A Hidden Gem

While driving along off the beaten path I happened to see a sign which I thought said something about a Mill, maybe a woollen mill - 6 km down a side road.  My curiosity was piqued so off I went. What I found was the Ulverton restored wool processing mill where they were using the power of water to turn a turbine which had belts running to other parts of the building to run all the machinery.  I was there mid week so I missed the actual operation of the mill on the weekend.  However, I know enough about how wool fibre is processed to make sense of the whole thing and it was very interesting.  The restoration and the running of the mill is all done by volunteers.  It is the only operational woollen mill left in Quebec and they used to have lots of them.

The Mill is 4 stories tall and sits right on the river.

 

This machine forms the carded wool into batts.
See the belt drive?

This machine twists the fibres so they can be plied together.

Down in the basement I could see the shaft from the turbine coming up through the floor where it transferred its power, via pulleys, to belts than ran up through the ceiling to the factory machines above.  Although its in French, I can determine a few things:
48.4 horsepower
206 rpm
16 foot? drop for the falls
1956 cubic feet?/minute of water in the river



Another exciting part of this place was the gift shop.  It was full of hand woven, knitted and crocheted items for sale.  These items were produced by a group of women who are trying to keep the skills alive by offering lessons to young people.  The items were so inexpensive, I could hardly believe it.  My special find was a Catalogne Coverlet.  This is a type of woven bed cover that is unique to Quebec.  They take old sheets and cut them into fine strips that are then woven like a rag rug.  The most prized ones were all white and were often given as wedding gifts.

I am so excited to have an example of it.  I didn't want a large coverlet so I bought one that was supposed to be for a crib but it is big enough to use as a lap blanket.  It was only $30 - unbelievable.

This is my beautiful Catalogne Coverlet

One more thing about this location was a lovely walk in the woods along the river.  Here's a few photos of the area.