Bracebridge the pioneers of hydro-eletric generation

During one of my road trips around the highways and roads of this beautiful province a friend and I ended up driving though the Town of Bracebridge.

I always find it interesting when towns in Ontario have Rivers flowing though them like the Muskoka River does and how it effects how the town was laid out. Bracebridge for sure becomes alive during the summer with all the tourists that come up in the summer. As much as the Town welcomes the money and jobs from the tourists I am sure they are glad when a lot of them go home after the labour day long weekend.

I did manage to get a bit of fishing in while I was there but didn’t catch anything but I didn’t see anyone else who was fishing there catching anything either.


The town has a population of about 15,500 people. The Bracebridge falls located at the Silver Bridge in Downtown Bracebridge, they empty into the Muskoka River and that runs into Bracebridge bay. The Bracebridge falls is now made up of a hydroelectric plant that controls the water flow to produce electricity. Bracebridge was one of the first municipality in Canada to use hydro power as part of the towns power source.

Near the falls there is a plaque that reads

On October 5th 1894. the Town of Bracebridge purchased an 80 h.p water powered generating plant to supply electricity to the community. This plaque commemorates the far-sighted electors who early recognized the benefits of electrical living and in so doing made Bracebridge the pioneer in municipal hydro-electric generation in Ontario.

Erected by Ontario Hydro
Unveiled July. 1967