Red Cloud November 2024

the settlement was established by Robert B. Dawson shortly after the War of 1812 by Quakers from New York State and the Prince Edward County area. Based on the lumbering industry, the village thrived until about the mid 1900’s when the lumber resources dwindled sharply. In its heyday, the settlement was blessed with productive farm land, a shingle and sash mill, saw and grist mills and a cider mill. Dawson was well known locally for outfitting one of his two mill pond dams with a generator and thus became the first to generate hydro- electricity in the area. It is said that he first used this electricity to power lights for his millhouse on the hill across from the pond. It seems that it eventually became an inconvenience at the end of every day he would have to trudge back down the hill to the mill and manually switch the power off.