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Day Tripper
Story and photos by Madeline Kallio
Heart of
The Rideau Canal
Smiths Falls offers images of yesterday and today
In 1784, a United Empire Loyalist named Major Thomas
Smythe received a Crown Grant of 400 acres from the
Royal Commission as a reward for loyalty.A sawmill was
built by Smythe, his two sons Terrance and Henry, and his
son-in-law William Merrick of Merrickville. They cleared
one-eighth of an acre on an island in 1823 to build a shanty
in which the men cooked their meals. In 1826, the mill
was taken over by Abel Russell Ward. In the same year,
Lieutenant-Colonel John By of the Royal Engineers was
sent to Upper Canada to build the Rideau Canal.
One of Colonel By’s engineers, James Simpson, was
assigned to build the canal at Old Sly’s Rapids, named after
a settler whose house and mill had been at the point where
the locks were to be built and whose land had to be flooded.
Ward and Simpson eventually became joint owners of
the area and were credited with good business sense and
foresightedness in planning the settlement.
Within a short period of time,the village had a sawmill,
a gristmill, a flour mill, a blacksmith shop, two stores, a tannery
and houses. It grew so quickly that it became a major
commercial centre and was given an added boost when
the Canadian Pacific Railway ran its main line through
town.The town was originally called Wardsville and then
Smythe’s Falls, which was modified to Smith’s Falls. In
1968, the apostrophe was officially removed.
Smiths Falls boasts three very active and exciting
museums, which give visitors re-enactments of the past.
One could almost believe that Joshua Bates was still alive at
the Heritage House Museum, 11 Old Slys Road (613 283-
8560; www.smithsfalls.ca/tourism/hhm) because of the
enthusiasm and hospitality of the curators.The house was
built in 1861 and depicts the life of a prosperous mill
June 2008 • 36 • Fifty-Five Plus Magazine
owner and merchant.The classically-styled Victorian home
has been restored to its glory in with eight period rooms, a
two-storey privy and a working brick bake oven.The museum
hosts a variety of events, exhibitions and workshops
and offers guided tours, as well as changing exhibits in the
gallery and a complimentary picnic area.
The Canadian Northern Railway Station (later the
CNR) is the site of the Smiths Falls Railway Museum of
Eastern Ontario (613 283-5696; www.sfrmeo.ca), 90
William Street West, and has more than 28 pieces of rolling
stock, including the last engine to travel through the historic
Brockville Railway Tunnel, and a Wickham Inspection
Car.The museum offers guided tours, a gift shop, exhibits,
displays and special events. The Rideau Canal Museum
(613 284-0505;www.rideau-info.com/museum),situated in
the old Woods Mill Complex at 34 Beckwith Street South,
takes you back through the incredible six years from 1826
to 1832 when Colonel By planned and built the canal from
Kingston to Ottawa.The museum features five floors of fun
and educational high technology displays, images and artifacts,
and a spectacular view of the Rideau Canal from a
rooftop lookout.
The historic old Wood Mill Complex also houses Parks
Canada’s Rideau Canal Headquarters (613 283-5170;
rideau-info@pc.gc.ca), which oversees the 202 kilometres
(125 miles) of the Rideau Canal World Heritage Site and
the corridor along it. Activities related to the history and
operation of the canal and the locks take place at various
museums and 24 lock stations from Kingston to Ottawa.
The Rideau River brings boaters from the water and interested
spectators from the land.The Rideau Canal System
has three locks within the Town of Smiths Falls: the