Markham's Rouge Valley Trail -Wilbur Latimer Way

 We went on a nice walk with family this afternoon in Markham.  Met up initially to do some pottery painting, but it was far too busy in the 'Crock Pottery Barn' so we all strolled along the Main Street in Markham which is always bustling with locals and tourists especially when the weather gets warmer.  


One of my favourite shops is the old Firehall which has been turned into a confectionery shop with every kind of sweetness your heart desires.   There are plenty of outdoor cafes, patio bars, ice cream shops and crafts boutiques. 

My son and his fiance have a young Pomeranian puppy which came along for the walk too!  They call  it 'practice' for when the real baby comes, but I know there's a lot more to it than that! But I don't want to scare them off on the idea :)

Just a little piece of history about the Town of Markham:  It was founded in 1791 when John Graves Simcoe was appointed the first Lieutenant-Governor of Upper Canada.

Simcoe spent much of his term making improvements to the military security of the new territory by clearing Yonge street, and creating a system of free land grants, both of which greatly influenced the establishment and growth of what became the Township of Markham. He also responsible for giving the Township its name, after his friend, William Markham, the Archbishop of York at the time.

The architecture in Markham is seen today as some buildings still stand that were built as early at the late 1700's in the Georgian style tradition with simple details and an unadorned look of symmetry and practicality.  

The Georgian Tradition was tweaked in the mid 1800's into nuances of other forms of architecture like Regency, Ontario Cottage and Classic Revival which added French doors walking out onto tent-like verandas and bell-cast roofs with trellised and garnished posts - while keeping the symmetry as in the arrangement of the Georgian style.

I just want to add a little more about historical architecture...  Of course the reaction to this restrained and rational Georgian style became tweaked once again by the late 1800's during the "romantic era"  as seen in the style of Gothic, Roman, French Victorian and Italian with elaborate designs of steep roofs, bay windows, dormers, turrets, multi-paned and stained glass windows, fancy verandas with turned wooden posts, patterned shingles and decorative brackets and spandrels (spandrels are the decorated triangular pieces on either side of an arch)

However, most of the bubble popped by the 1900's to mid-century from the elaborate and garish design right back to its humble beginnings with simple box-like 2 storey structures.  Although there were no exterior ornaments, inside had chunky railings and decorative glass windows.  It was practicality at its best.  If you take heritage walks in Markham you can see examples of all of these style of homes and buildings.  That will be something I will want to do this summer.

The Markham today is one of the most diverse and financially successful towns in Canada and still growing.  It has beautiful parks as it's geographically located in parts of the Rouge Valley system. 


One such parkland is the Wilbur Latimer Way trail, which is part of Markham's Rouge Valley system.  As you can see by the photographs I took, it has so many features that any good trail would have.  Water fountains, water falls (small ones), bridges, vast green open spaces for picnics, and lots of trees and of course a lake bed with plenty of waterfowl.  

Oh and who was Wilbur Latimer?  This one was much harder to locate.  I still really don't know who Wilbur Latimer was, but I can tell you that his family owned several properties in Markham dating back over a century ago.  He was born in 1898 and passed away in 1993 and was laid to rest with his wife in the Bethesda Lutheran Cemetery in Markham. 

Markham's in full seasonal swing now if you come over and bring a basket or two.  Fill up on fresh cut flowers, locally grown produce or stock up on some goodies.  You can see on any street in Markham the old with the new world feel.  Quaint and rich in heritage, it's really a fun place to live and visit.