Saugeen First Nation Trail Development Plan

About the Saugeen First Nation Trail Development Plan

Saugeen First Nation is located along the Saugeen River and Bruce Peninsula in Ontario, Canada. The original peoples of Saugeen are Ojibway. Traditional territory also includes the Saugeen River watershed. The Saugeen First Nation lent its name to the region, called Zaageeng, Ojibway meaning “mouth of river”, and its people. The Saugeen River is located in one of the highest points in Southern Ontario and flows through beautiful countryside to Lake Huron, in Southampton. The river begins in the Osprey Wetland Conservation Lands and travels North-West 160 kilometres before exiting into Lake Huron. It is bordered by beautiful mixed scenic forest shoreline. The river is navigable for some distance and was once an important barge route. The Saugeen First Nation is home to Sauble Park located on the of South Sauble Beach which is a very popular beach destination. The community is also home to the Saugeen Amphitheatre & Gardens which is one of the most beautiful and scenic gardens in Southwestern Ontario.

This trail project will enhance the trails around Saugeen First Nation’s amphitheatre, one of the largest dry-stone projects in North America. The Amphitheatre’s original construction was a collaboration between Chief James Mason and Reverend Earl Stotesbury of Saugeen First Nation's Wesley United Church, starting in 1972. They wanted to create a place for First Nations and non-First Nations people to gather that demonstrated the strong relationship between the church and the community. The Amphitheatre is being revitalized through a training program for drystone masons creating a unique skill for our community. These skills will be applied to the drystone bridge to be built as part of the trail system.

This interpretation aspect of this trail development project focuses on transformative placemaking at the Saugeen Amphitheatre and implementation of regenerative tourism strategies through trail development at Saugeen First Nation.

“Transformative placemaking is an aspirational endeavour to transform spaces into meaningful places through a process of deliberate and thoughtful engagement – such as transformative placemaking is fundamentally connected to sense of place”

With the development and enhancement of the trails, there is a greater opportunity to deliver interpretive programming through guided tours to tell our story as Anishinaabek people with an emphasis on potential for these educational programs and cross-cultural communication to led to reconciliation. Programing and product development like this leverages placemaking to foster reconciliation through trails while providing a mechanism for the Saugeen First Nation to share their shared histories and lived experiences of colonization with Canadians and international visitors.

For more information about our Trail Development Plan, please contact us.