Bruce Trail Reference

1-0 Edition 27 Niagara Section Historical Notes Fort George After the Treaty of Paris (1783) handed Fort Niagara to the Queenston to Grimsby (maps 1 to 5) The pioneer settlers, making their way from the United States, Americans, the British built Fort George facing Fort Niagara in This section of the Bruce Trail is managed by members of the named the creeks they crossed by the distance they had covered order to defend Upper Canada. It was completed in 1802 and Niagara Bruce Trail Club. from the Niagara River; hence the names Twelve Mile Creek, served as headquarters for the British Regular Army, the Canadian Fifteen Mile Creek, etc. Militia and the British Indian Department. It protected both the Distance to Tobermory: 892.2 km strategically important transportation route on the Niagara River The southern terminus of the Bruce Trail is located at the stone Laura Secord and Newark, the capital of Upper Canada. Like many forts of cairn, close to the car park at the Niagara Parkway entrance Legend says that Laura Secord, the wife of a Canadian militia its time, Fort George consisted of an outer perimeter of earthen to Queenston Heights Park. Near Niagara Falls, the park officer, was responsible for a British/Canadian victory in the and log bastions. Inside were a guardhouse, log blockhouses, is perched on the west side of a deep gorge carved over the War of 1812. In 1813, Queenston had been occupied by the a hospital, kitchens, workshops, barracks and a stone powder centuries by the Niagara River. In the park, the hiker will see Americans, and U.S officers were being billeted in the Secord magazine. During the War of 1812, the fort was captured and a monument to Major General Sir Isaac Brock, who was killed home. Laura apparently overheard plans for an American attack destroyed by the Americans in May 1813. In December of the here during the War of 1812. Along the Trail toward Hamilton, and decided to take action. She is reputed to have travelled on same year, after its reconstruction, it was recaptured by the there are many other reminders of the war. foot overnight, from Queenston to the British headquarters at British. After the war it fell into disrepair and was abandoned DeCew House (a distance of over 30 km), in order to warn the The Niagara Peninsula is known as the fruitland of Ontario and in favour of Butler’s Barracks and Fort Mississauga. It was British. Because of her warning, the British were well prepared, reconstructed as an historic site in the 1930s to represent the is also the area where most of Ontario’s wines are produced by and scored a major victory at Beaver Dams. both small and large wineries. period at the eve of the War of 1812. Inside the fort are historic Butler’s Barracks displays and during the summer months, staff in period dress On the way through St. Catharines and Thorold, a hiker will Named after John Butler, a Loyalist settler who commanded reenact infantry and artillery drills. pass all four of the Welland Canals, from the first canal, with its troops during the Seven Years’ War and the American narrow wooden locks, to the fourth canal, with its massive twin Woodend - km 13.7 Revolution, Butler’s Barracks represents almost 200 years of The United Empire Loyalist family of Peter Lampman fled New locks. Here, on this major international waterway, ships can be continuous military operations. Following the War of 1812, the found from all over the world. York State in 1779 to establish what became a 650-hectare grant barracks provided shelter and storage for the British troops out on the top of a hill known as St. Anthony’s Nose, now known The Trail begins to travel through a woodland belt and across of range of the American guns at Fort Niagara. By the 1850s, as Woodend. During the War of 1812, a three gun battery farmland before heading northward along the ancient shores of an extensive building complex had been constructed. After occupied its heights, commanding a fine sweep of the lands Lake Iroquois. Confederation, Butler’s Barracks grew into a major training below. The poet Archibald Lampman, grandson of the original You are responsible for your own safety. Before using the centre for the Canadian Army and was renamed Camp Niagara. settler, was a frequent visitor and wrote several poems about Trail please read Section III Trail Information. Five of the original buildings have been restored and historical his grandfather’s estate. Parts of the original two houses were markers guide the visitors on a walking tour through the incorporated into the present structure, built in 1931 and ‘32. grounds, which are open from May to October. The Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority now manages Navy Hall it as a 40-hectare parcel of land incorporating recreational and In 1765, British troops built naval barracks on the Niagara River picnic facilities. There is ample parking. near Newark (the present Niagara-on-the-Lake). Over the Morningstar Mill - km 33.5 years, Navy Hall became a large military complex and supply Operated by Wilson Morningstar at the end of the 19th century, depot for the British Forts on the Upper Great Lakes. In 1792, this former mill is now a museum. Limited parking is available. after Lieutenant Governor Simcoe chose Newark as the capital of Upper Canada, he converted one of the buildings into his Ball’s Falls - km 55.0 residence. This building later became a mess hall for the officers Many old buildings in the conservation area have been restored of Fort George. Navy Hall is the only structure to survive the to their original condition. In addition to picnic facilities, there is War of 1812. The dock site offers an excellent view of Fort a large parking lot (paid parking in the summer). The Upper and Niagara across the river. Lower Falls, formed by Twenty Mile Creek tumbling over the Laura Secord Escarpment, can be spectacular when the water flow is heavy. Monument Queenston Heights Edition 27 5-2 Iroquoia Section Historical Notes for its revitalization. But the decay continued, and to add to the difficulties, Mrs. Dick-Lauder’s fondness for animals got Grimsby to Kelso (maps 5 to 11) Forty Mile Creek - km 0.0 quite out of hand. All animals were allowed in the house and This is one of the first Loyalist settlement sites in the Niagara many a tale was told of cows, horses and sheep mingling with This section of the Bruce Trail is managed by members of the disconcerted guests in the drawing room. Iroquoia Bruce Trail Club. Peninsula. In the late 1780s, a Mr. Green bought 300 acres of land and used the power of the creek to operate a sawmill. Mrs. The bizarre household continued until a ruinous fire gutted the Distance to Niagara: 80.0 km John Graves Simcoe wrote in her diary vivid descriptions of the house in 1934. But Mrs. Dick-Lauder did not leave; she continued Distance to Tobermory: 812.2 km area at the time of her visits in 1794 and 1796. In about 1800, to live in a temporary structure built within the shell until her death This section of the Trail begins by the ancient shoreline of John Beamer purchased the land from Mr. Green and built a in 1942. In 1972, the Hamilton Conservation Authority purchased Lake Iroquois. With a little imagination, hikers can visualize dam above the falls to provide a regular source of waterpower the property, stabilized the ruins and then opened the Gatehouse the postglacial lakeshore that formed a horseshoe around the for his sawmill and gristmill. Remains of the dam and other Lodge Museum (open weekends and holidays in the summer western end of present day Lake Ontario. While the Trail structures are still visible from the road bridge. Most of the months). There can be found some objects from the excavation passes through a densely populated area, for the most part roads up the Escarpment through Stoney Creek are named for of the cellars in 1974, and a splendid model of the house. hikers will be walking on a woodland path with only occasional pioneer settlers, although Fifty Rd is so called because of its Note: When hiking through any gateway entrance to Conservation glimpses of the surrounding urban growth. The western end distance in miles from Niagara-on-the-Lake. Areas in Hamilton and Halton, be prepared to show your current of Lake Ontario also has an abundance of waterfalls splashing Devil’s Punch Bowl - km 19.4 BTC membership card to avoid having to pay an entrance fee. If over the Escarpment: Albion, Buttermilk, Tiffany, Sherman, Do not miss this spectacular sight, even though today the you park at a conservation area in Hamilton and Halton, you will be Webster’s, Tew’s, and Borer’s. Most of these waterfalls can waterfalls are a mere trickle of their former selves. The bowl, required to pay the regular parking fee. be seen in a full day of hiking across the Dundas Valley. From about 34 m deep and 60 m across, is the result of water erosion the Escarpment, the hiker gets great views of the industrial land during the recession of the glaciers from the Lake Ontario of the Golden Horseshoe and much of Lake Ontario. There is basin about 10,000 to 12,000 years ago. Erosion has exposed a drama too, where the Escarpment rises majestically from the magnificent sequence of geological strata from the lower shale farmland at Mount Nemo, Rattlesnake Point and Crawford Lake beds to the resistant Lockport dolostone cap rock.

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