Lunch Cruise & Blazing Fiddles Show
The Grand River Cruise was a lot of fun: the video informative, the entertainment lively, the meal good, and the cruise very relaxing. The group couldn’t have asked for better weather.
The closest bridge is the train bridge, the one seen in the distance with arches is the Caledonia Bridge. The large white building to the left is the Caledonia Milling Company.
Just past the train bridge, a mere few boat lengths from where we were being pulled downstream by the forceful current, there lies unseen, the Caledonia dam over which the mighty Grand River plunges. As our captain explained, had it not been for her skill and bravery, our boat, the Princess, might have been pushed over its precipice to plunge a full 18 inches to the two feet of churning water below! Thank you Captain!
History of the Caledonia Milling Company. (paraphrased from Wiki)
The Caledonia Mill was built by James Little about 1853 and was originally known as the Little Mills. It was purchased in the 1870’s by McQuarrie, Thorburn & Munroe, prominent millers and grain dealers of the time. Caledonia was considered to be one of the best grain markets in Canada.
The mill passed through several hands until 1966 when all operations ceased. In 1981 Haldimand County attained ownership until 1998,when the mill was transferred to the Caledonia Old Mill Corporation, a not-for-profit organization currently entrusted with the care and promotion of the mill. Here’s an update from 2016.