Rockwood Conservation Area

Rockwood Conservation Area
Rockwood Conservation Area
	Rockwood Conservation Area
	Location in Ontario
Location	Ontario, Canada
Coordinates	43°36′42″N80°08′44″W / 43.6116°N 80.1456°W
Established	1963
Website	www.grandriver.ca/en/outdoor-recreation/Rockwood.aspx

Last updated October 22, 2019

The Rockwood Conservation Area, also known as Rockwood Park, is a moderate sized conservation area situated in Rockwood, Ontario, Canada.^[1] Public operations run between May 1 and the first Sunday following Thanksgiving. A small admittance fee is required to access the park, but individuals or groups may purchase a membership that allows access to the eleven parks operated by the Grand River Conservation Authority. It is a popular destination for many local residents, with over 65,000 patrons visiting every year^[2] to enjoy the geological attractions of the park, as well as the historic ruins of the Rockwood Woolen Mills.

Ontario is one of the 13 provinces and territories of Canada. Located in Central Canada, it is Canada's most populous province accounting for 38.3 percent of the country's population, and is the second-largest province in total area. Ontario is fourth-largest jurisdiction in total area when the territories of the Northwest Territories and Nunavut are included. It is home to the nation's capital city, Ottawa, and the nation's most populous city, Toronto, which is also Ontario's provincial capital.

Canada is a country in the northern part of North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic to the Pacific and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering 9.98 million square kilometres, making it the world's second-largest country by total area. Its southern border with the United States, stretching some 8,891 kilometres (5,525 mi), is the world's longest bi-national land border. Canada's capital is Ottawa, and its three largest metropolitan areas are Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver.

Thanksgiving, or Thanksgiving Day, sometimes called Canadian Thanksgiving to distinguish it from the American holiday of the same name, is an annual Canadian holiday, occurring on the second Monday in October, which celebrates the harvest and other blessings of the past year.

Location

Located in Rockwood, Ontario and situated a short distance from the city of Guelph, this conservation area is on both sides of the Eramosa River and is a central location within Southern Ontario. The nearby Highway 401 and Highway 7 allows this conservation area to be easily accessible from some of Southern Ontario’s major cities, such as Toronto.

Guelph is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. Known as "The Royal City", Guelph is roughly 28 kilometres (17 mi) east of Kitchener and 100 kilometres (62 mi) west of Downtown Toronto, at the intersection of Highway 6, Highway 7 and Wellington County Road 124. It is the seat of Wellington County, but is politically independent of it. The city is built on the traditional territory of the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation.

The Eramosa River is a river in Wellington County in southwestern Ontario which rises near Erin, Ontario, and flows southwest through the city of Guelph, where it joins the Speed River, which then enters the Grand River in Cambridge. Many believe the river is named after the Indigenous Mississauga word um-ne-mo-sah, meaning "dead dog."

Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the most populous city in Canada, with a population of 2,731,571 in 2016. Current to 2016, the Toronto census metropolitan area (CMA), of which the majority is within the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), held a population of 5,928,040, making it Canada's most populous CMA. The city is the anchor of the Golden Horseshoe, an urban agglomeration of 9,245,438 people surrounding the western end of Lake Ontario. Toronto is an international centre of business, finance, arts, and culture, and is recognized as one of the most multicultural and cosmopolitan cities in the world.

History

The Rockwood Woolen Mill was established in 1867 by brothers John Richard, Thomas, and Joseph Harris, and their brother-in-law Thomas Wetherald. The firm advertised in publications in nearby cities such as Guelph, Milton, and Georgetown. The business thrived. Over the years, the mill was powered by the water of the Eramosa River, hydro, and steam.^[3]

In the 1880s, a fire harshly damaged the mill. It was replaced by a stone structure in 1884. One of the founding brothers, John Richard Harris, died in 1899; as a result, his sons took over the business. During the First World War, the mill would frequently operate 24 hours a day, securing vast orders for Canadian army blankets.^[4] The mill closed its doors in 1931, in the midst of the Great Depression.^[5]

The worldwide Great Depression of the early 1930s was a social and economic shock that left millions of Canadians unemployed, hungry and often homeless. Few countries were affected as severely as Canada during what became known as the "Dirty Thirties," due to Canada's heavy dependence on raw material and farm exports, combined with a crippling Prairies drought known as the Dust Bowl. Widespread losses of jobs and savings ultimately transformed the country by triggering the birth of social welfare, a variety of populist political movements, and a more activist role for government in the economy.

After the closure of the mill, William Harris, son of John Richard, transformed the site into a private park named Hi-Pot-Lo Park. In 1959 the Grand River Conservation Authority obtained the mill and land from Harris, and the official opening of the park took place in 1963.^[6]

A large restoration of the mill ruins was completed over the winter of 2010, allowing it to be open to the public for the 2011 season.

Environmental features

The Rockwood Conservation Area has a rich and unique geological aspect. A few specific features that are a part of the environment at the Rockwood conservation area include glacier bluffs, potholes, caves and some of the oldest dated trees in Ontario.

The cave system includes a series of 12 caves, which is one of the most extensive networks in Ontario.^[4] Within the caves is a prominent feature called flowstone, which over many years is created by flowing water that deposits a type of calcium carbonate called calcite.

Flowstones are composed of sheetlike deposits of calcite or other carbonate minerals, formed where water flows down the walls or along the floors of a cave. They are typically found in "solution caves", in limestone, where they are the most common speleothem. However, they may form in any type of cave where water enters that has picked up dissolved minerals. Flowstones are formed via the degassing of vadose percolation waters.

Calcium carbonate is a chemical compound with the formula CaCO₃. It is a common substance found in rocks as the minerals calcite and aragonite (most notably as limestone, which is a type of sedimentary rock consisting mainly of calcite) and is the main component of pearls and the shells of marine organisms, snails, and eggs. Calcium carbonate is the active ingredient in agricultural lime and is created when calcium ions in hard water react with carbonate ions to create limescale. It is medicinally used as a calcium supplement or as an antacid, but excessive consumption can be hazardous.

Calcite is a carbonate mineral and the most stable polymorph of calcium carbonate (CaCO₃). The Mohs scale of mineral hardness, based on scratch hardness comparison, defines value 3 as "calcite".

Another feature at Rockwood are the potholes. Within the conservation area, there is over 200 potholes that all vary in measurements.^[4] These potholes are also known as giant's kettles, which are large cavities that have been drilled by flowing water carrying stones and gravel.

As well, glacial bluffs are seen at Rockwood. These have been formed over thousands of years after the earth’s most recent ice age ended. They can be relatively small and get as large as 30 meters deep and 200 meters wide.^[4]

Wildlife

While the area consists of wildlife typical to most of southern Ontario, such as deer, coyotes, raccoons, opossums, skunks, beavers, ducks and geese.^{[ citation needed ]} The Rockwood area has a varied supply of fish that includes perch, crappie, rock bass, sunfish and chub.^[4]

A more recent addition to the wildlife at Rockwood has been the reintroduction of wild turkeys. Due to unregulated hunting, wild turkeys were at one point completely gone. However, eastern wild turkeys from the southern United States were introduced to this area within the past 20 years and are now permanent residents.^[4]

Activities

Camping

The Rockwood Conservation Area has around 105 campsites in four main campgrounds, serviced and unserviced campsites are available on a daily term. Other facilities include washrooms and a concession.

Fishing

Fishing is permitted within the Eramosa River. The Grand River Conservation Area and the Ministry of Natural Resources fill the waters once a year with rainbow trout in a goal to promote fishing.^[2]

Trails

With occasionally high cliffs and steep inclines, the two main trails allow hikers to travel beside the river’s edge and within the forest. Accessible by wheelchairs in most areas, these trails can be reached from either the beach or the mill ruins.

Swimming

There is a large sandy beach in the conservation area which allows visitors to go swimming during the summer. There is no beach patrol in this area, however a life-jacket loaner program is offered.

Recreation

A mini golf course is located near the front entrance as well as a playground for children. Canoeing is one of the more popular activities at the conservation area. Canoes, kayaks and paddleboards can be rented on weekends during the summer.

Rockwood Nature Centre

The Grand River Conservation Authority operates the Rockwood Nature Centre in Rockwood Park. Open seasonally, the Centre offers environmental education programs in caving and geology, stream studies, orienteering and canoeing. There are family events and environmental day camp programs.

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Algonquin Provincial Park Protected area of Ontario

Algonquin Provincial Park is a provincial park located between Georgian Bay and the Ottawa River in Ontario, Canada, mostly within the Unorganized South Part of Nipissing District. Established in 1893, it is the oldest provincial park in Canada. Additions since its creation have increased the park to its current size of about 7,653 square kilometres (2,955 sq mi). For comparison purposes, this is larger than the state of Delaware or about one and a half times the size of Prince Edward Island or about a quarter of the size of Belgium. The park is contiguous with several smaller, administratively separate provincial parks that protect important rivers in the area, resulting in a larger total protected area.

Rockwood may refer to:

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References

↑ "Rockwood Conservation Area" Ontario Conservation Areas. Retrieved 2013-11-10.
1 2 "Rockwood Conservation Area Official Site". Archived from the original on 2006-10-17.
↑ Quaile, Deborah (2003). Rockwood: A Mosaic of Memories. Rockwood, Ontario: Wordbird Press. pp. 67–69. ISBN 0-9733911-0-3.
1 2 3 4 5 6 "Rockwood Conservation Area 2011 Information Guide" (PDF).
↑ Quaile, Deborah (2007). Eramosa Anecdotes. Ayton, Ontario: Wordbird Press. p. 63. ISBN 978-0-9733911-3-8.
↑ "Rockwood Conservation Area marks 50 years" Guelph Mercury. Retrieved 2013-11-10.

External links

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[1] "Rockwood Conservation Area" Ontario Conservation Areas. Retrieved 2013-11-10.

[official_site-2] 1 2 "Rockwood Conservation Area Official Site". Archived from the original on 2006-10-17.

[3] Quaile, Deborah (2003). Rockwood: A Mosaic of Memories. Rockwood, Ontario: Wordbird Press. pp. 67–69. ISBN 0-9733911-0-3.

[Info_Guide-4] 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Rockwood Conservation Area 2011 Information Guide" (PDF).

[5] Quaile, Deborah (2007). Eramosa Anecdotes. Ayton, Ontario: Wordbird Press. p. 63. ISBN 978-0-9733911-3-8.

[6] "Rockwood Conservation Area marks 50 years" Guelph Mercury. Retrieved 2013-11-10.