Join us to Celebrate Black History Month.

In honour of Black History Month, we wanted to highlight some historical connections of Black Canadians near some of our favourite hiking and camping spots.

Transcript

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Hello and good day. Welcome to the Super Good Camping podcast. My name is Pamela.

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I'm Tim.

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And we are from supergoodcamping.com. We're here because we have a mission to inspire other people to get outside and enjoy camping adventures such as we have as a family. Today, in honor of Black History Month, we wanted to highlight some of the historical connections of Black Canadians near some of our favorite hiking and camping spots. So parks in Ontario are rich with sites, not just provincial parks, but generally speaking, parks in Ontario are rich with sites that commemorate and in the significant contributions of Black Canadians through history. Here are some notable connections. So if you happen to be camping or hiking in the Niagara region, Queenston Heights Park is nestled high atop the Niagara Scarpent. It's got lots of hiking trails and it's the southern end of Canada's oldest and longest marked footpath, the Bruce Trail. This park features a plaque honouring the Coloured Corps of 1812 to 1815, which was news to me. I was reading about that yesterday. I thought was fascinating. The Colored Corps were also known as Captain Runchie's Company of Colored Men. They were a militia unit that was formed during the War of 1812, and they were composed of free and enslaved Black men, many of whom were veterans of the American Revolution. The Corps played a significant role in defending Canada against the American forces. In 1812, freedom fighter Richard Pierpont petitioned to Major General Isaac Brock to establish an all-Black mission militia unit and was declined. The proposal later was accepted because they were like, oops, we don't have enough men. So we'll take them. And the captain, Robert Runchie, was the tavern owner from Lincoln and was appointed to lead the unit. And that quickly they recruited 30 men. The Colour Corps participated in several of the key battles, the Battle of Queenston Heights in October of 1812. They fought alongside the British and Canadian forces in this battle and contributed to Canada's defence against the American invasion. The Battle of Fort George in May of 1813. They participated in defending Fort George and participating with bravery and resilience. Fort George, just as an aside, our youngest as a scout has participated in reenactments of the War of 1812 at Fort George, which is near Niagara-on-the-Lake. It was the home of the Colour Corps during the War of 1812. So the contributions of the Colour Corps set a precedent for including Black soldiers in Canadian military units and highlighted their role in shaping our nation's history.

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The Niagara area was a crucial endpoint for many escaping slavery. St. Catharines in particular served as the final stop on the Underground Railroad for hundreds in the 1820s, notably Harriet Tubman resided in St. Catharines from 1849 to 1860, using it as a base to guide others to freedom.

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Areas near some of the provincial parks in southwestern Ontario, such as those around Chatham, were significant for having Black settlements. Chatham became known as the Black Mecca in the 19th century, serving as one of the last stops on the Underground Railroad and as a center for the anti-slavery

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movement. The St. Lawrence Seaway area, the... Upper Canada Migratory Bird Sanctuary Campground and many other privately owned campgrounds are near Morrisburg, Ontario, and Upper Canada Village, one of the largest living history sites in Canada.

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Upper Canada Village maintains a permanent Black history exhibit in Chrysler Hall. The exhibit highlights the experiences and contributions of Black Canadians in the region.

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Camping near Dresden, Ontario, Josiah Henson Museum of African Canadian History, located in Dresden, this museum celebrates the life of... Josiah Henson. Josiah was an abolitionist, minister, and author who escaped slavery in the US and became a key figure in Canadian history. After fleeing to Upper Canada in 1830 with his family, he founded the Don Settlement near Dresden to provide refuge, education, and vocational training for freed slaves. His 1849 autobiography is believed to have inspired Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin. Interesting. Henson also traveled internationally to raise funds for for his community and become a prominent advocate for Black freedom and self-sufficiency.

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If you happen to be camping near Owen Sound, Ontario, it is known as the most northern terminus of the Underground Railroad. Owen Sound features the Black History Cairn in Harrison Park, and people of all backgrounds are welcome to attend the Emancipation Festival and Picnic. It's held annually since 1862 in Harrison Park. It's the longest-running emancipation picnic in North America. This festival began as a simple picnic to observe the anniversary of the British and Emancipation Act on August 1st of 1834. This act marked the end of the enslavement of African people and their descendants across the British Empire.

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Camping in Ora Medante Township between 1819 and 1826, Ora Medante became the first government-sponsored settlement for Black soldiers who fought during the War of 1812. By living in the area, these settlers protected the region from American invasion. The settlers were also guaranteed freedom and protection from being enslaved. At one point, over 30 black families were settled in the area.

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So if you happen to be camping or hiking in Ontario or state parks just across the border, you have the opportunity to learn more about the experiences and contributions of Black Canadians to Canada's rich history. That's it for us for today. I hope you enjoyed. Please do listen again soon. We will talk to you again soon. Please find us on all the social media. We're on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Blue Sky. And reach out to us by email if you want to talk to us. We're at highsupergoodcampaign.com. That's H I at super good campaign dot com. We'll talk to you again soon. Bye

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bye.