Silver Creek. The area between present-day Acton and Georgetown was once home to mills, taverns, general stores, stone quarries and of course, lumber operations.
We will take a look at the history of a sawmill built in the Silver Creek area.

Silver Creek was originally associated with a nearby Iroquois village from the Late Woodland period. These lands were used for hunting, gathering, and probably agriculture.

In 1854, William McClure, a Scottish immigrant, purchased the land from the Canada Company.
The McClure family began the difficult task of clearing the land to make space to live and work. The first structure built was a sawmill, then a cabin, grist mill and finally, the bridge. The structures reflect 17th Century Scottish style stonework and architecture. The stone walls are notable for using the dry stone or mortar-less technique, common in 17th Century rural Scotland.

Every village and town in Halton Region got its start this way – with one river, one forest and one immigrant family working the land. The McClures sold the property in the 1870s to the McKay family, who carried on farming the land.

Other villages in Halton Region started to expand and urbanize, but this site was too isolated and was insulated from surrounding urban expansion.
The property was eventually sold to the Vaughan family of Toronto and was incorporated into their larger farming and summer property.
Credit Valley Conservation purchased the property in 1973.

THE CABIN
The cabin is early Canadian example of Scottish crofter dwelling. Its logs were cut in 1855-56 at the original sawmill. The McKay family expanded the cabin in 1877. Note that the addition is to the side of the original cabin. A more common and more typically Canadian technique would have been to add an addition on top or to the back of the original structure.

SAWMILL
The sawmill was the first structure built on the property. The mill produced the logs and lumber used to build the cabin. The old-growth red pine logs used for the cabin were cut from the field just south of the cabin. The sawmill was later expanded to allow for greater lumber production and economic potential.

GRIST MILL
When the cabin was completed, William McClure built a grist mill approximately 130 metres downstream of a millpond he created by damming up the river.
Based on the remaining stone evidence, the waterwheel for thus mill was likely 1.3 meters by 4 metres and capable of producing 25 horsepower when streamflow was good.

The mill was placed here because of the 11 metre drop in elevation, which allowed for greater power generation. appears to ave collapsed or burned down. The grist mill appears to have collapsed or burned down.

A grist mill (also spelled gristmill) is a historic type of mill that grinds cereal grains — like corn, wheat, or other “grist” (grain that’s been threshed and cleaned) — into flour, meal, or coarser grist using heavy millstones.

BRIDGE
The bridge was built in the early 1870s. The rare single stone vault bridge Is another example of the fine stonework of Scottish settlers. It is unusual to find this type of stone bridge in such an isolated area. Typical rural Canadian bridges of this era were built of wood. The bridge allowed customers from Ballinafad and else where access to the site to have their grains ground or their logs sawn. It was likely built in anticipation of greater economic development in the area.

From the bridge you can see the Falls.
They’re not “big” waterfalls but charming and worth a quick stop.

Hiking & Trails around Silver Creek >>

Title photo: Author Tom Morison 1877?