Applewood's Retro Barn
I never actually came up close to this building before until I had to hide something here. This interesting retro barn design choice always caught my attention whenever I am on the bus or car passing by. The Red Barn was a fast food chain that was founded in 1961 and defunct in 1988, originating from Springfield Ohio. At the peak of its lifespan, they had around 400 locations included expansions in Australia and Canada offering customers similar meals compared to other popular fast food chains. After being acquired by a company only interested of the land property rather than the fast food industry, the restuarant chain was slowly killed off. The design of the restuarants resembled a red barn hence the name, being patented in 1962 by Red Barn Systems. Though many of the original barn buildings were destroyed, some still exist being repurposed such as this one right here in Applewood. Perhaps you can come here an enjoy this rare vintage building up close but it is quite busy so stealth is recommended.
Applewood, located in the city of Mississauga is a suburban district "neighbourhood" consisting a group of smaller neighbourhoods, many bearing its name. The area was originally settled in the 1800s having notable villages such as Dixie and Burnhamthorpe. Named after the abundant amount of apple trees in the area, many of the original pioneering families that settled in the area became owners of apple orchards. Eventually with the orchards declining economically, the area became stagnated being mostly rural until suburban development rapidly began during the 1950s economic boom post-World War 2.
The nearby Chechalk Trail is a less popular 3.8km long paved path trail. The city recently changed the trail name to Chechalk Trail due to the motion to consider the renaming recommendation for 30 days was voted on unanimously, 11-0 on Wednesday November 1st 2023. As a chief of the Mississaugas, the forbearers to the present-day Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation, Chief Chechalk played a key role in the city’s history and is the only signatory of Treaty 14 that has not yet been recognized with an official naming in the city. With this naming, the city has honoured all of the chiefs who signed the treaties which allowed for the settlement and creation of the present-day Mississauga. Chief Chechalk signed Treaty 14 on September 12th 1806. It gave the British some 85,000 acres of land along the north shore of Lake Ontario to the southwest of the Toronto Purchase. This multi-use point-to-point trail extends from Audubon Boulevard to Dundas Street East offering people an easy paved path to reach their desired destination on either direction plays a vital connection role. This trail allows for the use of bicycles on and off roads, through natural and urban settings. This great network of trails was developed through the city master plan as well as through the support of the Mississauga cycling committee. This trail system connects interesting areas of the community and the road system all are combined to present a great urban trail experience.
Please note that the trail closes daily at 11pm and it is highly recommended to come here during daylight hours.
The nearby Willowcreek Park is a serene outdoor area offering visitors a peaceful retreat from the hustle and bustle of city life. This park provides a natural setting for leisurely strolls, picnics, and moments of quiet reflection, making it a favorite spot for locals to unwind and connect with nature. Unlike the nearby Applewood Trail, this trail did not receive the same treatment with major pavement trails and other humanmade additions. This trail is one of the few in this city that is mostly still natural with few signs of humanity effecting the area other than general city maintenance of poor conditioned trees and local's humble "secret" fire pit hangouts. Flowing next to the entire park is the Little Etobicoke Creek which is a tributary of the 61km long Etobicoke Creek. This trail has a small playground with pinic tables offering nearby residents a way to spend family time without having the trail as the only outdoors option. This park will be located in the Summerville neighbourhood originally known as Silverthorn’s Mill or Mill Place. Settlers began to arrive in this area prior to the War of 1812. The community grew to include a mill, two blacksmiths, hotel, tavern, general store, post office, two schools, church, and carriage works. It began to disappear with the widening of Dundas Street and lowering of water levels in the Little Etobicoke Creek. There are few visible reminders of the original Summerville today, despite an extensive photograph history you can check out in the Mississauga Library Online Archives. This park reminds us of the days when Mississauga still consisted of heavy forests, pastures, farms and was a strong fruit-growing region. The city of Mississauga have been making efforts to re-naturalize this area to sustain a healthy ecosystem.
Please note that the trail closes daily at 11pm and it is highly recommended to come here during daylight hours.
You will need to traverse through the neighbourhood of Summerville to locate this cache. Enjoy a glimpse of this retro style barn building while walking to this cache. Feel free to check out my other caches nearby this location.
Please note that this cache is available 24/7.
This is a micro sized cache containing a logbook. It is recommended to have a tweezer with you since it can be hard to get the logbook out. Feel free to notify me if the cache seems to be tampered with or missing, I will replace it as soon as possible.
Please make sure the cache is snug and tucked in place when you place it back in its original spot.
Please do not take or destroy the cache :)
Feel free to help out by voluntarily cleaning up any unwanted trash and debris that you might come across :)
Be sure to come by and visit Applewood's Retro Barn, get out there to find it, good luck and happy caching!
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A SPECIAL SHOUT-OUT TO nemesis905 FOR BEING THE FIRST TO FIND :O