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Sep 11 10 to Sep 11 10 - PickleFest
Sep 11 10 to Sep 11 10 - Sounds of Downtown
Sep 11 10 to Sep 11 10 - Fibrefest
Sep 11 10 to Sep 12 10 - YOUTH BOWLERS WANTED
Sep 11 10 to Apr 23 11 - Doors Open Mississippi Mills
Sep 11 10 to Sep 12 10
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Tay Valley Maple Byway Tour
Following the War of 1812, a group of Scottish emigrants took advantage of government incentives to leave the impoverished lowlands and start a new life in the British military settlements of Upper Canada. However, they maintained links to the old by naming communities and landmarks after familiar places back home, and using their skills to build substantial mills, fine homes, and tidy farms. Tay Valley became the cradle for much of this Scottish and Irish industriousness, much of it lovingly preserved under the careful stewardship of subsequent generations. Explore the hinterland of Perth, the first and most significant of the military settlements, to discover a corner of Lanark County where the past meets the present and everything is aged to perfection.
Following the War of 1812, a group of Scottish emigrants took advantage of government incentives to leave the impoverished lowlands and start a new life in the British military settlements of Upper Canada. However, they maintained links to the old by naming communities and landmarks after familiar places back home, and using their skills to build substantial mills, fine homes, and tidy farms. Tay Valley became the cradle for much of this Scottish—and Irish—industriousness, much of it lovingly preserved under the careful stewardship of subsequent generations. Explore the hinterland of Perth, the first and most significant of the military settlements, to discover a corner of Lanark County where the past meets the present and everything is aged to perfection.
Perth was established in 1816 as the social, administrative, and judicial centre for emerging settlements back of the Front. The strict social code of the British military guided the settlement for many years, the most illustrious example being duelling, including the fatal duel of 1833 between rival law students over the affections of a local governess. The many elegant Georgian homes stand testament to the town’s early prominence, while its museums, shops, restaurants, parks, and festivals contribute to the town’s continuing popularity (web site for details).
After exploring Perth, take Hwy 7 west, then turn right onto Hwy 511 to Balderson.Once home of the Balderson Cheese Factory, one of 12 local cheese factories involved in creating the Mammoth Cheese, a 22,000 pound cheddar exhibited at the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair on behalf of the Canadian dairy industry, it is now a bustling crossroads of shops and cafés. It was named for John Balderson, a solider in the Duke of Wellington’s army, who settled here in 1816.
Turn left onto Fallbrook Road, turning right at the stop sign for the former milling community of Fallbrook on the Fall River. Continue through the picturesque hamlet to Playfairville, once the site of several mills on the Mississippi River, now marked only by a former Methodist/United Church chapel.Turn left onto County Road 12 for McDonalds Corners.
This hilltop village features several churches, including picturesque St. Columbille’s, and a willow labyrinth at the old schoolhouse, which regularly features the many resident and visiting musicians and artisans who have found their muse in Lanark Highlands.If you have a sweet tooth, keep an eye out for any one of the many maple syrup producers who tap the lush maple forests each spring and sell their product at the farm gate. Or stop for a round of golf. The rugged terrain provides both challenge and beauty.
Today’s smooth roads can make us forget the isolation that early settlers experienced. However, you can see their strength and perseverance in the homesteads they carved out of the still dense bush. Turn left onto Dalhousie Concession 9; right onto Highland Line; right onto Concession 2; left onto County Road 12, which takes you to Elphin. Although tiny and remote, it has become a vibrant community of artists, artisans, and other independent spirits who maintain the self-reliant spirit of the early settlers.Turn right on County Road 36 for Snow Road Station. While winters are beautiful in this area, the former station for the Kingston & Pembroke Railway was in fact named for the surveyor of Palmerston Township. Note the unusual rock formations.
Turn left onto Hwy 509, which runs parallel in places to the old K&P line, now a recreational trail maintained by the Mississippi Valley Conservation Authority. It is easy to imagine the carloads of timber, pulp, and logs that would have been transported by train from the many stops along the K&P, including Mississippi Station.Turn right onto Robertsville Road, where solid stone homes and fences stand testament to the backbreaking labour involved in clearing the land, much of which the bush has since reclaimed.
Turn right onto Elphin-Maberly Road (County Road 36), for the charming village of Maberly on the Fall River. Cross Hwy 7, and continue south on County Road 36 to Bolingbroke, on the Tay River. The road then crosses a narrow strip of land separating Bob’s Lake, headwaters of the Tay River, and Farren Lake, also part of the Tay Watershed.Turn left onto Althorpe Road (County Road 6) and past Althorpe United Church, which is the only remaining vestige of that village. While not visible, the road runs parallel to Christie Lake, which empties into the Tay at the crossing where County Road 6 becomes the Christie Lake Road.
Turn right at the crossroads of Dewitt Corners onto Menzies Munroe Side Road for a scenic drive along the Tay and past abandoned mill sites. This section of the tour follows narrow, twisty roads, so please drive with care.Turn left onto Noonan Side Road, which runs parallel to the Tay and past the ruins of Adam’s Mills. Heron, otter, and other water life are frequently spotted, not to mention canoeists and kayakers coasting down the swift-flowing river, so slow down so as not to miss anything. Turn left onto the Upper Scotch Line, past the Scotch Line cemetery and an old stone schoolhouse. Turn left onto Bowes’ Side Road, another road from a bygone era,, crossing the Tay again at a former mill site, which once generated hydro-electricity for the adjoining farm. Turn right onto the Christie Lake Road (County Road 6). Turn right onto Glen Tay Road.
Glen Tay was once known as Adamsville after its founder, Captain Joshua Adams, a veteran of the War of 1812 who was among the first to draw a lot in the Perth Military Settlement and establish a business, a tavern later known as The Red House, when the visiting Duke of Richmond recommended that the structure be painted red. He later gave up the tavern to erect one of the first saw and grist mills at what is now Glen Tay. By the end of the century, a substantial milling complex had been built, along with a village around it. Unlike other mills on the Tay, the Glen Tay mill has been preserved, albeit as a private residence.Turn left onto the Scotch Line (County Road 10), which was named in honour of the original Scottish settlers. The names on many of the mailboxes still reflect this heritage, as do the fine stone farmhouses that march down the road into Perth and the conclusion of your tour.
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