Fall River, Nova Scotia - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Fall River is a Canadian

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

suburban community in Nova Scotia

Nova Scotia

Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...

's Halifax Regional Municipality

Halifax Regional Municipality, Nova Scotia

Halifax Regional Municipality is the capital of the province of Nova Scotia, Canada. The Regional Municipality had a 2006 census population of 372,679, while the metropolitan area had a 2010 estimated population of 403,188, and the urban area of Halifax had a population of 282,924...

.

It is located north of the Bedford Basin

Bedford Basin

Bedford Basin is a large enclosed bay, forming the northwestern end of Halifax Harbour on Canada's Atlantic coast.-Geography:Geographically, the basin is situated entirely within the Halifax Regional Municipality and is oriented northwest-southeast, measuring approximately 8 kilometres long and 5...

, northwest of Bedford

Bedford, Nova Scotia

Bedford is a community in the Halifax Regional Municipality, Nova Scotia, Canada. It was an independent town from 1980-1996. Bedford lies on the northwestern end of Bedford Basin, an extension of the Halifax Harbour...

, east of Lower Sackville

Lower Sackville, Nova Scotia

Lower Sackville is a suburban community located in the Halifax Regional Municipality, Nova Scotia, Canada. It is part of the urban area of Halifax ....

and north and west of Waverley

Waverley, Nova Scotia

Waverley is a community of the Halifax Regional Municipality, Nova Scotia, Canada. It is located about 20 minutes from Downtown Halifax, Nova Scotia. It has a rich history in gold mining.-History:...

.

Fall River's name is derived from a stream running between Miller Lake

Miller Lake

Miller Lake may refer to:In Canada* Miller Lake, a lake in Fall River, Nova Scotia* Miller Lake, a lake in Guysborough County, Nova Scotia* Miller Lake a lake in Hants County, Nova ScotiaIn the United States...

and Lake Thomas which had a waterfall. These falls supplied water power for several mills during the 19th century as well as a local electrical utility during the early 20th century. The waterfall was demolished in the late 1950s as a result of the construction of the Bicentennial Highway

Nova Scotia Highway 102

Highway 102 is a north-south freeway in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia that runs from Halifax to Truro. It is the busiest highway in Atlantic Canada....

leading to Halifax; the waterfall was located where the 4-lane expressway currently runs up the hill from the crossing of Lake Thomas to the interchange with Highway 118

Nova Scotia Highway 118

Highway 118, in Nova Scotia, is a short suburban freeway connecting Victoria Road via Woodland Ave. in Dartmouth with Highway 102 at Fall River, to the north. The highway crosses the Historic Shubenacadie Canal. Running parallel to the highway from the Waverley Road to exit 14 is a portion of...

at Miller Lake. Hydro-electric power is now generated by an underground tunnel that carries the water from Miller Lake which once flowed through this stream and down the waterfall. Turbines produce electricity for the main grid, during peak periods.

History

The Mi'kmaq Nation and its predecessors were known to have inhabited Fall River prior to European settlement, using the waterways for a portage route connecting with the Shubenacadie Valley

Shubenacadie Valley

The Shubenacadie Valley is a Canadian rural region in central Nova Scotia.The picturesque Shubenacadie River flows through the valley, which is framed by low hills from its source at Shubenacadie Grand Lake in north-central Halifax County, then through a rolling landscape of rich soils left by...

. The Mik'maq reportedly used this waterway to attack the settlement at Halifax in its early days during a conflict with English settlers.

The first European people in the area arrived during the late 18th century, and some of these earliest settlers were German. In particular one German family named Muller (now anglicized to Miller), established themselves in Fall River, and some of their descendants remain in the area, with Miller Lake being named after them. The Miller brothers, Philip and John cleared the land on the east side of Lake Thomas and in 1828 built a dam to power their sawmill, the first in the area. George Taylor, another settler, had come to Fall River in 1829 and was Innkeeper of The Lakeside Inn, which was in operation as early as 1831.

In the 1830s, Charles P. Allen operated a water-powered mill on the falls at Miller lake, where he manufactured furniture. The Shubenacadie Canal

Shubenacadie Canal

The Shubenacadie Canal is a Canadian canal in central Nova Scotia, linking Halifax Harbour with Shubenacadie Grand Lake which drains into the Bay of Fundy by way of the Shubenacadie River. Currently small craft use the river and lakes, but no locks are fully operational...

was operating during the 1850s, and this waterway which connected Halifax Harbour to the Minas Basin, ran through Fall River by way of the lakes, and the now tumbled down cut stones of the canal-locks, can be still be seen at the meeting of Lake Thomas and Fletcher Lake. Fletcher Lake was named after Robert Fletcher, who operated an Inn and way station on the stagecoach road (Cobequid Road) to Truro, at the site of the present day Locks, during the 1830s and '40s. At the north end of Miller Lake where Tillmann Brook now crosses Perrin Drive, stood Rutherfords Inn which operated from the 1840s through to the 1870s. This Inn had a rich reputation for entertainment, and was frequented by miners from the nearby gold fields at Waverley and by militia men and parties from Dartmouth.

Around 1902, there was a wooden aqueduct over a mile long, which carried water from Miller Lake along the top of Gunns Mountain to Waverley, where the power from it was used in gold mining in that village. While not on the same scale as nearby Waverley, the only gold diggings in Fall River were mainly located on the east side of Miller Lake in the late 1890s and early 20th century. A few hundred ounces were produced. There is a small gold producing mine located there today (2006), operated and owned by local resident John Tillmann.

Through the later part of the 19th century and early 20th century, Fall River was largely a sleepy little village and did not grow much in population. In 1921 The Lake Thomas Ice Company was in operation in Fall River and continued until about 1948. In 1926 The Waverley Game Sanctuary was created, surrounding the east side of Miller Lake and containing large tracts of land within the rugged interior east of Soldier Lake. Also in 1926, The Boy Scouts built a summer camp on Lone Cloud Island in Miller Lake, which is still in use today. There was a blacksmith shop operated by Miller's during the 1930s, located on the east side of Lake Thomas, and the old building is still there as late as 2010. The old general store of Neil Miller was a major fixture in the village, dating from October 14, 1952 until 1987.

In 1954 local resident Graeme Stuart, whose family had come to Fall River from Scotland, back in the mid-19th century, founded Stuart Industries. The metal fabricating business at its peak employed about 100 men and operated in Fall River until about 1982. Going back to the 1940s, an old service station built and operated by the Spencer family and later owned by the MacArthurs, located near the present-day Fall River community center, is still in operation and is now operated and owned by local resident Gerald Burgess.

Growth

Fall River has been expanding rapidly over the past 10 years with the construction of a Sobeys

Sobeys

Sobeys is the second largest food retailer in Canada, with over 1,300 supermarkets operating under a variety of banners. Headquartered in Stellarton, Nova Scotia, it operates stores in all ten provinces and accumulated sales of more than $14 billion CAD in 2009...

and surrounding shopping centre, McDonalds, Subway and Tim Hortons

Tim Hortons

Tim Hortons Inc. is a Canadian fast casual restaurant known for its coffee and doughnuts. It is also Canada's largest fast food service with over 3000 stores nationwide. It was founded in 1964 in Hamilton, Ontario, by Canadian hockey player Tim Horton and Jim Charade, after an initial venture in...

. Lockview High School

Lockview High School

Lockview High School is a high school located in Fall River, Nova Scotia, serving the areas of Fall River, Beaver Bank, Windsor Junction, Waverley, Wellington and a section of Enfield. It opened its doors in 2000, relieving overcrowding at Charles P. Allen High School in Bedford...

opened its doors in 2000 to relieve strain on the aging Charles P. Allen High School

Charles P. Allen High School

Charles P. Allen High School, is a senior high school located in Bedford, Nova Scotia, Canada.-Sports teams:CPA has teams that participate in:*Football*Golf*Baseball*Soccer *Cross Country Running...

in Bedford. Fall River also has two elementary schools, Holland Road Elementary School and Ash Lee Jefferson Elementary School. Ash Lee Jefferson Elementary School was named after Mrs. Ada Lee, Mrs. Selena Jefferson and Mrs. Martha Ash. All of whom are remembered for their extraordinary humanitarian efforts, moral and Christian leadership in the community of Fall River. There is also one Junior High; Georges P. Vanier. Due to the increased presence of schools and retail, Fall River serves as a hub for neighboring communities.

There are four major subdivisions in Fall River, the first being called The Schwarzwald (named after the famed Black Forest in Germany) and developed by the Miller family in the mid 1970s. Schwarzwald has in the past year started development of a new section called Schwarzwald Heights.

The second subdivision being Fall River Village. Fall River Village was established in 1973 with over 1000 acres (4 km²) of land and 200 acre (0.809372 km²) yet to be developed.

Also Capilano is the third major subdivision, with the Ashburn golf course http://www.ashburngolfclub.com just outside.

There are three new subdivisions, St. Andrews West and Kinloch Estates, which opened in February 2009. The subdivision itself is nestled between St. Andrews Lake and Kinsac Lake with extensive waterfrontage on both lakes. Also, Miller Lake West located near the end of Perrin Drive (actually north of Miller Lake) has developed over the last six to seven years with larger homes and properties offering a feel of country living minutes from the city.

An up-scale development is also located on Guildwood Drive on the eastern shore of Miller Lake, having large properties with extensive waterfrontage. Tillmann Brook, a nearby waterway to this development, runs from Soldier Lake and empties into Miller Lake. This waterway is also named for another older Fall River family by the name of Tillmann, who also originated in Germany, although coming later to the area just after World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

, around 1947. Near Tillmann Brook at Miller Lake you will find Fall River Stables.

A new Fire Station and Recreation/sports center for Fall River, the Gordon R. Snow Community Centre/Fire Station 45, opened in October 2008. It is named after Gordon R. Snow, a former councillor and resident of the community.

The skate park at the Rec Centre was opened in October, 2008. It is a large concrete bowl style park, with a few handrails and ledges. The Rec Center itself opened in February 2009, which has a gym, offices, a fire hall and event room.

Waterways

There are many lakes in Fall River and its surrounding communities of Wellington

Wellington, Nova Scotia

Wellington located at 44°51'54"N, 63°36'59"W is a community of the Halifax Regional Municipality, Nova Scotia on Fletcher's Lake on Trunk 2 approximately from Halifax.-History:Originally Wellington was an area where cottages were located...

, Waverley

Waverley, Nova Scotia

Waverley is a community of the Halifax Regional Municipality, Nova Scotia, Canada. It is located about 20 minutes from Downtown Halifax, Nova Scotia. It has a rich history in gold mining.-History:...

, Windsor Junction and Lakeview. There is an eighteen-hole golf course, Ashburn Golf Club http://www.ashburngolfclub.com, and two parks, Laurie Provincial Park http://parks.gov.ns.ca/parks/laurie.htm and Oakfield Provincial Park http://parks.gov.ns.ca/misc/parks_a-z_info.asp#oakfield.

Lake Thomas and Fletcher's Lake in Fall River form a section of the Shubenacadie Canal

Shubenacadie Canal

, which connects the Bay of Fundy

Bay of Fundy

The Bay of Fundy is a bay on the Atlantic coast of North America, on the northeast end of the Gulf of Maine between the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, with a small portion touching the U.S. state of Maine...

with the Halifax Harbour

Halifax Harbour

Halifax Harbour is a large natural harbour on the Atlantic coast of Nova Scotia, Canada, located in the Halifax Regional Municipality.-Harbour description:The harbour is called Jipugtug by the Mi'kmaq first nation, anglisized as Chebucto...

.

Soldier Lake, a large reservoir lying almost completely within the boundaries of the game sanctuary.

Johnson River, a small river emptying into the east side of Soldier Lake and originating in the rugged interior of the game sanctuary.

Tillmann Brook, a swift flowing waterway, begins at a Nova Scotia Power Hydro dam on
Soldier Lake inside the Waverley Game Sanctuary, eventually emptying into Miller Lake.

Third Lake, the third in a series of lakes starting in Lower Sackville. Third Lake forms part of the western boundary of Fall River

Kinsac Lake, a large lake, part of which forms another section of the western boundary of Fall River

Miller Lake, a reservoir from which empties into Lake Thomas. Home to the Miller Lake Dragon of Camp Lone Cloud, a familiar summer sight out in the lake, near the #102 Highway.

German Creek, a small waterway which flows from the Gunn Ponds, under Perrin Drive into Miller Lake.

External links

----

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.