The falls at Gananoque, Ontario,just east of Kingston, often come to my mind. Lady Simcoe's painting at the right, taken from a museum website, is from the 1790's.
There is a passage in one of my
favorite books, “Kingston! O Kingston! An Anthology Edited by
Arthur Britton Smith,” 1987, pp. 272-273, that originally comes
from Dr. Thomas Rolph, [1820-1883] “A Brief Account, together
with Observations made, &c., in Parts of the Years 1832-3
together with a Statistical Account of Upper Canada,” Dundas,
U.C., 1836. It goes as follows:
Gannanoqoue.
Is a small village, on the Gannanoque River, the hydraulic power at
this place is probably the best in the Province, and if ever
manufactures should be carried to much extent, this village will be
the nucleus for a large manufacturing town. There are already in
active operation a spacious flour mill, a saw mill, a pail
manufactory, a cloth manufactory, a foundary, a fulling machine,
carding machine, &c. “The Gannonoque Creek, rushes headlong
over the precipice, into the St. Lawrence, and has been viewed
with stupid curiosity by the savages for the last thousand years.
But the genius of civilization and enterprise approaches, and by the
touch of her magic wand, the whole scene is inspired with a new and
busier vitality: and a cluster of factories and mills give
employment, sustenance and ultimate affluence to thousands. The value
here is not in the waterfall, but in the genius which turned it to
account: the capital and enterprise which created this scene of
prosperity and industry, which now maintains it in active operation.”
[My emphasis]
A lot of the water that flowed for
thousands of years over the falls was diverted into the Cataraqui
River to make the Rideau Canal and then a hydro-electric dam was
built in 1940.
Gananoque is more inspirational to me
than ever as we are overcoming the arrogance about the stupid savages
and capitalism.
No comments:
Post a Comment