St. Catharines in Niagara Region, Ontario — Central Canada (North America)
Mary Malcolmson
Photographed by Kevin Westell, March 3, 2026
1. Mary Malcolmson - Marker
Mary is perhaps best known for founding the first Girl Guide troop in Canada in 1910. By 1912, over 200 Girl Guide companies were established across the country, offering girls valuable opportunities for leadership, outdoor activities, and community service. In recognition of her work with the Girl Guides, she received the Silver Jubilee Medal in 1935.
A plaque commemorating the founding of the Girl Guide movement was unveiled in Montebello Park in 1950. Mary Malcolmson Eco-Park, located on the shores of Lake Ontario in St. Catharines, is the only park in the city named after a woman. It remains a place for Girl Guides and school children to explore nature and
this page online
Mary Malcolmson passed away in St. Catharines on July 7, 1935.
Erected by Friends of Malcolmson Eco-Park.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Charity & Public Work • Fraternal or Sororal Organizations • Parks & Recreational Areas • Women. A significant historical year for this entry is 1864.
Location. 43° 13.169′ N, 79° 13.025′ W. Marker is in St. Catharines, Ontario, in Niagara Region. It is on Cumberland St, on the right when traveling north. The marker is beside the north-south walking path that runs along the west side of Malcolmson Park, near a short path west to Cumberland St. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 13 Cumberland St, St Catharines ON L2M 1E2, 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, on the Great Lakes, in the Western Hemisphere, in the Western World, and in the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once a British colony, the Viceroyalty of New France, the Haudenosaunee
Photographed by Kevin Westell, March 3, 2026
2. Mary Malcolmson - Marker in context
Photo faces north. The marker is beside the north-south walking path. Branching left is the short path to Cumberland St. The silver-painted foundation was associated with the water supply for the nursery / tree farm.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Welcome To Malcolmson Eco-Park (within shouting distance of this marker); Welcome to Malcolmson Eco-Park (approx. 0.3 kilometers away); a different marker also named Welcome To Malcolmson Eco-Park (approx. 0.4 kilometers away); Williamson Point (approx. half a kilometer away); a different marker also named Welcome To Malcolmson Eco-Park (approx. half a kilometer away); a different marker also named Welcome To Malcolmson Eco-Park (approx. half a kilometer away); Port Weller Dry Docks (approx. 0.7 kilometers away); Charles A. Ansell Park (approx. 0.7 kilometers away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in St. Catharines.
Regarding Mary Malcolmson. 1. Malcolmson Park's location and surroundings makes it a good place to see birds. Besides the year-round residents, migrating birds travel along the Niagara isthmus; wintering water birds often loiter on the Welland Canal, north of Lock 1, where the water typically does not freeze over.
2. Some history:
- around 1910: Port Weller was a planned community,
Photographed by Kevin Westell, March 3, 2026
3. Mary Malcolmson - memorial plaque
This is at the foot of the marker.
- During canal construction (1913-1931), it was a supply depot. It had a wye for engines to turn around (on the map, the yellow dashed lines). The Welland Ship Canal Construction Railway ran north-south along the east side of this park (the straight part of the yellow dashed line); and along the west side of the canal from here down past the current Glendale Ave to the current flight locks. On the map, the red line that runs up the west side of the park was a road.
- By the end of the canal construction phase, the adjoining land had been all torn up. Briefly in the early 1930s, the canal project had a nursery sub-project, to raise trees and flowers to plant on these lands. (This was the time of the tree nursery and the greenhouse.)
- In the 1970s, the federal government (which owns the canal lands) gifted this land to the City of St. Catharines, and it became Malcolmson Park.
Also see . . . Friends of Malcolmson Eco-Park - web site.
Photographed by Kevin Westell, March 3, 2026
4. Malcolmson Park map - marker is at the white arrow
The main parking for Malcolmson Park is on the south side, off Lakeshore Road at Niagara St, 250 m S of the marker.
Photographed by Kevin Westell, March 4, 2026
5. Relic fire hydrant, from the 1930s "tree nursery" era
This is 50 metres south of the marker, 5 metres east of the walking path.
Credits. This page was last revised on March 4, 2026. It was originally submitted on March 3, 2026, by Kevin Westell of St. Catharines, Ontario. This page has been viewed 47 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on March 3, 2026, by Kevin Westell of St. Catharines, Ontario. 5. submitted on March 4, 2026, by Kevin Westell of St. Catharines, Ontario.
