The Grand River
The Grand River
The Grand River is aptly named. Flowing 290 km from the Dundalk Highlands to Lake Erie, its watershed is the largest in southern Ontario. Winding its way through marshes, woods and Carolinian forests, the river provides the common thread that links a harmonious blennd of natural and cultural landscapes.
A mosaic of Aboriginal and European cultures combined to shape the valley's character. Fine examples of 19th century architecture still remain in many rural and urban communities. This is typified by the unique cobblestone buildings in Paris, an historic Brant County community founded in 1850 at the junction of the Grand and Nith Rivers.
The designation of the Grand as a Canadian Heritage River in 1994 was built on a local tradition of cooperative watershed management to preserve the valley's natural beauty, cultural diversity, and recreational opportunities. This plaque is testimony to all those people who are working together to make the Grand River an ever better place in which to live, work and play
Submitted by Gilda Spitz.