St. Catharines in Niagara Region, Ontario — Central Canada (North America)

Morningstar Mill - The Spiral Staircase

Photographed by Kevin Westell, July 28, 2025

1. Morningstar Mill - The Spiral Staircase - Marker

Inscription. To access the bottom of the Falls, Wilson Morningstar built a spiral staircase "around a huge tree that grew from the floor of the ravine to the ground level above." The staircase was in use from about 1890 to 1910. In the fall of 1894, a group of tourists from Toronto descended into the gorge after paying Lorna's grandmother a fee to use the staircase.

A newspaper article from The Globe on Saturday, September 29, 1894 describes the trip. "At Decew Falls ... one raps at the door of a little, weather-boarded cottage on the bank. The door opens and a sweet-faced young woman comes forth with a key in her hand. "You wish to go down?" she asks, ... a lock is turned, and you enter and descend and descend into semi-darkness. It is a spiral stairway which you follow, a little sandy and damp, and with lookouts cut out at every second turn of the cylinder, through which one gazes with exclamations of wonder and delight."

( Quote from Memories of Morningstar Mill by Lorna Robson with Paul Hutchinson, Slabtown Press, St. Catharines, 1994 )

Erected by City of St. Catharines.

Topics. This historical marker is

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listed in this topic list: Parks & Recreational Areas. A significant historical year for this entry is 1890.

Location. 43° 6.641′ N, 79° 15.862′ W. Marker is in St. Catharines, Ontario, in Niagara Region. It can be reached from Decew Road, on the right when traveling west. The marker is 100 metres north of the road, in front of the Miller's house, within the Morningstar Mill property. The marker can be distantly viewed from the Bruce Trail, which remains open, even during the temporary museum closure. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 2714 Decew Road, St Catharines ON L0S 1E6, Canada. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is on Ontario’s Golden Horseshoe

and in Niagara Canada.

It is also in Central Canada.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once a British colony,

the Viceroyalty of New France,

the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy,

and Rupert’s Land.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Morningstar Mill - Wilson's Grandchildren

Morningstar Mill - The Spiral Staircase - Marker in context image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Kevin Westell, July 28, 2025

2. Morningstar Mill - The Spiral Staircase - Marker in context

Photo faces south-west from the Bruce Trail. Pictured are two panels at the front entrance (which faces west) of the Miller's house. THIS marker is a third panel, located very close to these two panels.

(here, next to this marker); Morningstar Mill - The Miller's House (here, next to this marker); Morningstar Mill - Later History (within shouting distance of this marker); Morningstar Mill - The Barn (within shouting distance of this marker); Morningstar Mill - The Sawmill (within shouting distance of this marker); Morningstar Mill - The Mills and Property (within shouting distance of this marker); Morningstar Mill - The Blacksmith and Carpentry Shop (within shouting distance of this marker); Morningstar Mill - Welcome (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in St. Catharines.

More about this marker. Captions:
Left: The spiral staircase provided safe access into the gorge from about 1890 to 1910.
Right: Emma Morningstar and her granddaughter, Lorna, c. 1918

Credits. This page was last revised on July 13, 2026. It was originally submitted on July 30, 2025, by Kevin Westell of St. Catharines, Ontario. This page has been viewed 70 times since then and 14 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on July 30, 2025, by Kevin Westell of St. Catharines, Ontario. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.