Tony Chisholm has been on the Heritage Trail committee for eight years, working alongside Rick Meloen and Dick Coyne. The idea of restoring the old rail line developed at the end of the Sesquicentennial celebrations in 2017. They had all been involved in those celebrations and were looking for a legacy project for their Sesquicentennial efforts.Restoring the old rail line into a multipurpose trail for everyone to use, before this town property was lost to disrepair, was a perfect legacy project.
The Heritage Trail Committee is an official committee of the Town of Niagara on the Lake. Tony’s role as vice chair has been to raise funds and help plan the many aspects of the trail creation as well as signage.
What is the history of the trail itself?
The Niagara-on-the-Lake Heritage Trail (also known as the Upper Canada Heritage Trail) extends along an old railway bed from John Street heading south and ending at York Road the near the village of Queenston and St Davids. It is approximately 11 kilometres long. The trail’s accessibility and prominence has been compromised by years of disrepair, overgrowth of foliage and erosion. The plan is to reconnect the trail when finished as a side trail to the Bruce Trail while at the same time connecting three different communities in Niagara-on-the-Lake.
From the 1850s to the mid- 1900s this route was owned separately by Michigan Central Railway, and New York Central Railroad. As an early railroad it transported passengers and freight to and from ports in Niagara-on- the-Lake to the Falls and on to Buffalo. The line ultimately was abandoned about 100 years later.
The Heritage Trail Committee of the Town has been functioning since 2019 and the committee meets once a month.
What improvement have been made to the trail to date?
The Trail committee is very proud of the work competed to date. The restoration into a multi-purpose trail has proven very popular with many users. The trail is divided into 4 phases. The first phase was John St to East-West Line and has been completed. The second phase runs south parallel to Concession 1 and has been largely completed to Line 3. The work is due to be finished in the spring. Another major donation will allow more work to be done next year to Line 4 as the early part of phase 3. We are very excited about this donation.
So far, the trail restoration costs from John Street to the end of phase 2 at Line 3 has been about $223,000. The distance is about 4 kilometres. The committee is very grateful to the many generous local donors that made this possible. There is a permanent plaque at the John Street entrance and the Charlotte St. entrance that names these donors and corporations. We will continue to place donor recognition plaques along the restored trail as it heads south. Thanks to a donation from the Goettler Family Foundation we were able to install six information signs and several pollinator gardens to enhance the trail. More enhancements will be coming.
What still needs to be done for sections of the trail that have yet to be restored?
There still remains between 6 and 7 kilometres of the trail to restore. Phase 4 will run from Line 9 to York Road and will be the most challenging and expensive part of the trail to be improved. It will also be the most beautiful portion. The timeline for the completion is entirely dependant on the generous contributions we receive and the continued financial help from the town. The cost to complete has not been established but will be in the range of $500,000.
To raise funds and awareness, we have been conducting a local dog walk event called, “Paws on the Trail”. We have plans to continue that with another event in September, 2025. These dog walks are a lot of fun. We hope to see you and your canine companions out there this fall.
FURTHER INFORMATION
Location of the Heritage Trail: The route connects St. David's with the town of Niagara-on-the-Lake. From the Bruce Trail, just east of St. David's Golf Club, the greenway heads north-easterly across Regional Road 81 to the corner of Line 9 and Concession One. It then travels north along the abandoned Michigan Central right-of-way, paralleling Concession One (Railroad Street). The greenway bends north-westerly at East-West Line, where it heads into Old Town NOTL. At Charlotte Street it extends north-easterly to John Street.
Infrastructure Improvements : The Committee has designed a contemporary trail with a fine gravel surface that is in keeping with the historical elements of the history of the heritage trail and the vision for Niagara-on-the-Lake. The trail is carefully restored as a multi-purpose trail that can be used by cyclists, hikers and even individuals in wheelchairs.
Quote from a donor:
“The Heritage Trail allows each of us to walk and re-visit a place of historic preservation and conservation that runs through the very core of where and how we live today. The Trail Plaques educate and enlighten. The park-like setting encourages us to play and exercise. The Trail must remain as an artery of restored beauty and recollection for the extraordinary history of our small town.”