Journey through the Area's Past
Formerly the river was used by the First Nations people. An interesting hill stands where the two rivers meet! Folklore indicates it is a burial ground.
The Nicolston Grist Mill Museum is located at:Nicolston was originally known as Underhill. Then in 1875, Mr. John Nicol laid out the plan for the Village of Nicolston. By 1881, besides the three mills, the village had a school, a Presbyterian Church, a blacksmith shop, a Montreal Telegraph Agency office and a post office.
The Nicol family came on the scene in 1853, when John Nicol a native of Scotland, purchased 100 acres for 225 pounds. Sometime between then and 1857, he established what was known as the Carluke Mills. He built a dam to provide a steady water supply for a grist mill, a sawmill and a woolen mill. The original grist mill burned down in 1900. A second John Nicol, son of the pioneer, replaced it with the three-story brick building that stands today. The woolen mill was sold to George Upton, who moved it from the south bank of the Nottawasaga River to the confluence of the Nottawasga and the Boyne Rivers.
Line 5, Essa Township, 5 km east of Alliston, 10 km west of Cookstown.