1401 Cooper’s Falls Road

Waterfall Quilt Square (quilt square is across the road at 1400)

   
The End (or the other beginning) of the Ryde Barn Quilt Trail

Thomas James Cooper (1836-1918) and his wife Emma (1837-1923) arrived from Kent, England in 1871 with three small children, to an isolated area south of Ryde and built a primitive cabin. They endured their share of hardships and in 1876 built a house and general store near a waterfall on the Black River. They built a cheese factory in what is now known as Cooper’s Falls.  Milk from farmers in the Ryde area was transported to the cheese factory for processing.

Frank Cooper,  a grandson of Thomas and Emma,  was well-known in Ryde for his many construction projects on area cottages and roads.   On May 17, 2008, members of the Pine Ridge Rd. Gravenhurst Association Inc. held a party to honour Frank Cooper.  The occasion marked the renaming of Westview Subdivision Rd. to Frank Cooper Trail.  A plaque commemorating Frank’s service to the Ryde Community was presented to Frank by District/Town Councillor Terry Pilger.

Frank Cooper passed away on Feb 23, 2019 in his 97th year.

Read an interesting story about Frank Cooper and an award from Stuart McLean of Vinyl Cafe fame.  You’ll note the significance on the quilt.