CONTENTS—Tenth township—Richmond—Origin—Quantity of land—Shores of
Mohawk Bay—Village on south shore—Original land holders—Names—
Napanee—The falls—The mill—Salmon River—Indian name—Source of
Napanee River—Its course—Colebrook—Simcoe Falls—Name—Clarke’s
Mills—Newburgh—Academy—The settlers—“Clarkville”—No records.
THE TENTH TOWNSHIP—RICHMOND.
This township is called after the Duke of Richmond, and contains about
50,000 acres.
At an early period, the shores of the Mohawk Bay were occupied by
settlers. At first, upon the Fredericksburgh side, and shortly after
upon the north shore. The facilities for erecting a flouring-mill at the
falls, upon the river which empties into the Mohawk Bay, attracted the
attention of Government so early as 1785, in which year the first mill
was erected. The existence of this mill caused something of a village to
spring up on the south shore. About the same time, the land upon the
north shore of the bay and river, was taken up by the loyalists. We can
find nothing to indicate the year in which this township was originally
surveyed; but it was most probably done in the latter part of 1785, or
in the spring of 1786, after the front of Thurlow had been surveyed.
Upon the old chart of this township in the Crown Lands Department, may
be seen the names of certain officers, as claimants of land near the
mouth of the river. The names are in the main, now unknown, and it seems
that the land passed into other hands. The second and third concessions
seem to have been settled at a comparatively early date. We believe that
some of the first settlers on Mohawk Bay, were, Alexander Nicholson,
Woodcock, Peterson, Campbell, Richardson, Detlors.
_Napanee_, a name given to the river, and to the town upon its banks, is
of Indian origin. Originally it was Appanee, which signifies, in the
Mississauga language, flour, or the river where they make flour. This
designation, it has been supposed, arose from the existence of the
flouring-mill, built here at an early date (see first days of Upper
Canada). The place was first visited by loyalists, in 1784. The beauty
of the scenery, the waters of the river, tumbling over the rocks, down a
distance of thirty feet, and sweeping down through a muddy bed, and
widening into Mohawk Bay, and the surrounding hills clothed in nature’s
rugged habiliments, would naturally attract the settler. Then, when
Government placed a mill, at which the settlers could get their grain
ground, a consideration of great importance, the land in the vicinity
would be eagerly sought, upon which to settle. And, it can readily be
inferred, that the more valuable lots in the township of Richmond were,
at an early date, appropriated and settled upon.
Running across the back part of this township, from east to west, and
continuing across the township of Tyendinagua, is the Salmon River. It
takes its rise in Crow Lake, in the Township of Kenebec. It empties into
the Bay Quinté, at the border line between this township and Thurlow.
Near its mouth is the Village of Shannonville. The Indian name of the
Salmon River was _Gosippa_.
The Napanee River, of which we have spoken, takes its rise in the
townships of Hinchinbroke, Bedford, Loughborough, Portland, which are
thickly strewn with beautiful lakes and streams, all connected so as to
form a sort of net work. The Napanee then crosses the front part of
Camden, and pursues its way along, forming the southern boundary of
Richmond, to empty into the Mohawk Bay. Along the course of the stream
are several villages, all possessed of more or less beauty. There is the
village of Colebrook, having upward of 300 inhabitants; Simcoe Falls
comes next, beautiful and picturesque, with some 250 of population. The
village is named after the Falls, which are some forty feet high. The
name is derived from Governor Simcoe, who at one time owned here 1000
acres of land. Four miles further down the stream is the pleasant
village of Clark’s Mills, after a family name of which we have elsewhere
spoken, as a distinguished U. E. Loyalist. Continuing down the river we
come to Newburgh, a village picturesquely situated, and of considerable
importance. Beside its grist-mills, saw-mills, factories, machine shop,
foundry, and other machinery worked by the water; Newburgh has a very
respectable academy. Perhaps there is no stream in Canada which
possesses the same number of mill privileges as the Napanee. There are
numerous rapids and several falls along its course, and the banks on
either side are often strikingly beautiful. The original settlers along
the stream were mostly the children of loyalists.
NAPANEE.—The settlement of Napanee is pretty fully given in the chapter
upon the first flouring-mills. We there have stated that Sergeant Major
Clark of the 84th regiment, was ordered to Napanee to act as
superintendent of the works in connection with the building of the mill;
second flouring-mill in Upper Canada. The mill was situated upon the
Fredericksburgh side of the river. Upon an early map of the township, by
P. V. Elmore, a village is marked here by the name of Clark ville.
Napanee was incorporated in the year 1854.
We regret our inability to procure the township record of Richmond.
DIVISION IX.
THE EARLY GOVERNMENT OF UPPER CANADA.