LANARK COUNTY’S SOUTHERN GATEWAY

Rideau Ferry has always been a stopping point. Forming a narrow point on the Rideau lakes system the site was first used by the Algonquins as a crossing and that tradition was continued as the first European settlers to Lanark County trekked northward from Brockville and today, as a picturesque rest stop along the Rideau Canal system.

Legendary Rideau Ferry Map

Brockville to Perth Settlers Trail

As central and western Lanark County was surveyed and opened up for settlement in the 1810’s, settlers, including War of 1812 veterans, trickled northwards to the Perth area and Rideau Ferry is where they originally crossed, risking life and supplies on log rafts that were oared across the narrows. A log corduroy road north to Perth had to be blazed through the hills and swampland.

Oliver’s Ferry

Originally named, Oliver’s Landing after John Oliver who set up his famous raft to ferry commuters across the narrows. Two of the more interesting characters along the route, Oliver and his son were known as prickly fellows, remembered today as much the legend of the vanished customers as their role in operating this crucial transportation link. Eventually the need for a more practical crossing method led to the first wooden bridge being built in 1874. This bridge was replaced by a two span iron swing-bridge in 1896. After a tank truck fell through the bridge in the 1960s the current six-span arch-bridge was erected and is in use today.

Industry to Recreation

Oliver’s Ferry, later known as Rideau Centre and finally Rideau Ferry, had a thriving economy in the late 1800’s, included lumber and saw mills, trapping, maple syrup production, a stone mason, dairy farming, and a cheese factory to name a few. While roads and rails diminished the commercial importance of the Rideau Canal by the second half of the 19th Century, Rideau Ferry became a recreational hub as summer cottages and homes were established along the shore and many of those same families continue to enjoy this area.

The Rideau Ferry Inn

Nothing epitomizes Rideau Ferry’s golden years like the Rideau Ferry Inn. Starting as the Coutts House, a three storey summer hotel, it was purchased by Doug Wallace, rebuilt and renamed in 1947. A favourite spot for weddings it was best known for its Saturday night dances bringing in bands such as The Staccatos, The Digratos (a local house band from Smiths Falls), The Five D, The Townsmen, The Esquires and The Continentals featuring Dennis Staples, who would later become mayor of Smiths Falls, on lead guitar. The Inn changed owners in subsequent years and sadly burned to the ground February 1986. The CCs on the Rideau restaurant occupies that site today. Memories of summer nights dancing to the sounds at the Rideau Ferry Inn and the Antler Lodge still linger in the stories of local residents.

Rideau Ferry Regatta

One of Canada’s largest vintage race boat regattas is held every second summer (odd years) in August. Hosted by the Rideau Ferry Yacht Club, this event welcomes boating enthusiasts of all ages to attend this award winning display of vintage race boats. The first regatta was held in 1897 when canoes, skiffs and steam yachts were fancily decorated, “paddles and oars painted and varnished, oarlocks greased, engines overhauled and oilers filled, coal bunkers packed with the best steam coal, and brass-work polished until it shone as bright as the sun itself.” By the 1920’s and 30’s up to 4,000 people attended the one day event in the village of fewer than 100 people. In the early 50’s many of the local boat builders and racing enthusiasts were well into the racing scene and the regatta continued as a landmark event of the Rideau Canal.

Rideau Ferry Yacht Club Conservation Area

This ten acre day use recreation area was donated to the Rideau Valley Conservation Authority in 1976 by the Rideau Ferry Yacht Club, with the condition that the Club be allowed to use the site for their regatta. The beach, public boat launch and picnic area have attracted families for generations.

Rideau Ferry Today

Today, Rideau Ferry is a picturesque, vibrant rest stop along the Rideau Canal system for travelers by boat or roadway. We invite you to enjoy our village and visit our eateries, the general store, marina and discover places like the intriguing Rideau Ferry Conservation Area, with its beach and natural shoreline along the north shore of Lower Rideau Lake.

Dock at Rideau Ferry ​

Rideau Ferry Regatta​

Rideau Ferry dock and bridge over the river​

Drummond North Elmsley Settlers Trail sign​

Rideau River​

Rideau Ferry Maple Syrup Producer​

Rideau Ferry Regatta​

Rideau Ferry Regatta​

Old photo of Rideau Ferry​

Port Elmsley was first named Barbadoes after the birthplace of Samuel Weatherhand, son-in-law to Benedict Arnold.

More than 13,000 acres were granted to the famous General for his defection to the British army. Weatherhead saw great potential in Port Elmsley and began the industrial growth of the area. At some point Barbadoes was renamed Pike’s Falls after the river that ran through the area, which is known as the Tay River today.

By mid-to late-century, the village boasted two hotels, three stores, two blacksmiths shops, two churches, a cooperage, a post office, a school, a railway station, a Town Hall, and several mills. With the development of the town of Perth it made sense to invest in a canal to transport goods and travelers up the river to Perth. The Tay Navigation Company was formed and five locks were built to help barges maneuver the rapids, evidence, of which, remain today.

With the building of the Rideau Canal, the little locks in Port Elmsley were left to deteriorate as a newer canal was built at Beveridges Bay providing a more direct route to Perth.

Today, Port Elmsley is a quaint village as vehicles travel between Perth and Smiths Falls and is the location of our municipal office and the North Elmsley Public School. The famous Drive-In still operates drawing the curious from as far away as Ottawa to experience this phenomenon from days gone by. We invite you to enjoy our picturesque village that envelopes the Tay River and discover our historic sites and buildings.

Photo taken by Fiona Donnelly

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Innisville is situated on Provincial Highway 7 where it straddles the Mississippi River, half way between Perth and Carleton Place.

Innisville was originally named Freer’s Falls or Freer’s Rapids after Captain Noah Freer, a veteran of the War of 1812 who received a deed from the Crown in 1821 for all of Lot 20. The village was later named Ennisville after James Ennis who had the first mill there. Ennis would come to Canada in the spring, work the land, and return to Ireland for the winter. When the post office opened in 1851 a clerical error resulted in the community being called Innisville. The error was never corrected.

Innisville was a mill town with a huge dam an active woollen mill, sawmills, shingle mills, two flour mills and a grist mill. As well there were a couple of taverns, a hotel (which housed the general store and post office), blacksmiths, cooper and shoe shops, a school and at least one church and community hall. Eventually the mills disappeared and the village became quite a resort town. Some of the original cottages are still in use.

In 1959, the Mississippi Lake Migratory Bird Sanctuary Wildlife Area was established to protect staging waterfowl before becoming Mississippi Lake National Wildlife Area in 1971. It covers an area of 307 hectares located within the wetlands of McEwen Bay, where water streams in from the Mississippi River. The small bay is one of the few natural areas left on the Mississippi Lake shoreline. Muddy silt and debris support rich stands of wild rice, cattail and other plants, well sheltered by a peninsula and island at the mouth of the bay. The bay that collects the river silt provides lush stands of aquatic plants that feed thousands of migrating ducks each autumn.

Because of its location Innisville has always been a hub of activity. Its general store, LCBO outlet and gas station carry all the necessities. There is a MTO roadside park that provides a tranquil place for Highway 7 travelers to stop, eat and stretch their legs. Law and Orders, a popular restaurant, proudly boasts of the “Rhippo Challenge,” a food eating contest that very few participants have won.

We invite you to stop by the River and see if you can spot the pickerel making their way upstream or enjoy a cooling picnic at the roadside park. It is always a welcomed excuse to stretch your legs.

Tucked away among the lush Lanark County landscape is the hamlet of Ferguson’s Falls on County Road 15. Established along the Mississippi River, the hamlet quietly greets commuters on their destinations. There is no record of any falls however the rapids necessitated a portage when river travel was the main method of transportation. Today a modern bridge spans the river unassumingly.

Some of the names of the earliest settlers (such as Hollinger, Gray, Sheppard, Command, Quinn, Bedard and more) can still be found scattered around Drummond/North Elmsley and those found in the Ferguson’s Falls area are no exception. Jacob Hollinger served in His Majesty’s Regiment of Watteville and brought his wife Therese to this land. They struggled to farm and after 9 years he passed away leaving his wife and 9 children. Such was the hard life of the early settlers but Jacob’s descendants made the best of it and set down roots that would last for generations.

Originally known as Millford, Ferguson’s Falls, named for a Captain George Ferguson was a bustling hive of activity with a sawmill, grist mill, tannery, three hotels, two stores, a post office, a school house, a wagonmaker and a shoemaker and a church. The lumber industry was a lucrative business for Ferguson’s Falls and log drives were a yearly event with a stop-over in the village as the logs headed to Carleton Place sawmills. A lovely log building still stands as a testament of those days. Back then it was called the ‘Stumble Inn’ and it welcomed the weary lumberjacks as it does modern travelers today.

Today, St. Patrick’s Church gracefully adorns the roadside. Built in 1856 of wood clapboard, it is still used for the occasional service. The cemetery is a record of the Irish immigrants and a genealogist’s paradise. If you fancy a paddle a new dock has been added to the shoreline by the bridge and the Mississippi River is an exciting and rewarding trip for any boating enthusiast.

We invite you to take a tour of our countryside or treat yourself to some artwork created by one of the several artisans in the area. Be sure to stop in at Temples Sugar Bush, one of the famous Lanark County Maple Tour participants, where you will be treated to some of Lanark County’s finest maple products.

When the former Township of Drummond was incorporated in 1850, the seat of the government was located in Drummond Centre and as its name suggests, it is in the middle of the Township. The name Drummond was taken from Lieutenant-General Sir Gordon Drummond. He was the second-in-command to Sir George Provost, Commander of the Forces and Administrator of the Government of Canada.

The first public building was a school built in 1818. With the building of the Township Hall, other businesses soon started taking root. Over the years, there was a cheese factory, blacksmiths’ shop, post office, store, weaving shop, cobblers, shop, telephone exchange and Orange hall. Today there is just a public school, Township garage/community hall and home to Archives Lanark.

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Most famously, the village of Balderson is the home of Balderson Cheese! You can still purchase some of this award-winning legacy, just one more excuse to spend a lazy afternoon amid this lovely rural community.

Originally called “Balderson Corners,” this village was named after Sergeant John Balderson, who served with the 76th regiment under the Duke of Wellington. Born in Lincoln, England, in 1783, Sargeant Balderson set sail for the New World when the regiment was disbanded, and was the first settler on this one-hundred acre property in 1816.

He and the several settlers who followed were an industrious bunch, building two churches, a school, an Orange Hall, a Post Office, two hotels among other necessary buildings such as saw mills and blacksmith shops and established roads to Lanark and Fallbrook.

The Anglican and Presbyterian churches were built in the early 1830s which were replaced in 1885 and 1905 by the splendid stone churches that remain in the village today. The first school was a log building which served until 1865 when the school district bought the Orange Hall across the road. That building served as the village school until 1968. The Post Office opened in 1858 in Agnus McDonald’s Hotel, one of two hotels in the village. Upkeep of the roads around the village were funded by two tollgates; one on the route north to Lanark and west of the village toward Fallbrook.

In 1881, the Balderson Cheese and Butter Company was formed and a factory was built. Balderson was one of twelve factories that contributed curds used to produce the 22,000 lb. Mammoth Cheese which was sent to the 1893 World’s Fair in Chicago.

Since the busy days of cheese making, Balderson has grown into a tourist destination with quaint shops and friendly residents welcoming people from around the world. A popular stop for cyclist, make sure you add Balderson to your plans. Treat yourself to an ice cream or sample some of their famous Balderson Cheese you won’t be disappointed.

Balderson Main Street

St. James' Church in the village of Balderson

Old store front in the village of Balderson

Balderson United Church

Balderson Cheese Factory 1881

OCTOBER 22, 2018 MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS

The upcoming municipal/school board trustee election is Monday, October 22, 2018. The 2018 Election will be traditional paper ballot voting only.

Notice is hereby given to the municipal electors in the Township of Drummond/North Elmsley that a vote will be conducted in the Township of Drummond/North Elmsley for the Offices listed below.

MUNICIPAL OFFICES FOR WHICH A VOTE WILL BE HELD

Key Dates

• May 1, 2018 - 1st day candidates can file nomination papers and 1st day third party advertisers can register
• July 27, 2018 - Nomination Day. Last day candidates can file nomination papers
• October 13 and 17, 2018 - Advance voting
• October 19, 2018 - Last day third party advertisers can register
• October 22, 2018 - Election Day
• October 23, 2018 - Election results declared
• December 1, 2018 - New term of Council commences

Voting Locations

Offices Acclaimed for Which a Vote is NOT Required:

• Reeve, Stephen M. Fournier, Drummond/North Elmsley
• Trustee MacPherson, William (Bill), Upper Canada District School Board
• Trustee Kirby, Nancy, Catholic District School Board of Eastern Ontario
• Trustee, Stitt, Colette, Conseil des ecoles publiques de l'Est de l'Ontario

Proxy Voting

Any elector may appoint another elector as a voting proxy. Applications are available at the office of the Deputy Clerk. The last day for making application to the Deputy Clerk for a certificate to vote by proxy on behalf of another elector is Monday, October 22, 2018 no later than 4:30 p.m.

2018 Municipal Candidates Contact Sheeet

2018 French Catholic School Board Candidates Contact Sheeet

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Septic Fees

Other fees that may be applicable:

Development Charges: Applies to new development.

• Lanark County : $1,258 (2021) $1,536.00 (2022) $1,5036.00 (2023) $1,036.00 (2024), $1,036.00 (2025)

Civic Address Sign : $120.00

Township Entrance Permit  : $1,000 ($900 refundable deposit). For entrance onto a County road contact Lanark County at 613-267-4200

Electrical Permit see Electrical Safety Authority (1-877-372-7233)

Conservation Authority Permits

• Mississippi Valley Conservation Authority 613-253-0006 X 244
• Rideau Valley Conservation Authority 613-267-5353 X 131

*Construction value based upon current Construction Index of Eastern Ontario

**As defined in the Ontario Building Code

Occupancy Groups

• Group A Occupancy – Assembly Occupancy
• Group B Occupancy – Care or Detention
• Group C Occupancy – Residential Occupancy
• Group D Occupancy – Business and Personal Service Occupancy Group E Occupancy – Mercantile Occupancy
• Group F Occupancy – Industrial Occupancy

OWNER'S RESPONSIBILITIES

Post Permit

The Building Permit card must be posted so it can be seen from a public right-of-way.

Inspections

• Inspections rquire a minimum of 48 hours notice.

For Permit Fees, please see our Fee page