The Grand River

The Grand River. Canadian Heritage Rivers System, also, Le réseau du patrimoine canadien. , The Grand River is aptly named. Flowing 290 kilometres from the Dundalk Highlands to Lake Erie, its watershed is the largest in Southern Ontario. Winding its way through marshes, woods and Carolinian forests, the river provides the common thread that links a harmonious blend of natural and cultural landscapes., A mosaic of Aboriginal and European cultures combined to shape the valley's character. Fine examples of nineteenth century architecture still remain in many rural and urban communities. This is typified by the unique cobblestone buildings in Paris, an historic Brant County community founded in 1850 at the junction of the Grand and Nith Rivers., The designation of the Grand as a Canadian Heritage River in 1994, was built on a local trad tion of cooperative watershed management to preserve the valley's natural beauty, cultural diversity, and recreational opportunities. This plaque is testimony to all those people who are working together to make the Grand River an ever better place in which to live, work and play.