Anthon Henry Wenzler, Study of Canaan Falls,
1862.
Collection of the Mattatuck Museum, Waterbury, CT.
The Great Falls (Canaan Falls)
The falls of the Housatonic, with a drop greater than 90 feet in the early 19th century, was admired both as a natural wonder and as a site of industrial accomplishment. An iron furnace was built alongside the falls in 1837, and by 1860 the operation employed 200 workers making hundreds of tons of iron for the railroads along with other heavy forgings. During the Civil War, the factory attracted national attention for the large cannon produced here. Massive projects to harness the waterpower through canals and turbines culminated in the formation of the Connecticut Power Company here in 1910 to realize the full power of the falls.