Fort Erie in Niagara Region, Ontario — Central Canada (North America)

Gonder's Flats

Photographed by Kevin Westell, July 18, 2025

1. Gonder's Flats - Marker

Inscription. Gonder's Flats was named for the Gonder (Gander) family, who settled in this area in 1799, on land granted by the Crown. Michael Gonder, a native of Lancaster County Pennsylvania, emigrated to Upper Canada at the close of the American Revolution. Descendants of his family conveyed this property to The Niagara Parks Commission as part of the building of the Niagara Parkway during the Great Depression of the 1930's.

Areas within Gonder's Flats demonstrate wetland characteristics, sustaining a valuable component of the Niagara River ecosystem.

Erected 1999 by The Niagara Parks Commission.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Environment • Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical year for this entry is 1799.

Location. 42° 57.825′ N, 78° 58.725′ W. Marker is in Fort Erie, Ontario, in Niagara Region. It is on Niagara River Parkway, on the right when traveling north. The marker is a plaque on a flat rock, 20 metres east of the road, at the east corner of a parking lot, and adjacent to a gravel path leading toward the river. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal

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address: 2893 Niagara River Parkway, Fort Erie ON L2A 5M4, Canada. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is on Ontario’s Golden Horseshoe

and in Niagara Canada.

It is also in Central Canada.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once a British colony,

the Viceroyalty of New France,

the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy,

and Rupert’s Land.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 3 kilometers of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Crossing of the River Brethren (approx. 0.9 kilometers away); Bert Miller (approx. one kilometer away); Restoring Nature (approx. 1.3 kilometers away in the U.S.); For the Birds (approx. 1.3 kilometers away in the U.S.); The Welland Canal at the Niagara Frontier (approx. 1.4 kilometers away); Niagara's Freedom Trail - Little Africa (approx. 1.4 kilometers away); Marina (approx. 1.4 kilometers away); Bedell House 1877 - 1935 (approx. 3 kilometers away in the U.S.). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Fort Erie.

More about this marker. The

Gonder's Flats - Marker in context image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Kevin Westell, July 18, 2025

2. Gonder's Flats - Marker in context

The marker is in front of a white spruce. The gravel path (blocked by a rock) extends over 200 metres along the shore of the river, including a tiny beach.

Niagara Parks Commission expropriated lots of the land it now possesses.

Gonder's Flats - showcase for environmental management image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Kevin Westell, July 18, 2025

3. Gonder's Flats - showcase for environmental management

All along the Niagara River Parkway, Niagara Parks has little projects to try to manage its land. Gonder's Flats is one example, with lots of "back to nature" landscaping. During recent years, as part of its "Green Grazers" initiative, they have brought in scores of goats for few days, to eat back invasive "pragmites" reeds.

Credits. This page was last revised on July 20, 2025. It was originally submitted on July 19, 2025, by Kevin Westell of St. Catharines, Ontario. This page has been viewed 118 times since then and 22 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on July 19, 2025, by Kevin Westell of St. Catharines, Ontario. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.