Upper Canada's First Paper Mill 1826
The province's first paper mill began operations in 1826. Situated about 140 m downstream from here, it was owned by James Crooks (1786-1860), one of Upper Canada's most successful entrepreneurs. On 160 ha of land purchased here in 1811, Crooks had, by 1822, erected a number of other mills, creating Crooks' Hollow, one of the province's largest concentrations of industry. Construction of the paper mill was encouraged by an expanding domestic market and the British government's imposition in 1826 of a high tariff on paper imported into Canada from the United States. Crooks sold his paper mill in 1851, but under various owners it continued operations until destroyed by fire in 1875.
Plaque via Alan L. Brown's site Ontario Plaques. Full page here.