Just a few days after that last hike, we hiked the Trout Hollow Trail right here in Meaford. The Trout family sawmill was the place where the famous American conservationist John Muir worked for a year or so in 1864-5, designing a lathe to make broom and rake handles. The site of both the old sawmill and the cabin he lived in is along the Trout Hollow Trail. It's also the location of a local hydro project that came 30 years later, in 1904. There's more tangible evidence of that project than of John Muir's visit!
On our hike we walked in from the 7th Line along an old concession road that once went to the mill. Eventually we dropped down over the edge to the floodplain below and found this old car. It hasn't moved in a long time!
We came out to the rapids of the Bighead river right where the old hydro dam ruins stood, This is a second story from history, superimposed on the story of the Trout family sawmill, and in almost the exact same location.
Glen White, a good friend and a volunteer for the Trout Hollow Trail, was our guide. Sadly Glen has since passed away, but this hike is one of my best memories of him. This is one side of the old hydro dam.
Here is Glen showing us the old gates for the hydro holding pond, my best picture of him.
This flat ridge through the woods carried the aqueduct from the hydro holding pond to the power plant.
And this is the big elbow pipe at the end of that aqueduct, forming a big S-shape drop down into the power house.
And here is the one wall of that old powerhouse that is still standing, now in the middle of the forest.
We hiked further along the trail and up a hill to come out at a lookout over the Bighead.
Looking down at the river as closely as I could, this is the channel and all the rocks! This is not the river you want to canoe, even in high water!
Georgian Bay Milling and Power Company was a private hydro company, which operated from 1904-1923. It only provided street lighting in Meaford, but lost out to Ontario Hydro when the government subsidized it to provide electricity to rural Ontario.
Nature has reclaimed the area. A great hike!
ReplyDeleteMr. Muir was a well traveled man. I remember hearing his story from the naturalist on the Alaskan cruise. John Muir went to Alaska in 1879 and visited Glacier Bay.
ReplyDeleteThat was a nice area to hike. Those.poertions of.the old building and equipment would be interesting to view.
A good hike, many thanks for the look back.
ReplyDeleteAll the best Jan
What an interesting place for hiking.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing this memory, and introducing me to Glen and that ancient old car. Lovely excursion.
ReplyDeletethis looks like a great trail for hiking. volunteer guides are often the best, sad that he has passed. i hope you had a wonderful thanksgiving!!
ReplyDeleteYou live in a geographically interesting area -- both physical and human.
ReplyDeleteI see that there's a winter storm coming your way. I think that we will miss it or that it will miss us. We shall see.
Sorry that your friend is no longer hiking those hills. Great shots of the river, and thanks for narrating about the old hydro.
ReplyDeleteWith the area's history and old ruins, I would have enjoyed that hike as well.
ReplyDeleteI always like hiking outside vicariously.
ReplyDeleteI like these bits of local history.
ReplyDelete