Wool, Water and the Law of the Mississippi
Mill towns, a wool empire and an Ontario court case decided on a river.
A preview of the stories
Follow the Mississippi River through Lanark County, where waterpower turned a river bend into a centre for wool manufacturing. Timber, mills, and growing towns brought new work and wealth to the valley, while the river shaped how people moved and how industry grew. A dispute over access to a dam and timber slide eventually travelled far beyond Ontario, giving a local conflict an international reach.
The story is about more than a famous legal decision. It follows the people who built and worked in the mill towns, the river infrastructure they depended on, and the arguments over who could use it. Industrial settlement is one chapter in a much longer history of Indigenous use and care of the valley. The broad route is here to preview; the exact stops, order, and visit details open with the trip.
