Decew Falls Postcard

Photographic postcard of Decew Falls from John Burtniak Postcard Collection RG 313

This item is a hand-coloured photographic postcard of Decew Falls in St. Catharines. It features a colourful image of one of the waterfalls along Beaverdams Creek, surrounded by forests and nature to the right. In the background, you can see some buildings built alongside the creek. These buildings are likely part of what we now know today as the Morningstar Mill.

Beaverdams Creek runs through the area and turns into a series of waterfalls at the edge of the Niagara escarpment, giving Decew Falls the “falls” part of its name. The name of “Decew” came from a man named John Decou, who bought and owned much of the land along the creek in the early 19th century. Decou built a mill along Beaverdams Creek near the present site of Morningstar Mill.[1]

Decou’s mill eventually fell into disrepair and the site eventually was purchased by Robert Chappell in 1872. Chappell built Mountain Mills using some of the old foundation of Decou’s original mill. Chappell’s mill used a turbine to make production more efficient.[2] Chappell eventually sold Mountain Mills to Wilson Morningstar who ran the mill from 1883 until 1933.[3]

In 1994 Wilson Morningstar’s descendants gave the property to the City of St. Catharines so it could be opened as a heritage site. The Friends of Morningstar Mill help with the preservation of the site and offer tours and educational programs. Many of the original machinery has been restored to working condition.

-Exhibit text by Payton Young (VISA 2P90)

*This image is part of the “Women, Water, and Words” exhibition that students in VISA 2P90 curated in the Winter 2024 semester.