Wise Old Oak

We know Oak Trees to be tall, strong and sturdy and this tree in front of you is no exception.

Little Known Fact: This tree is estimated to have germinated in 1685, one of the few trees in this region to predate European settlement.

See the image Google Earth 1830's map that shows early land sections under cultivation.

That is over 325 years old - just imagine what this area looked like!

The colony "Canada" was still being explored by people such as Rene-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle and Louis Jolliet.

The fur trade was relatively new, and people were dying from measle and smallpox outbreaks.

Oakville (established 1875) and Burlington (established1873) were still centuries away from being established.

This tree, a White Oak, once valued for use in ship building and barrel staves, has somehow survived the lumber boom of the early 1800's.

In 1840 Oakville ports exported 555 501 feet of pine board while just 10 years later the figure jumps to 4.5 million feet. This all ended by the 1880's as the water table had been seriously damaged by the lumbering activity and by 1850 the water flow necessary to operate the mills was only available at certain periods each year. Also by this time all the valuable timber had been reserved for use by the lumber merchants.

This White Oak tree was recognized in 2022 to be an Ontario Heritage Tree for its unique size and cultural heritage.