R. J. Haney Heritage Park ~ Buildings ~ Church

Ready for a walk? While the Heritage Village, Museum and the Haney House and grounds are showcases of our local history, they only take up a few acres of our forty acre park. The rest of the acreage tells a different story. From grassy meadows to sheltered wooded slopes and on to moist, cool wetlands by the stream; the park has a rich heritage of natural history. To help you appreciate the rest of the R.J. Haney Heritage Park, we've constructed a 2.2 kilometres long. It is not a hard walk although there are some stairs and gentle hifls. The trail is not extensively groomed; it is not a freeway through the woods. We want to caution you to take care along the path, especially if it is wet. Some of the steps and bridges may be slippery under damp conditions. Common sense is the watch word.	We also want to encourage you to stick to the path. We are trying to develop natural growth in all areas of the park and any encroachment by people can drastically change some of the macro-climates that exist in different areas. We also encourage you to carry your litter with you and use the trash containers scattered throughout the park. Set aside a half an hour and take a stroll on the trail. Winding through four climatic zones with beautiful flora nd fauna wherever you turn, you will find this a most relaxing walk. Ask for our guide to the plants that you will encounter on the path. We've written it to the theme of 'Native and Pioneer Usage of the Forest".

Plants you may see on the trail
When cleaned, dried and ground, anutritious flour can be sifted from the powder. The pioneers poured boiling water over the roots and let it steep for ten minutes or so. Then they added some honey and found it to be a most refreshing drink.	Couch-Grass
Bracken Fern	The Coast Natives used this plant ex- tensively, but only a few of the Interior Salish ate the roots when roasted. After cooking, the roots were pounded, the fibres removed, and the flour was used to -nake cake- for later use. Many ferns were used as food in the spring, but the Interior Salish cooked the roots before eating any of them.
The root of the Wild Ginger has strong aromatic flavor. The pioneers used to use it as a remedy for whooping Cough. It was also used as a substitute for commercial ginger. It is interesting to note that the flower looks like a little brown orchid and lays on the ground. This is because the plant is beetle pollinated and many beetles can't climb.	Wild Ginger
Broadleaved Plantain	This plant can be used as a salad or a pot herb, but its main use was to be made into a paste. The pioneers pounded the whole plant in a mortar and then used it as dressing on ulcers, sores and any wound that was hard to heal.The dried seeds could be ground into a flour for thickening stews.
This member of the apple family leaves a little "hip" when the flower drops off. The natives and pioneers ate it like a little apple (although the natives didn't eat the wooly insides. They thought it would make their bottoms itch.) A tea made from dried hips is rich in Vitamin C and rose hip jelly has a delicate flavour.	Wild Rose Hips
Oregon Grape	The berries were mostly eaten fresh but some pioneers and natives cooked them or added them to the "mash" of fruit that was later dried. Some people ate the young leaves and shoots, either raw or cooked. The roots of the plant were used to make a strong yellow dye.
This plant was considered by nearly all native peoples as a good energy food when on the trail. The flower stalks, before the bloom opened, were pulled, stripped of all their leaves, split open and the pith or "marrow" was cleaned out with a thumbnail and eaten while on the trail. Some tribes steamed the stalks as a pot herb but it wasn't common practice.	Fireweed
Dandelion	The young leaves were eaten raw in salad or cooked as a vegetable. The root, when cleaned of the brown skin and sliced thin, made a good vegetable if it was cooked in two waters. The roots were also roasted and ground up to make a coffee substitute.
The young leaves and stems were gathered by native and white alike and boiled lightly before eating. The strong fibers in the full-grown flower stalks were made into mats and ropes by many people. The fiber is stronger than hemp or jute but is not as strong as flax. A medicinal tea was made from the leaves and used as a "tonic".	Stinging Nettles
Pine Seeds	Some species of pine trees have quite large seeds and the natives ate them either immediately or stored them in bags for winter use. Some peoples lightly roasted the cones to facilitate gathering the seeds while others just dried the cones before shaking the seeds out.
The ripe berries of both these species were eaten raw by many tribes. Some cooked and at ate the young flower stalks, but the Interior Salish used the roots to flavour the Black Tree Moss and other foods in the cooking pits.	False Solomon's Seal
Skunk Cabbage	Roots were dug and roasted by the Interior Salish, usually in the fall. The leaves were used like we use "Saran Wrap". Nothing from this plant was eaten raw as there are long, sharp crystals in the flesh of the plant that could pierce the stomach of the eater.