Balaclava, Renfrew County, Ontario
Encyclopedia
Balaclava is a community in the township of Bonnechere Valley
, Renfrew County
, Ontario
, Canada
. It is on Ontario Highway 513 just off Ontario Highway 132 north of the community of Dacre, and at the outlet of Constant Creek, a tributary of the Madawaska River
, from Constant Lake.
Balaclava is a near ghost town today, a come down from the bustling lumber town of its heyday. It was begun with a sawmill
in 1855 and by the 1860s had acquired a blacksmith
shop and hotel to go with its permanent residents. In 1903 a sawdust burner was built so that the sawdust
wasn't dumped in the local river polluting it. The water-powered sawmill continued to operate until 1959 but by that time the depletion of available timber had reduced production to uneconomically small amounts.
Balaclava was listed in a book on ghost town
s by Ron Brown
. Although it makes Balaclava sound like a pristine, deserted ghost town, actually it is and still has a few residents.
Bonnechere Valley, Ontario
Bonnechere Valley is a township in Renfrew County, Ontario, Canada. It had a population of 3,665 in the Canada 2006 Census.-Communities:The administrative and commercial centre of Bonnechere Valley is Eganville, a small community occupying a deep limestone valley carved at the Fifth Chute of the...
, Renfrew County
Renfrew County, Ontario
Renfrew is a county in the Canadian province of Ontario. In 2006, the population was 97,545 and county covered , giving a population density of . There are 17 official municipalities.-Government:...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. It is on Ontario Highway 513 just off Ontario Highway 132 north of the community of Dacre, and at the outlet of Constant Creek, a tributary of the Madawaska River
Madawaska River (Ontario)
The Madawaska River is a river in Ontario, Canada. The river is long and drains an area of . It originates at Source Lake in the highlands of Algonquin Park at an elevation of and flows east, dropping before emptying into the Ottawa River at Arnprior....
, from Constant Lake.
Balaclava is a near ghost town today, a come down from the bustling lumber town of its heyday. It was begun with a sawmill
Sawmill
A sawmill is a facility where logs are cut into boards.-Sawmill process:A sawmill's basic operation is much like those of hundreds of years ago; a log enters on one end and dimensional lumber exits on the other end....
in 1855 and by the 1860s had acquired a blacksmith
Blacksmith
A blacksmith is a person who creates objects from wrought iron or steel by forging the metal; that is, by using tools to hammer, bend, and cut...
shop and hotel to go with its permanent residents. In 1903 a sawdust burner was built so that the sawdust
Sawdust
Sawdust is a by-product of cutting lumber with a saw, composed of fine particles of wood. It can present a hazard in manufacturing industries, especially in terms of its flammability....
wasn't dumped in the local river polluting it. The water-powered sawmill continued to operate until 1959 but by that time the depletion of available timber had reduced production to uneconomically small amounts.
Balaclava was listed in a book on ghost town
Ghost town
A ghost town is an abandoned town or city. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economic activity that supported it has failed, or due to natural or human-caused disasters such as floods, government actions, uncontrolled lawlessness, war, or nuclear disasters...
s by Ron Brown
Ron Brown (writer)
Ron Brown is a Canadian writer and broadcaster. The author of a number of travel books about Ontario, Toronto-based Brown also regularly contributes to CBC Radio broadcasts....
. Although it makes Balaclava sound like a pristine, deserted ghost town, actually it is and still has a few residents.