Saturday, March 5, 2016

Walter's Falls

On one of those trips to Owen Sound this winter, I took my camera, and stopped in Walters Falls to get a few shots.  The falls itself is the site of an old sawmill which burned in 1984, but the mill was rebuilt nearby and is still in operation as the Hallman Lumber Co..  There's also a fascinating old water-powered gristmill still in operation in the village, just upstream of the millpond at the falls.

This is an old building of the original sawmill still standing, beside the millpond.  The gristmill operates at a second millpond upstream, so there are two mills and two millponds in the village.

The water pours over the entire mill dam, but there's a sluice gate in the middle which takes most of the flow and controls the level.  The millrace pipe is cut off and no longer carries water.

Turning around on the small bridge, you see the brink of the falls, and part of the ruins of the old mill foundation.  Beyond that on the right is a corner of the new hotel which overlooks the falls.

I just stopped briefly, and tried to get photos from the top of the falls, though the view is somewhat limited.  You can see both the observation deck and the end of the millrace, no longer functional.

There are two streams to the cascade, but in the winter the far side is mostly behind the big build-up of ice in the centre.  If you google 'Walter's Falls, Ontario', and look for 'Images', you'll see that most photographs are taken from down below in the gorge, but that's a pretty tough walk in the winter, which I wasn't about to try.   No tripod and 'slow' waterfall pictures here today!

 
Looking down below the falls I got a beautiful view of the valley.  The Bruce Trail goes down there somewhere, and someday I will follow it to explore the creek downstream.

You can read the story of the water-powered gristmill upstream in two posts from 2014, beginning here.

20 comments:

  1. Love the frozen waterfall and the history, frozen in time too.

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  2. Great winter photos & how nice for me to see something other than my desert photos everyday .

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  3. I like stopping at grist mills, but haven't ever done so in the winter. I'm always trying to escape those snowy places! Great shots, love that blue undertone in the snow. Thanks for your comment on my post today. :)

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  4. Waterfalls seem to take on a whole different personality in winter.

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  5. Beautiful colours with the dark blue water and white snow. Wish we had a stream next to us for power. - Margy

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  6. What a lovely spot - I'd like to see what it looks like in Summer too :-)

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  7. Beautiful, your photos tell a wonderful story of days gone by, and the beauty of nature in winter.

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  8. I do believe your snow images are at the top of my favorite list!!

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  9. Hello, gorgeous winter scene. The frozen falls and mill are beautiful. Happy Sunday, enjoy your new week ahead!

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  10. Lovely winter scenery , especially when the sun is shining.

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  11. wonderful winter scenes. Great story too.
    MB

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  12. Beautiful, but cold
    Hope you are having a great day!
    Lea

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  13. Even without the tripod, the waterfall is stunning in its beauty. Nice shots! :-)

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  14. beautiful snow and winter scenes. it always looks best after the sun comes out!!! i hope you are having a wonderful weekend!!!

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  15. Wonderful photos ! I love old buildings like these and the water falls are soo pretty ! Hubs and I like going to the Elora George and Websters falls in Hamilton and take photos of the water falls and hick the trails . https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_waterfalls_in_Hamilton,_Ontario lots of water falls to explore here . Thanks for sharing , Have a good day !

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  16. Beautiful winter shots. I'm sure it is beautiful there in all the seasons.

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  17. What beautiful falls - and glorious photos. I can just imagine what a lovely place that hotel is in any season. I'd sure book a room there if I was visiting.

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  18. These are so lovely to look at, thank you.

    All the best Jan

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