BRACEBRIDGE — In 1892 when entrepreneur William Shaw built Bracebridge’s first power-generating station, he never would have dreamed of the flooding today.
And the immense, angry falls that has emerged in 2019.
He drew his first water from a source owned Henry J. Bird.
But in 1894 when the town took it over and became the first municipality in Ontario to own and operate its own hydro station, the south branch of the Muskoka River became the source of generations of power that remains today in the hands of Lakeland Power.
But now it’s angry.
And frothing at the mouth of the Bracebridge Falls that has become the iconic image of the town.
A tourist attraction that continues to draw and amaze people from around the world.
If ever more than now.
Thanks to record flooding.
Here’s why this week.
The Bracebridge Falls are angrier than they have ever been since they became a source of power for William Shaw in 1892.The ferocity of these waves speaks for itself and is a reminder of the ever-present danger around the falls, the rivers and any waterbodies.It’s hard to fathom the amount of water pouring through chutes and over the falls, which is much more than in 2013, officicals and the public agree.Record waterflows continue to gush in at unprecedented levels, which Lakeland Power harnesses just the way the falls has done for power since 1882.The Riverwalk restaurant building, which also houses the Chamber of Commerce, towers over the river.The rush of the river downstream continues to grow and is expected to get even stronger by mid to late week.Under the rail bridge over the falls the Muskoka River washes down to the falls.Looking up the falls it’s a sea of splash and foam that shows its imensity.People love to get close to the action, here under the bridge, a popular vantage point for photographers.It’s hard to image so much debris going over the falls, but every day town staff pull out logs and tree branches that are amazing-looking driftwood.
April 30, 2019 @ 6:53 pm
Great article and pictures about the Bracebridge flood;