Walking Through History

Walking Through History
February 15 & February 17

” I am quite happy that I now know the exact location of that hotel. It’s nice to stand on a bit of history and know you’re doing it.”
The hiking participant was referring to a recent Quinte Conservation hike that had been conducted at Massassauga Point Conservation Area. Behind us were the remains of an old cement walkway that led from the hotel where we stood, to the shoreline where steam driven paddle wheelers picked up and discharged passengers on a daily basis at this popular hotel, built in the late 1800s. Before the hotel era, Samuel de Champlain likely paddled his way his way past the site in 1615, and long before his arrival, a people known as the Mound Builders, followed by the Ma-se-sau-gee Indians up to 1856, occupied this same area.
Nearly all the conservation areas that are owned and maintained by Quinte Conservation, have a strong connection to history. On the guided interpretive hikes that we conduct every year as part of our program of outdoor events, we always weave this important element into the fabric of our hikes, and often this component relates somewhat to the flora and fauna that can be found there today. The famous “Hickory Nut Plains” behind the hotel, together with the prairie smoke, early saxifrage and the early buttercups which make up this bur oak savanna, likely played no small role in the enjoyment visitors to this site had some 130 years ago.
Just west of Massassauga, the Harry Smith Conservation Area in the village of Ameliasburgh, was the former location of the popular Roblin Mill, now a working grist mill in Toronto’s Black Creek Pioneer Village. Macaulay Mountain Conservation Area at Picton has ties to the late Reverend Macaulay who once owned this land, and in 1803, donated the property on which the District Courthouse stands today. Similarly, Little Bluff Conservation Area at South Bay has history dating back to the Barley Days in the County, and Beaver Meadow Wildlife Management Area at East Lake still contains old foundations and relics of the past where a short but intense period of commercial activity took place by the George McMullen family in 1910.
To fully appreciate the conservation areas in which we conduct these interpretive hikes, it is crucial that their history is included in the routine discussion of the plants and animals that now reside in these places. Its inclusion provides a clearer picture of how these areas looked, and the activities that took place, back in their heyday. By far the most interesting feature of Depot Lakes Conservation Area, northwest of Verona, on any hike is its history. The Germans were some of the first people to settle in the area. They made barrel staffs from the white oak stands that used to dominate the area and by their trade, were known as coopers. When people started exploring the area, it was chiefly due to the exploitations of the natural resources rather than settlement. Logging of the area was done by the Rathbun Lumbering Company. When this company moved into the area between 1850 and 1870, “colonization” roads were built leading into the area. The Frontenac Road became the main road, today known as Highway 38. One logging road is still very much evident today and exists as part of the hiking trail system at 2nd Depot Lake.
No matter what conservation area one visits, there is a bit of history to whet the appetite of hikers. O’Hara Mill Conservation Area, just north of Madoc, is perhaps best known for its colourful history of the area, dating back to the mid-1840s when the O’Hara family occupied the site. Of the nine buildings which are on display today, five are original structures, one of which is an upright frame saw, one of few such water powered saws in Ontario today. Each year, Quinte Conservation and The Friends of O’Hara hold a “Heritage Day,” allowing people to take a peek into the past when this was a functioning farmstead.
At Thomasburg, the Vanderwater Conservation Area, located along a scenic stretch of the Moira River, is named after Colonel Roscoe Vanderwater . It was through his interest that the Moira River Conservation Authority (now Quinte Conservation) was formed. He served as chairman from 1948 to 1957. In earlier years, the extreme south end of the conservation area was a vibrant campground. Now gated at the far end and closed to vehicular traffic, one of Quinte Conservation’s guided hikes this year will take people past remnants of former campsites and along the old paved access road.
Quinte Conservation’s guided interpretive hikes explain why Potter Creek at the Quinte Conservation Area is so-named, the story of the foundations at Sidney Conservation Area, the mysterious rise and fall of the Napanee River as it flows past the Napanee Conservation Area, and why a lone chimney still stands at Sheffield Conservation Area, south of Kaladar. Join us if you can on these hikes this year. For more information, call me at extension 111 at either 968-3434 or 354-3312 and leave a message, or 476-5072. You can also e-mail tsprague@kos.net , A schedule of outdoor events can be obtained from www.quinteconservation.ca , or requested by phone.

This week’s column was prepared on behalf of Quinte Conservation