A News Release from the Town of Lincoln in Niagara, Ontario
Posted November 7th, 2025 on Niagara At Large
Town of Lincoln Mayor Sandra Easton speaking at the park opening
The Town of Lincoln is proud to announce the opening of Sho’aríshon Park, a Neutral Nation Legacy Site in Jordan.
The new park was celebrated on November 1st, 2025, with a community gathering that brought together Indigenous partners, artists, educators, funders, community members, and elected officials.
Sho’aríshon Park was created in close collaboration with Indigenous partners to honour and reflect the history, culture, and enduring presence of Indigenous peoples on this land, with a particular focus on the Neutral Nation, the first known inhabitants of the land now called Lincoln. The park provides space for cultural learning, gathering, ceremony, reflection, and relationship building.
Honouring the Neutral Nation
Sho’aríshon (pronounced /So-ah-ree-son/) is a contemporary Mohawk (Kanyen’kéha) spelling of a name of a Neutral Nation Chief recorded by French missionaries in the early 1600s. The name translates to “He is shaking a net,” reflecting both Neutral Nation history and the movement of the nearby Twenty Mile Creek.
Some of the many people gathered for the park opening
The Neutral were an Iroquoian-speaking people who lived throughout what is now southern Ontario, including the Niagara region, at the time of early European contact. Skilled farmers, fishers, and traders, they lived in longhouse communities and were known for trading flint with surrounding nations.
Their population sharply declined in the mid-1600s due to disease and conflict, and survivors were absorbed into other Indigenous nations. Sho’aríshon Park helps bring this history forward for today’s community.
A Step Toward Reconciliation
The creation of Sho’aríshon Park reflects the Town of Lincoln’s ongoing work to advance learning, understanding, and relationship-building with Indigenous peoples.
While the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s 94 Calls to Action are directed toward all levels of government, several relate directly to municipalities through education, commemoration, and public awareness. Sho’aríshon Park responds to these calls by:
- * Creating a space for truth-telling and learning about Indigenous histories that pre-date settlement;
- * Elevating Indigenous voices and cultural expression in a public setting; and
- * Supporting inter-cultural understanding, empathy, and respect for Indigenous rights, identity, and presence.
Cultural Design and Artistic Expression
The park’s design features cultural forms inspired by Indigenous architecture, including a longhouse-inspired structure for shade and community events, and a palisade-inspired feature referencing traditional village design. A rain garden with native species, walkways, paved parking, enhanced trail access, bicycle parking and repair station, convenience power, water bottle refill station, educational signage, seating and gathering spaces support land-based learning and community use.
Public art is central to the identity of Sho’aríshon Park. With guidance from Indigenous advisors, the Town commissioned permanent works by Indigenous-led artist teams. The works include /Two Row Helix /(David Beyer and Lilly Otašević), a sculptural piece inspired by the Two Row Wampum, and /Water Scroll /(Kathryn Corbiere and Sophie Anne Edwards), honouring language, story, and the waterways that connect us.
A series of salmon-shaped trail markers created by Alderville First Nation artist Ryan Woodruff will link the park to the Lincoln Museum and Cultural Centre and to Ball’s Falls, forming a cultural and interpretive corridor.
An illustration of the new Sho’aríshon Park
Project Partners and Funders
The Town of Lincoln extends deep gratitude to the partners who made Sho’aríshon Park possible:
Funding Partners
- * Niagara Region – Public Realm Investment Program
- * Greenbelt Foundation – Resilient Greenbelt <https://app.cyberimpact.com/redirect?
- * Niagara Community Foundation – David S. Howes Fund and Environmental Grant
- * The Government of Canada
- * Plenty Canada <https://app.cyberimpact.com/redirect?
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