This is a bit of a different type of road story today but one I think is worth telling…

is this a Brant heritage grape vine?

A couple of years ago I paid five bucks for this amazing heritage grape vine at Parkdale Horticultural Society‘s annual Plant Fair. People line up for it every year. Our vine is growing like a weed along our fence and this year, there must be a bushel’s worth of grapes on it. I am pretty sure the guy I bought it from told me it was a Brant heritage vine first cultivated in the Niagara region of Ontario circa 1860. I thought this would be easy to research but have had difficulty finding any information on the vine so, if you read this and can enlighten me, please do. I am also wondering if the grape is connected to the family of Joseph Brant.

Joseph Brant played an important role in Canadian history. Originally from what is now northeastern Ohio, the celebrated Mohawk chief fought in the American Revolution for the British. Following the war, he and his Mohawk followers were awarded land along the Grand River in the Niagara region of Ontario for their war service (although wouldn’t it have been Mohawk land to begin with?). After the war, Brant continued to be an influential force with politicians, including President George Washington. What many don’t know is the role that Joseph Brant played in Niagara Falls becoming a honeymoon destination. Niagara historian Sherman Zavitz, in his book, It happened at Niagara, wrote that the first honeymooners to visit Niagara Falls were invited by Brant.  Theodosia Burr, the daughter of United States Vice President, Aaron Burr, and her new husband, Joseph Alston traveled to Niagara Falls following their wedding in 1801. They later visited Brant who lived on the Grand River.

But the real reason I am writing about our Brant heritage grape vine is to tell you about the effect it has had on our neighbours. Toronto can be reserved at the best of times so our neighbours’ reaction to the vine has been a pleasant surprise. Katarina is an elderly Hungarian woman who passes our yard every morning on her way to her daughter’s place. One day I found her pinching new sprouts. “Do this every week and you’ll get more grapes”, she told me. And we have. Then there’s the old Portuguese guy who gently scolded us for not tying our vine to the fence to give it better support. The next day I noticed he had done it for us. Last fall, when our grapes were at their sweetest, our Vietnamese neighbour who lives down the alley from us stopped every morning on his way to work to grab a handful. Now when I walk to the corner store and he’s out in his garage, he stops whatever he’s doing to say hi. And just this week, I met another neighbour, a Portuguese grandmother who has taken to walking her dog by our place and stopping to search for the ripest grapes. I told her today to keep coming back.

This is the incredible view from the new one-room honeymoon cabin on the Alberta Western Uplands ranch, approximately two hours north of Medicine Hat, Alberta in western Canada. This ranch is also home to a refurbished 1903 homesteader’s cabin that sleeps twelve comfortably. Oliver North, who became famous during the Reagan years, stayed here once. In summer, the lodge operates as a B&B. A room and a full “cowboy” breakfast of bacon and eggs with homebaked beans and toast will run you between $100 and $130 Canadian. 650 head of cattle roam the ranch’s 34,000 acres. This is a working ranch. Round-ups, calving and branding are still done much the same way they were eighty years ago.

Another great honeymoon spot is Elkwater Lake Lodge & Resort in the heart of Cypress Hills, the only interprovincial park in Canada. The park straddles the Alberta-Saskatchewan border and commands a magnificent view of Montana’s Sweetgrass Hills. Cypress Hills is where Sitting Bull and the Sioux fled to following the Battle of Little Bighorn in 1876. The inn is open all year. Its accommodations include big lofts with fully equipped kitchens, flat screen TVs and wood burning fireplaces. www.elkwaterlakelodge.com

The Heartwood Inn & Spa, Drumheller, Alberta

Drumheller’s Heartwood Inn & Spa has its own “Honeymooner’s Cottage” located at the back of the property, surrounded by lilac bushes. The cottage comes equipped with a fireplace, fridge, queen-sized bed, cable TV and jacuzzi tub for two. www.innsatheartwood.com

How about a honeymoon in a tipi? The new Blackfoot Crossing in Siksika Nation offers tipi sleepovers in an authentic tipi village. Each sleepover includes access to all of Blackfoot Crossing’s amenities – tours, art gallery, library, and dance performances. www.blackfootcrossing.ca