Richards Family

Grattan Township in Renfrew County, Ontario was surveyed and settled in the 1850s. Early settlers needed a sawmill for cut lumber and Duncan Ferguson and Donald Cameron built one in 1855 on Constant Creek which flowed out of Constant Lake. The small settlement which grew up around the mill was called Balaclava, named after the battle in the Crimean War. By the 1860s there were two hotels (later called boarding houses) and a general store, owned by Joseph Legree. In 1868 the sawmill was bought by William Richards (1841-1908) for $1 325. The Richards sawmill cut both hard and softwood for local consumption as well as for the larger commercial market. It is possible that William Richards bought the general store in 1896.

In 1896 the wooden dam at Balaclava broke, sending sawdust and other wood debris downstream. In 1903-1904 the mill’s waterwheels were replaced by more efficient water turbines and a sawdust burner was installed to get rid of the sawdust. However in 1911 William Hunter, who had a grist mill 2 km downstream, started a lawsuit against Richards for the sawmill refuse that was clogging up his mill. Hunter was eventually awarded $200 in damages and Richards was instructed not to pollute the creek with sawdust. This was one of the first environmental cases in Ontario.

In 1900 the name of the company was changed to William Richards and Son when his son, Harry Richards (1875-1938), became a partner. After William Richards’ death in 1908, the name was gradually changed to H. Richards. By this time the company was selling lumber to wholesalers in Montreal and Toronto and had large contracts to supply railway ties to Canadian railways. In 1936 a fire extensively damaged the sawmill, but it was quickly rebuilt. Harry Richards died two years later and his son, William (Bill) Richards (1899-1967) took over the mill and general store. Gradually timber supplies dried up and the mill worked less and less. In 1957 the sawmill was bought by David Dick. The sawmill continued to function and by 1967, it was recognized as the last functioning water-powered sawmill in Ontario.

At various times Richards family members were on the public school board for the Townships of Grattan and Brougham as well as executives on the board of the Brougham and Grattan Telephone Co.

Description by Larry McNally, 2019-12. Draft French translation by A. Torrance, 2020-02. French editing by Céline Mongeau, Laroque Linguistic Services, 2020-04. Data entry into Archeion, A. Torrance, 2020-04.

-CSTM Archives, Richards Family Fonds.
-Ingenium, Supplementary Information File 1985.0215.