Episode 14 | Decew Falls, Ontario
On this episode of Aimlessly Wandering, we're checking out DeCew Falls and Morningstar Mill, in St. Catharines, Ontario.
It's hard to miss Decew falls, and beside it, Faucet Falls. These two falls were the reason I came back as I fell in love with them after visiting with Adrienne in the summer of 2021. When Adrienne and I first heard about these falls, we had no idea how truly astounding they were.
Faucet Falls are classified as small plunge falls and were artificially made for the DeCew Falls Hydroelectric Power Facility constructed in 1898. It draws water from Lake Eerie through the Welland Canal into a storage reservoir in Lake Gibson. It's the oldest operating hydroelectric plant in Niagara.
DeCew falls is a large 22 metre (72 feet) plunge waterfall that was named after John DeCou, who purchased the land around 1788. The falls are widely regarded as one of the prettiest waterfalls in southern Ontario, Niagara Falls notwithstanding.
There are trails that lead beside and behind the falls, which makes it easy to explore behind the beautiful curtain of cascading water.
Lower Decew Falls is located just downstream of Upper Decew Falls, hidden thick in the woods. It is traditionally less busy than its brother falls. It's also smaller than the previous two falls.
My next stop was the Morningstar Mill, a turbine-powered mill. While I was there, I met Terry who taught me a little more about its history.
After exploring the mill, it was time to check out the Morningstar family home.
The Morningstar home was built around 1895 by two carpenters from Thorold Ontario with lumber from Wilson's sawmill. When the house was first built, it was heated with wood in the spring and fall, and coal in the winter. Drinking water was retrieved from a well, and water for cleaning and washing was collected in a cistern. Wilson also produced his own electricity for lighting the mill and the house.
The interior of the house was restored in 1932 and showcases many pieces of furniture that were owned by the Morningstar family.
Wilson and his wife Emma occupied the house with their children throughout their lifetimes. When Wilson died, Wilson's oldest daughter and her family moved back into the house, and her children lived in it until 1991, at which point it was donated to the City of St. Catharines in 1994. The house features scalloped clapboard siding, and ball and spindle gingerbread.
Today the Morningstar Mill is one of the few mills in Ontario that houses all of its original equipment and operates its millstones using its original water source.
