Saturday, May 30, 2020

There is an interesting enclave in Mississauga in the area of Barbertown and Streetsville.  In 1945 three Slovakian farmers were returning to Canada after serving in World War 2 and together they purchased 10 acres of land just north of Eglinton Avenue.  The little park they established was given the nick named “Midgetville”.  There is no parking close by and so we parked some distance down river and made our way north toward the site.  The trail along the river has become quite naturalized through the section known as Hewick’s Meadows.

Heavy rains have caused the Credit River to flood its banks and divert a large flow of water onto the walking trail.  This has led to some major erosion of the path.

On the north side of Eglinton Avenue you join Barbertown Road to make your way toward Koliba Park.  Barbertown Road used to contain many houses built for the people who worked in the various mills in Barbertown.  Most of these old workers cottages have been replaced with modern homes but there are still a couple remaining from the mid-1800’s.  The picture below shows a typical duplex of the era, although it has been covered up with siding.

A little farther along Barbertown Road you will find another small abandoned home that housed a single family. Likely a new home will fill this site in the near future.

Koliba is a Slovak word that means “Shepherd’s Hut” and it suits the small cottages that were built in the valley at the bottom of Barbertown Road.  Over the years most of the 10 acres of the original property was sold of and has been developed but the small park with its cottages and playgrounds has been retained.  It hosts several Slovak events each year as well as being rented out by Slovakian churches for their services in the summer months.  Due to the fact that the site is isolated there has been a number of cases of vandalism over the years and so the gates are kept locked.  We were forced to take our pictures through the fencing.

Under normal circumstances the park hosts an opening weekend banquet on the first Saturday in May but that was cancelled this year due to the pandemic.  The Slovak Canada Day picnic that normally happens at the end of June will likely not happen either.  Instead of the park being filled with weekend campers the swing sets sit idle this year.

The Barbertown bridge was originally built to bring the mill workers from the houses on Barbertown Road to the mills that still line the east side of the river as it flows though Streetsville.  More information on the mills can be found in our post on Barbertown.  We decided to stay on the west side of the Credit River to see if we could make our way upstream to the Streetsville Dam.

Oyster Mushrooms are one of the most commonly harvested wild mushrooms in Ontario.  During the First World War the Germans began to cultivate Oyster Mushrooms for food and today they are commonly cultivated around the world.

As we made our way along the river bank we disturbed a family of Canada Geese with their five goslings.   The jumped in the water and began to cross the river with the two adults keeping the little ones safe between them.

Along the side of the river we found a dead Sea Lamprey.  Their mouth is as large or larger than the head and has no jaw.  The circular rows of teeth and suction cup mouth allow it to attach itself to fish where it slowly kills the fish by draining its blood.  Lampreys spawn in fresh water after which the adults die.  The larvae burrow in the silt at the bottom of the river and live in fresh water for several years.  They then undergo a metamorphosis that allows them to switch to salt water and they migrate to the sea.  A year and a half later they return to the fresh water rivers to span and die.

The view inside the Lampreys mouth is like something out of an old horror movie.

A pair of Turkey Vultures were circling above the river.  Perhaps one of them will eat the remains of the Lamprey.

We reached a point where the river flows beside a steep embankment where we were forced to turn back.  It might be interesting to return to Koliba Park when they are participating in Doors Open Mississauga so that we can get a look inside the buildings.

Google Maps Link: Koliba Park

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