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This is my favourite hike to do in the fall. We will be hiking the Pioneer Tower West trail. Over looking the cliff's of Homer Watson and the Deer Ridge golf course on the other side. Beautiful views of the Grand River.This hike will go for 1 hour and 15 minutes. We will hike 1/2 way and then turn around and hike back to our cars. This hike can be a bit muddy at times.
The area is rich in history!
Before it was settled by Mennonite pioneers, the area now known as Pioneer Tower West was part of a large tract of land set aside by the British Crown in 1784 as a reserve The Walter Bean Grand River Trail for the Six Nations (Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, Seneca and Tuscarora).
In 1796, Six Nations sold 38,000 hectares to Colonel Richard Beasley, a United Empire Loyalist. Beasley, in turn, offered the land (known as Block 2) for sale. Although located far from centres of commerce, Block 2 appealed to a particular group of Mennonite farmers who were looking for inexpensive land to build a new community where they could freely practice their religious beliefs.
In 1800, Samuel Betzner Jr. purchased 160 hectares of Beasley's land west of the Grand River. Joseph Schoerg purchased 105 hectares on the east side of the river, three miles upstream, and Samuel Betzner Sr. purchased 60 hectares adjacent to the Schoerg property. Together, the Schoerg (later spelled Sherk) and Betzner families established the first permanent, non-aboriginal settlement in what would become Waterloo Township.
Georgian Architecture Located in front of you, on the ridge overlooking the Grand River, are the Schoerg and Betzner farmhouses and the remnants of the outbuildings. These historic structures are characteristic of Pennsylvania Mennonite farmsteads of the 18th and 19th centuries. The two farmhouses (circa 1830) are built in the Mennonite Georgian style. This style typically comprises a rectangular plan, two and a half storeys, a simple gabled roof, and a central door with an equal number of windows on each side.
Following the traditional European Mennonite style, the bank barn was built into the side of a hill, permitting entrances on two levels. Livestock were housed in the stone-walled lower level while the wooden-planked upper level was used to store hay, straw and feed grains.
The fact that many of the principal buildings of the farmsteads have withstood two centuries of time indicates the skill and practices of the Pennsylvania German Mennonites who first settled this area.
Source: Pioneer Tower West Heritage Conservation.
Happy hiking and I look forward to meeting at the Hike.
Brendalee
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300 Lookout Ln, Kitchener, ON. Pioneer Memorial Tower Park, Canada
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