At Eugenia, the Beaver River drops over the escarpment 30 metres (98 feet) to form Eugenia Falls. Eugenia is located South of Meaford and east of Flesherton. The Beaver Valley runs southwesterly for about 30 miles to Eugenia, a stretch that consists of some truly extraordinarily beautiful scenery. During the early autumn the Beaver Valley is painted with a stunning array of colours. The only disappointment was that it also corresponds to river's lowest flow as a result Eugenia Falls were reduced to just a trickle. I eagerly planned a visit this past spring (April 2000) to see if the viewing was improved by the wet weather we were experiencing. This spring's visit proved no better a spectacle. That's a real shame because photographs of Eugenia Falls at full volume is truly a spectacular sight.
Eugenia Falls was first witnessed by Europeans in 1853 when man named Brownlee heard a distant roaring sound during a hunting trip in 1853. Brownlee followed the sound and eventually found the waterfalls.
Brownlee actually thought he found something even more precious than this wonderful waterfall. Closely examing the rock face at the bottom of the falls, Brownlea noticed a shiny yellow metallic rock. He believed it to be gold.
Brownlea tried to keep it a secret telling only one neighbour about his "discovery". But the secret could not be kept for long. Soon word spread about the magnificent water falls with gold nestled in the rocks below. The gold rush was on or so fevered prospectors thought. But it was not to be. One prospector sent a rock sample to be analyzed and was told that what he had was pyrite - fool's gold, the gold rush was over. The town of Eugenia was founded in 1853 as a result of the "fool's gold rush"as settlers arrived to find there wealth.
Eventually wealth did come to Eugenia, when five mills located in the area, and in 1895 William Hogg built a hydroelectric plant above the falls to provide electricity to Eugenia and Flesherton.
In 1915, Ontario Hydro opened its second hydroelectric plant in Eugenia, the first one being located near Niagara Falls. It was a signicantly larger plant than the one built by William Hogg. The plant cost about $1,190,000 to build and it had a rated capacity of 4,500 horsepower. To generate the larger quantity of electricity Ontario Hydro dammed part of the Beaver River to form Lake Eugenia and it moved its power plant away from the falls. The diversion of water has affected the flow of water to Eugenia Falls and may account for the falls being virtually dry in the fall. Today Ontario Hydro's Eugenia Plant generates power.
Walter's Falls is located next to an abandoned lumber yard in the small hamlet of Walter's Falls. The old wooden buildings of the mill were left behind for a more modern yard up the street. The empty wooden buildings stand today as a reminder of the importance of the waterfalls to the local economy. From a viewing stand that straddles Walter's Creek, a small reedy creek, you get a good view of the water rolling over the crest of the falls. Walter's Creek is a slow moving creek, but once it reached the crest it plummeted downward with surprising force.
The water of the Sydenham River works its way to the escarpment and carves a natural work of art - Inglis Falls. Inglis Falls cascade gracefully down the layered steps of escarpment rock and forms a delicate, ever pretty waterfalls. It is captivating to watch and follow the current over the top of the crest and see it roll down to the first layer of rock and then to the next and the next as the water spritefully rolls its way to the bottom.
The Sydenham River cascade 18 metres (59 feet) in height to produce Inglis Falls. The remains of the grist mill built by Peter Inglis in 1845 can be seen just below the falls. Inglis added a saw mill shortly after. The saw mill was converted to a woolen mill in the 1870. In the 1860's a larger four storey grist mill replaced the original and operated until fire destroyed it in 1945. Two millstones are all that are left.
From Inglis Falls one can take in a breathtaking panoramic view of the Sydenham River Valley. As far as the eye can see the golden, red, yellow and browns of Fall. The view is reminiscent of the colours in paintings by Tom Thompson, who was born nearby in the town of Leith. The forests around Inglis Falls are mixed coniferous and deciduous trees such as white pine, hemlock, ironwood and white ash. Wildflowers that grow in the area include great whitewhite triliums, solomon's seal and showy lady's slipper. Blue jays, wood thrush and pileated woodpeckers can be found in the area. Salmon, rainbow and brown Trout can be found in the Sydenham River and they can be seen in the spring and fall.
Indian Falls is located 5 km or 3 miles north of Owen Sound just off Grey County Rd 1 in the Township of Sarawak. The drive to Indian Falls Conservation area is picturesque as County Road 1 travels along the side of the western arm of Owen Sound. The heights of the escarpment can be seen to the east across the Sound.
Indian Falls is 15 metres or 49 feet in height and descend the rockface like a watery curtain in a straight sheet. The falls and the river were named after the Chippewas of Nawash Indians who once settled in this area. Today the Chippewas of Nawash First Nation can be found on the Cape Croker Reserve, about 50 minutes north of Owen Sound, and just north of Wiarton on the Bruce Peninsula.
The rock face was formed by the erosion of the soft Queenston shale beneath hard Manitoulin dolomite in a manner similar to Niagara Falls. The sounds of the rushing waters from the Indian River and the roar of the falls are quite noticeable from a distance. The walk to Indian Falls passes through a canopy of mixed deciduous coniferous woods; maples. cedar, spruce and beech and ash are all part of the mix.
The conservation area provides habitat for downy woodpeckers, red-windged blackbirds, chipmunks and cottontails. Plenty of fish in the sparkling fast flowing waters. On my to the falls I noticed two salmon wedged among the rocks furiously swimming against the fast moving waters of Indian Creek. I found it fascinating to watch brave salmon as it maneuvered upstream against the current, squeezing through a torturous path along the rocky river bed on their way to their spawning areas.
Jones Falls is located in the Pottawatomi Conservation Area about 3 miles (7.8 km) west of Owen Sound at the junction of Highway 6/21 and Highway 70. The walk to Jones' Falls took about 15 to 20 minutes on a well marked trail that follows the Pottawatomi River. The conservation area and the river are named after the Pottawatomi Indians who once lived in the area.
The conservation trail hooks up with the Bruce Trail at a point near the falls. The river flows in a slightly southeasterly direction and empties into Owen Sound. A lookout provided a good view of Jones Falls and the surrounding low land. Jones' Falls cascades 12 metres or 39 feet over the escarpment. Similar to Inglis Falls, Jones' Falls cascades down over several steps of rock. However, Pottawatomi River doesn't have much flow, at least not in early August when I last visited the falls. Off to the right of the upper steps of the falls can been seen a cave opening.
This area contains various trees and shrubs ranging from wild roses to maple trees. Great white trillium, columbine are among the wildflowers that can be seen. Birds and wildlife include cliff swallows, pileated woodpeckers, porcupines, woodchucks, garter snakes and painted turtles. The Pottawatomi River below Jones Falls possesses ideal conditions for migrating fish and rainbow trout and chinook salmon use this area as a spawning ground and brown trout often breed here.
As far as I know, Jones' Falls is the last waterfalls of note along the escarpment. On a recent camping trip to the Cape Croker Indian Camp ground (on the east side of the Bruce Peninsula, about half hour north of Wiarton) I asked campers who lived in the area if they knew of waterfalls north of Jones' Falls. To the best of their knowledge none existed until the Bridal Falls on Manitoulin Island.
The east shore of the Bruce Peninsula from Wiarton to Lion's Head to Tobermory at the northern tip is absolutely beautiful. The Niagara Escarpment and the Bruce Trail run through some of its most picturesque areas. This section follows the Georgian Bay shoreline lined with high white cliffs, deep bays and emerald blue clear water. Here caves can be explored and soaring hawks and turkey vultures observed.
We stayed at the Cape Croker Indian Campground situated on lands between two spectacular white cliffs on either side of the clear blue Sydney Bay. The campgrounds are run by the Chippewa of Nawash. I can honestly say it was the best camping experience that I have had. The campgrounds are set in a well-treed environment providing a green canopy of shade. The facilities and the grounds are kept in immaculate condition by the staff. The campground staff was friendly, helpful and knowledgeable.
Our visit coincided with an Aboriginal Peoples Rock Festival featuring Keith Secola and his Band of Wild Indians. I particularly liked Secola's tribute to Leonard Peltier who has been unjustly convicted and imprisoned for the last 25 years even for the deaths of two FBI agents at Wounded Knee even though there was no credible evidence that he was responsible. By way of contrast Secola also performed some easy to listen laid-back songs and fun filled singalongs which included the whimisical "The Drums Are In the Back (That's What They All Say)"and an aboriginal version of "Happy Birthday To You". Lucy Idlout and her band put on a strong performance and offered some gutsy guitar riffs and vocals tinged with a flavouring of the blues. The Derek Miller Band opened the show at twilight and offered energetic rock influenced by the traditional rythms. But the most stirring performance of the evening was the a capella song sung by Star Nawaish, a young woman with a powerful soaring voice. She also provided haunting backup vocals for Idlout and Secola. The concert stage placement against the south cliffs of Sidney Bay was one of the most spectacular concert backdrops I have witnessed.
Several years ago I purchased a book titled "Our Ojibway Heritage" by Basil Johnston. I brought the book along for our camping trip after I learned that the Chippewa of Nawash are a tribe of the larger grouping of Ojibway People. The Ojibway People extend from the Bruce Peninsula to north along Lake Huron all the way up to Thunder Bay and the area North and West of Lake Superior. I was surprised to learn that Johnston lived on Cape Croker. I always assumed he lived North of Superior.
In Wiarton the best place to go for books is The Inside Story, right on Highway 6 which is also the town's main street. Walking into the bookshop we were startled by the unexpected sight of a young woman curled up in a large cozy chair reading "The Hobbit". She turned out to be one of the two proprietors of the bookstore. The shop was well stocked with books on local and regional topics as well as the latest best sellers. I particularly was impressed by the table top display featuring other books written by Basil Johnston and I promptly bought two. My friend and I also fought over the last wall poster of a map of Great Lakes Shipwrecks. He got that one, but Leona, one of the owners quickly ordered me another copy of the map, which I picked up on the way home.
To get a break from camp cooking we ate at the Barley Bin Restaurant, built in a 100 year old mill. The menu has a reproduction of a news article printed 100 years ago about the mills' opening. The restaurant offers delicious meals that are reasonably priced. From the Barley Bin it is a short walk to Colpoy's Bay.
So if you are visiting Jones' Falls you might want to venture a little farther north and enjoy the rugged beauty of the Bruce Peninsula. You will be impressed.