The Lucknow Walk

The village of Lucknow is rich in both history and natural resources.  Below you will learn about all the beautiful locations you will visit as you make your way though the picturesque village of Lucknow.  There are two possible routes you can follow:

The Lucknow Walk (5 Kilometers in length)

Loafer's Lane (2.5 Kilometers in length)

Stop #1  --  Before There Was A Lucknow

This section of the Lucknow walk will give you a glimpse of how the area looked 150 years ago, before there was a Lucknow.  The trail here passes through the flood plain of the Kinloss Creek.  Wild with trees, shrubs, and plants, and relatively undesturbed by people, this area looks much as it did when the first settlers arrived in the 1850's.

Typical trees and shrubs found here include cedar, ash, elm, willow, red osier dogwood, and ninebark.  These plants are an important part of the river valley environment, providing food shelter and breeding sites for birds and small mammals.

The red osier dogwood is a shrub that is easily identified by its small purplish-red stem.  This shrub grows up to three metres (10 feet) in height.  In late summer, it produces clusters of blueish berries which are food for many types of birds.  The riverbank grape is also enjoyed by many birds.  This climbing vine has covered many trees along the trail.

Trees and shrubs no longer dominate the landscape as they did in the days before the first settlers.  But the remaining natural lands have an important place in Lucknow today.  Their vital roles will be explored at later stops.

Stop #2  --  Caledonian Games & Donnald Dinnie

Caledonia Park takes its name from the Caledonian Games, an athletic gathering that was staged annually between 1875 and 1895.  The games were developed by the Caledonian Society, a local organization dedicated to perpetuating the Scottish way of life.  The games brought internationally known athletes and pipers to Lucknow, and spread the Village's renown around the world.  One famous athlete who attended was Donald Dinnie.

Dinnie, a famed Scotsman, was a champion wrestler and heavyweight athlete.  He competed in the Caledonian Games in 1881.  Dressed in his tam o'shanter, kilt and sporran, he stirred the blood of the local people.  Though Dinnie was from Scotland and had no connection with Lucknow other than participating in the games, he became a folk hero of the time, and a part of community history.  Today, the names of Lucknow and Donald Dinnie continue to be synonymous.

Stop #3  --  Natural Riches

Lucknow is fortunate to have three streams, Kinloss Creek, Dickie's Creek and Anderson Creek flowing through the Village.  These cold, clear streams provide important habitat for fish such as trout, and thier beauty is a valuable part of the character of the Village.  But with this good fortune comes resposibility.  These streams are delicate environments that must be looked after if they are to remain in healthy condition.

Streams are affected by what is happening on the land around them.  Pollution, in forms such as road salt, oil and fuel, lawn chemicals and eroded soil may be washed with runoff into watercourses.  Stream bank plants act as a buffer between the river and the land which reduces water pollution.  Removing the vegitation along stream banks makes it easier for pollution to reach the watercourse.  Many landowners in the Village have taken steps to try and replant stream bank vegitation.  Besides reducing water pollution, vegitation on stream banks shades and cools the water and provides food for aquatic life.

A variety of fish, some year round residents, some seasonal visitors, can be found in the Village's streams.  Small mouth bass can be found here throughout the year.  In the spring, rainbow trout migrate up the Nine Mile River from Lake Huron and into the Village's creeks.  In the fall, salmon move into local watercourses to spawn.  The dam at the mill pond on Dickie's Creek blocks these fish from migrating further upstream.  Brook trout live in the stream above the pond.

Stop #4  --  Trees, Shrubs & Wildflowers

At this site on Gough Street, trees, shrubs and wildflowers have been planted to reestablish natural vegitation.  Besides providing a buffer for the stream, the plants provide the food, shelter and breeding sites that songbirds need to survive.  The fruits of the shrubs planted here are some of their favourites:  dogwoods, nannyberries, and cranberries.  Maples, ash, birch, and cedar trees provide protection for nesting sites.

The types of trees and shrubs planted here are native to the area.  You may see the same types of plants growing wild in nearby fields, forests and river valleys.  Native plants are more beneficial to the environment than ornamental or introduced species.  Local wildlife has evolved over thousands of years to take full advantage of native plants for food, shelter, and breeding sites.  Native plants are well adapted to local soil and climate conditions.  As a result they require less maintenance than most ornamental species.

Stop #5  --  What's In A Name

Three-quarters of the early settlers in the Lucknow area were Scottish.  They chose the name Lucknow after a city of that name in India.  In 1857, Lucknow, India was the scene of uprising of native Indians against the British colonial government.  Scottish soldiers known as 'Sepoys" helped to protect the city and quell the uprising.  As a result, Lucknow, India became a part of Scottish history that was recognized when the community was named in 1958.  Because the Sepoys played a crucial role in the battle, Lucknow is also known as the Sepoy Town.

Lucknow's main street is thought to have been named for Sir Colin Campbell who led a force in the Indian uprising.  Other streets, Havelock, Outram, Willoughby and Canning, are named after British generals of the same era.  Stauffer street may be named after Eli Stauffer, who blazed the first settler's trail into the area over 150 years ago.

Stop #6 --  Wetland, Not Wasteland

Along the edge of the Mill pond and Dickie's Creek there are many wet, marshy areas.  These wet sites are found where the water seeps from springs and flows over the land and into the pond and creek.  These spring sites, also known as recharge areas, are vitally important to the river.  They provide a supply of cool, clean water that helps maintain a flow in the river, even during dry summer months.  The cold temperature of the spring water helps maintain the good habitat for fish.

The wet and wild landscape around the mill pond is a complex community of plants and animals - an ecosystem.  Ecosystems are made up of all the plants, animals, microorganisms, water, soil, and rocks in an area.  The parts of an ecosystem interact in complex cycles.  For example, plants are eaten by insects, insects may be eaten by fish, the fish may fall prey to great blue herons.  When the herons die, they are decomposed by microorganisms, fungi and bacteria, into nutrients that enrich the soil and promote plant growth.  Every organism has a role to play in a healthy ecosystem and is dependant on the ecosystem for its survival.  By conserving wetlands, people can help ensure that healthy ecosystems continue to exist.

Stop #7  --  For The Fish   

As the river valley twists and turns it creates a variety of habitat for the fish and other aquatic life.  Riffles are areas where water is moving quickly over a rocky river bed.  Stonefly and mayfly nymphs, a favourite food of many fish, can be found clinging tightly to rocks in riffles' fast moving water.  Areas of cooler, deeper water are called pools.  These areas provide fish with cool resting and hiding sites.  While these environments develop naturally, man-made changes can also enhance fish habitat.  Creating increased cover, resting and feeding areas for fish by placing groups of rocks in the stream is a commonly used technique.  The Nine Mile Steelheaders fishing group had completed fisheries improvements at several locations in the Village.

Lucknow's three creeks are important natural resources and part of the character of the Village.  Caring for the streams, and the land around them will ensure that these resources will be here for future generations to enjoy.  We hope you have enjoyed youself today as you walked through many different environmental locations and we thank you for visiting the Village of Lucknow.