Margaret Reed,   (Oct 6, 1918 -  Aug 29, 2005)

Margaret Reed was the self-appointed guardian of her property near Cave Springs Camp from 1970 to 2005.  In later years, as she gained white hair, she was overheard telling wide-eyed school children that she was a 300-year-old “good witch,” thanks in large part to the “magical” escarpment spring water.

Margaret was born in a fishing village on the south coast of England.  Her mother was a member of the aristocracy, whose family disowned her when she married  a man of the working class.  From her mother, Margaret learned to dress and act with elegance, but from her father, she learned to appreciate a strong work ethic.  In the 1950s, she ran a chain of three high-end beauty salons in the south of England named 'Marguerite', and earned enough money to enjoy a lavish lifestyle.  She owned a bright red MG sports car and enjoyed cocktail parties and country clubs.

When rising taxes depleted their finances, Margaret and her husband Ron emigrated to Canada.  They lived in a 10-room house in Scarborough and sold private health insurance.  Once again, they lived a high-end life-style.  They attended conventions, pool parties and charity events.  They owned an 8-metre cruiser on Lake Simcoe where they would host cocktail parties.

With increasing financial problems, their lifestyle faltered.  Ron left and Margaret was left to fend for herself.  She kept the vehicle, but sold her house and headed toward St. Catharines where she thought to reconnect with her husband.  She took a wrong exit and found herself in Beamsville.  Once there, she rented  a cabin and explored the area.  She found a dilapidated barn at the base of the escarpment with four hectares of land, and fell in love with it.  She bought it and cleaned it up.  It had primitive indoor plumbing and only a bare light bulb hanging from the ceiling.  She had to use a wood stove for heat, and did her laundry by poking it in a big pot on the stove.  Even though this was a long way from her former life, she was happy to be alive and living on such beautiful land.

Her battles arose in the 1970s when the Town of Lincoln wanted to clear a laneway that they thought was theirs.  She successfully defended her ownership of the laneway all the way to the Ontario Supreme Court; the Town had to pay $40,000 in legal fees and damages.  She also won her case to prevent a Grimsby chiropractor from building a new development beside her property.  She then battled the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority (NPCA) when they proposed to put a path through her property to connect to the Bruce Trail.  She won the case, but came to respect the NPCA later on.  She eventually joined its board of directors, and served for ten years, until 1998.

In 1981, she sold her property to the NPCA on the condition that she could remain living on the premises for her lifetime. She wasn’t afraid to chase off unauthorized hikers, but agreed to voluntarily conduct historical walking tours of the area for schools, the Bruce Trail Club and other interested parties by appointment.

Ms. Reed was the recipient of the Calypso Orchid Award in 2002 in recognition for over 30 years crusading for the protection of the Cave Springs area of the Niagara Escarpment.  She was passionate and dedicated to educating people about the history of the land and the importance of preserving the ecology of the Niagara Escarpment.  

Ms. Reed was sometimes described as eccentric and was known locally as “The Witch of Cave Springs.” Known for her storytelling, Ms. Reed wrote six books about the Cave Springs property including Tempest in a Teapot; Secrets of Cave Spring; The Cave Spring Mystique (1 and 2); Great Horned Owls at Cave Springs; and The Carolinian Forest at Cave Springs.  Ms. Reed lived in her Cave Springs home for 35 years before she passed away in 2005 at the age of 86.

More information can be found at the following link:  Witch of Cave Springs 

{Information for this article was sourced from https://www.escarpmentfund.ca/cave-springs/, - Jan 8, 2017 and https://www.niagarathisweek.com/news/a-gem-uncovered - October 24, 2008}

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Land Acknowledgement

The Bruce Trail Conservancy wishes to acknowledge and honour the lands of the Niagara Escarpment as the traditional territory of Indigenous peoples. In both spirit and partnership, we recognize and thank the Anishinaabek, Huron-Wendat, Tionontati, Neutral Nation, Haudenosaunee, Métis, and all who provided stewardship of these lands over millennia.

Recognition of the contributions of Indigenous peoples is consistent with our commitment to making the promise of Truth and Reconciliation real in our communities. We are grateful for the opportunity to live, work, and play here and thank all those who have served and continue to serve as caretakers of this special place.

We are also mindful of broken covenants and the need to reconcile with all our allies and relations. Together, may we care for this land and each other, drawing upon the strength of our mutual history through peace and friendship, to create a lasting legacy of conservation for generations to come.