From the archives of the Sault Ste. Marie Public Library:
Every autumn, Mockingbird Hill Farm transforms into a wonderful fall paradise. There are vibrant displays of red and gold leaves, a bountiful harvest collected from the fields, and the crisp smell of autumn hanging in the air. The whole farm comes alive with a magical autumn energy, and you feel like you’ve stepped into a charming postcard.
“A visit to Mockingbird Hill Farm will be an idyllic passage to a simpler time and place,” Robert Cuerrier said when asked about his vision for the farm.
In 1984, Robert and his wife, Susanne, came up with the idea of creating a working 19th-century farm. They purchased 78 acres of property on Landslide Rd to bring their idea to life. Their vision was to celebrate the agricultural history of Northern Ontario. It wasn’t long before Robert became known not just by name, but by the role he filled so naturally as Farmer Bob.
Growing up, Robert spent summers at his grandfather’s farm in the Ottawa Valley. He learned about coiling hay, mucking out the barn, and digging up turnips. Working on his grandfather’s farm gave Bob insight into the day-to-day life of farming and how people made a life working and living there. He learned about the historical significance of the horse-drawn farm equipment and the importance of the relationship between people and the animals that work on the farm as well. Those summers on his grandfather’s farm inspired his idea for Mockingbird Hill Farm. He wanted the people of Sault Ste. Marie to learn firsthand about their heritage.
“Our agricultural history is more the history of our people of Northern Ontario than urban history,” he told The Sault Star.
One of the main attractions during autumn on the farm was the famous corn maze. Every year, Farmer Bob put together a fun and interactive maze. It attracted people from all around Algoma to participate and find their way through the towering trails. The maze was both challenging and fun. You could enjoy a leisurely stroll or compete with friends and family through the checkpoints to see who could make it to the end first. Either way, it didn’t take long for the maze to become a favourite fall tradition for many, drawing people back year after year to laugh and get lost, trying to find their way among the rustling stalks.
Kresin Engineering, a local company, was responsible for bringing the maze to life. Every year, they would volunteer their time to create and design the 4-acre corn maze. Using GPS, Kersin made a “connect the dots” like puzzle with about 500 connections. The pattern was then sprayed with fluorescent paint, and the trails were cut the next day. Every couple of years, the patterns would change. Some examples were a special design celebrating the 50th anniversary of the United Way, a moose design, and even the Soo Greyhound logo.
“The Soo Greyhound logo is so exact that it looks like it jumped off the jersey,” Farmer Bob said.
There were even special activities planned in the maze itself. During the month of October, close to Halloween, the corn maze was done up into a haunted maze in the evenings. This spooky version of the maze became one of the farm’s most popular attractions.
“This weekend marks the biggest two-day visit to the maze,” Cuerrier said. “It’s our haunted maze weekend and we spook the interior of the maze with high school students who want to do some acting and complete their volunteer hours,” he further explained.
The corn maze wasn’t the only fall attraction at the farm. There was the wildflower walk, which blooms well into autumn with towering sunflowers and fields of brightly coloured late summer flowers. There were also horse-drawn hayrides, a petting barn, and campfires. Farmer Bob also filled up the old church with rows of orange and white pumpkins, lumpy gourds, corn stalks, and hay bales, stacked end to end, lining the old wooden floor. Everything you needed for the perfect autumn display was under one roof.
The corn maze at Mockingbird Hill Farm was a great way to spend an autumn day, getting lost in the maze, the leaves crunching underfoot, and just being out in the fresh, crisp autumn air. Year after year, folks came back not just to enjoy the maze, but for the beautiful fall colours and the feeling of the season itself. For so many, it became a fall tradition. Farmer Bob had a way of bringing the community together to enjoy the beauty of autumn in Northern Ontario.
This article was written using information compiled from the Sault Star Archive Collection at the Sault Ste. Marie Public Library.
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