Because of nearby Lake Eugenia, Eugenia Falls, the Bruce Trail and the ski resorts of the Beaver Valley, it has grow to be a preferred vacationer and cottage destination. The Bruce Path, which follows the Niagara Escarpment via southwestern Ontario, runs by means of Eugenia. Nonetheless, in 1960, critical cracks were found in one of many 45-12 months-old dams. Additional growth stagnated, and the hamlet’s inhabitants by no means reached the scale essential for incorporation. Utilizing a paddlewheel to generate 70 kW from a 6 metres (20 ft) head of water, the station barely produced enough electricity to fulfill the needs of Eugenia and Flesherton. 6 (Map). Restructuring Maps of Ontario. In 1893, William Hogg, a local businessman, built the world’s first electrical generator on the river beneath the falls. Because of its relative proximity to Toronto, and the nearby Beaver Valley Ski Membership ski resort, Lake Eugenia is a well-liked cottage vacation spot, its shores house to about 400 cottages. This page was final edited on 5 Might 2023, at 04:32 (UTC). He had carried residence a backload of worthless iron pyrites! Brown, Alan A. (September 1983). “The Eugenia Falls Project”. The nearby Eugenia Energy Station has the best head of water of any hydroelectric generator in Ontario, and has provided a big amount of electricity to the provincial grid for a century. By using this site, you comply with the Phrases of Use and Privacy Policy. Hubbard, Mildred Young (1986). Break up Rail Nation: A Historical past of Artemesia Township. Nonetheless, in 1873, the Toronto, Grey & Bruce Railway bypassed the Beaver Valley space. Map 4 (PDF) (Map). Nevertheless, in 1912, the provincial government took management of all hydroelectric tasks, including the Eugenia venture, under the auspices of the Hydro-Electric Power Commission. Textual content is on the market underneath the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License; extra phrases might apply. In 1999, management of Eugenia Station was transferred from Ontario Hydro to Ontario Energy Era. Due to this, there can also be a big ancillary community of nature trails and conservation areas in the area. 4,500 kW. This provided electricity to the entire area, including the busy shipyards of Owen Sound and Collingwood. Properly-recognized energy station engineer Hugh L. Cooper surveyed the site for the consortium, however reported that the project would be uneconomical because the Beaver River’s capability different seasonally. In response, a new earthen dam was built in 1962, enabling the reservoir to be raised to its former stage. This left cottages more than 15 metres (forty nine ft) from the new shoreline, and the resulting protest by cottagers grew to become a political concern, raised within the provincial legislature by the Opposition. Ontario Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing. Eugenia has turn into a tourist and cottage vacation spot, and its businesses embrace a carpenter, a number of shops, a number of eating places, a number of B&Bs, and a United Church. The Commission believed repairs, estimated at greater than $500,000, would be uneconomical, and as a substitute, lowered the level of the reservoir by 4 metres (13 ft) to relieve strain on the dam. Yearly in reminiscence of the false gold rush of 1852, Eugenia hosts “Gold Rush Days”, a weekend festival that includes meals distributors, artisans, car exhibits, a silent public sale and group meals. Ministry of Transportation of Ontario. Geographical Names Data Base. Anglers are drawn by the lake’s massive mouth bass, rock bass, perch, sunfish and bullhead catfish. Smith, William Wye (1865). Gazetteer and Listing of the County of Grey for 1865-66. Toronto: International Steam Press. Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-revenue organization. At the flip of the 20th century, a gaggle of businessmen, sensing income to be made from the profitable electrical trade, formed the Georgian River Power Consortium, and devised a plan to build a generator within the Beaver Valley and divert water from the Beaver River via pipes to the station. In 1852, prospectors have been additionally attracted to the world by rumours of gold, however after a good-sized gold rush, it was discovered that the “gold” was only pyrite, or fool’s gold. Canadian County Atlas Undertaking. Brown, Alan A. “Eugenia Station”. The Fee determined to go ahead with the Eugenia challenge, and in 1914, the river beside the hamlet of Eugenia was dammed, creating a 200 hectares (490 acres) reservoir now often known as Lake Eugenia. Nevertheless, investors have been skeptical, since this is able to require redirecting the river more than 2 kilometres (1.2 mi). A generating station with two generators was constructed in the valley, and two 1,600 metres (5,200 ft) wooden penstocks constructed of Douglas fir carried water from the reservoir over the crest of the valley and down to the station. The hamlet of Eugenia, named after Princess Eugénie, the wife of Napoleon III, was established close to the 25 metres (eighty two ft) waterfall. 200 also featured a number of shops, Presbyterian and Methodist churches, a college, a carriage manufacturing facility, a blacksmith, a cobbler and a carpenter. Owen Sound: Historic Society of Artemesia Township. Undeterred, the consortium employed a second engineer to survey the positioning and devise a plan for a reservoir. By 1950, the reservoir had develop into a trip vacation spot, and cottages ringed its shores. The realm was surveyed and opened to settlement in the 1850s. Each the local river and the valley into which the river plunged were named for the plentiful beaver in the world. The sulphurious fumes and horrible stench of the vile stuff choked him, and nicely nigh drove him out of the premises. 1 : 700,000. Official street map of Ontario.