Town number two in my project to visit every small town in CT.
This one took me two trips, because the town of North Canaan tricked me a little. Canaan and North Canaan used to be one town. When they separated, North Canaan kept what used to be the town center of Canaan, and so now, for some reason, North Canaan still calls the center of their town “Canaan,” even though it’s not Canaan. It’s unreasonably confusing, and the upshot is that I ended up eating in North Canaan the first time around. As if that weren’t enough, the center of Canaan is called Falls Village.
Established in 1739, Canaan is a town in Litchfield county, with a population of just 1,080. Canaan covers 32.95 square miles, double the area of Bridgeport which has 138x the population. Canaan is not thickly settled.
First stop, the Great Falls, where an iron factory was once located. Connecticut’s Salisbury iron was forged here to make many items, including cannons and locomotive tires. In 1914 a hydro-electric power plant was built by The Connecticut Power Company. The power plant remains in service to this day.
I think we got lucky on our visit. I’m told that normally there isn’t much flow over the dam, because the water gets diverted to the hydro-electric turbines. We must have had a wet spring and early summer, because it was really roaring when we were there.
The second waterfall I visited was the much more secluded and tranquil Dean’s Ravine Falls. As advertised, it is set at the head of a very pretty ravine. The trail stretches for maybe 3/4 of a mile.
And finally, I stopped for lunch at Mountainside Café. This place is a real gem, tucked away in the woodsy countryside. They are focused on breakfast and lunch, with a 3:00 PM closing time. The restaurant is quite small, with only nine tables, but it creates a cozy atmosphere. The food was outstanding! I highly recommend the pastrami sandwich, which is served on rye bread with cheddar, jalapeno jam, and over-easy eggs.
An interesting note about this restaurant, which I only just now realized while looking at their website, is that it is associated with the Mountainside addiction treatment center. From their website: “Mountainside is a nationally acclaimed behavioral health network specializing in individualized alcohol and drug rehabilitation programs and services.” They have locations in CT, NY, NJ, and MA. The café “provides a safe and supportive work space for individuals in recovery.”
I honestly don’t know if any or all of the staff I saw that day were in recovery, but they were all extremely sweet and personable. Mountainside café is worth going out of your way for, and I would eat here again in a heartbeat.
