The Battlefield Park Master Plan, Part Two: Trail Use

I feel no hesitancy in stating that for me, the most important element of 'the west side' of Battlefield Park is Nature. Going through the Park, going through its natural beauty is part of my daily routine, it's an integral part of my life. I don't expect anyone else to place the same importance on it that I do, but at the same time, I don't expect anyone to try to get me to see things differently, to somehow change my perspective; lovers of local history have their treasures to embrace, I have mine. (Remember, this blog exists primarily because of my connection to Battlefield Park- Well, more accurately, how a perceived part Battlefield Park being clear-cut elicited a visceral reaction in me, prompted me to get on my blog-based bully pulpit and begin declaiming against certain local asshats...and their decidedly asshattish behaviour.)

One of the 'observations' made by the 'Battlefield Park National Historic Site Master Plan' was that the Bruce Trail 'connecting path' (my reference) was problematic. For several reasons.

The first had to do with how the Battlefield Creek ravine is in need of better maintenance than it's gotten. There are flora and fauna concerns that the Plan covers in detail, so I won't go into them here, but at the very least, things need to be protected, if not made better. I can't see that being against proper and engaging stewardship of these resources is a cogent mindset. (Though there may well be cogent arguments against some of the suggested policies. But I'll reserve judgement on that topic, thankyouverymuch.)

But I suppose there were enough comments made in the Plan to have the cynic in me rise up, to bring to mind the possibility that the entirety of 'the west side' of this 'National Historic Site' will be bureaucratically 'managed' to a suspect level.

This has nothing to do with me wanting to 'keep things as they are', especially if we're talking about genuine concerns about what grows and crawls and flies in and around this admittedly sensitive area. It has more to do with the notion of taking the use of a piece of Nature and figuratively putting it under glass.

"The issue of access across park land to the Bruce Trail is something that is to be further investigated since the informaltrail leads to private property and an unprotected rail crossing. Directing visitors down a path and into this situation may not be advisable from the City’s point of view unless the Bruce Trail Association has agreements with the adjacent landowners."

This section addresses what I interpret to be concerns about litigation resulting from someone heading from the proposed interpretive building, onto the Bruce Trail connecting path, who then has a 'mishap' at the TH&B tracks, even before they've arrived at the Bruce Trail-proper. Clearly this is risk-management at play.

And the solution? Remove the Bruce Trail designation? Possibly.

The fact is that there are human-constructed steps at the embankment of the railway tracks. On either side. No matter that both chunks of property are 'private', people head from Battlefield property up these steps, across the tracks towards the Bruce Trail. People also head across the tracks at the Centennial Parkway overpass. There is no 'pedestrian crossing' and frankly, there never will be.

So short of a) closing off the ravine trail, and b) fencing off the actual Battlefield Park property, I can't see that this is a controllable situation from Battlefield's point-of-view, no matter how much discomfort this trail-use-and-potential-litigious-disaster scenario brought the composers of the Plan.

Moreover, I would mourn a surfeit of 'control' being exerted over an area that has been allowed to retain whatever 'naturalness' it possesses. (Yes, I'm well aware that all of these lands have been impacted by human presence, that even the selection of tress is not 'natural', so in fact, my attachment is compromised at best, romantically-flawed at worst.) The main pretty much from King Street to the southern verge of Battlefield Park property has changed so much over the years, and almost all of it at our hands. Take a look at this aerial photograph from 1954, courtesy of the Plan (and the City of Hamilton Special Collections):

To the west of 'the east side', Gage House and The Monument, it's almost entirely orchard. (Three bits of this photograph that really piqued my interest: a) the fact that Webster Road 'off-ramped' from Hwy #20, rather than how it is today, a turnoff with a gentle curve leading to the straight-run of the road itself, all the way to the railway tracks, b) all those houses along the Battlefield side of King Street West, east of #20, and finally c) that mysterious conglomeration of...of 'buildings' on line with The Monument, snuggled right next to #20.) So at least at the forty-year mark of The Monument, we can see a major change from today...and all of it 'Man-made'.

I believe that the ravine area surely can be seen as the most 'unaffected' of any of the land of what now comprises 'Battlefield Park'. I'm all for its good and proper maintenance, but would hate to see it lose something in the process...sort of like 'The road to Hell is paved with good intentions', and all that.

Ditto our access to these less 'developed' parts of Battlefield Park.

N.B. For the record, I don't have a problem with the proposed footbridge across Battlefield Creek from the interpretive building to 'the east side' of the property. It makes perfect sense to link The Monument/Gage House portion with this new hub of appreciation of the historical elements of Battlefield Park. And I say this despite acknowledging the requirements involved to make something like this work in such a sensitive environment, as well as my foundational belief that the goal should never be to make everything available to everyone, especially where Nature is concerned. This may be viewed as something particularly 'snobbish', but for instance, I'd never want to see the Bruce Trail paved to make it 'easier' for people to negotiate. An overstatement, perhaps. But I believe in this materialistic, acquisitional world of ours, it's vital that we have an appreciation for what's important, and this appreciation should often come with the price of simple and honest physical effort.