Cultural Landmarks of Hamilton-Wentworth

Crooks Hollow & Paper Mill

Location: Greensville, Flamborough, Ontario

Crooks Hollow is located in Flamborough Township in the Hamilton-Wentworth region. It was once the hub of industrial growth in Upper Canada during the early 1800's. Spencer Creek and its tributaries form the largest watershed in the immediate Hamilton area. In fact, it is approximately 25 miles long and reaches from Puslinch Township to Cootes Paradise. The first people to utilize the water as a resource were the "Neutrals", a stone age Native tribe. European settlers began to reside in the area during the late 18th and early 19th centuries. The area was also a well known haven for many United Empire Loyalists who were escaping the United States following the American Revolution in the late 1700's. They tapped into Spencer Creek's full potential by using it for irrigating crops, drinking water, development of electrical power, and for use as transportation, and recreation. The social and economic development of the area was a direct result of the advent of paper, grist, and saw mills.

The paper mill and its complicated processes were first developed and perfected in France during the end of the 18th century. The settlers brought the knowledge and understanding of this operation with them to the new world. In fact, James Crooks was the first person to establish a paper mill in Upper Canada.

James Crooks(1778-1860) was an ambitious individual from Kilmarnock, Scotland. He arrived in Canada with his brothers, Matthew and John in 1791 and settled on Niagara-on-the-Lake. In 1805, he moved with his wife, Jane Cummings(1791-1861) to Flamborough West, where he bought 400 acres on Lot 5, Concession 2. The land was situated to the west of Spencer Creek. He built his house on the Galt Highway which overlooked the small valley which would eventually be named after him. James and his wife, Jane had seven children.

During the War of 1812, James was a commissioned officer in the First Gore Regiment and took part in the battle of Queenston Heights with Sir Isaac Brock. He was captured by the American forces, but escaped to Newark. For his role with the Militia, Crooks was awarded the rank of Colonel. The war proved to be a serious hardship to the soldiers and so Crooks decided to construct a grist mill which could supply flour for bread. In 1808, he had begun to construct a dam and a mill adjacent to Spencer Creek. The mill was built with an overshot water wheel. This type of wheel turned with the current and its power was supplied by a combination of the force of the water and a permanent imbalance of weight. This combination was achieved by having the water fall on the wheel from above, through a flume or trough, filling a number of buckets on the rim. These buckets were filled and emptied as the wheel revolved. Since the water had to fall on the wheel from some height, approximately 9 meters, a high and consequently expensive dam had to be built. The dam was built from rocks found in the area and was covered over with rough sawed logs purchased from the Morden Sawmill downstream. An earthen dike was constructed on either side of the dam to hold back the water. The wheel, 9 meters in diameter, also needed to be of sturdy construction, since the force of the water falling would be significant. This type of wheel tended to turn faster and delivered more power than other wheels of comparable size. The mill had three floors and a loading ramp. The walls were made of stone and were approximately 1 meter thick.

After the completion of the grist mill, Crooks named it in honour of his Scottish hero, Lord Darnley. The mill was fully operational in 1813.

One of the problems facing early settlers to Upper Canada was the scarcity of paper. In fact, the Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada had issued an offer of 125 pounds to the first person who constructed a fully operation paper mill. In March of 1826, James Crooks, spurred by the offer, built the first operational paper mill in Upper Canada. He advertised his achievement through a carefully worded article in the Niagara Journal of 1826:

He  subsequently received a sufficient supply of rags with which to commence operations of the mill. The rags were used to create paper by mixing them with water until they rotted. Cellulose was added to make a thick mixture. It was then spread out on screens and the excess water was squeezed out. After the paper had completely dried, a glaze was applied to the paper to prevent the ink from blotting. His first production won official approval and he was awarded the £125 for the first operating paper mill in Upper Canada. The mill was able to produce fine writing paper, foolscap, newspaper quality paper, and even wrapping paper. His paper was in high demand and the first all Canadian book was printed on paper produced in his paper mill in 1830.

Crooks developed many of the crucial industries within the community. Some of his other developments included a general store, a blacksmith shop, a linseed oil company, a tannery, and a saw mill. James Crooks was credited for making "Crooks Hollow" the largest industrial community in Upper Canada by the year 1850.

By 1851, Crooks had lost exclusive rights to make paper and eventually sold to Thomas Helliwell in 1865. He maintained the mill until he sold it William Bansley in 1853. Upon William Bansley's death in 1862, his widow operated the mill until it was destroyed by fire on August 31, 1875.

James Crooks died in 1860 and was buried in his family plot on the hill above the Darnley Mill with his son, James who died in 1850. His wife, Jane died one year later. After the death of James Crooks' daughter, Frances, in 1895, the remains of Crooks and his son and daughter were interred in his brother's family plot in St. Andrews Cemetery in Grimsby, Ontario.

Nothing remains of the paper mill today except an old barn, the ruins of the mill, and a portion of the sluiceway to the mill. The sluiceway is beside the drive which leads to the little white cottage William Bansley built when he owned the mill. Many of the people who lived in the community left shortly after James Crooks' death, abandoning businesses which were later torn down. By the end of the 19th century, little remained of the once thriving Crooks Hollow community. The property was subsequently owned by Samuel Adams and later by Reuben Warren in 1974. A commemorative plaque is situated across the bridge near the ruins of James Crooks' paper mill.

Even though there is not much of the physical structures left of the once thriving Crooks' Hollow community, it has left behind a rich and proud history of industry and development in the Hamilton-Wentworth region. James Crooks was a significant figure in the history of Canadian business and economics. His diversification and development of the small valley town into the largest industrial community in Upper Canada changed the way people saw rural areas and promoted the further development within the region.

References:
Crooks' Hollow Historical Trail West Section. Hamilton Regional Conservation Authority: Ancaster, Ontario.
Crooks' Hollow: A Study of Change. The Board of Education for the City of Hamilton, Outdoor Education Department: Hamilton, Ontario, 1977.

The Hamilton Public Library would like to thank the Waterdown East Flamborough Heritage Society for graciously contributing information used in this webpage.