Camel humps nature reserve trail
This short walk provides a glimpse of one of the industries that existed in the early days of Cloverdale, the brickyard. If you go up the stairs to Strathearn Drive, you will be rewarded with a wonderful view of the river valley and city skyline.
In the 1880s settlers started businesses here because they had good access to the river for transportation, fishing and drinking water; the gold in the river gravels; the fertile soil for cultivation; the sand and clay for making bricks; the coal in the banks of the valley for fuel; and the trees for sawmills and lumberyards.
A sign at the entrance to the Camel Humps Nature Reserve reads: At the turn of the century our river valley was an ideal location for industry. Between 1907 and 1915 the Hardstone Brick Company made bricks at its site using sand from the riverbank. They piled the waste, mainly clay, into huge mounds.
Nature quickly took root in the organic waste and has reclaimed this industrial site as its own. Today, the tree-covered piles are locally known as the Camel Humps and are recognized as an environmentally sensitive area. To download a detailed PDF or a map, go to https://encf.org/walks/camel-humps-nature-reserve/
This bird burrows through snow in search of seeds
Dark-eyed juncos play important ecosystem roles by helping with seed dispersal and controlling insect populations. They also bring great joy to birdwatchers as they are regarded as one of the most common feeder birds in Canada. You can attract juncos to your yard by feeding a seed blend containing millet and hulled sunflower seeds.
Juncos are ground feeders whose diet changes seasonally. During the breeding season insects make up the bulk of their diet. In the non-breeding season, they forage for seeds, insects, and arthropods. On an annual basis, a junco’s diet is made up of approximately three parts seeds to one-part insects.
You may not like these weeds in your yard, but the seeds of chickweed, ragweed, knotweed, pigweed, lamb’s quarters, and crabgrass are some of the main natural seed sources used by juncos. They are known to burrow through snow in search of seeds that have been covered over. Learn more at https://edmonton.wbu.com/botm-dark-eyed-juncos
Rundle park, where does the name come from
The history of missionaries as they relate to the development of post-contact Canada is long, complicated, and often very emotional, especially when it relates to Indigenous groups, cultures, and identities. When one evokes the name Rundle in Edmonton, most people tend to focus on Rundle Park along the North Saskatchewan River. But where does the name Rundle come from?
Rev. Robert Rundle was with the Wesleyan Methodist Missionary Society. Arriving at Fort Edmonton in the fall of 1840 at the age of 29, he had difficulty getting people to attend his Protestant services because many of the Métis and European labourers were Catholic. By 1845, he had learned enough Cree and Assiniboine to begin leading services in those languages instead of English.
His cause for leaving in 1848 was not due to a replacement, but an injury that required treatment in England. And while he could not have foreseen the work of his successors, Rundle was one of the first links in a chain that would lead to the establishment of the Indian Residential School System and its devastating legacy.
Rundle was a prolific letter writer and selected letters have been published as the Rundle Journals, which you can borrow from the Edmonton Public Library. Learn more at https://citymuseumedmonton.ca/2020/11/04/rev-robert-rundle-the-missionary-and-his-cat/
Snowshoeing good for exploring or exercise
Snowshoeing, a traditional mode of transportation for Indigenous people, remains one of the best and most practical ways to travel on deep snow. If the snowshoer is sufficiently bundled up in warm clothes, it is virtually fail-proof,
Evidence, existing as early as 4000 BC in Central Asia, shows the earliest form of snowshoes were basic slabs of wood which were strapped onto the feet. This basic invention travelled with early humans as they migrated elsewhere, with the idea developing into skis in Northern Europe and into snowshoes in North America.
Snowshoeing allowed for easier hunting and travelling and was used as a mode of transportation until the late 1800’s, when recreational snowshoeing clubs became popular. Today, it provides transportation for exploring, bird and wildlife viewing or exercise. Good snowshoeing locations at https://www.edmonton.ca/activities_parks_recreation/snowshoeing.aspx
River valley concern or question
If you have a river valley concern or question, contact us at nsrivervalley@gmail.com
Your friends and neighbours can sign up for this newsletter at https://www.edmontonrivervalley.org/
If you have a photo, information, news or event about Edmonton’s river valley and think it should be in this newsletter, email it to nsrivervalley@gmail.com
Sincerely yours,
Harvey Voogd
North Saskatchewan River Valley Conservation Society
nsrivervalley@gmail.com
https://www.edmontonrivervalley.org/
Facebook @NSRVCS
Instagram @nsrvcs