darnley Mill continued to run for years after, it was once more brought down for good after a fire which gutted the building in 1943, never to be rebuilt again.  

Where I stand in and among the ruins taking pictures, you can sense the isolation and the bleak remains of this town.  Although there are beautiful homes and quaint little stores at the hairpin of Old Brock road and Crooks Hollow Road, this town was forgotten about after the railroad had bypassed it altogether.  Nowadays, you can visit the ruins of Darnley Grist Mill and see the remains of a man's dream one brick at a time.


Other links: Darnley Cascade, Crooks Hollow.

Borers Falls-Hamilton

Borers Falls in Hamilton,

Borers Falls is located just off Highway 5 in Hamilton at Rock Chapel Road.  It is very accessible to view the falls from above..I haven't taken the hike down below yet, but plan on doing that again sometime this summer. 

What we did find though was a very thick cable and hook designed to help the avid cliff diver.  I like waterfalls and adventure, but there are limits to even that and when you look close enough I don't think you would even trust a basket on fruit on that thing.  It's hidden off to the side mind you and you'll have to look for it, but I think the Hamilton Authority should peel it off the tree once and for all.  It's an accident waiting to happen.

The RBG (Royal Botanical Gardens) has a sizable automatic paid parking lot for the Rock Chapel Sanctuary.  Once you park and pay, you’ll see a sign with an arrow pointing you into the right direction.Word of caution, they do ticket cars there! One guy was gone no longer than ten minutes (he claimed) to walk his dog and came back to a $35 dollar ticket on his windshield, with a price increase of $50 if not paid in 7 days! That's a pretty stiff penalty, and is not given out by the Police, but the Hamilton Authority, especially on weekends.

Although Borer's Falls is only 16m in height, it is still quite pretty, but its best to wait till after a rainfall to see a substantial flow.  The Rock Chapel Sanctuary is gorgeous with awesome views of the escarpment and dense tree foliage as far as the eye can see.  You'll find a perfect view of Borer’s Falls from up top and once there you'll see that it's obviously a much photographed cascading curtain waterfall.

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I am including a picture of the Borers Waterall in the winter months here.  I still have to take a decent shot of this lovely waterfall in the spring when the flow is good.  I was still young into photography when I took the original here, and learning a trick or two makes for better waterfall photos.

Denlow Falls-Hamilton

It's been over a few weeks since going to Upper Chedoke, but I thought I would do a little bit of a write up on her next door neighbour, Denlow Falls.   To get here, you will have to be a bit of a skilled rock hopper as you will be deciphering many moss-laden stones and large cragged boulders.  But perseverance will eventually take you to where you need to go.  If you park in the lot off of Scenic Drive and Upper Paradise Road, you can descend the metal staircase down half way venturing east (right) into the woodland of the marked Bruce Trail and follow it toward Lower Chedoke.  Once there, you can climb upward off the marked trail and continue south until you reach Denlow Falls (on the left) and Upper Chedoke (on the right). 

Later I learned, you can also get here by parking at the east end of the Chedoke Golf Course parking lot and following the ravine upwards.   

Denlow Falls at her base looking upwards reaches a height of 19 metres.  Her crest is any where from 2-9 metres at different point of the "Horse tail" cascade.  She doesn't really have much of a flow, except after a good rainfall, which is why she isn't photographed that much.  A word of caution though, it really is pretty dangerous getting here, so good rubber waterproof boots with good traction and always plan your footing ahead of time.  

I like water-falling and especially the more challenging terrains, mostly because it forces me to slow down and be more methodical in my thinking. 

Dundurn Castle-Hamilton

I've been to Dundurn Castle several time over the last three years, and have yet to find my way inside her doors.  I just haven't shown up at the right times I guess.  Since weekend hours are limited too.   Dundurn Castle is located at 610 York Blvd. in Hamilton.  It's an historic site now, and was built in 1835 and was once the home of the Sir Allan McNab who later became the Prime Minister of the "United Province of Canada between 1854 and 1856. 

This castle is huge and now owned by the City of Hamilton it has 72 rooms in an area of over 18000 square feet! It took three years to build.  I haven't gone inside yet, but will make that an item on my bucket list.  The outside grounds are stunning enough, which includes a "mystery building" on the eastern part of the property.  A beautiful house that no one actually knows who or what it was for.  Some assume it was meant for a chapel, or a theatre. Others believe there were tunnels being built under the castle grounds leading to the 'mystery building' perhaps for some cockfighting? The grounds also contain a civic museum and Dundurn park which is a great backdrop for wedding photography.
  
More on castles to explore in Canada and beyond are added to my bucket list.

Great Falls in Springtime-Waterdown

 One of the first waterfalls that I photographed with my new Canon camera was 'Great Falls' in Waterdown and it was here that I remembered looking at photography as more than a point and shoot experience, but rather as an extension of who I was.  I realized that this was true when my Canon was in the shop for a few weeks getting repaired.  I had felt depressed and directionless for awhile.  Suddenly I saw the world through the eye of a camera and anguished myself over all the great shots that I thought I was missing.  Okay, so maybe I am being a little over dramatic, but the truth is I really did miss it.  That's when I realized that photography was my new found passion.  

So here I was back at the beginning sort of speak and tried to collect everything I learned from the gracious members of the Hamilton Waterfall group and to ease drop on the small groups of photography classes that I encountered in my travels.  Photographers in general tend to be passionate, creative with a strong desire to create that all encumbering 'great shot' that will make viewers ooh and aah.  Although I am proud of a small few of my photos, I still have a lot to learn.

With that I bring you Great Falls in Waterdown, which also comes with a nice hike up the trail in Dundas Valley as well.  There's a flat, good sized rock that is within proximity of the waterfall making it a neat and natural stand for your tripod! Great Falls is 10 metres high and 5 metres across and has a year round flow so you won't be disappointed to find it dried up.