In the years leading up to World War One it was fairly common to see large steam boats (paddle wheelers) heading up river with their decks full of sightseers.

Passengers were treated to a horse-drawn railroad trip of 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) through the dense forest skirting the rough waters.

While the roof sheltered passengers from rain and sun, the sides were open to mosquitoes, which brought complaints from many of the river travelers.

In 1853, James Poole, editor of The Carleton Place Herald, wrote about the Chats Falls horse railway: "Certainly this is one of the last things you dare to hope for in the heart of the wilderness far away from either a road or a cow-path - and you must almost doubt whether it is a reality, or like the palace of Aladdin, you are not under the mysterious influence of some kind genii for your present position.

On March 2, 1953, a fire started in the morning, burning for 7 hours and destroying 2 generators and the building's roof.