town in French refers to either the large numbers of rocky formations in the area or the rapids which prevented river navigation. With resource development, mall farmsteads started appearing early in the history of European settlement in Ontario as migrants filtered into the region, and much of this settlement is undocumented. From 1780 to 1830, after formal recognition resulting from Loyalist settlement, development was slow but steady and a substantial village emerged. Growth was spurred by the use of water power and spawned the development of a large number of mills. Combined with the valuable local stone deposits, the result was a mini-boom in grain milling, stone cutting and milling, and textile operations, and other businesses that could benefit from water power. In August, 1835, its people were rewarded with their own post office. The Cornwall Canal was built in 1834, to facilitate travel to the upper St Lawrence basin and the Great Lakes. Unfortunately, the canal cut the town off from the mainland, creating an island in the middle of the river. Over time, the village expanded to the north, eventually forming one town that was split in the middle into "old" Mille Roches on one side of the canal and "new" Mille Roches on the mainland to the north. The canal's course caused the decline of the village and the area only improved with the arrival of railways in the 1850s. The Ault family was an example of the burgeoning prosperity of the area. They ran textile mills. It was this family into which Levi Addison Ault was born. Mille Roches was also known for niche businesses, including the very respected Brooks Furniture Company, as well as a range of talented craftspeople in many industries. Canal and lock construction in the late 1800s and early 1900s brought work, large boats and electric power generation stations. Railway connections provided much-needed connections to other local communities for public services, such as high schools, which were located largely in Cornwall. Independence and enterprise As it was a transit corridor linking greater economic powers, Eastern Ontario has long been a region known for independence and enterprise. One inevitable aspect of being a major trade route and border zone is smuggling. This has a remarkably long tradition, but formal recognition and notoriety increased in the 1920s, during the Prohibition period in US history. Smuggling remains a major local concern, even today. Current plans