Victoria Park is a natural woodland urban park in the center of Truro,

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland". Most of the population are native Eng ...

, Canada.

Geography

Situated along a hill occupying the southern edge of the Salmon River valley near the town's southeastern boundary, the park is dominated by Lepper Brook, which joins the Salmon River downstream from the park near the town's business district. Within the park, the northward flowing Lepper Brook follows a dramatic

gorge A canyon (from ; archaic British English spelling: ''cañon''), or gorge, is a deep cleft between escarpments or cliffs resulting from weathering and the erosion, erosive activity of a river over geologic time scales. Rivers have a natural tenden ...

which is carved out of the hill and features two waterfalls (Joseph Howe Falls and Waddell Falls). Except for a small developed area at its northern edge, the park is heavily forested with old-growth trees and features unique geological features including a fault line.

History

The park was established in 1887 when Susan Waddell Stevens donated of land for the creation of a public park. The town of Truro formed a board of trustees and named Sir

Adams G. Archibald Sir Riley Robert Archibald , more commonly known as Sir Adams George Archibald (May 3, 1814 – December 14, 1892) was a Canadian lawyer and politician, and a Father of Confederation. He was based in Nova Scotia for most of his career, though ...

as chairperson; the park was named Victoria Park in honour of

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 21 ...

, the monarch at that time. In 1888, the park was enlarged by six additional donations of adjacent land parcels. Subsequent donations over the next century would enlarge the park to its present . In 1901, the board of trustees was renamed and incorporated as the Victoria Park Board of Trustees. The town introduced a set of by-laws for the park in 1913 which included controls against private business use, impact to wildlife, firearms, alcohol, profanity and speed limits of vehicles. In 1943, the park provided the namesake for the ship SS ''Victoria Park'', a wartime freighter built at the

Pictou Shipyard The Pictou Shipyard is a Canadian shipbuilding site located in Pictou County, Nova Scotia, and made famous by its use as an emergency shipbuilding facility in World War II, during which it constructed twenty-four 4,700-ton Scandinavian class freigh ...

which served in the

Battle of the Atlantic The Battle of the Atlantic, the longest continuous military campaign in World War II, ran from 1939 to the defeat of Nazi Germany in 1945, covering a major part of the naval history of World War II. At its core was the Allied naval blockade ...

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. Until the early 1980s, it was possible for park visitors to reach deeper areas of the park on paved roads with motor vehicles. However, due to vandalism done by some young people, who used vehicles to facilitate their crimes, these areas were closed off to all motor vehicle use. These paved roads still exist, and are used by park maintenance staff when needed. The park suffered some damage from "Hurricane Juan" in 2003. Several trees were damaged, leading to various methods being considered to repair the damage, without causing more damage to the

old-growth forest An old-growth forestalso termed primary forest, virgin forest, late seral forest, primeval forest, or first-growth forestis a forest that has attained great age without significant disturbance, and thereby exhibits unique ecological featur ...

in the process. In 2010, WorldCan Inc., a New Brunswick-based company which was a franchise operator for Quebec-based TreeGo, contacted the town to propose locating an aerial adventure business within Victoria Park in the Lepper Brook gorge. Truro Town Council rejected the proposal for the original site but followed up with a proposed location at the upper end of Wood Street near the town reservoir. The TreeGo proposal generated considerable controversy with a grassroots campaign by opponents including protest marches, social media, petitions and letter writing; most opponents cited the importance of preserving Victoria Park under the original vision of the Victoria Park Board of Trustees, which was the reason for how the old-growth forest developed in the park in the first place. Supporters of the TreeGo proposal cited economic development potential of such a tourist attraction for the town.

Development

The forested part of the park through the Lepper Brook gorge, as well as the forested hills on each side, hosts a variety of challenging walking and hiking trails. Extensive boardwalks have been built to protect steep hillsides from pedestrian-induced erosion near the Joseph Howe Falls (named after Nova Scotia premier Joseph Howe) and the Waddell Falls (named after the park's founder).; one locally-famous route to vantage points above the waterfalls is "Jacob's Ladder", a wood staircase comprising 175 steps up the side of the gorge. Several crushed gravel multi-use bicycle and walking paths have been graded on more gently sloped areas in the forested part of the park and are groomed for

nordic skiing Nordic skiing encompasses the various types of skiing in which the toe of the ski boot is fixed to the Ski binding, binding in a manner that allows the heel to rise off the ski, unlike alpine skiing, where the boot is attached to the ski from toe ...

in the winter season. The Dr. Jim Vibert Memorial Trail is a hiking trail which covers the upland area beyond the gorge, extending to the edge of the Town of Truro's reservoir. The northern edge of the park bounded by Adams Street is a flat open area in a protected valley that has been developed with the following facilities: * Victoria Park Outdoor Pool (funded by the local

Kinsmen Club Kin Canada (formerly the Kinsmen and Kinette Clubs of Canada) is a secular Canadian non-profit service organization that promotes service, fellowship, positive values, and national pride. Kin Canada is an organization whose members comprise Kin ...

and the town of Truro) includes a toddlers pool, children's water spray park, water slide, and a large swimming pool for lane swimming and diving. * Victoria Park Playground (also funded by the Kinsmen Club and the town of Truro). * Public washroom facilities. * J. Arch Fraser Bandshell which hosts the Sunday in the Park Concert Series every Sunday during the summer. * Tennis courts, operated by the Truro Tennis Club. * Picnic Pavilion. * Ross Monument, honouring a local barrister who volunteered many years to the park's enlargement and improvement. * Holy Well, replica of an early

Acadian The Acadians (french: Acadiens , ) are an ethnic group descended from the French who settled in the New France colony of Acadia during the 17th and 18th centuries. Most Acadians live in the region of Acadia, as it is the region where the de ...

well from the area.

References

External links

Victoria Park
at Truro website

HalifaxTrails.ca
Victoria Park
NovaScotia.com website {{coord, 45, 21, 4.68, N, 63, 15, 58.12, W, region:CA, display=title Geography of Colchester County Parks in Nova Scotia Truro, Nova Scotia Urban public parks in Canada Tourist attractions in Colchester County