News stories tagged with "rideau-river"

(06/05/08) The eat local movement can get hung up between the farmer's field and the cook's kitchen--some foods just need "processing." Watson's Mill in Manotick, Ontario is still making flour the old way--wheat from a local farmer, grindstones powered by water. Sounds simple, and it is, until the stones actually get dull. Our Ottawa correspondent, Lucy Martin, shadowed a local man who learned to use hand tools to "dress," or re-groove, massive millstones. Bill Schaubs has worked on high-tech systems for military and space applications. But the volunteer miller says old-fashioned skills are still a useful part of the bigger picture.

(07/24/06) Watson's Mill is one of many postcard-pretty Ontario destinations. It opened for business in 1860 on the Rideau River in Manotick. It's still the town's main landmark. In their time, water-powered mills represented a high degree of technical sophistication. They still serve as fascinating reminders of how--and where--settlements took hold along North America's rivers. Watson's Mill comes alive in the summer -- full of the noise of water, turbines, grindstones, and people. Lucy Martin followed two modern enthusiasts who help keep it all turning.