Cataract is a hamlet located within the town of Caledon in the

regional municipality of Peel The Regional Municipality of Peel (informally Peel Region or Region of Peel, also formerly Peel County) is a regional municipality in the Greater Toronto Area, Southern Ontario, Canada. It consists of three municipalities to the west and northwest ...

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

. As of 2006, it had a population of 106 people.

History

In 1858, Richard Church, an entrepreneur of Cooksville in

Mississauga Mississauga is a Canadian city in the province of Ontario. Situated on the north-western shore of Lake Ontario in the Regional Municipality of Peel, it borders Toronto (Etobicoke) to the east, Brampton to the north, Milton to the northwest, ...

bought a parcel of land near Brimstone Peak, with hopes to establish a village. The plan never reached success and the area remained with small farmlands and rural houses. In 1864, a post office was inaugurated and the Church assumed the role of postmaster. The area was recognized as ''Cataract'', tby the Credit Valley Railway upon the opening of its station in the hamlet in 1879. Subsequently,

Canadian Pacific The Canadian Pacific Railway () , also known simply as CPR or Canadian Pacific and formerly as CP Rail (1968–1996), is a Canadian Class I railway incorporated in 1881. The railway is owned by Canadian Pacific Kansas City, Canadian Pacific Ka ...

assumed control of the railway line, which remained operational until 1987 when the Cataract station was dismantled. A second gold rush apparently took place in the valley near Cataract in 1873 where many people from the

Lake Ontario Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded on the north, west, and southwest by the Canadian province of Ontario, and on the south and east by the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. The Canada–United Sta ...

area came to find gold. The origin of the name "Cataract" stems from its association with waterfalls, a feature notably present nearby at the

Forks of the Credit Provincial Park Forks of the Credit Provincial Park, located in Caledon, Ontario, Caledon, Ontario, Canada, is part of the Ontario Parks system and is part of the Niagara Escarpment biosphere. The park is on the Bruce Trail. The Credit River runs through the park ...

. The wooden mill was sold later on and burned down in 1881. It was later rebuilt by the Wheeler brothers before burning again in 1885, after which it was sold to entrepreneur John Deagle who spent many years converting it to electric-powered, and setup power lines to create one of the earliest electric commercial industries in the region. In 1902, Deagle expanded the plant with plans for a tunnel from Cataract Lake to Brimstone, increasing water drop to 150 feet. However, spring flooding in 1921 washed out Dominion Road and halted tunnel plans. Today, you can walk the old road from Cataract Hall to the falls, tracing its history back to Dominion Day. After the flood, Deagle sold the business in 1923, leading to bankruptcy and its rebirth as Caledon Electric in 1925.

Ontario Hydro Ontario Hydro, established in 1906 as the Hydro-Electric Power Commission of Ontario, was a publicly owned electricity utility in the Province of Ontario. It was formed to build transmission lines to supply municipal utilities with electricity ge ...

acquired it during

World War Two World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies and the Axis powers. Nearly all of the world's countries participated, with many nations mobilisi ...

, closing the Cataract hydro station in 1947 and demolishing the dam in 1953, altering the landscape significantly. Subsequently, the hamlet transformed into an exclusive residential area amidst its geography. The former railway line became the Elora-Cataract Trailway, highlighting its role in the area's development. Historically, these areas were part of the Peel County and the Chinguacousy Township, until its amalgamation into the newly formed town of Caledon in 1974.

Geography

The hamlet is located in Ward 1 of the town of Caledon. It is located south of

Alton Alton may refer to: People *Alton (given name) * Alton (surname) Places Australia * Alton National Park, Queensland * Alton, Queensland, a town in the Shire of Balonne Canada * Alton, Ontario * Alton, Nova Scotia New Zealand * Alton, New Zeala ...

, and north of Brimstone, Belfountain and the Forks of Credit Provincial Park, where a set of waterfalls is named after the locality. The falls emerged after many erosion processes of the

Credit River The Credit River is a river in southern Ontario, which flows from headwaters above the Niagara Escarpment near Orangeville and Caledon East to empty into Lake Ontario at Port Credit, Mississauga. It drains an area of approximately . The total l ...

. It is also sometimes called George's Falls.{{Cite web , last=Harris , first=Mark , title=WaterfallsofOntario.com Cataract Falls , url=http://waterfallsofontario.com/cataract-falls.php , access-date=2024-03-13 , website=waterfallsofontario.com

References

Neighbourhoods in Caledon, Ontario