I’ve shown you the well-groomed and plaqued version of the historic Stony Brook, running along Elmdale Street in downtown Steinbach.
I’ve shown you the ugly culverted fast-fooded version of the forgotten Stony Brook, winding its way under highways and truck yards.
But where else does the “brook” go? Let’s take a look!
If you conclude your Stony Brook tour at the east end by Kroeker Avenue, you’ll be here:
This is the final landscaped culvert before crossing Kroeker Avenue. Upon crossing the street heading east, you’ll be here, overlooking the lovely K.R. Barkman Park (aka: Steinbach’s gazebo park, it is our prettiest park, in my opinion).
Of course, we’re not here to look at the picturesque gazebo. No. We’re here to follow the brook.
BUT WHERE DID IT GO?
Oh, just behind these trees, behind Helping Hands, behind the United Church.
But it’s underground!
Only a string of maintenance holes and drains indicate what lies beneath, running along the back of the park. And yet somehow, I can kind of tell where the remainder of the “brook” flows. Many years ago, when I was first becoming curious about this kinda thing, there was a heavy rain (how can you tell I’m not talking about recent years, argh we are in such a dry season right now) and I went out and investigated this area. I found it flooded with water. It was like the brook had come back to life. I was wearing rubber boots and followed it. And that is how I realized this is where the diverted and dry “Stony Brook” once flowed.
Here you can kind of see a slight slope. I wonder how old these trees are. I bet they have grown here after the brook had been diverted and landscaped. I still enjoy walking here, even if the brook no longer flows.
It’s still a lovely desire path in certain places.
And then you approach Goossen Street.
The City keeps this all neatly mowed.
You can see a grate on the other side of the street. It aligns with the underground “brook”.
Now we’ve crossed Goossen and have walked past a few people’s backyards. In the distance you can see an opening between the trees. This spot is my favourite to glimpse when driving by on Hespeler Street. It lets the sun stream through and looks magical to me. But here we see it from the “interior” view.
Here you can see the opening in the trees a little better. When it rains (if I can remember what that’s like) this little slight ditch does fill with water and is lovely and I can pretend the Stony Brook lives again.
The opening in the trees leads you to this park at the corner of Main and Hespeler.
This is a City Park of sorts, you can see the little shelter over there, with a map nearby.
But where does the “brook” go from here? It continues under Hespeler and, well, into this ditch. In the distance you see a trio of culverts leading under Highway 52 East, so I suppose that’s part of it.
Next time, we’ll look to the far west for the wild version of the Stony Brook. It’s my very most favourite.
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P.S. I’m going to add a bit to my previous post, which was Climbing Mount Nebo. I think it’s important. (Just an FYI for those subscribing via email!)
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