Eugenia
History

Eugenia was one of those strange places that, despite repeated attempts at fame and glory, just never quite got off the ground. It first hit the spotlight in the early 1850s, following the discovery of some glittery rocks in a remote canyon. A fierce attack of gold fever suddenly descended upon the community. The glitter tarnished quickly when the ‘gold’ turned out to be fool’s gold.
One future resident and businessman, Robert McLean Purdy, found himself drawn to the stunning power of the nearby falls. In 1859, he opened a sawmill. In 1860, he expanded his operation to include a flour mill. By 1865, the village had grown to accommodate a store, tavern and post office, also operated by Mr. Purdy.
Purdy reportedly displayed a set of giant moose antlers and samples of fool’s gold in his store. Somehow, he also found time in his busy schedule to as justice of peace. S. T. Halsted operated the Eugenia Hotel and Thomas Elliott was the village shoemaker. An American born carpenter, Joseph Sloan, went on to open a sash, door and chair factory. Eventually the community grew to add two churches. A school opened in 1876 with 66 students enrolled by 1872.
The Orange Hall, opened in 1874, served a number of functions in the early days. The Methodists used it for services until they had a regular church. It didn’t hurt that Reverend Reid was also a loyal Orangeman. It also served as a temporary school after fire destroyed the first building. Eventually they built a new school building on the same site.
The new Methodist Church opened in 1882. The Orange Lodge stepped in to hold their first service, on July 12, in the new church. This helped defray some of the costs. Built with volunteer labour, the bricks came from Bowler’s Brickyard. Members also donated much of the lumber.
James William, the first Sunday School Superintendent, lasted until 1906. The Presbyterians held Sunday school in the morning and the Methodists in the afternoon. A joint picnic followed religious education. The Methodist Church building stood until 1940.
Things really began to heat up in 1895 when William Hogg arrived from Toronto. He intended to harness the power of the falls to build an electrical plant. He achieved modest success. His 70 kW plant generated enough electricity to provide lights to both Eugenia Falls and Flesherton as well as power to one chopping mill. Unfortunately Hogg died at the beginning of the 20th century without being able to attract any additional interest in his plant.
A few years after Hogg’s death, a consortium called the GBPC (Georgian Bay Power Company) arrived with a far more novel plan. They purchased the land and all the power rights above and below the falls. Then they built a 264M long and 2.5M wide turbine tunnel through solid rock, running from the top of the falls right down to its base. The intent was to divert the river in the hope of creating sufficient fall to generate power. Unfortunately construction diverted so much cash out of GBPC’s hands, they ended up going bankrupt. There were serious safety concerns over the, which eventually led to it being blow up.
In 1914, the publicly owned Ontario Hydro purchased 10,125 hectares of surrounding forest and farm. After constructing a dam to create a water reservoir, they were able to generate 4500kW of power. Following an upgrade in 1988, the plant now produces a continuous 6.3 mw of power.
The town of Eugenia, beset by one piece of bad luck after another, finally gave up after the railways bypassed the town in favour of Flesherton, several kilometres to the south. The waterfall is now contained within a conservation area and remains a popular tourist attraction. The community continues to support a small population.