Oakville: A Walk through History

Oakville's Waterfront Trail

According to  Michael who was conducting the tour at the local museum, Oakville was named after the white oaks that were used primarily in the ship building business and found in abundance on the properties of one of Oakville's,  founding fathers, Colonel William K. Chisholm. Chisolm was  born in Nova Scotia in 1788 but grew up in the Burlington Bay area. After serving in the War of 1812, he settled on a Dundas Street farm.  Not only was he a holder of great tracts of land around Oakville,  he also became a successful merchant,ship builder and ship owner. He also became a member of the House of Assembly (1820-1824)

This is the one that I would love to live in. A beautiful wrap around porch and a densely wooded lot.  It was built by Justus W. Williams in 1838. He was a general merchant.

James O'Connor, Cabinetmaker 1852

This is the inviting entrance to the Oakville Museum, operated by the Oakville Historical Society. Presently (July 2012) there is a delightful exhibit about bridesmaids gowns which is guaranteed to bring a smile to your face, from the hideous to the magnificent, all accompanied by the donours  thoughts on the dresses.  The rest of the house museum has been restored to the 1930's era and earlier and it was a wonderfully cool place to be on a hot summer day.

Erchless built by Robert Kerr Chisolm in 1838 was part of the Chisholm family holdings at the foot of Navy Street. It now houses a gem of a museum, well worth an hour of so of your time.  It includes the custom house and the main house had wings added in 1839 and 1844 to house the growing Chisholm clan.

1835 David Patterson House, Shipbuilder.  Patterson arrived from Scotland in 1826 and migrated to Oakville a year later. He married Agnes Griggs in 1835 and became the "Pathmaster" of the town (he kept records on the statute labour for the maintenance of the town streets.)

The Peter McCorquodale House at 143 Front Street is enticing and inviting with its open gate and white picket fence. Peter was a mariner and was a part owner of a schooner called the Royal Tar. His sons all became mariners, sons Robert and Duncan captained schooners and son James a steamboat captain. Arriving from his native Scotland like many of the local residents in 1830 he bought two fine lots in 1833 which at that time had a wonderful view of the lake and harbour.

Situated inside Lakeside Park, the old Post Office originally stood at the corner of Lakeshore Rd. and Navy St. The first postmaster of Oakville was William Chisholm.  This tiny structure operated as the post office until 1856, and then was turned into a blacksmiths. It was moved in 1951 and has been a part of the Oakville Museum ever since.

Built by Duncan Chilsolm, in 1852. He was a shipbuilder by trade.

One of the local residents, just cruising around.

Frontier House built by Barnett and Nancy Griggs in 1838 was a welcome change from the log house that they originally settled on about a mile from the 16. This was for a time a hotel serving steamboat passengers arriving on the lake. It was a stage stop and Inn, named the "Halfway House" It was returned to a private residence in 1870 and remained with one family until the 1940's.  It was partially separated in 1906 and a portion of it was moved to 154 King Street.

Gracing the entrance to the Oakville Montessori school

George Ewan Residence, 1839.  Carpenter

First built in 1939 by Captain William Wilson, it changed hands in 1854 and became "Glenorchy" at 29 Thomas St. owned by Peter Archibald McDougald he was a successful grain merchant and he was elected the mayor of Oakville from 1874.

This one is for sale.....2 or 3 million???

This delightful cottage belonged to a sea captain and was built in 1910 a relatively new arrival in the area.

St. Andrew's Church was built in 1847, and is located at the corner of King and Reynold's Streets. It is interesting to note that in 1841, the total population of Trafalgar Township was 4,375, of whom 1,098 were Anglicans, 1,007 Wesleyans, 963 Presbyterians yet 281 Catholics, however St. Andrew's was  still built. It is Oakville's oldest surviving church and its appearance would not startle an original parishioner, its facade has not changed since its beginnings.

 

Marlatt coach house built in 1888 for the Marlatt estate to house Mr. Marlatt's coach. He often visited Toronto and he normally took the train, but used his carriage to get to the train station.

The Marlatt house is one of the most impressive in the neighbourhood and I'd be happy living in the garage. It was built in 1888 by Cecil Gustave Marlatt. Marlatt was a keen yachtsman and was the owner of the R.C.Y.C.’s most famous boat, “Aggie”, which won many a race.“Aggie” was named after Marlatt’s wife. One of the most successful yachts launched under the R.C.Y.C. banner, she accumulated no fewer than 83 wins in the course of her long career! “Aggie” often tried, but never won the Prince of Wales Cup, however she did win the Queen’s Cup in 1897, and almost every other cup in the club more than once.

A Prime location on Reynolds Street commands an inspiring view of the lake

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An inviting entryway at 350 King Street.

It was a very hot day and these Canada Geese were cooling off in the lake. You can walk along the lakeshore on beautiful lakeside pathways.

A bandshell sits in the center of the lakefront park, harking back to times past

The George K Chisolm house circa 1859 looks like it could have been constructed yesterday it is in such pristine condition.

The John Gaillie House 1854.  He was a carpenter and joiner. A joiner was a skilled tradesman who joined pieces of wood together without the use of nails or metal of any sort.

 

This beautifully restored cottage is called Rose cottage and first belonged to Isaac Clarke (joiner) and was built in 1856. It got it's name from a latter owner, not the roses in the garden.

This stuccoed beauty was erected in 1850 by Justuce Williams , who was listed as a merchant. Williams was
a prominent citizen with his dry goods business and very  active in the Methodist church, the school board and town affairs. He died in  1875.

Scarborough Bluffs

OAE (Outdoor Art Exhibit) 

A Toronto mainstay in the summer.

Hundreds of artisans vie for your attention 

and a chance

at being snapped up by a local gallery.

Toronto never a dull moment

In my continuous search for exciting anddifferent locales to photograph, I've started practicing tourism in my home town, namely Toronto.  

 Retiring from my career as a flight attendant has clipped my wings and has forced me to concentrate

on adventures and outings closer to home.  

Hot Dog Vendors on Queen Street West

 It is a city made up of neighbourhoods, each distinctlydifferent from its neighbour. It's a city always changing. A huge and steady influx of immigrants, who seem to come in different ethnic waves have added  design, colour and taste sensations as they establish themselves.  New restaurants, shops and cultural events all become a reality because of Toronto's accepting arms. Take some time to become a tourist in your own city......and if you are a tourist from afar, search out the quirky, the hidden and the  beautiful in this wonder of cities.

A very hot Monday in July at the Scarborough Bluffs

The Scarborough Bluffs  Hike the Scarborough Bluffs are a naturally occurring phenomena located at the foot of Brimley Rd. in Scarborough, also called Bluffer's park. Plenty of parking at the base (at this point in time the top parking lot is blocked off) the good news is that  the parking is free weekdays until 5 pm. at which time it switches to 75 cents / half hour.Bluffers Park

At its highest point, the escarpment rises 65 metres (213 ft) above lake level and stretches for 14 kilometres (8.7 mi) along the shore of Lake Ontario, east of Toronto. It was first named in 1793.
The Bluffs are known and studied worldwide and are considered a "geological wonder" and they are unique in North America. Fabulous Trail Map  The escarpment forms the old shoreline of Glacial Lake Iroquois, formed after the last  Ice Age about 20,000 years ago, which left valuable geological records as the part of the escarpment by the lake. The alluvial deposits from the bluffs erosion, drifted westward to form the Toronto Islands

Looking East towards Toronto

Where did the name come from? Elizabeth Simcoe the wife of our first Lieutenant Governor in Upper Canada, John Graves Simcoe, was reminded of her home in Scarborough, in Yorkshire Scarborough, Yorkshire.  The Yorkshire cliffs are primarily made up of Limestone, whereas these bluffs are mostly clay sediment and fossil remains, the look is similar 

This is a pond which is one of four at the bluffs called Dunker's Flow that captures and holds sewer water from the city of Toronto's storm drains. It works by a means of natural purification which enables the water to make it's way back to the lake with many of the nasty and toxic materials removed. The solid pollutants and particles sink to the bottom and as the water moves from pool to pool.The  vegetation removes even more, cattails a common marsh sight store toxins in their tubular roots. One can see from this third pond that the water is healthy, and is creating a wonderful ecosystem for all manner of wildlife  I spotted a heron and there are many redwing blackbirds in the cattails and the delightful sound of bullfrogs, other than that, quiet.....total quiet. .Dunker's Flow 

As you can see this is a healthy pond,with none of the recognizable sewer water odour.



You can cross the ponds on elevated boardwalks in many places.

Clear water on the Lakeshore

 I was amazed at the water quality, very clear with no visible algae washing up on shore anywhere. I can't say that I noticed any fish, but people were fishing so they must be there, especially off of the landfill points.Aerial View of Bluffers Park .   We have had a very warm summer and no rain to speak of, so the sewer system is not overloaded. The water at the shore was quite warm, although the official water temperature July 12th was 51 degrees F.  That's cold, really cold, compare it to Lake Erie the same day 74*F,  that's 23 degrees difference.

The shapes created by erosion are spectacular and would be terrifying if you were
standing on the edge looking down.  I don't recommend it, the shape of the hills
makes it impossible to erect barriers, so it is strictly use at your own risk. Every
year someone falls to his death, usually young, often at night.

This is the storm sewer outflow and yes, here you can
smell that lingering sewer "eau de cologne" before it
runs into the storage ponds of Dunker's Flow.

 

 I wouldn't want to fall into this pool, nasty.

I was here on a working day Monday and it was almost as if I had the park to myself.  As I was walking through the vegetation I started to think that I was a wonderful target for robbery and mayhem..... but who in their right mind would be in this beautiful place thinking thoughts like that.  Lots of rustling in the bracken, just birds, chipmunks and hopefully not coyotes. Make sure your dogs are on leash!!!

Cathedral Bluff

Another sign of a healthy pond, water lilies in bloom and the sound of bullfrogs.

Another view of a healthy wetland, which is helping to keep
our lake clean.

There are miles of sandy beaches to be found on Lake Ontario, this is just past the Marina.  There is an outdoor shower, a foot was shower and washrooms.  Make sure you take shoes the sand is very, very hot and although it looks wonderful, glass could be lurking just beneath.  Water quality is generally good and on a year without much rain it improves drastically.  This is a supervised beach and is not a rocky shore so it's great for kids.  

 Restaurant in Marina The Marina has a boat launch and a restaurant open to the public. It also has house boats which have started me dreaming of a second home on the water.

Hiking trails abound, good footwear is a must. Sandals and flipflops fill with gravel and sand very quickly. It is really hard to see , but there is actually a person standing on top of the Bluff.....tiny in comparison.

 If I didn't know better, I would think I was in the south of France in provence.

I highly recommend a days outing to the Scarborough Bluffs, you will be in awe of this free show that our city puts on........and bring your bathing suit!