Forest Scene
A scene in the deciduous forest surrounding the ruins. This photo shows the rocky terrain in the forest. The terrain is very similar to that found in the woods behind Nortel; the soil is thin and the ground dotted with outcrops of moss-covered rocks with large fissures.
I kept an eye out for wildflowers and found lots of Herb Robert (Geranium sp.) and a few Trout Lily leaves but no Trilliums or other wildflower species.
Car Parts
I was expecting to find an abandoned car or truck in the woods but I didn't. There were, however, many car parts including these two doors, a number of tires, and some fenders from a 1940s era car.
Peanut Butter Jar
The woods surrounding the structures were littered with relics including many pieces of glassware. This is a peanut butter jar with peanut graphics moulded in the glass. Unfortunately this jar, like most of the glassware, was damaged. I turned the jar over for this photo to hide the broken side.
Can of Ham
My father said he remembers seeing cans of "Swift's Premium Ham", as the label on this can reads, back in the day. This can has been lying here since at least the 1970s as evidenced by the exclusive use of English on the packaging. Beginning in the mid-1970s federal law required all product packaging in Canada to be in French and English.
Pure Spring Bottle
I think this is how bottled water was packaged back in the day, in a glass bottle. EDIT: my father tells me that this was a ginger ale bottle. What also struck me about this bottle and many of the others in the area was the exclusive use of non-metric measurements on them. Nowadays our bottles come in milliliters and liters and those in the debris field were all measured in fluid ounces.
Gilbey's Gin Bottle
A number of things in this photo. First, the green bottle in the leaf litter was a bottle of gin with the word "Gilbey's" moulded into the glass. My father was with me while I was exploring the ruins and told me this bottle was "very old". There were numerous short-necked or "stubby" beer bottles lying around. "Oh yeah, these would have been from back in my day," my father said as he investigated them. The green plants to the right of the gin bottle were a curiosity. They were the only clump of their type in the area that I could see. Finally, on the rock at the far left are a few pieces of metal. Bits and pieces of metal were common sights among the debris.
The Well & Glassware
The pit in this photo appears to either have been a wellI or outhouse pit. I suspect well because near the pit the ground sloped gently downwards into a swampy area. To the left of the pit is a cooking pot and in the upper left corner of the photo is a collection of glassware in a tin pan.
Pepsi Cans
These very old Pepsi cans still retain some of their coloring. I think the design of these cans predates me.
Windmill Parts
These strips of metal appear to be the blades of a windmill. They were connected to a round wheel that had gears on one side.
