Solitude - (c) Michael Swanson - www.mswansonart.com
As you travel along the shoreline of the Twelve Mile Creek, Santee Smith, a Mohawk from the Six Nations of the Grand River, will share her knowledge of the land, water and its medicines.
Today, the 12 Mile Creek watershed is home to the only known cold water system in the Niagara Region, one that according to the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority, supports naturally reproducing brook trout populations. The upper 12 Mile Creek watershed is rich in biodiversity and Carolinian flora.
During Laura Secord's time this would have been an important source of fresh potable water — for the area's inhabitants and certainly for those engaged in the War of 1812. The location of Native trails and villages would have been influenced by the presence of water, the abundance of fish species that used the streams to find food and spawn, and the location of nearby mineral resources.
Within 12 Mile Creek's watershed ecosystem was an abundance of wildlife, fruit, nuts, and plants used for medicines, for which we also give thanks.