Chutes-Dorwin Park, Natural park with waterfall in Rawdon, Canada.
Chutes-Dorwin Park lies along the north bank of the Ouareau River in Rawdon, at 3102, 1re Avenue. Its 18.3 m waterfall drops into a Laurentian forest, and 3.0 km of ecological trails interpret the native flora. Four belvederes give panoramic views, and a picnic area sits among century-old pines.
Jédéhias Hubble Dorwin owned these lands and a sawmill before Mrs. James Ross granted them to the municipality of Rawdon in 1944. On 16 May 1967 the land was officially ceded to the Ministry of Tourism, which turned the site into a recreational park. The toponym was made official on 13 March 1990 at the Commission de toponymie du Québec.
The falls are tied to the Algonquin legend of Hiawhitha, a baptized sachem's daughter who nursed the warrior Arondack and was thrown into the gorge by the sorcerer Nipissingue; the thunder of her fall created the waterfall, and Nipissingue was turned to stone. The name Dorwin honours Jédéhias Hubble Dorwin, who owned the land and a sawmill, not Charles Darwin.
The park entrance is at 3102, 1re Avenue, on the south side of Rawdon village, reachable via routes 125 and 335. Visitors pay an entrance fee and wear a bracelet that also gives access to Parc des Cascades and the municipal beach; Rawdon residents enter free. The site has four observation belvederes and 3 km of trails.
The falls are named after Jédéhias Hubble Dorwin, who owned this land and a sawmill; the name is often confused with Charles Darwin. The toponym was officially recognized on 13 March 1990 by the Commission de toponymie du Québec. An Algonquin legend tells that the waterfall sprang from the precipice where the sorcerer Nipissingue threw Hiawhitha.
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