This mill, at present under restoration in Manotick, was one of many built along the Rideau Canal for the milling of grain into flour or feed. The canal had a significant impact on the pattern of settlement in Upper Canada by opening up the Rideau Lakes region long before roads penetrated the rough and swampy terrain. This mill is evidence of the early settlers' reliance on the canal, not only as a transportation link, but as a source of power. Today, the Rideau Canal is used primarily for pleasure craft in the summer and for skaters in the winter, but, in its time, it was an important route for settlers heading north.
