Cooper's Falls, Ontario
Encyclopedia
Cooper's Falls is a hamlet in central Ontario
, on the Black River
near the village of Washago in Ramara Township
. It is named after Thomas Cooper, the first settler in this location. Although there are a few families living in Coopers Falls, it is considered a ghost town
, because its current population is significantly less than it once was.
Emma and Thomas Cooper built a house and general store half a mile from a waterfall on the Black River. Many years later, in 1878 the first post office opened with the name Cooper’s Falls.
The village soon added a general store, blacksmith and cheese factory. A log schoolhouse was built in 1874 followed by two churches. The Methodist church was built in 1894 and the Anglican church was built approximately 1884.
Thomas Cooper had hoped that his town's inhabitants would live good and clean lives. He believed in prohibition and thus, was not pleased when men from the lumber camps would show up in town, drunk.
The town's demise came when the lumber mill closed. The actual waterfall which took the Cooper name sits on private property, but can be seen from Cooper's Falls Road, especially in winter and early spring, when foliage doesn't obstruct the view.
. You will pass the spot where an old ghost town called Ragged Rapids, Ontario once existed (which had its own post office and a dance hall in the 1930s).
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, on the Black River
Black River (Ontario)
Black River may refer to several rivers by that name in the province of Ontario, Canada.*The Black River in Hastings County, Ontario joins the Moira River near Tweed, Ontario....
near the village of Washago in Ramara Township
Ramara, Ontario
Ramara is a township municipality in Simcoe County, Ontario, Canada.Ramara was formed in 1994 through the amalgamation of the townships of Rama and Mara. The municipality stretches along the northeastern shore of Lake Simcoe from Gamebridge to Orillia, and along the entire eastern shore of Lake...
. It is named after Thomas Cooper, the first settler in this location. Although there are a few families living in Coopers Falls, it is considered a ghost town
Ghost town
A ghost town is an abandoned town or city. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economic activity that supported it has failed, or due to natural or human-caused disasters such as floods, government actions, uncontrolled lawlessness, war, or nuclear disasters...
, because its current population is significantly less than it once was.
History
In 1864, Thomas James Cooper and his wife, Emma emigrated to Canada on the steamship "Hector" from Fawkham, England. They arrived in the area from the train in Barrie. From there they proceeded to make their way by boat to Washago. There they set off into the bush to find a location to build their home in lands occupied by wolves.Emma and Thomas Cooper built a house and general store half a mile from a waterfall on the Black River. Many years later, in 1878 the first post office opened with the name Cooper’s Falls.
The village soon added a general store, blacksmith and cheese factory. A log schoolhouse was built in 1874 followed by two churches. The Methodist church was built in 1894 and the Anglican church was built approximately 1884.
Thomas Cooper had hoped that his town's inhabitants would live good and clean lives. He believed in prohibition and thus, was not pleased when men from the lumber camps would show up in town, drunk.
The town's demise came when the lumber mill closed. The actual waterfall which took the Cooper name sits on private property, but can be seen from Cooper's Falls Road, especially in winter and early spring, when foliage doesn't obstruct the view.
Tourist attractions
The Black River Rd. just north of the village leads east into the City of Kawartha Lakes and to a well-known rapids called Victoria Falls inside the Queen Elizabeth II Wildlands Provincial ParkQueen Elizabeth II Wildlands Provincial Park
The Queen Elizabeth II Wildlands Provincial Park is a provincial park in south-central Ontario, between Gravenhurst and Minden. The park, named for Elizabeth II, Queen of Canada, is 33,505 hectares in size, making it the second largest park south of Algonquin Park , but it has a fragmented shape as...
. You will pass the spot where an old ghost town called Ragged Rapids, Ontario once existed (which had its own post office and a dance hall in the 1930s).