Category Archives: Credit River

Riverwood – Armstrong Wild Bird Trek

January 16, 2022

The Riverwood Conservancy is located on 150 acres of an original 200 acre land grant that was part of the territory of the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation. We’ve covered the history of this property in detail in previous stories about Riverwood and a full set of links will be provided at the end of this post. There’s lots of free parking on site although sometimes it can be busy on the weekends.

I always have to stop and admire this century old home that was built with stone carried up from the river below. An old set of stairs still leads from the back yard down to the trails below but it has been blocked off by a fence at the top. From the back yard you can also see the remains of the first man-made swimming pool in the present city of Mississauga and admire the old stone cistern.

The surrounding land was used for farming purposes and there’s still several old agricultural items strewn around the property. All of them are in an ongoing state of deterioration. This wagon has seen considerable rot since we published a picture in our 2014 post of Riverwood.

The Riverwood Conservancy has been in an ongoing state of development with new gardens and features being added over the years. One of the newest attractions is the Armstrong Wild Bird Trek. It was founded in 2017 and features a number of bird feeders along the Red Trail. Armstrong Milling in Hagersville provides birdseed that is placed in the feeders by volunteers. In the fall and winter, this attracts a lot of birds and subsequently a lot of bird watchers. The trail follows the edge of the valley and uses boardwalks to pass over wetlands and streams.

Most of the bird feeding stations have a sign identifying various species that can be found in the local habitat. The Conservancy claims 180 species of nesting and migratory birds can be seen in the park. There are fewer species in the winter but the ones that stay are more dependant on the feeders and become quite used to humans. This isn’t necessarily a good thing but at least they are getting nutritious food. For this reason, it is recommended that people not bring anything to feed the birds. Feeding them bread and domestic bird food is actually harmful to them. This male Cardinal was one of several that was waiting for a turn at the feeders.

The Blue Jay is one of the largest song birds in Canada and there are four sub-species of which ours is known as the Northern Blue Jay. They tend to mate for life and can become aggressive if people approach their nest, especially in breeding season. Blue Jays can immitate the call of various hawks. A technique which they use to test and see if there are any in the area. They can become prey to hawks when alone but in groups will attack a hawk and drive it away.

This male White-breasted Nuthatch can be distinguished from his female counterpart by the black cap on his head. The female has a cap which is a lighter shade of gray. If you take a few seeds from one of the feeders and hold them in the palm of your open hand it’s quite likely that a bird will come and land on you to feed.

Black-capped Chickadees are cute little birds that appear very friendly because they have very little fear of humans. It’s pretty easy to get one to sit on your hand if you have a few seeds in your palm.

There’s an abundance of squirrels due to the free food but in most cases, they can’t get into the feeders. They hang around below them and eat the seeds that are thrown out by the birds. Where branches hang close enough to the feeder they will climb and jump into it. This is bad news because they are quite greedy, literally stuffing their faces.

This little female Downy Woodpecker is happy to come and get a few seeds. These tiny woodpeckers are able to feed in places that the larger Hairy Woodpeckers and other species can’t get to. This includes eating insects from plant stems and pecking holes in goldenrod galls to get the larvae inside. These woodeckers can often be seen in mixed species flocks among the tall grasses with the other birds because there’s protection in numbers.

American Robins fly south to keep ahead of the frost line so that they can get adequate food. Those that stay behind switch their diet to berries and seeds and we saw several that were hanging around the trail. They tend to look fat in the winter but it is just the way that they fluff up their feathers.

You have several options for a route back to the parking lot including retracing your steps along the Red Trail. The Culham Trail passes through Riverwood and can be used to create a return loop. We chose to take the smaller “fisherman’s trail” along the side of the Credit River. This will allow you to see some of the water birds that don’t use the feeders. On this day there were lots of Mallard Ducks and a pair of Mergansers and at times you could see a Kingfisher. We also caught a quick glimpse of a coyote trying to sneak past us unseen and were able to watch three White-tailed Deer browsing on the other side of the river.

Although there appears to be an increased number of Great Blue Herons that stay for the winter, I was a little surprised to step around a fallen tree and see one. Almost as surprised as it was to see me and my camera. With a loud honk, it was gone.

We’ve been through Riverwood many times over the years and there’s always something interesting to see. No doubt we’ll be back.

Google Maps link: Riverwood Conservancy

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The Credit River – Georgetown

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Saturday, September 26, 2020

The section of the Credit River north of Georgetown is one of my favourite places to hike and I’ve returned here a few times over the past thirty years. We typically park on Maple Avenue near River Drive. Once you cross the Credit River on the bridge you can follow the Credit Valley Footpath north to Terra Cotta or south to the Barber Dynamo. This is a side trail to the Bruce Trail and is marked with blue blazes.

The first point of interest is the site of the Barber Paper Mills. These historic Victorian era industrial buildings have sat vacant for over four decades. Several proposals for redevelopment and preservation have been left unfulfilled over the years and the fate of one of Heritage Canada’s 2015 top 10 most endangered sites remains unknown.

The roof on the former paper rolling building, built in 1852, is deteriorating quickly. When we released the feature story Barber Paper Mills in June of 2015 the roof was largely intact on the river side. The side of the roof facing the road was already collapsing at that time. An updated picture was featured in March of 2018 in our story Credit Valley Footpath at which time there were two small holes in the roof on the side facing the river. Today, the roof is collapsing and at least one beam has fallen in as well. Nature is relentless.

The dam that served the Barber Paper mills was replaced with a concrete one that still spans the river below the River Drive bridge. We initially followed the small trail close to the river but it doesn’t go very far past the remains of the old paper mill. You are forced to return to the formal trail and make your way into the forest that lines the sides of the ravine.

The trail follows the river and climbs the ravine three times between the road and the Barber Dynamo. There is one section that climbs a few steps and then follows the root system of the trees along the edge of the ravine. That part of the trail could be challenging in wet or snowy conditions.

The DeKay’s Snake is also known simply as a Brown Snake and has two distinct rows of black black spots running down each side of the back. With the colder weather coming on we may not see anymore snakes this year, but we’re always watching. I should have been watching a little closer because I almost stepped on this one before it slithered off the trail.

The Common Earthball is also known as Pigskin Poison Puffball. However, unlike other puffballs, earthballs do not have a single opening at the top but rather split open to release their spores.

The Grand Trunk Railway Bridge was built in 1855 and earned the nick-name the Iron Bridge. It crosses the 2000 foot wide river valley using 8 spans of 96 feet each and extensive berms on either side. The bridge rises 115 feet above the river. It was expanded in 2010 to accommodate a double track as part of GO Transit’s expansion of services. Provision has been made for a third track in the future.

Part of the trail runs through a forest of red oak trees. The weight of nuts or fruit in a forest is known as its “mast” and this year would be known as a big mast year because of the high volume of acorns produced. To have a big mast requires three factors, the first of which is sufficient rain in the fall to prepare the tree for a good spring flowering. Secondly, there can’t be a frost during the week that the female flowers are open in the spring. Lastly, once the acorns are growing they need to avoid summer droughts that can cause fungal problems. The acorns were dropping almost continually in the forest as we passed through, making it the first time we had to hike in acorn rain.

Positive identification of mushrooms can be difficult sometimes and these bright yellow mushrooms were not featured in my field guide or clearly singled out on line. The scales on the caps may indicate that they are poisonous. We don’t harvest mushrooms on our hikes, and recommend you don’t either, so it doesn’t make a whole lot of difference if they are edible or not.

The Barber Dynamo is one of our favourite places to visit in the GTA and we have previously told the story of the building. Each time we take a new set of pictures there is some level of deterioration in the old stone building. Unfortunately it looks like we will eventually lose what remains of the first electrical generating plant to transmit power over wires for the operation of a mill. More details can be found in our feature story on the history of the Barber Dynamo.

The walls are starting to sag in various places and will collapse if steps are not taken to support them, perhaps in a manner similar to the work being done at Goldie Mill in Guelph.

Wolf’s Milk Slime is also known as Toothpaste Slime because of the consistency it has when it first comes out. If the balls are punctured before the spores are ready they will ooze a pink slime. Wolf’s Milk Slime grows between June and November on well rotted logs.

The Credit Valley Footpath continues out to the Tenth Line which could provide a less strenuous hike should you wish to visit the Dynamo. Perhaps we’ll use that end of the trail in the future as we continue to keep an eye on this heritage site over the coming years.

Google Maps Link : Barber Paper Mill

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Koliba Park

Timothy Street – Pioneers of the GTA

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Saturday, December 7, 2019

The founder of Streetsville was born in New York in 1777 and emigrated to Upper Canada in 1801 after marrying Abigail Smith. They lived near Niagara for twenty years and in 1818-1819 Timothy financed the survey of Toronto Township and was compensated with 4500 acres of land that would become the town of Streetville. We decided to go and explore some of the legacy he left behind. We parked on Mill Street beside his historic home. The county atlas below shows how large Streetsville had become by 1877 when it was released.

Timothy founded a milling empire and in 1825 built the house that still stands at the end of Mill Street near his mills. He first built a grist mill around 1822 and soon added a lumber and saw mill. He continued to expand by adding a tannery, distillery and clothing mill. The brick house he constructed is considered to be the first brick house to be built in Peel County and remains the oldest one. It is a story and a half and has been added to at least twice partly to accommodate the 12 children he raised along with Abigail.

Timothy needed water to power his mills and so he built a dam across the Credit River just north of the mills. He found a narrow place where an earthen berm could be built to retain the mill pond. Originally the dam would have consisted of a wooden crib across the river that was filled with stones. This type of dam required constant repairs, some of which could be quite dangerous. Many millers lost their lives trying to save their mill dams from being washed away in the raging spring waters.

In 1824 Timothy Street deeded an acre of his land to the Presbyterian Church for the purposes of establishing a Protestant cemetery. Five of his own children would die in their youth and be buried in this cemetery.

Timothy Street died an January 31, 1848 and was buried in the cemetery where his children were interred.

From the pioneer cemetery the silos of the Barbertown mills can be seen. The milling community of Barbertown was located at the Credit River and Eglinton Avenue. It included what was the largest woolen mill in Ontario during the middle of the 1800’s.

The trails along the sides of the Credit River through Streetsville form part of the Culham Trail and will eventually be part of the Credit Valley Trail.

By 1890 the pioneer cemetery was reaching capacity and land for a new cemetery was donated to the town by Timothy Street’s daughter.

A new study has found that squirrels use the local birds to help them determine if it is safe to go outside their nests. Squirrels will listen to the tweets of birds in the area to help them understand if there could be red-tailed hawks near by. When the birds are chattering away in normal fashion the squirrels go about their usual business of gathering nuts. When the birds go silent the squirrels interpret this to mean danger and they take cover.

The first high school in Peel County was built in Streetsville in 1851. It was enlarged in 1877 when the two rooms in the front were added along with the Italianate tower. It served as the school for 115 years before being converted to the town hall in 1966. By 1974 it had been converted to be the local police station before its present tenant, the Kinsmen Senior Citizens Centre.

Streetsville is one of the truly unique places where the city has surrounded a small town but failed to absorb it. As a result Streetsville still has a lot of its small town charm and we have visited several times.

Further reading about Streetsville: Alpha Mills, Streetsville’s Forgotten Foundations, Hyde Mill, Barbertown

Google Maps Link: Mill Street Streetsville

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The Crows Nest Side Trail

Meadowvale Conservation Area

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Saturday, January 5, 2019

Armed with the new camera I got for Christmas and the promise of a warm sunny day we set off for Meadowvale Conservation Area in Mississauga. We have previously written about much of the history of the conservation area from the perspective of the various dams and berms associated with Silverthorne’s grist mill. We won’t cover that again here and the link will be supplied again at the end of this story. Today we were interested in the western side of the conservation area where the Toronto Suburban Railway used to run. The Toronto Suburban Railway operated 5 electric commuter lines, including the one that ran up Yonge Street known as the Toronto & York Radial Railway The line to Guelph was the longest in the system at 49 miles. Stop 47 was a small station in Meadowvale after which the line crossed the Credit River and ran through the property that would become the conservation area.

When visiting the conservation area in the 1990’s there was quaint little suspension bridge that carried the pedestrian trail across the Credit River. It was demolished in 2009 leaving only the metal posts on the river bank. A decaying sign in the woods announces the removal of the bridge but it isn’t really needed any longer. To see a picture of what the bridge looked like you can follow this link to a similar bridge in Warden Woods.

My new camera allows me to get much better shots of birds and the cardinal in the photo below was only a small red spot to the naked eye. I think I’m going to like having it along.

The new bridge is a little farther south and considerably longer. It crosses an area that is likely under water when the river is flooding.

From the west end of the bridge there is a line that can be seen running horizontal through the woods. This is the right of way for the former Toronto Suburban Railway. The official opening of the railway came on April 14, 1917 and soon trains were running between Lambton and Guelph every two hours. The trip lasted two and half hours and was very popular until the early 1930’s. Rising costs, poor profits and a string of accidents coupled with a new love of the automobile led to the line being closed in August of 1931. The tracks were removed in 1936 and in many urban areas the line has been built over with housing developments.

The bridge that carries Old Derry Road over the Credit River was built in 1948. It is known as a camelback truss bridge and is part of the Meadowvale Cultural Heritage District.

The tail race for the Silverthorne grist mill joined the river just north of the bridge. The tail race was crossed by the radial line near the last house on Willow Lane. Both of the abutments are crumbling after 100 years with no maintenance. This picture was taken at the time we explored the side of the conservation area with the mill foundations in it.

The abutments for the crossing of the Credit River are still easy to locate a short distance north of the truss bridge. The picture below shows the south abutment as seen from across the river.

The last house on Willow Lane is undergoing a restoration. The south abutment can be seen in the lower corner of the picture and the abutments for the crossing of the tail race are basically in the front yard. With frequent passenger and cargo service this must have been a great place for train enthusiasts or a noisy place for anyone else.

The abutment on the north side of the river has become completely overgrown with vines and must be all but hidden in the summer when the grass is full height. Behind the vines the century old concrete is crumbling badly.

Where the radial line ran through the park there are still about ten of the old electric poles standing. The poles supported an overhead caternary system that delivered 1500 volt DC to power the cars. They can be picked out because of their straight lines and flat tops. In several cases the pole has a blue slash on it as can be seen on the extreme left in the cover photo.

Fungus can still be found in the winter and it often adds colour and interesting patterns to what can be an otherwise drab landscape. These turkey tail fungus entirely surrounded this old stump.

The intersection of the radial line with the active Canadian Pacific Railway appears to lie somewhere under the six lanes of the new Derry Road. North of Derry, the Samuelson Circle Trail continues on the old right of way. The berm can be identified in many places along here because it rises a couple feet above the surrounding land. Culverts allowed drainage from one side of the berm to the other and one can be found in this section.

Cinnabar-red polypore can grow p to 14 centimetres in size and those pictured here are some of the larger specimens. They grow all year and some will produce spores in the second and third years. This fungus is not edible.

Meadowvale Conservation Area is full of interesting historical artifacts for those who like to look for such things in the area in which they are hiking. Many of these are associated with the Silverthorne Grist Mill which we covered in detail in a previous blog. The Guelph Radial Line has left only a few clues to the former right of way as it passed through the GTA. A ghostly set of piers that cross the old mill pond in Limehouse is one example of interesting place to visit.

Google Maps Link: Meadowvale Conservation Area

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Forks of the Credit Provincial Park

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Saturday, December 30, 2017

Forks of the Credit Provincial Park has many things to offer from hiking trails to closed roads and historic ruins. A Niagara Escarpment study in 1968 made the recommendation that a park should be created near the Forks of the Credit. The Government of Ontario accepted the proposal and in 1985 the Forks of the Credit Provincial Park was officially opened. Official parking is found off of Mclaren Road but it is metered and $7.50 for 4 hours or $14.00 for the full day. We roughly followed the route marked in green on the 1877 county atlas below.

From the parking lot, you can follow the Meadow Trail past Kettle Lake, featured below, and on until you come to a washroom facility at the junction of the Dominion Trail. Along the way, you will pass a short trail called Kettle Trail which links to the Trans Canada Trail. To get to the falls you will use a portion of the Bruce Trail as a link. It is good that someone has taken the time to mark the trails with little white signs “falls” and “return to parking” to make the direct route less confusing.

The Credit River runs through the park as does The Bruce Trail. From the south, the Bruce Trail follows old Dominion Road north from Forks of the Credit Road through the ghost town of Brimstone until it reaches the entrance to the park. From this point the old road becomes Dominion Trail and the road is closed. A portion of it was washed out in 1912 and never replaced. There are also blue Bruce Trail side trails that lead to the ruins at the cataract falls, making the park a great place to hike.

In 1879 the Credit Valley Railway built a1,146-foot wooden trestle, 85 feet high to cross the valley. At the time it was the longest curved trestle in Ontario but safety concerns led to much of it being filled in by dumping gravel through the trestle. From there the line heads north through the area of the park. It runs along the edge of the river and crosses it on the bridge shown below.

Cataract Falls is 13 metres tall and 9 metres wide. Like many waterfalls, it takes on a spectacular formation of ice in the winter months. The falls appear to be much wider because there are so many cracks in the shale layers that seep water which adds to the majesty of the falls.

A sawmill and two grist mills stood on this site before it was converted to the production of electricity. The older parts of the mill were constructed of stone which was apparently quarried behind the waterfalls in the winter time.

The foundations of the Cataract Electric Company stand on the crest of the falls. This had been the site of mills since 1820 and the power company operated from 1899 until 1947 when it was deemed to be too inefficient to continue. The frozen waterfalls can be seen to the right of the picture below.

Cataract Lake was held behind the dam and was allowed to survive the closing of the electric power generating plant. John Deagle was interested to increase the output of his power generating plant and so had begun to construct a tunnel from the lake to the mill wheel. A major flood in 1912 washed out the dam and put an end to Deagles dreams of tunnelling. A concrete dam was built as a replacement. In 1953 the dam was destroyed by dynamite and the lake was drained. The railway had been concerned that the lake was undermining the railway tracks. The sluice gates remain from the old dam and are now used as abutments for the footbridge on the Ruins Trail.

A better perspective of the old mill buildings can be gained from the footbridge.

The Forks of the Credit Provincial Park has many trails and interesting things to see but parking fees apply. It is perhaps better to park at the end of Dominion Road and walk in along The Bruce Trail.

Google Maps Link: Forks of the Credit Provincial Park

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Imperial Oil Lands

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Saturday, March 4, 2017

J. C. Saddington Park sits between Mississauga Road and the mouth of the Credit River. To the west of Mississauga Road, south of Lakeshore, lie the 73 acres of brown space known as the Imperial Oil Lands. There is parking on at the end of Mississauga Road at J. C. Saddington Park, as can be seen on the Google Earth map below. Key points from today’s exploration are also marked on the map.

Thomas Nightingale opened a brickyard on the west side of the Credit River in the 1880’s. The addition of a stone crusher increased production to the point that by 1900 there wasn’t enough local labour to run the brickyards. A series of bunkhouses were constructed and Italian workers were brought in to meet the demand. The archive photo below shows the Port Credit Brickyards in their prime.

After the First World War, the clay was becoming exhausted and the yards started operating at a loss. By 1929 the brickyards were closed. This brick was found on the property of the old brickyards where it was made, perhaps over 100 years ago.

In 1933 the Lloyd Refining Company purchased part of the property to build a modern refinery capable of producing 1,500 barrels a day. The refinery changed hands a few times including 1937 and 1946. In 1955 the property was purchased by Texaco and their Canadian subsidiary McColl-Frontenac began operating the refinery. In 1959 the name was changed to Texaco Canada Ltd. Petrochemicals were produced here beginning in 1978 but by 1985 it was starting to be decommissioned. The oil tank farm was removed first and by 1987 it was fully closed. Only one small building remains on site along with a storage shed.

The property has sat vacant for a couple of decades now and is highly contaminated from its years as an oil refinery. As of March 2017, Imperial Oil is selling the property to a developer who plans to develop a waterfront park, mid-rise condos and affordable housing on the site. Today the property is home to a large selection of wildlife. Coyote scat is everywhere and rabbits and squirrels provide food for them as well as the hawks. A white tailed deer was casually feeding just inside the fence from Mississauga Road.

Roadways and concrete pads mark the locations of the former tanks and buildings. The property is marked as no trespassing because of the numerous hazards that exist throughout. This story is presented to preserve the site as it exists at this moment in time. Soon it will change forever and this chapter will be lost. Choosing to explore here is solely your responsibility. A large man-made pond covers a section of the property and may feature in redevelopment plans for a central park within the community. The pond is currently full of pipes that have started to break apart over the years of abandonment.

The lower corner of the pond still has the dam and flood control devices intact. Two sluice gates could be opened by turning handwheels. The cover photo shows a closer look at the mechanics of the system.

Outflow from the pond was transferred to a series of settling ponds to remove solids from the water. From here it was carried through a concrete pipe and released into the lake.

We made our way to the end of the concrete pipe that discharged the water from the pond on the Imperial Oil Lands. The round concrete pipe has been encased in a concrete shell to protect it from the effects of the lake.

The Waterfront Trail takes the name Imperial Oil Trail as it passes along the lake side of the property. We followed it west to where you are forced briefly to follow the road. That wasn’t such a bad thing as we were treated to a broad-winged hawk sitting on a hydro wire. These birds usually winter in the south and I wonder if this one was noticing the -20-celsius wind and wishing it hadn’t come back yet.

Ben Machree Park has some interesting wood carvings by Jim Menkin. Jim has converted dead tree stumps into art with his chainsaw in many parts of Ontario including Orangeville and Mississauga. This park features three wood carvings named “Sirens of Homer’s Odyssey”.

We returned along the Imperial Oil Trail east toward the mouth of the Credit River. Just east of the concrete drainage pipe from the oil lands is a lengthy finger pier extending out into Lake Ontario. This pier provides great views to the west looking toward Rattray Marsh. To the east, you can see the Ridgetown with the city of Toronto in the background. The ship is partially sunk at the mouth of the Credit River to provide shelter for the marina. Our post on the Ridgetown contains its fascinating history.

In the 1940’s Port Credit ended at Lake Street, of all places! Today it extends out into the lake in the form of J. C. Saddington Park. This park is built on a decommissioned dump that was in use from 1949 to 1970. A pond has been created for recreation and fishing and benches positioned around for relaxation. The pond has a thin layer of ice on it from the past two days of cold weather and a light dusting of snow. A sliver of the moon can be seen above the trees in the middle of the picture.

Three historic buildings stand in the corner of the parking lot. Dating from 1922 to 1923 the Port Credit Waterworks pumping station was a major advancement in the infrastructure of Port Credit.

Swans, Canada Geese and several species of ducks were all to be seen in the lake today. Of interest was the fact that they have gone back into pairs after spending the winter in groups. Spring must be coming soon…

A 1973 Toronto Archive Aerial photo of the oil lands can be accessed here.

Our readers selected the top 15 stories for this special feature.

Google Maps Link: J. C. Saddington Park

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Inglewood

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Saturday, December 3, 2016

By the time that Inglewood was getting started a lot of small communities in Ontario had already faded from prominence, including nearby Sligo. Inglewood got started directly from the arrival of two railways. To investigate this area, we left one car on Chingaucousy Road just north of Boston Mills Road where the Caledon Trailway (yellow below) crosses. A second car was taken to Ken Whillans Resource Management Area where there is free Trailway parking and access. The hike took roughly the green trail including wandering around in what would become Inglewood.

A short trail connects the resource area with the former Hamilton & North Western Railway (H&NW) that was built through here in 1877. The Trailway crosses the Credit River on the same bridge that the railway once used.

A close look at the H&NW crossing reveals several railway construction methods. Wood pilings can still be seen in the river from the earliest crossing. Cut limestone has been used for the abutments and a central pier that supports the current steel bridge. The upstream side of the central pier has been given a newer concrete facing and point to act as a spring ice breaker to reduce damage to the bridge.

The Trailway heads west from here toward Inglewood. The railway junction was created when the Credit Valley Railway (CVR) arrived in 1878. The historical atlas above shows the junction as well as the woolen mills but the town was yet to get started. Early names for the community were Sligo and Sligo Junction but these names didn’t last because it had already been used in the area. The original Sligo had a post office which was located on Thomas Bell’s property a couple of concessions north. I’ve indicated the location on the map with an arrow. There was also a switchback on Centre Street (marked on the map) where a community named Sligo had once housed a population of 50. The name was changed to Riverdale but when the post office was opened a new name was needed and Inglewood was chosen.

The two railway lines crossed on the west side of the street where you will also see the old General Store. Built in 1886 by George Merry it has an interesting and highly decorative chimney. The rear of the store housed a bake oven that outgrew the location and, after moving, supplied bread to the local towns until it was destroyed by fire in 1940.

South of the railway junction is the railway hotel which now serves as a general store. It was built around 1881. The original industry predates the town and is still to be found on Maple Lane in the form of several stone buildings. A short laneway, lined with mature trees, leads to the mill. In 1834 the property was purchased by Thomas Corbett who built a dam, mill race and a small frame woolen mill known as Riverside Woolen Mills. A larger mill was built downstream a few years later so that the work of fulling and spinning the wool could be done in the mill instead of in the local farmer’s homes by their wives. In 1871 the mill was rebuilt in stone by Corbett’s son-in-law, David Graham. That building is seen in the photo below.

Just four years later the building was gutted by fire and leased to Ward and Algie who rebuilt the mill. It grew and in 1890 the Grahams returned to running the mill. The building seen below was added by them in 1896.

The head race carried water from the river to the mill to power the machinery. The Riverwood Mill raceway is an obvious trench that the local farmer now cuts for a crop of hay. The cover photo shows the raceway with the farmer’s old steel bridge allowing him access to his property on the other side.

At the upper end of the raceway is a section of the river that has been protected with gabion baskets filled with rock. There are at least two phases of the gabion as a lower one is badly corroded. There are no signs of any original dam construction here.

Inglewood is a good place for a short walk through town to observe some of its architectural heritage. The house below is in the correct place to be the David Graham house on the historical atlas above. The Cultural Heritage Landscapes Inventory suggests that it could be his home. If so, it predates the building of the village. This five-bay, one and a half story Regency Cottage has the elaborate doorway and large ceiling to floor windows that were popular between 1810 and 1840. If this is the original Graham house, as it appears to be, then it contains a mystery. It faces Louise Street and not 1st line west (McLaughlin Road) as one would expect.

This house is also on David Graham’s property and dates to around 1870 making it contemporary with the mill and not the town. There is a stone building behind this house that was most likely used by workers at the mill.

The Methodist Church was built in 1889 with a grand opening in 1890. The Graham family was a key employer in the town and was also instrumental in the construction of this church building. In 1925 the Methodist Church merged into the United Church. This building is interesting in that it has a weathervane instead of a cross.

The Trailway continues west out of Inglewood to where it crosses Old Base Line. Continuing, it passes through The Caledon Golf and Country Club. Near Chingaucousy Road you will see a series of decaying chalets that used to belong to the country club. They have been described in greater detail in a post called Caledon Country Club Chalets.

The historic town of Inglewood and the Caledon Trailway make a great place to explore.

Google Maps Link: Inglewood

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Caledon Country Club Chalets

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Saturday, Dec. 3, 2016

Bruce McLaughlan had a vision of a country resort for the entire family. In the late 1950’s he purchased an 180-acre farm known as Wynn Standing Farm. The property is shown as the Estate of John Standing on the 1877 county atlas. The farm was on the northern edge of Chinguacousy Township and so the original name for the club was Chinguacousy Country Club. Today, the club extends from Mclaughlan Road to Chinguacousy Road. The cover photo shows one of the abandoned chalets that remain on the property. It, along with the one below, can be seen from the parking area beside the Caledon Trailway on Chinguacousy Road.

McLaughlan hired Rene Muylaert to design the course even though Rene had never designed a golf course before. Apparently, Muylaert did a good job as he went on to design over 50 other golf courses in Ontario. Among these were the Inglewood and Glen Eagle courses. As can be seen in the pictures presented here, entry to these buildings is very dangerous. Floors and ceilings have already collapsed and more can go at any time.

In the summer of 1961 the first nine holes were opened for golfing. An equestrian riding academy was added and tennis courts were being built. New for 1961 was a small model farm for children and a supervised playground. The picture below shows one of the old chalets that is folding in on itself.

Memberships were coming in at twice the rate anticipated and another 70 acres were added to the site in 1962. Ongoing improvements led to a new club house near the Credit River which was opened in 1963. Chalets that have weathered better than the others have still been broken into and exposed to the elements so that all of them are destroyed.

Next, a series of chalets were added with the intention of providing year-round attractions. Cross country skiing, skating, outdoor curling and horse-drawn sleigh rides were provided as winter activities. The Chinguacousy Country Club also expanded to 27 holes, with nine of them being for juniors. Although the chalets were intended for all season usage there is no evidence of any insulation in the walls or ceilings.

In the 1980’s the riding academy was closed and the junior 9 holes were also removed. The swimming pool had already been closed by this time. In 1988 the club went from private to a fully public one and took on the new name of Caledon Country Club. Around this time the rental of the chalets was discontinued as well. They have been in the process of decaying ever since. The local coyote has moved into this cottage as can be seen from the coyote scat that is left at the door to mark this chalet as occupied.

Like many of the buildings, this chalet has given a new meaning to the term “sky light”.

This is another of the 8 chalets that are falling down in the old resort.

The last of the buildings headed east, this one visible from the Caledon Trailway. The trailway has been created on the former Hamilton Northwestern Railway line. The Canadian National Railway operated on this line from 1878 until 1967.

The Caledon Trailway runs through the Golf Club property and can be hiked from here to Inglewood and then on to the Ken Whillans Resource Management Area.

Google Maps Link: Caledon Country Club

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Hiking the GTA

Places to hike and things to see in and around the Greater Toronto Area

Category Archives: Credit River

Riverwood – Armstrong Wild Bird Trek

The Credit River – Georgetown

Koliba Park

Timothy Street – Pioneers of the GTA

The Crows Nest Side Trail

Meadowvale Conservation Area

Forks of the Credit Provincial Park

Imperial Oil Lands

Inglewood

Caledon Country Club Chalets