Lost Villages
The Lost Villages were ten populated communities in Eastern Ontario, Canada, that were permanently submerged in 1958 during construction of the St. Lawrence Seaway and Moses-Saunders Power Dam. They were located along the St. Lawrence River in the former townships of Cornwall and Osnabruck, now part of the municipality of South Stormont, west of Cornwall.[1]
The Lost Villages Historical Society classifies the communities as six villages, Aultsville, Dickinson's Landing, Farran's Point, Mille Roches, Moulinette and Wales; three hamlets, Maple Grove, Santa Cruz and Woodlands; and the populated farming community of Sheek's Island.[1] Some sources refer to the group as nine villages because Sheek's Island was not a conventional village.[2]
Their destruction formed part of a much larger relocation program associated with the Seaway and international hydroelectric project. Approximately 6,500 people were displaced along the Canadian side of the St. Lawrence Valley, while hundreds of houses and other buildings were physically moved to higher ground.[3] Many residents of the Lost Villages were relocated to the newly planned communities of Long Sault and Ingleside.[1]
Flooding began at 8:00 a.m. on July 1, 1958, a date remembered locally as Inundation Day. Over the following several days, the St. Lawrence River rose across the cleared valley and permanently covered the former communities, roads, railway lines, canals and farmland.[4]
Background
Communities along the upper St. Lawrence River had developed over nearly two centuries before their disappearance.
Much of the region was settled by United Empire Loyalists and disbanded soldiers following the American Revolutionary War. Cornwall and Osnabruck were two of the original Royal Townships established along the St. Lawrence in the 1780s.
The river was both an economic resource and a major transportation barrier. Rapids, particularly the Long Sault rapids west of Cornwall, prevented large vessels from travelling freely between Montreal and the Great Lakes.
During the 19th century, canals were constructed to bypass the rapids. The Cornwall Canal, opened in 1842, ran through or near several communities that later became Lost Villages. Its construction encouraged industry and transportation-related development in settlements such as Mille Roches, Moulinette and Dickinson's Landing.[5]
The arrival of the Grand Trunk Railway in the 1850s further connected the river settlements to Montreal, Toronto and other communities in Eastern Ontario.
By the early 20th century, the Lost Villages ranged from small agricultural hamlets to industrial communities. Mille Roches, for example, contained mills and other industry associated with the Cornwall Canal and river, while Aultsville grew around agriculture, railway transportation and river trade.[6][7]
St. Lawrence Seaway and power project
Plans to create a deep-water navigation route through the St. Lawrence and develop the river's hydroelectric potential were proposed repeatedly during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
After decades of Canadian-American negotiations, construction of the modern St. Lawrence Seaway and international power project began in 1954.
The project included construction of the Moses-Saunders Power Dam between Cornwall and Massena, New York, navigation channels and locks, control structures, dikes and extensive shoreline reconstruction.[8]
The hydroelectric project required the water level of the St. Lawrence River upstream of Cornwall to be substantially raised. The widened reservoir section of the river created by the project is officially known as Lake St. Lawrence.
Thousands of hectares of the existing river valley would be submerged.
Land intended for flooding was acquired by the Hydro-Electric Power Commission of Ontario, commonly known as Ontario Hydro.
The project required the relocation not only of residents but also highways, railway lines, electrical infrastructure, cemeteries, churches and businesses.
Relocation
Relocation took place principally between 1955 and 1958.
Ontario Hydro purchased properties within the future flood zone and offered compensation based primarily on assessed market value. The process became controversial among some residents, who argued that years of uncertainty surrounding the proposed Seaway had already depressed property values before acquisition began.[3]
Approximately 6,500 people were displaced throughout the Canadian section of the project.[4][1]
Buildings considered suitable for relocation were placed on trailers or other moving equipment and transported to newly prepared sites. More than 500 structures were moved during the broader Canadian relocation program.[9]
Buildings that could not or would not be relocated were demolished or burned before flooding.
Long Sault and Ingleside
Two planned communities were developed specifically to accommodate many of the displaced residents.
New Town No. 1 became Ingleside, while New Town No. 2 became Long Sault.[1]
Ingleside received many residents from communities in the western portion of the flood zone, including Aultsville, Dickinson's Landing and Farran's Point.
Long Sault received many residents from communities farther east, including Mille Roches and Moulinette. Numerous houses from the former villages remain in use within the two communities.
The communities were planned before construction and included new streets, utilities, schools, churches and commercial areas. Street and place names in both communities preserve the names of former settlements and local families.
Transportation infrastructure
The relocation program also required construction of new transportation corridors.
Sections of Ontario Highway 2 were abandoned and flooded. A replacement Highway 2 was constructed farther inland, in part along former railway property.
The main railway corridor was also relocated north of the flood zone before inundation.
Sections of former highways and roads remain underwater today.
Inundation Day
Flooding of the St. Lawrence Valley began on July 1, 1958.
At approximately 8:00 a.m. EDT, explosives were detonated in a cofferdam that had prevented the St. Lawrence River from entering the newly prepared reservoir area.[4]
Approximately 30 tons of explosives were used to breach the structure.[10]
Water began moving across former fields, roads and cleared townsites. The process was gradual rather than a sudden wall of water, and residents and spectators watched as the river level rose over the following several days.
By July 4, much of the former landscape within the flood zone had disappeared beneath the St. Lawrence River.
The flooding submerged approximately 20,000 acres (8,100 ha) of land on the Ontario side of the project and contributed to a much larger flooded area on both sides of the international river.[11]
High ground within the inundated area remained above water as islands. Several of these islands were connected by causeways and bridges to form the Long Sault Parkway.
The Moses-Saunders generating stations began producing power in 1958, and the St. Lawrence Seaway opened to ocean-going commercial navigation in 1959.
The communities
The term Lost Villages refers to ten populated communities submerged during the creation of the St. Lawrence Seaway and power project in 1958. The Lost Villages Historical Society classifies them as six villages, three hamlets and the populated farming community of Sheek's Island.[1]
The communities were:
- Aultsville – village
- Dickinson's Landing – village
- Farran's Point – village
- Maple Grove – hamlet
- Mille Roches – village
- Moulinette – village
- Santa Cruz – hamlet
- Sheek's Island – farming community
- Wales – village
- Woodlands – hamlet
Aultsville
Aultsville was originally known as Charlesville and was settled by Loyalists during the late 18th century. It later took its name from the Ault family.
The opening of the Grand Trunk Railway in 1856 contributed substantially to its growth. By the late 19th century, the community had developed stores, churches, a railway station and agricultural businesses.[7]
Much of Aultsville's population was relocated to Ingleside before the flood.
Dickinson's Landing
Dickinson's Landing developed near the head of the Long Sault rapids and served historically as a transfer point for travellers and goods moving along the river.
Construction of the Cornwall Canal during the 1830s and 1840s altered the community's economic role by allowing vessels to bypass the rapids without unloading at the landing.
Lock 21, the westernmost lock of the later Cornwall Canal system, was located immediately east of Dickinson's Landing.[5]
Farran's Point
Farran's Point developed around river transportation, mills and the canal system.
The settlement included mills, stores, schools, churches and a railway station. Its name became associated with the Farran family, particularly Charles Curtis Farran, who operated commercial and milling interests in the area.[12]
Mille Roches
Mille Roches was one of the largest and most industrialized of the Lost Villages.
Its location near the Long Sault rapids provided access to water power, while limestone quarries and later the Cornwall Canal influenced its development.
The village contained mills and other industrial operations. The Cornwall Canal divided portions of the community, which became informally known as Old Mille Roches and New Mille Roches.[6]
Many homes and residents were transferred to Long Sault before inundation.
The name survives in Mille Roches Road, Mille Roches Island, Mille Roches Campground and Mille Roches Beach.
Moulinette
Moulinette developed primarily as a strip settlement along Highway 2 and the Cornwall Canal.
A railway station was established north of the community during the early 20th century. The station survives at the Lost Villages Museum.[13]
The Moulinette name remains in use in Long Sault, including Moulinette Road and nearby Moulinette Island.
Wales
Wales was the only Lost Village not located directly along the St. Lawrence shoreline.
It developed around a Grand Trunk Railway station originally called Dickinson's Landing Station. The community later adopted the name Wales following a visit by Albert Edward, Prince of Wales, in 1860.[14]
Other communities affected
The Lost Villages were not the only Ontario communities transformed by the Seaway project.
Iroquois
Much of the original village of Iroquois lay within the area required for the Seaway and Iroquois Control Dam.
Rather than permanently abandoning the community, a new townsite was constructed approximately 1.6 kilometres (0.99 mi) north of the original village. Houses and other structures were moved to the new site, while the old commercial district was demolished.[2]
Iroquois is therefore generally not counted among the Lost Villages because the community continued at a new location.
Morrisburg
Parts of Morrisburg, including portions of its waterfront and commercial area, were also affected by the higher water levels.
Buildings were moved or replaced on higher ground, but most of the existing community remained. Morrisburg likewise continued to exist and is not normally included among the Lost Villages.
Heritage preservation
The Seaway relocation project included efforts to preserve selected buildings and historical sites.
Upper Canada Village
Many historic structures threatened by inundation were dismantled or moved to a new heritage site near Morrisburg.
The resulting Upper Canada Village opened in 1961. It contains more than 40 preserved and reconstructed buildings, many relocated from communities affected by the Seaway project.[15]
The living-history site interprets rural life in Upper Canada during the 1860s.
Structures originating in the flood zone include houses, barns, businesses and other buildings.
Cemeteries
Cemeteries located within the flood zone were relocated before inundation.
Grave markers and remains were transferred to new cemetery locations or commemorative sites.
Maple Grove Cemetery was moved in its entirety to a site along the new Highway 2 west of Cornwall and remains one of the few above-water physical reminders of the former hamlet.[16]
The Pioneer Memorial near Upper Canada Village also preserves gravestones and memorials associated with cemeteries affected by the project.
Crysler's Farm
The original site of the Battle of Crysler's Farm, fought during the War of 1812 on November 11, 1813, was within the inundation zone.
A monument erected on the battlefield in 1895 was moved to higher ground before the flooding. The original battlefield was subsequently submerged beneath the St. Lawrence River.[17]
The monument now forms the centrepiece of Crysler's Farm Battlefield Memorial Park near Upper Canada Village.
Lost Villages Museum
The Lost Villages Historical Society was founded in 1977, nearly two decades after Inundation Day, by former residents and others seeking to preserve the history of the displaced communities.[1]
The society operates the Lost Villages Museum at Ault Park, approximately 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) east of Long Sault.
The museum contains ten heritage buildings moved from the Lost Villages and surrounding townships and restored in a village-like arrangement.[18]
The buildings include a railway station, barbershop, blacksmith shop, general store, schoolhouse, church, log house and other structures.
The museum also maintains archives, photographs, documents and artifacts associated with communities destroyed during the Seaway project.
Ault Park
The current Ault Park replaced an earlier park located on Sheek's Island.
The original park had been established in 1914 and was inundated in 1958. A commemorative stone from the island was moved to the replacement park before flooding.[19]
Submerged remains
Although most buildings were removed before inundation, portions of the former landscape remain underwater.
Foundations, roads, canal structures, railway alignments and other features can still be identified beneath the St. Lawrence River. Some are visible from above when water clarity and conditions permit.
Several remnants have also become recreational diving sites.
Lock 21
Lock 21 of the former Cornwall Canal is submerged immediately offshore from Macdonell Island on the Long Sault Parkway.
The lock formed part of the enlarged 19th-century Cornwall Canal and was situated near Dickinson's Landing.
It was submerged during the 1958 flooding of the St. Lawrence River.
The St. Lawrence Parks Commission identifies Lock 21 as an underwater heritage and scuba-diving site. The lock lies at depths of approximately 60 feet (18 m) and is subject to strong currents, making the site suitable primarily for experienced divers.[20]
Former Highway 2
Sections of the former Ontario Highway 2 remain beneath the St. Lawrence River.
Along the Long Sault Parkway, portions of the old road briefly emerge above the water before disappearing again beneath the river.
The surviving pavement provides one of the most visible connections between the modern recreational landscape and the transportation network that existed before the flood.
Mille Roches industrial sites
Foundations and remains associated with industrial facilities at Mille Roches are also submerged.
These include remnants associated with the former power house and industrial operations that once occupied the riverfront and canal corridor.
Long Sault Parkway
The Long Sault Parkway is among the most visible physical legacies of the inundation.
The 10.1-kilometre (6.3 mi) scenic road connects eleven islands between Ingleside and Long Sault. The islands are former hilltops and elevated areas that remained above the raised St. Lawrence River after the surrounding land was flooded.[20]
Several islands commemorate people or communities connected with the flooded landscape.
Woodlands Island, Dickinson Island and Mille Roches Island preserve the names of Lost Villages. Moulinette Island is connected to Mille Roches Island but is not formally part of the parkway.
The parkway also provides access to sites overlooking or near the former locations of several submerged settlements.
Memory and cultural legacy
For former residents and their descendants, the Lost Villages became an enduring symbol of the social cost associated with the St. Lawrence Seaway and Power Project.
Contemporary government and engineering accounts often emphasized the economic and technological significance of the project, while later histories have increasingly documented relocation, property acquisition and community loss from the perspectives of residents.[11][8]
The creation of Long Sault and Ingleside also produced communities in which houses, families, churches and social organizations from multiple former settlements were brought together.
Street names, parks, islands and public facilities throughout South Stormont continue to preserve Lost Villages names.
Sunken Villages project
Beginning in the late 2000s, Canadian photographer Louis Helbig documented the submerged remains from the air.
His Sunken Villages project includes photographs of roads, foundations, canals, railway lines, bridges and other features visible through the water of the St. Lawrence River.[21]
The project also collected interviews and memories from people affected by the Seaway development.[22]
See also
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "History". The Lost Villages Historical Society. Retrieved August 15, 2026.
- 1 2 "The Lost Villages". The Canadian Encyclopedia. Retrieved August 15, 2026.
- 1 2 "Our own Three Gorges". Toronto Star. June 29, 2008. Archived from the original on October 8, 2012. Retrieved August 15, 2026.
- 1 2 3 "The Lost Villages". Ottawa Citizen. June 28, 2008. Archived from the original on November 4, 2012. Retrieved August 15, 2026.
- 1 2 "Dickinson's Landing". The Lost Villages Historical Society. Retrieved August 15, 2026.
- 1 2 "Mille Roches". The Lost Villages Historical Society. Retrieved August 15, 2026.
- 1 2 "Aultsville". The Lost Villages Historical Society. Retrieved August 15, 2026.
- 1 2 Macfarlane, Daniel (2014). Negotiating a River: Canada, the US, and the Creation of the St. Lawrence Seaway. Vancouver: UBC Press. ISBN 978-0-7748-2643-3.
- ↑ "Lost Villages" (PDF). Canadian Geographic Education. Retrieved August 15, 2026.
- ↑ Raymo, Denise A. (June 29, 2008). "Submerged". Press-Republican. Plattsburgh, New York. Retrieved August 15, 2026.
- 1 2 Parham, Claire Puccia (2009). The St. Lawrence Seaway and Power Project: An Oral History of the Greatest Construction Show on Earth. Syracuse, New York: Syracuse University Press. ISBN 978-0-8156-0913-1.
- ↑ "Farran's Point". The Lost Villages Historical Society. Retrieved August 15, 2026.
- ↑ "Moulinette". The Lost Villages Historical Society. Retrieved August 15, 2026.
- ↑ "Wales". The Lost Villages Historical Society. Retrieved August 15, 2026.
- ↑ "About Upper Canada Village". St. Lawrence Parks Commission. Retrieved August 15, 2026.
- ↑ "Maple Grove". The Lost Villages Historical Society. Retrieved August 15, 2026.
- ↑ "Battle of Crysler's Farm National Historic Site of Canada". Parks Canada. Retrieved August 15, 2026.
- ↑ "The Lost Villages Museum". The Lost Villages Historical Society. Retrieved August 15, 2026.
- ↑ "The Museum – Ault Park". The Lost Villages Historical Society. Retrieved August 15, 2026.
- 1 2 "Long Sault Parkway". St. Lawrence Parks Commission. Retrieved August 15, 2026.
- ↑ "Villages – Aerial photos of Lost Village remains". Sunken Villages. Retrieved August 15, 2026.
- ↑ "Photos: Ottawa artist explores the Seaway's 'sunken' communities". North Country Public Radio. February 19, 2014. Retrieved August 15, 2026.
Further reading
- Macfarlane, Daniel. Negotiating a River: Canada, the US, and the Creation of the St. Lawrence Seaway. Vancouver: UBC Press, 2014.
- Parham, Claire Puccia. The St. Lawrence Seaway and Power Project: An Oral History of the Greatest Construction Show on Earth. Syracuse University Press, 2009.
External links
