Description of Historic Place

The Carolinian Oak Tree is a mature red oak estimated to be well over 200 years old. Accessible from Mill Road, it is located on the Sifto Loop Trail, part of the Tiger Dunlop Heritage Trail-Maitland Trail, west of the C.P.R line in Colborne, Township of Asfield-Colborne-Wawanosh.

The property was designated by the former Township of Colborne (now Township of Ashfield-Colborne-Wawanosh) in 1992, for its heritage value under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act, By-law 03-1992.

Heritage Value

Located on the Sifto Loop between the Menesetung Bridge and Lake Huron, on the Tiger Dunlop Heritage Trail-Maitland Trail, the Carolinian Oak Tree serves as a landmark and historical reference for the local community.

The Tree is a relic of a former Carolinian mixed hardwood forest. It is a good example of red oak species Quercus Rubra, its form and deep rounded lobe leaves are typical of healthy red oaks.

It is believed that the tree began to grow in circa 1780 at a time when the Chippewa roamed the Maitland River Valley. The tree pre-dates the founding of Goderich, by William “Tiger” Dunlop and the Canada Company, in 1827. In 1866, the tree was high enough to be remarked upon by American Civil War General William Tecumseh Sherman, who visited the Port of Goderich. The tree has lived through tremendous change in geography and history of the area, now serving as a landmark and historical point of reference.

Source: Township of Ashfield-Colborne-Wawanosh, By-law 03-1992.

Character-Defining Elements

Character defining elements that contribute to the heritage value of the Carolinian Oak Tree include its:
- location on the Sifto Loop of the Maitland Trail
- height (approximately 30 meters) and full seasonal canopy
- circumference at its base of three meters
- form and deep rounded lobe leaves