Caledonia Dam
Encyclopedia
The Caledonia Dam, also known as the Grand River Dam, is a dam
on the Grand River
constructed upstream from the Caledonia Bridge in Caledonia, Ontario
, Canada.
Known as Dam #4, Caledonia also housed Lock #4 also built by the Navigation Company. The dams located along the Grand River provided boat access from the mouth of the Grand all the way to the end, providing an easy route for travelers and scows for shipping.
Navigation on the Grand slowed around 1879 and many of the Navigation Company dams fell into disrepair in the years following.
The first Caledonia Dam also provided enough run of mill to allow water-powered mills to be constructed along the banks of the Grand in Caledonia. Ranald McKinnon built a gristmill
, saw mill, and woollen (textile) Mill on the North side of the river, and James Little built the Caledonia Mill on the south side.
At the turn of the century the ownership of Caledonia's dam was split between the two milling companies at the time: The Caledonia Milling Co. Ltd. who owned the South mill, and The Shirra Milling Co. who owned the north mill. When the dam broke in 1928, The Shirra Milling Co. could not afford their share of repairs and so a deal was worked out with the Caledonia Milling Co. Ltd. Between 1928 and 1930 the original Caledonia dam was gradually replaced with a new concrete dam, built by the Caledonia Milling Co. Ltd. This dam broke in 1979, and was replaced with the current dam in 1980.
The new dam was built farther downstream, since it was no longer needed to run mills on the river. Both the remaining Mills had closed in 1964, and the North Mill had burned in 1969.
The 1980 dam was built by the Grand River Conservation Authority, and is still maintained by the GRCA today. When constructed a provision for a boat lock was made so that, if in the future the GRCA wished to make the Grand River navigable once again only a small amount of construction would need to be undertaken on the dam structure.
Dam
A dam is a barrier that impounds water or underground streams. Dams generally serve the primary purpose of retaining water, while other structures such as floodgates or levees are used to manage or prevent water flow into specific land regions. Hydropower and pumped-storage hydroelectricity are...
on the Grand River
Grand River (Ontario)
The Grand River is a large river in southwestern Ontario, Canada. From its source, it flows south through Grand Valley, Fergus, Elora, Waterloo, Kitchener, Cambridge, Paris, Brantford, Caledonia, and Cayuga before emptying into the north shore of Lake Erie south of Dunnville at Port Maitland...
constructed upstream from the Caledonia Bridge in Caledonia, Ontario
Caledonia, Ontario
Caledonia is a small riverside community and former town located on the Grand River in Haldimand County, Ontario, Canada. Haldimand County is in the western part of the Niagara Peninsula, and had a population of 43,280 in 2001. The current mayor of Haldimand County is Ken Hewitt; Caledonia is...
, Canada.
History
The first Caledonia Dam was constructed between 1836 and 1842 by the Grand River Navigation Company. The contractor, Ranald McKinnon, is known as Caledonia's founder because of his role in the building of this dam.Known as Dam #4, Caledonia also housed Lock #4 also built by the Navigation Company. The dams located along the Grand River provided boat access from the mouth of the Grand all the way to the end, providing an easy route for travelers and scows for shipping.
Navigation on the Grand slowed around 1879 and many of the Navigation Company dams fell into disrepair in the years following.
The first Caledonia Dam also provided enough run of mill to allow water-powered mills to be constructed along the banks of the Grand in Caledonia. Ranald McKinnon built a gristmill
Gristmill
The terms gristmill or grist mill can refer either to a building in which grain is ground into flour, or to the grinding mechanism itself.- Early history :...
, saw mill, and woollen (textile) Mill on the North side of the river, and James Little built the Caledonia Mill on the south side.
At the turn of the century the ownership of Caledonia's dam was split between the two milling companies at the time: The Caledonia Milling Co. Ltd. who owned the South mill, and The Shirra Milling Co. who owned the north mill. When the dam broke in 1928, The Shirra Milling Co. could not afford their share of repairs and so a deal was worked out with the Caledonia Milling Co. Ltd. Between 1928 and 1930 the original Caledonia dam was gradually replaced with a new concrete dam, built by the Caledonia Milling Co. Ltd. This dam broke in 1979, and was replaced with the current dam in 1980.
The new dam was built farther downstream, since it was no longer needed to run mills on the river. Both the remaining Mills had closed in 1964, and the North Mill had burned in 1969.
The 1980 dam was built by the Grand River Conservation Authority, and is still maintained by the GRCA today. When constructed a provision for a boat lock was made so that, if in the future the GRCA wished to make the Grand River navigable once again only a small amount of construction would need to be undertaken on the dam structure.