Sauble Falls

Long before Sauble Beach and Sauble Falls became the playgrounds of Bruce County, the area was home to far more serious business. Lumbering was the big game in the Sauble Falls during the latter part of the 19th century. Once the timberlands were opened, the area was quickly dotted with numerous sawmills. Nearby communities such as Wiarton, with its three furniture factories, thrived due to their close proximity to the mills.

Sauble Falls was an ideal location for a mill site. The falls offered an abundant source of power and the logs could be readily hauled by tug or paddleboat to the vast reaches of Lake Huron for transport to the large U.S. and Canadian markets. The town site was first settled in 1864. By 1867, the lumber mill was in operation. Throughout the 1870s, the town site continued to grow. A large boarding house, general store and blacksmith were added. Wilson Stewart opened a post office in 1875 and a school was built in 1880.