Eugenia, Ontario

Coordinates: 44°18′12″N 80°31′00″W / 44.303406°N 80.51655°W / 44.303406; -80.51655

Eugenia Falls

Eugenia is a small community just north of Flesherton, Ontario and 1½ hours north of Toronto, Ontario. It is in the Municipality of Grey Highlands, part of Grey County. Eugenia is best known for its hidden lake called "Lake Eugenia" and Eugenia Falls.

History

The community is best known for Lake Eugenia and Eugenia Falls as well as the Beaver River. The settlement of Eugenia began in the 1850s and continued to expand through to the 1880s to reach a total of about 200. Early visitors were attracted to the area by a large water falls, Eugenia Falls. Prospectors were also attracted for the chance to get rich by panning for gold. After a fair sized gold rush, it was discovered that the "gold" was in fact pyrite, or fool's gold.^[1] The name of the village came from the wife of Napoleon III, Princess Eugénie. At its inception, Eugenia had several mills on the Beaver River, a few stores, a carriage factory, and other trades including a blacksmith, shoemaker and a carpenters. There were also two churches, one Presbyterian and one Methodist along with a school. Unfortunately, none of these establishments exist anymore, but some of the buildings remain. When no rail system was built to Eugenia, the population stopped growing and people moved away.

Modern Life

Currently, the population of Eugenia remains unlisted because of how small it is and the number of temporary residents. Eugenia has become a cottage region due to its lake and proximity to Toronto. This boom was started in the 1950s when locals began to take advantage of the lake. This lake was man-made in the 1900s as a reservoir for a hydro-electric dam which operates to this day. The Beaver River provides a steady flow of water, and it is also along this river where Eugenia Falls can be found. The village of Eugenia now has:

• A carpenter
• Two general stores
• "Top O' The Rock" Grocery Store plus Deli, Bakery, Subs, Pizza, Fresh Meals To Go, LCBO Agency Store, Beer Store Retail Partner
• "The Flying Chestnut" Restaurant
• Furniture maker
• United Church
• Public Park including baseball diamond
• Hair Salon
• Eugenia Falls Emporium http://www.eugeniafallsemporium.com/
• The Pickle Guy http://www.thepickleguy.com/index.html
• Bed & Breakfasts

• The Guest House at Eugenia Falls http://www.eugeniafalls.ca
• The Treehouse Bed & Breakfast at Lake Eugenia http://www.bbcanada.com/thetreehouse
• Bed and Brunch at Lake Eugenia http://www.bbcanada.com/bbrlake

Tourism

Eugenia is prized for its nature and large network of trails.

Cottages

Lake Eugenia is host to about 400 cottages, all ranging in different sizes. Cottages began to show up as rough cabins in the mid 1900's for locals to have a quick get-away. Now, people from all over Southern Ontario including Toronto and the GTA come weekly to the lake. As of 2010, most habitable regions around the lake have been sold and developed creating high real-estate prices.

Fishing

Eugenia Lake attracts numerous fishers due to the range of fish available in the lake. The main species of fish that can be caught in the lake include Largemouth and Rock Bass, Perch, Sunfish and Bullhead catfish. Unfortunately, this fishing industry has brought invasive species into the lake, including zebra mussels which have now spread throughout the lake.

Gold Rush Days

Every year in memory of the false gold rush, Eugenia hosts "Gold Rush Days", a weekend long celebration throughout the community. The festival features food vendors, artists (visual and musical), car shows, a silent auction and full meals.^[2]

Nature

Eugenia is very popular for naturalist and cottagers. Because the Bruce Trail runs through the village, there is a large network of trails and nature preserves. The falls are also noted in many books, magazines and entertainment programmes because of their beauty along the Niagara Escarpment.

See also

Lake Eugenia in the summer.

• Lake Eugenia

External links

• Eugenia Fishing
• Eugenia Gold Rush Days

References

1. ^ "Eugenia, Ontario". Southern Ontario Tourism Organization. http://www.soto.on.ca/lake_huron_and_georgian_bay_coastlines/eugenia.html. Retrieved August 24, 2010. 
2. ^ "Home". ColourPix. http://www.colourpix.ca/goldrush/index.html. Retrieved August 24, 2010.