Smiths Falls, Ontario
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Smiths Falls (2001 population 9,977) is a town in Ontario, Canada. It is in the census division for Lanark County, but is considered a separated town and does not participate in county government. The Rideau Canal waterway locks in three locations in the town with four separate locks and a combined lift of over fifty feet.
The town's name was sometimes alternately spelled "Smith's Falls" or "Smith Falls", but "Smiths Falls" is now considered correct.
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[edit] History
[edit] Early History
The town is named for Thomas Smyth, a United Empire Loyalist who in 1786 was granted four hundred acres in what is present-day Smiths Falls.
[edit] Building of the Rideau Canal
At the time of construction of the Rideau Canal a small settlement had been established around a mill operated by Abel Russell Ward, who had bought Smyth's land. Colonel By ordered the removal of Ward's mill to make way for the canal. He settled with Ward for £1,500, one of the largest claims made by mill owners on the canal.
The disruption of industry caused by the building of the canal was only temporary, and Smiths Falls grew rapidly following construction. An article in Smith's Gazetteer in 1846 described the town as a "flourishing little village pleasantly situated on the Rideau River and on the Canal, fourteen miles from Perth. It contains about 700 inhabitants. There are fifty dwellings, two grist mills (one with four run of stones), two sawmills, one carding and fulling mill, seven stores, six groceries, one axe factory, six blacksmiths, two wheelwrights, one cabinet maker, one chair-maker, three carpenters, one gunsmith, eleven shoemakers, seven tailors, one tinsmith and two taverns."
A 36-foot drop in less than a quarter of a mile posed an obstacle to navigation at Smiths Falls. A natural depression to the south of the river was used to create a flight of three locks, known as Combined Lockstation today. The natural course of the river was dammed to create a basin upstream of the locks. At the upper end of the basin a fourth (detached) lock was constructed.
A mile below Combined Lockstation is a flight of two locks called Old Slys Lockstation. This station is named for the original settler at this location, William Sly. A dam and waste weir control water levels upstream of the locks.
Defensible lockmasters houses were built at all three stations in Smiths Falls. The house at Old Slys was built in 1838 and the houses at Combined and Detached around 1842. Only the house at Combined has a second storey, which was added late in the 19th century. The defensible lockmaster's house at Detached Lockstation was torn down in 1894.
[edit] Entry of the Railroads
In the 1850s the major railroad companies were looking to build main trunk lines linking Toronto, Kingston and Montreal. The two major companies at the time, the B&O and the GTR were competing for the easiest routes to lay track. For a number of geographical reasons, and also due to the proximity of the Rideau Canal, the town of Smiths Falls became a major focal point for both railways. Both the CPR and the CNoR established stations in the town, however, with the creation of VIA Rail the CNoR station was abandoned and all passenger traffic routed though the CPR station. The CNoR station has been renovated and is now home to the Smiths Falls Railway Museum of Eastern Ontario.
During World War II, Axis POWs were transported to Canadian POW camps via the railway. It was near Smiths Falls that prisoner-of-war Oberleutnant Franz von Werra jumped from a POW train and escaped to the United States, eventually reaching his homeland, Germany[1]. Von Werra was, reputedly, the only escaped Axis POW to successfully return home during the war and his story was told in the book and film entitled The One That Got Away[2]. The North American premiere of the film occurred on Thursday, 6th March 1958 at the Soper Theatre in Smiths Falls Ontario[3].
[edit] Business and Manufacturing
The town is on the Rideau Canal system for recreational boating, and is served by the Smiths Falls-Montague Airport for general aviation. It is also a major railway junction point, and its station receives regular passenger service to Ottawa and Toronto from VIA Rail.
Several manufacturers are based in Smiths Falls, perhaps the most well-known being the Canadian operation of The Hershey Company. Its location on the Rideau Canal, with several large lakes in the vicinity, makes it a tourism hot spot.
The Ontario Provincial Police Eastern Region Communications Centre is also located in Smiths Falls. Its communications operators answer emergency 9-1-1 and administrative phone lines, dispatching OPP officers as required.
[edit] Sports and Recreation
The town is currently home to the minor-league Smiths Falls Bears ice hockey team and, in 1906, a hockey team from Smiths Falls launched an unsucessful challenge to win the Stanley Cup.[4] It also has an active minor hockey program for children, youths and adults. The 2005-2006 season saw their Midget Rep Team win the playoffs and then win the Tourament of Champions. The tournament takes the top two teams from five different leagues in Eastern Ontario. The team went 46-7-6 all year, finishing the year off unbeaten in their last 24 games. The 2002/2003 season also seen the Smiths Falls Bantam "A" Bears win the playoff championship. This team had many of the same players as the 2005-2006 Midget team did and were led by Erick "Lumpkins" Laming. Soccer is represented by the Smiths Falls and District Soccer Club which offers recreational soccer for all ages from 5 to adult. Smiths Falls is also host to Canada's oldest triathlon, which began in 1979.
Smiths Falls was also home to a professional baseball team, the Smiths Falls Beavers, for one season in 1937. The team was a part of the Canadian-American League.
The Rideau Regional Training Centre, located in Smiths Falls, has for many years provided a safe haven for more than 3000 mentally disabled people. The province is currently in the process of closing this institution.
[edit] Schools
- Saint James The Greater
- Saint Francis de Sales
- Saint Lukes High School
- Duncan J. Schoular
- Chimo Senior
- New Aberdeen
- Smiths Falls District Collegiate Institute
[edit] Local Media
- Record-News (weekly newspaper)(Tuesday)
Smiths Falls This Week (Thursday)
[edit] Nearest Towns
- Kemptville, Ontario
- Perth, Ontario
- Carleton Place, Ontario
- Kingston, Ontario
- Ottawa, Ontario
- Prescott, Ontario
[edit] Nearest Settlements
- Jasper, Ontario, South East
- Kilmarnock, Ontario, East on the Rideau River
- Merrickville, Ontario, East on the Rideau River
[edit] External links
- Smiths Falls town site
- Smiths Falls Police Service Note: The town is not policed by the OPP.
- Ontario Provincial Police
- Hershey's Visitor Centre in Smiths Falls
[edit] References
- ^ http://www.animatedsoftware.com/misc/theworld/vonwerra/fw410127.htm
- ^ http://home.cogeco.ca/~dgphillips/werra.htm
- ^ http://www.plane-crazy.net/movies/21.htm
- ^ http://www.nhl.com/hockeyu/history/cup/champs.html
