Last modified: 2017-05-13 by rob raeside
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![[Mississippi Mills, Ontario]](../images/c/ca-onmsm.gif)
image by Ivan Sache, 17 April 2017
Source: Town Administration
See also:
The municipality of Mississippi Mills was established on 1 January 1998 as
the merger of the town of Almonte and of the townships of Ramsay and Pakenham.
Ivan Sache, 17 April 2017
A blue-white-blue Canadian pale in a 2:3 dimension with the municipal shield featuring a millstone, cog-wheel and waterwheel and bridge, centred.
The flag and arms of Mississippi Mills were inscribed on 15 January 2007 on
the Public Register of Arms, Flags and Badges, Vol. V, p. 105. The announcement
of the Letters Patent was made on 6 October 2007, in Vol. 141, p. 2,825 of the
Canada Gazette.
Blazon
Arms
Per fess vert and
azure, a stone bridge of five arches between in chief a millstone and a
cogwheel, and in base a water wheel or.
Crest
A demi-unicorn or gorged
with a collar of thistles and trefoils vert resting its sinister hoof on an open
book argent bound azure.
Supporters
Dexter a plough horse, sinister a ram,
each or, gorged with a collar of thistles and trefoils, and standing on a mound
of maple leaves vert.
Motto
PERGAMUS UNA
Flag
Azure on a Canadian
pale Argent an escutcheon of the Arms
Symbolism
Arms
The bridge refers to the “Five Span Bridge” in Pakenham, one of the three
municipalities that amalgamated to form Mississippi Mills. Green represents
agriculture and blue the Mississippi River and the importance it has played in
the region’s development. The three wheels refer to the name Mississippi Mills,
which honours the woollen mills, lumber mills and grist mills located by the
river.
Crest
The unicorn alludes to the unicorn head crest of George
Ramsay, Earl of Dalhousie and Governor General of Canada, after whom the
Township of Ramsay, another of the pre-amalgamation municipalities, was named.
The thistles and shamrocks represent the Scottish and Irish origins of the
region’s first settlers. The book indicates the importance of education in the
Town.
Supporters
The horse and the ram indicate the importance of
agriculture in the development of Mississippi Mills. The ram is also a symbol
found in the emblem used by the town of Almonte, the third pre-amalgamation
municipality. The compartment of maple leaves represents Canada.
Motto
Meaning “Let us go forward together”.
Artist Information
Creator(s):
Original concept of Karine Constantineau, Miramichi Herald, assisted by the
heralds of the Canadian Heraldic Authority
Painter: Debra MacGarvie
Calligrapher: Doris Wionzek
http://reg.gg.ca/heraldry/pub-reg/project.asp?lang=e&ProjectID=1112 - Public
Register of Arms, Flags and Badges
The Pakenham Five Span bridge was
built in 1901/1903 by Scottish stone masons; O’Toole & Keating of Ottawa. It was
constructed over the Mississippi River and rapids at Pakenham with stone from a
local quarry. This five-arch stone bridge is the only one of its kind in North
America. It is believed to be the only one of its kind in the world outside
Russia. The bridge has an overall length of 268 feet, is 22 feet high and is
only 25 feet wide. The largest stone used in the construction weighs 5 tonnes.
http://www.lanarkcounty.ca/AssetFactory.aspx?did=4511
General George
Ramsay, 9th Earl of Dalhousie (1770-1838), styled Lord Ramsay until 1787, was
Governor of Nova Scotia from 1816 to 1820 and Governor General of British North
America from 1820 to 1828.
http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio.php?id_nbr=3625 - Dictionary of Canadian
Biography
[The image from the Register shows the flag with proportions
2:3 but the grant describes the flag as a "Canadian pale"; accordingly, the flag, if ever used, must be in 1:2 proportions]
Ivan Sache,
17 April 2017