Elora, Ontario

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This article is about the community of Elora. For other uses, see Elora (disambiguation)

Elora on the Grand River

Elora is a community in the Township of Centre Wellington, Wellington County, Ontario, Canada. It is well-known for its 19th century limestone architecture, its artistic community, and the geographically significant Elora Gorge.

1 History
2 Geography
3 Attractions
4 References
5 External links

[edit] History

Elora was founded in 1832 by Captain William Gilkison, a British officer recently returned from India. Originally called Irvine Settlement, the village was renamed Elora when the post office was established in 1839. Gilikson named the community after his brother's ship, which was itself inspired by the Ellora Caves near Aurangabad, Maharashtra, India. Originally part of Nichol Township, Elora was incorporated as a village in 1858 and remained as such until it was amalgamated with Fergus and portions of Eramosa, Nichol, Pilkington and West Garafraxa Townships to form Centre Wellington in 1999. Elora had a population of 4,546 according to the 2001 Census, the last to record the village's population as a separate entity.

In 2000 a proposal was made to bring a racetrack with slot machines to Elora. The race track became the subject of much debate. The Centre Wellington Citizens Coalition was formed in opposition to the race track, primarily because of the inclusion of gambling facilities. A 4-3 decision to approve the opening was made by township council. It came down to a 3-3 decision and the mayor at the time George Pinkney, voted in favour of it. In 2002, the Grand River Raceway opened in Elora, with 200 slot machines.

A street in Elora after an ice storm; early 1900s.

In 2002 the Township of Centre Wellington announced that for safety reasons it would be necessary to demolish the historically important David Street Bridge. Concerned about the preservation of Elora's culturally significant architecture, artist Jim Reed and gallery owner David Neelin formed the group Elora Heritage. They received over 1,000 names on a petition and, assisted by long-time resident activist Don Harris, they met with representatives from town council as well as the provincial and federal governments. It became apparent that the bridge was beyond preservation; however council agreed to preserve the pier and build a replica bridge. The replica bridge presented numerous engineering challenges and its successful construction was met with acclaim. The Township of Centre Wellington was also lauded for being responsive to its citizens in this matter.

[edit] Geography

Elora is situated on the Grand River, approximately 20 kilometres north of Guelph, and 20 kilometres northeast of Kitchener-Waterloo. Its coordinates are 43° 40" 59' N - 80° 25" 59' W.

[edit] Attractions

One of Elora's many tourist attractions, the architecturally significant David St. Bridge was saved from destruction by active citizens.

The spectacular Elora Gorge is at the western edge of the village, adjacent to the Elora Gorge Conservation Area. At the eastern end of the village is the Elora Quarry Conservation area, a scenic former limestone quarry, which is now a popular swimming area. Both of these conservation areas are under the authority of the Grand River Conservation Authority.

Elora is also a noted tourist attraction, with a famous waterfall, called the Tooth of Time, overlooked by an old mill, numerous small shops and art galleries. The quaint old Gorge Cinema is Canada's oldest continuously running repertoire theatre. The Elora Mill is Ontario's only remaining five-story mill and has been renovated as a prestigious inn and restaurant. The village is a terminus to Ontario's scenic 47-km Elora Cataract Trailway to its east, and is just 10 km from the Trans Canada Trail to its southwest. Elora is also famous for its unique shops and its quaint cafés and restaurants, which lie along the river's edge.

Many film scenes have been filmed at the quarry and at the gorge including Angel Eyes (2001), starring Jennifer Lopez. Other films which have included scenes shot in and around Elora include The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz (1974), starring Richard Dreyfuss; An American Christmas Carol (1979), starring Henry Winkler; Trapped in Paradise (1994), starring Nicolas Cage, Jon Lovitz and Dana Carvey; Simon Birch (1998), starring Ian Michael Smith and Joseph Mazzello; and Dead Silence (2007), starring Donnie Wahlberg.

In 2001, inspired by David Earle and spearheaded by Toni Ellis, a group of citizens organized to develop a century school, whose headmaster had been at one time David Boyle, into an arts and cultural centre. After much hard work on the part of organizers and volunteers, The Elora Centre for the Arts has opened and has become an important part of Elora's traditional aesthetic heritage. A.J. Casson, Harold Town, and Corbett Gray were all admirers of Elora.

The town is closely linked with nearby Fergus, Salem, and other communities in the area, which share a significant museum and active historical society listed below. The towns host numerous artistic and cultural events including the midsummer four-week Elora Festival featuring classical choral music and jazz/blues.

The movie Lars and the Real Girl was partially filmed in the town.