Point of Interest 5 of the Rawdon Lake Aquatic Tour
Description of the falls
Originally, these falls consisted of two sections. The first section was incorporated into the 3rd Avenue dam in 1915. The Mason Falls information sign can be viewed at the western end of the dam bridge via Robinson Street.
To date, it has not been possible to locate a photograph showing this first section of Mason Falls prior to the construction of the dam. To appreciate what the site looked like at the time, one must rely on a painting by Sarah Alice Mason Copping. In this painting, the first section of the falls cascades upstream of the wooden bridge painted yellow.
The second section of the falls has a drop of over 25 meters over a very short distance, making it a truly spectacular sight, especially during spring floods. This second section is only partially visible in the lower part of Sarah Alice Mason Copping’s painting (see above).
Mason Falls proved to be an ideal location for building mills.
Known as Mason Falls, the remaining section of these falls could just as easily be called Chutes à Neveu (Neveu Falls) (1). In either case, they would be named after the families who owned the land adjacent to the falls: the Mason family and the Neveu family.
The Mason family is part of a long line of millers who built and operated sawmills and flour mills in Rawdon (2). Also millers, members of the Neveu family have owned large tracts of land on both sides of these falls for over a century.
Preservation of the site
In the early 2000s, to ensure the preservation of the site, the Neveu and Arbec families donated land bordering the Rouge River to the Municipality of Rawdon. The site is known as Mason Falls Park.. The commemorative plaque is accessible via a trail from Robinson Street. (3)
Sources
- Fournier, Marcel. Rawdon : 175 ans d’histoir_[Rawdon: 175 years of history]. Joliette, 1974, p. 25. Website accessed May 23, 2026. URL: https://www.histoirederawdon.ca/rawdon-175-ans-dhistoire/.
- Chroniques anachroniques. Les scieries et manufactures de Rawdon : 1900-1920 [Rawdon’s sawmills and factories: 1900–1920].. Website accessed May 4, 2026. URL: https://montrealbb.ca/scieries-rawdon/.
- Répertoire du patrimoine culturel du Québec. Plaque du parc des chutes Mason [Mason Falls Park plaque]. Website accessed June 12, 2026. URL: https://www.patrimoine-culturel.gouv.qc.ca/rpcq/detail.do?methode=consulter&id=239625&type=bien