Lake St. George (Ontario)

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Lake St. George
Lake St. George Conservation Field Centre-Doll House and Snively House.jpg
Lake St. George Conservation Field Centre-Doll House and Chalet
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Lake St. George
Location Richmond Hill, Ontario
Coordinates 43°57′20.71″N79°25′32.37″W / 43.9557528°N 79.4256583°W / 43.9557528; -79.4256583
Lake type Kettle lake
Basin  countriesCanada
Surface area 140 ha (350 acres)

Lake St. George is a kettle lake in Richmond Hill, Ontario and now located in the conservation area managed by the Toronto Region Conservation Authority (TRCA).

Contents

The lake is named for Henri St. George, French-born son of French Royalist, and one-time settler in Upper Canada Quetton St. George. Henri St. George settled in Upper Canada in 1847 and established his Glen Lonely estate in Richmond Hill, which contained the lake that bears his name. [1]

Lake St. George Conservation Field Centre

St. George died in 1896 and the property was owned by various people over the following decades. Robert Davies, the son of William Davies (founder of Canada Packers) purchased the property in 1906 and built the large estate house now known as 'Davies Hall'. After Davies death, the Glen Lonely lands were bought by Schuyler Snively, a World War 1 veteran, who transformed the property into a successful dairy farm, and model country estate. In 1965 the Snively family negotiated the sale of the property to the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority, with a proviso that they be allowed to reside there until their deaths. With Marjory's passing in 1968 and Schuyler in 1971, the sale of the land was complete.

In 1979 the Glen Lonely Farm and Estate was reborn as the Lake St. George Conservation Field Centre, an outdoor education facility that serves many school boards in Toronto and York Region as well as serving as a research and training resource for schools and universities throughout Ontario. Lake St. George's quiet, expansive forests and meadows, and its pristine kettle lake have become the basis for thousands of students introduction to experiential learning through a variety Ontario curriculum based programs. [2]

See also

Other kettle lakes and bodies of water near Lake St. George:

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References

  1. Stamp, Robert M. (1991). "Chapt. 3 - The European Settlers Arrive -French Aristocracy in the Highlands of York". Early Days in Richmond Hill: A History of the Community to 1930 (Electronic ed.). Richmond Hill Public Library Board. Archived from the original on August 5, 2016.
  2. "Lake St. George Field Centre". Toronto and Region Conservation Authority. Retrieved July 31, 2019.