Thistlethwaite Falls

Thistlethwaite Falls:

On this site in 1854 Timothy Thistlethwaite and his brother-in-law

Joseph Ratliff dammed the water of the river with the use of farm

teams, placing large boulders at the bottom of an earth and stone

fill in the river channel; this changing the course of the river to

flow into a new channel over a rocky ledge forming Thistlethwaite

Falls. It has withstood a century of floods of the season.

 

Timothy Thistlethwaite's wife's grandfather, Cornelius Ratliff, Sr.,

came to this site in 1810 when impressed with the heavy growth of

timber and the mass of building stone lying loosely in the bed of the

river.

 

Mr. Thistlethwaite's saw mill at this site was placed at the edge of

the falls over a shoulder of rock and near the bull wheel. A lock

was installed above the falls to regulate the volume of water used in

turning the water wheel. The 47' fall from the falls allowed

Timothy's development of several mills (a grist mill, a flour mill,

paper mill, and a lumber sawing mill) in the Happy Hollow district of

early Richmond.

 

After 80 years, nothing remained as a reminder of these mills except

the pit in the falls which ran the bull wheels of the up and down saw

and a portion of the continuation of a raceway from the paper mill

site downstream.

Superb colours, nice composition. Well done! 6/5

I agree, beautiful picture. And thanks for the history info, to makes the picture even more interesting knowing the background.