By Pepper Parr
March 22, 2025
BURLINGTON, ON
It has been a long time coming.
The City started looking into doing something with the patch of a park at the bottom of Guelph Line in 2020
The graphics made available to the public make it look a lot bigger than it is.
The park is really very small; – this graphic makes it appear to be much bigger than it is.
In its day the park actually was a port through which boatloads of timber were shipped to American cities across the lake.
There hasn’t been much published about the Port; some suggest that pilings probably exist below the waterline.
Dianne Gaudar has been working on a book about the Port and its history – her efforts have resulted in some archeology signage in the park when it is completed. As for the Gaudar book – see it as a work in progress.
There was a time when there was a small community on what was then Water Street. There was a small coach service int0 the communties to the east and te west and a local store that sold provisions.
Bruce Leigh writes that: “Back in mid 2019 Roseland resident Diane Gaudar has written or is in the process of writing a book on the history of Port Nelson. She has many photographs, copies of old maps etc., which show the location of the pier/wharf. She had sought City help &/or funding for an archeological investigation of the site. I suspect there are remnants of the wharf still in the water. Back then Lakeshore Road was known as Water Street. If the park is to be developed or whatever, it would appear to be a great time to undertake such an archeological or historical survey of the site.
When the city hires a design group they get a lot of detail. In this image you can get a sense as to how creative they can get. At times the city buys into some of the ideas.
My understanding was that Water Street was south of Lakeshore Rd and disappeared due to erosion over the years.
I think all that small park needs is lots of benches and a couple of swings.