The place Balaclava was named in 1859 to commemorate a key victory of the
British Commonwealth during the
Crimean War. The
Battle of Balaklava was fought on 25 October 1854 as part of the
Siege of Sevastopol. and was commanded by Colonel Thomas Griffith. In the mid-1800s, a dam was built out of timber towards the east outlet of Constant Lake along, a tributary of Madawaska River. Reports differ regarding the date of construction of the sawmill in Balaclava. The
Ontario Law Reports, from 1911, indicate that the mill was erected in the year of 1855. However, an archeological assessment published in 2007, indicated the mill was constructed in 1861. Regardless, two men, named Duncan Ferguson and Donald Cameron, opened the sawmill in Balaclava, joining some of the nearly one-thousand saw mills in
Upper Canada at that time. Before long, Cameron sold his portion of the mill to Ferguson. In addition to mill work, Ferguson sold goods in the area. The hamlet was rounded out with a blacksmith, two hotels and a general store, run by Joseph Lagree. As a result of the sawmill, and the timber industry in the
Ottawa Valley in the 1800s, Balaclava became a rather busy settlement and bustling pioneer town. The
Ottawa Valley was a natural place for a timber industry to develop. The pioneers found the land lush with coniferous trees, specifically spruce and hemlock, and red and white pine trees. European settlers were drawn to the area to cut the trees, create the square cut timber and pulp and the promises of lumber wealth. The growing town of Balaclava attracted other businessmen, such as William Hunter who built a grist mill two kilometers downstream of the dam. Hunter built his gristmill where the gradient of Constant Creek flattens into an area of poorly drained glacial outwash. Hunter further complained that the pollution caused damage to his mill pond and that he could not properly run his gristmill, as a result. Richards, the defendant, claimed that he was within his rights based on three reasons: (1) by virtue of a grant from the Crown, (2) right of common law and (3) by
easement rights under the Limitations Act. Citing other law cases, the judge dismantled the Richards' arguments. Part of the rationale was that the original owners of Richards' mill started the operation with one saw. In 1911, the year of the suit, the mill had many saws, shingle and lath mills, an edger and other various appliances. The addition of the number of saws and other pieces of equipment enabled an obvious increase in pollution, which the court argued, surpassed Richards' rights. Further damages had already been paid from 1896 to 1903, for damages and to cover the expense of disposing of the refuse, termed "driftwood" by witnesses consulted in the case. This provided an indication of guilt. Hunter won the suit, Richards was ordered to pay $200 in retribution and was required by order of an injunction to refrain from depositing refuse into the stream. Richards' was given four months to alter his mill to address the refuse situation. This action resulted in the installation the first sawdust burner in the province of Ontario.
Concrete Dam In 1927, the dam, known as the Balaclava Dam, was rebuilt, this time out of concrete. The dam served both the lumbering and sawmill industries. The concrete dam measured 2.5m high by 53m long. ==Present day==