From the Earth to the Sky

 I have been thinking lately about how much I enjoy birding on my way to work, from Wyoming to Sarnia.  There are a few destinations that create the foundation of my nature experience.  I realized that most of them centre around Blackwell Rd. and Blackwell Sideroad.  I have researched the history a bit and have come to learn that the road has been named after Thomas Blackwell, who arrived from England in 1857 an helped to manage the expanding Grand Trunk Railway system, and was the General Manager from 1858 to 1862.  The railway built a stop just west of Blackwell Sideroad , freight trains used this stop to load gravel from a local northern pit.  In 1877 a passing train sparked a fire that destroyed the original station building, workers later replaced it with a smaller structure.  The stop served as a flag stop for passengers until service ended in 1952.  Crews converted the old railway line into the Howard Watson Nature Trail.  Blackwell Rd...