Forks of the Credit Provincial Park#Bailey Bridge
{{short description|Provincial park in Ontario, Canada}}
{{Infobox protected area
| name = Forks of the Credit Provincial Park
| iucn_category = II
| photo = Forks of the Credit Provincial Park.jpg
| photo_caption = Credit River flowing through Forks of the Credit Provincial Park
| location = Ontario, Canada
| nearest_city = Caledon, Ontario
| map = Canada Southern Ontario
| map_caption = Location in Southern Ontario
| coordinates = {{coords|43.816|N|80.012|W|display=inline, title}}
| area = {{convert|282|ha}}
| visitation_num = 51,559
| governing_body = Ontario Parks
| website = {{URL|https://ontarioparks.ca/park/forksofthecredit}}
| embedded = {{Infobox mapframe |wikidata=yes |zoom =12 |coord={{coord|43.816|N|80.012|W}}}}
}}
Forks of the Credit Provincial Park, located in Caledon, Ontario, Canada, is part of the Ontario Parks system and is part of the Niagara Escarpment biosphere. The park is on the Bruce Trail. The Credit River runs through the park. Other notable features of the park include a kettle lake and talus slope.{{cite book|last1=Wake|first1=Winifred Cairns|last2=Naturalists|first2=Federation of Ontario|title=A nature guide to Ontario|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fixXMUo-zs4C&pg=PA115|access-date=17 November 2010|date=1997-06-14|publisher=University of Toronto Press|isbn=978-0-8020-2755-9|page=115}}
History
In 1968 the Niagara Escarpment Study recommended that a park be established in the Forks of the Credit area; this recommendation was then accepted by the Government of Ontario. It was officially regulated as a provincial park in 1985.{{cite web|title=Forks of the Credit Provincial Park Management Plan|url=https://www.ontario.ca/page/forks-credit-provincial-park-management-plan|website=www.ontario.ca|access-date=12 February 2017|language=en}}
Historic mill and dam
There has been a mill in the area since 1820.{{cite web|title=Forks of the Credit Park combines hiking & history|url=http://erininsight.blogspot.ca/2009/08/forks-of-credit-park-combines-hiking.html|website=erininsight.blogspot.ca|access-date=12 February 2017}} In 1885, John Deagle bought the mill at the top of the falls and converted it into an electrical generating station, damming the river and creating Cataract Lake; he named the enterprise The Cataract Electric Co. Ltd. Later the station was purchased by Ontario Hydro and was eventually shut down in 1947. The dam was later destroyed and the lake drained. The ruins of the mill and powerhouse are located within the park; The ruins of the Deagle mill are the most visible reminders of the history. {{cite web |url=https://www.caledon.ca/en/live/resources/Cultural_Heritage_Landscapes_Inventory_Report-Section7.pdf |date=1 March 2016 |title=Landscape Inventory Report page 7-30 |access-date=26 February 2019 |quote=The actual closing of the plant in 1947 by Ontario Hydro led eventually to the dynamiting of the dam at ‘Cataract Lake’ and the disappearance of this man-made feature, which had become a part of area life. The ruins of Deagle’s mill are the most visible remnant of the historic period of water-powered milling on this section of the Credit River and of Deagle’s pioneering work in hydro-electric generation. |archive-date=27 February 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190227182008/https://www.caledon.ca/en/live/resources/Cultural_Heritage_Landscapes_Inventory_Report-Section7.pdf |url-status=dead }}
Bailey Bridge
In 1999 the Canadian 2nd Engineering Regiment (32 Combat Engineer Regiment) built a pedestrian Bailey Bridge along Meadow Trail and refurbished with new decking in 2016.https://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WMY941_Credit_River_Bailey_Bridge_Forks_Of_The_Credit_Park_Caledon_Ontario
Railway station
The Credit Valley Railway reached the area in 1879 and built a station at the Forks of the Credit as well as a timber trestle spanning the Credit River. The primary purpose was shipping Credit Valley sandstone to other communities in Ontario, particularly Toronto and Hamilton, where the product was used in the construction of large buildings such as Queen's Park and the original Toronto City Hall. No remnants of the station remain.{{cite web |url=https://www.caledon.ca/en/live/resources/Cultural_Heritage_Landscapes_Inventory_Report-Section7.pdf |date=1 March 2016 |title=Landscape Inventory Report page 7-31 |access-date=26 February 2019 |quote=With the rail link in place, Credit Valley sandstone was shipped throughout southern Ontario but primarily to Toronto and Hamilton. Queen’s Park and the old Toronto City Hall are two significant examples of the many important buildings completed in this material. Four varieties of ‘dimension’ sandstone were available from the Forks’ quarries: a grey with occasional brown spots; a uniform grey stone of particularly high quality; a brownstone which varied from chocolate to deep brown depending on the quarry with occasional deposits of a pinkish brown stone (particularly prized) and a piebald mix of white and brown stone. |archive-date=27 February 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190227182008/https://www.caledon.ca/en/live/resources/Cultural_Heritage_Landscapes_Inventory_Report-Section7.pdf |url-status=dead }}
References
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External links
{{Commonscat}}
- {{official website|http://www.ontarioparks.com/park/forksofthecredit}}
{{Ontario parks}}
Category:Provincial parks of Ontario
Category:Protected areas of the Regional Municipality of Peel