Burlington Paths #080206

Wed Feb 6, 2008

Between 0 and 2º, slushy snow from overnight. Overcast.

Small Group (5)

More storm and snow 2nite.

Lowville #080203

Sunday Feb 3, 2008. Light overcast, +2 to +3º .

Big storm on Fri, Feb 1 dumped a good measure of snow on the area.

Vegetation:

The vegetation of...the valley consists of forested valley slopes and wetland complexes in the valley bottom. The upper slopes consist of deciduous forest dominated by Sugar Maple - Beech, with Red Oak and White Ash. The forests become mixed in character as one progresses down slope, where Hemlock replaces Beech in the canopy, forming Hemlock - White Ash - Sugar Maple and Hemlock - Sugar Maple - [White] Birch associations. This mixed forest extends to the creek in places. The more mesic areas on the valley floor have [wet mesic mixed forests of Black Maple - Sugar Maple - White Cedar and floodplain swamps of] Hemlock on organic soils and [Crack] Willow swamp forests on the more mineral soils. There is one small cattail marsh which is ringed by a sedge marsh and an [Speckled] Alder thicket on the east end of the study area. An additional cattail marsh is found on the floodplain near the western boundary.

Landform:

The Lowville - Bronte Creek Valley encompasses relatively undisturbed forest valley, slopes and bottomlands on the Grimsby and Queenston bedrock formations of the Niagara Escarpment. The site occurs on stoney till and outwash slopes at the mouth of the Bronte Creek re-entrant valley, which extends westward beyond the site to near the village of Progreston. The site is characterized by a series of till ridges and valleys and an extensive alluvial floodplain along Bronte Creek .

Representation:

The Lowville - Bronte Creek Valley provides the best representation in the Halton Section of the lower portion of a re-entrant valley feature, including the best representation of flood plain features. The site also has the biophysical section's best representation of coldwater river, which flows across extensive recent alluvial deposits. The site has high representation of mature floodplain forest, as well as the best representation in the section of mesic mixed Hemlock lower-slope forests in an outwash channel. This site should be considered in conjunction with the adjacent Bronte Creek Escarpment Valley for representation of a full range of re-entrant valley / outwash channel features in the Halton Section.

LaSalle 080123

LaSalle #080123

In 1915 this 57 acre parcel of land was purchased by the Hamilton Parks Board and called Wabasso Park. In 1926, to commemorate Sieur de La Salle's landing in the area the name was changed to La Salle Park. Today, the park is still owned by Hamilton with a lease agreement to Burlington, in which Burlington assumes all maintenance, operational, programming and management responsibilities for the park.

La Salle Park Pavilion was built by the City of Hamilton in the spring of 1917. The pavilion was designed in an age when community entertainment was at its height. Unfortunately, a fire completely destroyed the wood framed second floor of the building. The pavilion was rebuilt to its original architectural form in 1997 and once again stands proudly as a community landmark.

A History of La Salle Park

LaSalle Park is located on the north shore of Hamilton Harbour, in what is now the city of Burlington. This 55 acre park, originally named Wabasso Park, was purchased by the city of Hamilton in 1912.

Soon after the park was established a ferry service started running from downtown Hamilton to the park and in 1916 approximately 25,000 people crossed the harbour to visit the park. To accommodate the visitors arriving by ferry large docks were constructed.

The park had several features in addition to its scenic setting that attracted visitors. A pavilion, that was constructed in 1917, housed many dances, concerts and parties. A bath house, built in 1920, was available for those who wished to swim in the bay. There were numerous picnic tables, baseball diamonds and a refreshment stand for those who wished to enjoy summer outings away from the city.

A large memorial stone to commemorate the landing of the French explorer Rene Cavalier de la Salle in the area was erected in the park in 1923. In 1926 the Hamilton Parks Board decided to change the park's name from Wabasso to LaSalle, the name by which the park is still known today.

In the late 1920s the beach at LaSalle Park became less and less popular for swimming due to high levels of pollution in the harbour. Even though swimming was no longer desirable at the park people still flocked to the area to enjoy amusement park rides that had been set up by the LaSalle Park Company. This amusement park, which featured side shows, roller coasters and a Ferris wheel, was in operation from 1928-1938.

In the late 1940s the ferry service which had been running to the park since the mid 1910s was discontinued. The loss of this service was likely a result, rather than a cause, of the decline in popularity of the park since it could no longer offer a beach for bathing due to the pollution of the harbour by sewage and industrial waste. In addition the once busy bathhouse was destroyed by fire in 1935. Other park attractions, such as the amusement park, were also closed down and the park's pavilion was no longer used to house dances and concerts.

The park remained in a somewhat under used condition until quite recently. In 1991 the park pavilion was declared structurally unsound and was boarded up. A project to restore the pavilion to its original grandeur was initiated by the city of Burlington in 1993. On June 25, 1994 the pavilion was officially reopened only to be destroyed by a fire less than a year later, on May 19, 1995. Fortunately the city of Burlington was able to restore the pavilion a second time and it enjoyed a successful grand opening on February 14, 1997.

Early History

Originally called "Oaklands" a crown grant of 800 hectares granted to Lieutenant Alexander McDonnell in 1796.

William Applegarth purchased 360 hectares in 1809, who farmed and built homes.

A pier was built around 1840 to accommodate travel to and from locations on Lake Ontario.

Property bought by Charles Davidson in 1872. Gate house built on Plains Road at the intersection of Howard Road as an entrance to the estate.

Property then owned by John Fuller, who built a large, 26-room house there.

In 1889, Thomas Townsend bought the property; it remained with the family until 1952. Townsend was a developer and engineer, who designed the Welland Canal's locks, gates and bridges, also rebuilding Desjardins Canal bridge. He also designed a custom rail car for Kind Edward VII for his 1860 cross-Canada trip when Edward was still Prince of Wales.

In 1912 Hamilton's Parks Board bought part of Oaklands for recreational purposes. They leased the area to Canada Steamship Lines investing $150,000 to upgrade the dock and park with athletic fields, a dance hall, picnic grove, and restaurant.

A concrete bathhouse was erected to provide for swimming facilities. The large residence and entrance gate remained, and would stay until being torn down in 1956.

Bayfront #080120

Sun Jan 20, 2008

Sunny and Cold -11 to –8º

Trail Clear. Inlet iced over as well as parts of shoreline.

Numerous trees felled along the way by beavers.

See also Hamilton Bayfront #071022

Beachway #080116

Wednesday Jan 16, 2008

No GPS data due to unit failure

P. Sunny to Sunny –1 to +1º

Beachway #080109

The Beachway Park Pavilion and multi-use trails provide a 2 km. route from Spencer Smith Park to the canal. The pavilion provides change rooms, outdoor showers, seasonal concession facilities featuring the Snack Shack and year round washrooms. Amenities at the beach include the pavilion, parking, a pay phone, a playground, and lots of sun, sand and water.

Once a picturesque Indian encampment among the large spreading oaks, Burlington Beach is one of the last 2 remaining sandy beaches along the north shore of Lake Ontario. Today this beach is a popular swimming, beach volleyball and family picnic area. A concession, washrooms & change facilities have recently been added to make your visit complete. For those looking for a quieter pace, a leisurely stroll along the beach, exploring the sand dunes and natural habitat near the canal or taking in the Burlington skyline at night from the lookout is a great way to take in the surroundings.

Burlington Lift Bridge

Type: - a tower-drive steel truss vertical lift bridge

The Burlington Lift Bridge is a moveable bridge over the Burlington Canal in Burlington, Ontario located at the junction of Lake Ontario and Hamilton Harbour. Being part of provincial Hwy No. 20, it provides a canal crossing link for local pedestrians and vehicles between the City of Burlington and the City of Hamilton, as well as facilitating all types of vessels entering and leaving Hamilton Harbour.

The truss span is 112.78 m (368.04 ft.) long and supports a four lane highway. Towers support each end of the lift span and provide 33 m (108.26 ft.) of clearance for ships navigating the channel.

The bridge is presently operated 24 hours per day, 7 days per week throughout the navigation season (approximately 270 days per year) and performs approximately 3,600 lifts annually.

The original bridge over the canal was an iron swing bridge constructed in 1896. This was replaced in 1922 by a bascule type lift bridge. In 1930, the canal was doubled in width and a second bascule was constructed over the new channel. In 1952, the bascule span over the north canal was destroyed by a steamer when the bridge failed to open. This canal was closed to navigation and a temporary fixed trestle bridge was built until the construction of the present vertical lift bridge, which was completed in 1962.

Bronte #080106

Waterfront Trail

This portion of the Trail features tree-lined streets, lovely homes, museums, two vibrant harbours, formal gardens and a system of river trails that run through wooded areas and meadows.

The Trail surface is a gravel path on the north side of Lakeshore Rd. from Burloak Dr. to Cudmore, and east of Belvedere to Fourth Line. The south side of Lakeshore Rd is for pedestrians. From Fourth Line the cyclists share the Trail with vehicles using Lakeshore Rd. for 3.4km. Off-road trail resumes just west of Chartwell Ave.

Bronte Harbour

The area that is presently Bronte was first settled by Europeans beginning in 1807, after the land was purchased from the Mississauga tribe and Trafalgar Township was surveyed.

By 1856, Bronte was a busy Lake Ontario port, exporting wheat, building ships, and developing a thriving commercial fishery and stonehooking industry. The town's population grew to 550. With the coming of the railroad, the harbour's business declined and the population went down to 220.

Bronte was incorporated as a village in 1952. Ten years later, the village and part of the Township of Trafalgar were amalgamated into the Town of Oakville.

Unlike neighbouring Oakville, where by the late 1820s William Chisholm had financed a harbour privately, development of port facilities in Bronte was delayed until the founding of the Bronte Harbour Company. Led by Samuel Bealey Harrison, a politician, lawyer, and judge, residents of Bronte petitioned the government of Upper Canada to incorporate a company to build a harbour at the mouth of Twelve Mile Creek. After a ten-year struggle to obtain support, the Bronte Harbour Company was founded in 1846. By 1856, construction of Bronte's newly dredged harbour with two piers and a lighthouse was complete. The village's waterfront was transformed from a shallow marshland, inaccessible from the water, to a harbour with sufficient depth to sustain itself as a thriving Lake Ontario port.

Bronte Pioneer Cemetery

Bronte Pioneer Cemetery is as much the victim of time and weather as the souls buried within in.

In 1830, Philip Sovereign deeded the east corner of his farm for a cemetery after several people had already been buried there. He specified that it be for people of “all orders, sects, nations and parties.”

Among the settlers some of the first black residents of Bronte are buried here. Almost a third of the headstones belong to children; others to mariners.

Sometimes, but not always, sailors survived the lake hazards. Lake Ontario claimed three young men who are buried here, near the west corner. Jimmy Baker was first mate on the schooner Magellan when she collied with the U.L. Hurd in 1877. Jummy’s was the only body found. The Dorland brothers were fishermen lost east of Bronte in the great gale and snowstorm of December 1886. Both left young families.

The Lake Ontario gales that took the lives of Bronte mariners also claimed the bones of some of the survivors and their families. Over the years about 70 feet of cemetery and 100 feet of road allowance have gone into the lake, taking a few graves with it.