Cooks Mills is a rural community in Welland's far east end, strung along Lyons Creek, that predates downtown Welland by roughly half a century. It grew up around a grist mill run by the Cook family before the War of 1812 and later added a tannery, sawmill and distillery. It is best remembered as the site of the Battle of Cook's Mills in October 1814, one of the last engagements of the war on the Niagara Peninsula, marked today by a monument and a heritage trail. As the Welland Canal drew industry away, the settlement settled into a quiet farming and residential enclave.
Known for
- Battle of Cook's Mills War of 1812 site
- Cook's Mills War of 1812 heritage trail and monument
- Early pioneer grist mill on Lyons Creek
- Predates downtown Welland by about 50 years
- Rural, farming character in Welland's east end