Muskoka District Municipality, Ontario
Encyclopedia
The District Municipality of Muskoka, more generally referred to as the District of Muskoka, or simply Muskoka, is a Regional Municipality located in Central Ontario, Canada. Muskoka extends from Georgian Bay
in the west, to the northern tip of Lake Couchiching
in the south, to the western border of Algonquin Provincial Park
in the east. Located approximately two hours north of Toronto
, Muskoka spans 6475 km² (2,500 sq mi). Muskoka has some 1,600 lakes, making it a popular resort destination.
This region, which, along with Haliburton
and Kawartha Lakes
, is referred to as "cottage country
", sees over 2.1 million visitors annually. Muskoka is a scenic area sprinkled with picturesque villages and towns, farming communities, and lakeside vacation hotels and resorts near to golf course
s, country club
s, and marina
s. The regional government seat is Bracebridge
. This area encompasses the townships of Lake of Bays, Georgian Bay and Muskoka Lakes, and the towns of Huntsville, Bracebridge and Gravenhurst.
The name of the municipality derives from a First Nations chief of the 1850s. Lake Muskoka was then the hunting grounds of a band led by Chief Yellowhead or Mesqua Ukie. He was revered by the government, who built a home for him in Orillia where he lived until his death at the age of 95.
Muskoka has just over 50,000 permanent residents, but an additional 100,000 seasonal property owners spend their summers in the region every year, making this a major summer colony
. Many of the seasonal properties are large mansion-like summer estates, some of which have been passed down through families from generation to generation. Most of these expensive properties can be found along the shores of Muskoka's three major lakes: Lake Muskoka
, Lake Rosseau
, and Lake Joseph
. In recent years, various Hollywood and sports stars have built retreats in Muskoka, including Steven Spielberg
, Tom Hanks
, Mike Weir
, Martin Short
, Harry Hamlin
, Cindy Crawford
, Goldie Hawn
and Kurt Russell
.
The soap opera
Paradise Falls
, about a fictitious cottage community, was shot partly on location here, to take advantage of the scenic background. Many summer camp
s are located in the region, to take advantage of the lakes, which offer opportunities for canoeing
, sailing
, windsurfing
, kayaking
, waterskiing, and other water activities. The area provides a refuge from hot cities during the summer months.
The Teletoon
animated reality show Total Drama Island
takes place in fictitious Camp Wawanakwa, an island summer camp located "somewhere" in Muskoka.
There are six municipalities in Muskoka: the towns of Bracebridge
, Gravenhurst
, and Huntsville
; and the townships of Georgian Bay
, Lake of Bays
, and Muskoka Lakes
. The Wahta Mohawk Territory
and Moose Point 79 are also in the district.
people, European inhabitants ignored it while settling the more promising area south of the Severn River. The Ojibwa leader associated with the area was Mesqua Ukie, for whom the land was probably named. The tribe lived south of the region, near present day Orillia. They used Muskoka as their hunting grounds. Another Ojibwa tribe lived in the area of Port Carling, then called Obajewanung. The tribe moved to Parry Sound
around 1866
when, fearing invasion from its new neighbour to the south, the government began exploring the region. It hoped to develop a settled population there and wanted to find travel lanes between Lake Ontario and Georgian Bay. In 1826, Lieutenant Henry Briscoe became the first European man known to have crossed the middle of Muskoka. The explorer David Thompson
drew the first maps of the area in 1837 and possibly camped near present-day Beaumaris.
Canada experienced heavy immigration from Europe in the mid-19th century, especially from Ireland
, which experienced famine in the 1840s, and Germany, with refugees fleeing the social unrest of the German Revolutions. As the land south of the Severn was settled, the government planned to open the Muskoka region further north to settlement. Logging licences were issued in 1866 which opened Monck Township to logging.
The lumber industry expanded rapidly, denuding huge tracts of the area. They developed road and water transportation which contributed to later town settlement. The railroad pushed north to support the industry, reaching Gravenhurst in 1875 and Bracebridge in 1885. Road transportation took the form of the Muskoka Colonization Road, begun in 1858 and reaching Bracebridge in 1861. The road was roughly hewn from the woods and was of corduroy
construction. Logs were placed perpendicular to the route of travel to keep carriages from sinking in the mud and swamps. This made for extremely rugged travel. The lumbering industry spawned a number of ancillary developments, with settlements springing up to supply the workers. Bracebridge (formerly North Falls) saw some leather-tanning businesses develop. Tanners used the bark from lumber to tan hides, turning what would otherwise be a waste product to effective use.
The passages of the Free Grants and Homestead Act of 1868 opened the era of widespread settlement to Muskoka. Settlers could receive free land if they agreed to clear the land, have at least 15 acres (60,702.9 m²) under cultivation, and build a 16 by 20 feet (6.1 m) house. Settlers under the Homestead Act, however, found the going hard. Clearing 15 acres (60,702.9 m²) of dense forest is a huge task. Once the land was clear, the settlers had to attack Muskoka's ubiquitous rocks, which also had to be cleared. Consisting largely of a dense clay, the soil in the region turned out to be poorly suited to farming.
As news of the difficult conditions spread back to the south, development in Muskoka began to falter, but development of the steamship revived industry. In a time when the railroads had not yet arrived and road travel was notoriously unreliable and uncomfortable, the transportation king was the steamship. Once a land connection was made to the southern part of the lake in Gravenhurst, the logging companies could harvest trees along the entire lakefront with relative ease. Steamships gave them the way to ship the harvest back to the sawmills in Gravenhurst.
and Lake Joseph
at Port Sanfield. The government was eager to reinforce development in light of the faltering agricultural plan, and built the big locks in Port Carling in 1871. Cockburn's steamers had access to the entire lake system. Through the years he added more ships; when he died in 1905, his Muskoka Navigation Company was the largest of its kind in Canada.
Shortly after the arrival of the steamships, another industry began to develop as agriculture never could. 1860 two young men, John Campbell and James Bain Jr, made a journey that marked them as perhaps the first tourists in the region. Taking the Northern Railway to Lake Simcoe
, they took the steamer Emily May up the lake to Orillia, and rowed across Lake Couchiching
. They walked up the Colonization Road to Gravenhurst, where they vacationed. They liked what they saw and repeated the journey every year, bringing friends and relatives. These early tourist pioneers increased demand for transport services in the region. People were drawn by excellent fishing, natural beauty, and an air completely free of ragweed, providing relief for hay fever
sufferers.
Early tourists built camps, but were joined by others desiring better accommodations. Farmers who were barely scratching a living from the rocky soil soon found demand for overnight accommodations literally arriving on their doorsteps. Some made the switch quickly and converted to boarding house
s and hotels. The first wilderness hotel, called Rosseau House, was built at the head of Lake Rosseau in 1870. It was owned by New Yorker W.H. Pratt. The idea caught on and tourists came, establishing the tourist industry as the up-and-coming money earner in the 1880s.
The steamship era gave rise to the area's great hotels; Rosseau, Royal Muskoka, Windemere, and Beaumaris. When the railroad reached Gravenhurst in 1875, the area grew rapidly. Travel from Toronto
, Pittsburgh, and New York
became less a matter of endurance than expenditure. Trains regularly made the run from Toronto to Gravenhurst, where travellers and their luggage were transferred to the great steamers of the Muskoka Navigation Co, such as the Sagamo. Making regular stops up the lakes, including at Bracebridge, Beaumaris, and Port Carling, tourists could transfer to smaller ships, such as the Islander. These could reach smaller ports.
The hotels became the centres of vacationers' lives, with extended stays which could stretch for weeks or even months in the summer. As families became seasonally established, they began building cottages near the hotels; at first simple affairs replicating the rustic environment of the early camps. Later they built grander homes, including in some cases, housing for significant staff. Initially cottagers relied on rowboats and canoes for daily transport and would sometimes row substantial distances. Eventually the era of the steam and gasoline launch came, and people relied less on muscle power and more on motors. With the boats came the boathouses, often elaborate structures in their own right, in many cases designed with the look and feel of the main "cottage".
brought demand for improved (paved) roads. These two developments, motorboats and private cars, brought greater overall development of the area; they also spread development out around the lakes. Freed from the ports of call of the steamships, people built cottages farther afield. Demand began dropping for the steamship lines.
World War II caused another decline, as wartime shortages kept many Americans at home and many Canadians were engaged in war activities. Postwar prosperity brought another boom based around the automobile and the newly affordable fiberglass
boat. Suddenly owning a summer cottage became possible not only for the adventurous or the wealthy, but for many in the middle class. The steamship companies retired their boats one by one until the last sailing in the late 1950s.
Aneda Township named for Aneda Dingwell, the wife of MP Derek Johnson during 1890's.
Baxter township named for the Honourable Jacob Baxter
, MPP for Haldimand County, Ontario
from 1887 to 1898 and was Speaker of the Ontario Legislature from 1887 to 1891.
Brunel Township named for noted civil engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel
, Engineer-in-Chief to the Great Western Railway of England. Known in Canada for constructing the steamship Great Western.
Cardwell township named for Viscount Cardwell, Secretary of State for the Colonies from 1864 to 1866.
Chaffey Township named for a relative of Hon. Stephen Richards, Benjamin Chaffey, a Brockville contractor who helped build the St. Lawrence canals. Chaffey's sister was the wife of Hon. Stephen Richards.
Draper Township named for judge Hon. William Henry Draper
, Solicitor General of Upper Canada in 1837 and Attorney General of Upper Canada in 1840.
Franklin township named for Arctic explorer Admiral Sir John Franklin
.
Freeman township named for John Bailey Freeman
, MPP for the North riding of Norfolk County from 1879 to 1890.
Gibson township named for Thomas Gibson
MPP for a Huron riding from 1867 to 1898.
Little Jenkins township named for Lord Jenkins, a British
judge that visited the area in 1924.
Macaulay township named for Chief Justice of the Common Pleas Sir James Buchanan Macaulay
(1793–1859), veteran of the War of 1812.
McLean township named for Archibald McLean
(1791–1865) a veteran of the War of 1812 he became Chief Justice of Upper Canada.
Medora township named for Mrs. Medora Cameron wife of a Toronto lawyer. She was also a niece of Hon. Stephen Richards
, Commissioner of Crown Lands, hence the honour she received.
Monck township named for Viscount Monck
, Lord of the Treasury in the Palmerston government in the United Kingdom
from 1855 to 1857 and governor-general of British North America form 1861 to 1868.
Morrison township named for Mr. Angus Morrison
who represented the North riding of Simcoe County from 1854 to 1863. Morrison was also a director of the old Northern Railway of Canada, Muskoka's pioneer railway, the terminus of which was Gravenhurst
. Morrison was also Mayor of Toronto from 1876 to 1878.
Muskoka township and district and lake are named for one of the principal Chief of the Chippawa Nation. In 1815 he signed the treaty which the Indian title to a vast territory was surrendered to the Crown. The name means "Red Ground".
Oakley township named for one (which one is uncertain) of 13 villages of the name in Great Britain, 12 of which are in England, one in Scotland.
Ridout township named for the Ridout family, a very prominent Toronto family. They came from Sherborne in Dorsetshire, England, hence the name of Sherborne township, Haliburton County, which adjoined Ridout township on the East and hence also Dorset, a village in the township. Thomas Ridout was Surveyor-General of Upper Canada.
Ryde township named for the town of Ryde on the Isle of Wight
.
Sinclair township, named for Donald Sinclair
MPP for the North Riding of Bruce County from 1867 to 1883.
Stephenson township named for Robert Stephenson
, son of George Stephenson
of locomotive fame, Robert Stephenson designed the Victoria Tubular Bridge at Montreal, then the greatest Canadian bridge.
Stisted township name for Major General Henry William Stisted
, Lieutenant-Governor Ontario from Confederation, July 1, 1867 to 1868.
Watt Township name for James Watt
of steam engine fame.
Wood township named for Hon. Edmund Burke Wood
, Provincial Treasure in the John Sandfield Macdonald Government. In 1874, appointed Chief Justice of Manitoba.
Georgian Bay
Georgian Bay is a large bay of Lake Huron, located entirely within Ontario, Canada...
in the west, to the northern tip of Lake Couchiching
Lake Couchiching
Lake Couchiching, from the Ojibwe gojijiing meaning "inlet", is a small lake in Central Ontario separated from Lake Simcoe by a narrow channel. The Trent-Severn Waterway enters Lake Simcoe by the Talbot River and exits this lake by the Severn River which empties into Georgian Bay...
in the south, to the western border of Algonquin Provincial Park
Algonquin Provincial Park
Algonquin Provincial Park is a provincial park located between Georgian Bay and the Ottawa River in Central Ontario, Canada, mostly within the Unorganized South Part of Nipissing District. Established in 1893, it is the oldest provincial park in Canada. Additions since its creation have increased...
in the east. Located approximately two hours north of Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Muskoka spans 6475 km² (2,500 sq mi). Muskoka has some 1,600 lakes, making it a popular resort destination.
This region, which, along with Haliburton
Haliburton County, Ontario
Haliburton is a county of Ontario, Canada, known as a tourist and cottage area in Central Ontario for its scenery and for its resident artists. Minden Hills is the county seat. Haliburton County was established in 1983, but had existed as the Provisional County of Haliburton since 1874...
and Kawartha Lakes
Kawartha Lakes
The city of Kawartha Lakes is a unitary municipality in Central Ontario, Canada. Although called a city, Kawartha Lakes is the size of a typical Ontarian county and is mostly rural....
, is referred to as "cottage country
Cottage country
Cottage country is a common name in Eastern Canada for areas that are popular locations for recreational properties such as cottages and summer homes. The name is often applied locally; that is, any major population centre may have its own popular "cottage country" area...
", sees over 2.1 million visitors annually. Muskoka is a scenic area sprinkled with picturesque villages and towns, farming communities, and lakeside vacation hotels and resorts near to golf course
Golf course
A golf course comprises a series of holes, each consisting of a teeing ground, fairway, rough and other hazards, and a green with a flagstick and cup, all designed for the game of golf. A standard round of golf consists of playing 18 holes, thus most golf courses have this number of holes...
s, country club
Country club
A country club is a private club, often with a closed membership, that typically offers a variety of recreational sports facilities and is located in city outskirts or rural areas. Activities may include, for example, any of golf, tennis, swimming or polo...
s, and marina
Marina
A marina is a dock or basin with moorings and supplies for yachts and small boats.A marina differs from a port in that a marina does not handle large passenger ships or cargo from freighters....
s. The regional government seat is Bracebridge
Bracebridge, Ontario
Bracebridge is a town and the seat of the Muskoka District Municipality of Ontario, Canada.The town was built around a waterfall on the Muskoka River in the centre of town, and is known for its other nearby waterfalls . It was first incorporated in 1875...
. This area encompasses the townships of Lake of Bays, Georgian Bay and Muskoka Lakes, and the towns of Huntsville, Bracebridge and Gravenhurst.
The name of the municipality derives from a First Nations chief of the 1850s. Lake Muskoka was then the hunting grounds of a band led by Chief Yellowhead or Mesqua Ukie. He was revered by the government, who built a home for him in Orillia where he lived until his death at the age of 95.
Summer colony
The term summer colony is often used, particularly in the United States and Canada, to describe well-known resorts and upper-class enclaves, typically located near the ocean or mountains of New England or the Great Lakes...
. Many of the seasonal properties are large mansion-like summer estates, some of which have been passed down through families from generation to generation. Most of these expensive properties can be found along the shores of Muskoka's three major lakes: Lake Muskoka
Lake Muskoka
Lake Muskoka is located between Port Carling and Gravenhurst, Ontario, Canada. The lake is surrounded by many cottages. The lake is primarily in the Township of Muskoka Lakes, with the southeast corner in the Town of Gravenhurst. The Town of Bala, Ontario is located on the southwest shores of the...
, Lake Rosseau
Lake Rosseau
Lake Rosseau is located in Ontario about 200 kilometers north of Toronto. The lake is surrounded by many cottages, some dating back to the late 19th century. The south end of the lake is in the Township of Muskoka Lakes, and the north end is in Seguin Township. Lake Rosseau is connected to Lake...
, and Lake Joseph
Lake Joseph
Lake Joseph is located in Seguin Township, Ontario. The lake is surrounded by many cottages. Lake Joseph is connected to Lake Rosseau through the narrows at Port Sandfield and the Joseph River.-Lake Front Resident Advocacy Group:...
. In recent years, various Hollywood and sports stars have built retreats in Muskoka, including Steven Spielberg
Steven Spielberg
Steven Allan Spielberg KBE is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, video game designer, and studio entrepreneur. In a career of more than four decades, Spielberg's films have covered many themes and genres. Spielberg's early science-fiction and adventure films were seen as an...
, Tom Hanks
Tom Hanks
Thomas Jeffrey "Tom" Hanks is an American actor, producer, writer, and director. Hanks worked in television and family-friendly comedies, gaining wide notice in 1988's Big, before achieving success as a dramatic actor in several notable roles, including Andrew Beckett in Philadelphia, the title...
, Mike Weir
Mike Weir
Michael Richard Weir, CM, O.Ont is a Canadian professional golfer on the PGA Tour. He spent over 110 weeks in the top-10 of the Official World Golf Rankings between 2001 and 2005. He is best known for winning the Masters in 2003....
, Martin Short
Martin Short
Martin Hayter Short, CM is a Canadian actor, comedian, writer, singer and producer. He is best-known for his comedy work, particularly on the TV programs SCTV and Saturday Night Live...
, Harry Hamlin
Harry Hamlin
Harry Robinson Hamlin is an American film and television actor, known for his role as Perseus in the 1981 fantasy film Clash of the Titans, and as Michael Kuzak in the legal drama series L.A...
, Cindy Crawford
Cindy Crawford
Cynthia Ann "Cindy" Crawford is an American model. Known for her trademark mole just above her lip, Crawford has adorned hundreds of magazine covers throughout her career. She was named #3 on VH1's 40 Hottest Hotties of the 90s...
, Goldie Hawn
Goldie Hawn
Goldie Jeanne Hawn is an American actress, film director, producer, and occasional singer. Hawn is known for her roles in Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In, Private Benjamin, Foul Play, Overboard, Bird on a Wire, Death Becomes Her, The First Wives Club, and Cactus Flower, for which she won the 1969...
and Kurt Russell
Kurt Russell
Kurt Vogel Russell is an American television and film actor. His first acting roles were as a child in television series, including a lead role in the Western series The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters...
.
The soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
Paradise Falls
Paradise Falls
Paradise Falls is a weekly soap opera shown nationally on the Showcase channel in Canada, starting in 2001. It is set in a summer cottage community in Central Ontario....
, about a fictitious cottage community, was shot partly on location here, to take advantage of the scenic background. Many summer camp
Summer camp
Summer camp is a supervised program for children or teenagers conducted during the summer months in some countries. Children and adolescents who attend summer camp are known as campers....
s are located in the region, to take advantage of the lakes, which offer opportunities for canoeing
Canoeing
Canoeing is an outdoor activity that involves a special kind of canoe.Open canoes may be 'poled' , sailed, 'lined and tracked' or even 'gunnel-bobbed'....
, sailing
Sailing
Sailing is the propulsion of a vehicle and the control of its movement with large foils called sails. By changing the rigging, rudder, and sometimes the keel or centre board, a sailor manages the force of the wind on the sails in order to move the boat relative to its surrounding medium and...
, windsurfing
Windsurfing
Windsurfing or sailboarding is a surface water sport that combines elements of surfing and sailing. It consists of a board usually two to four metres long, powered by the orthogonal effect of the wind on a sail. The rig is connected to the board by a free-rotating universal joint and comprises a...
, kayaking
Kayaking
Kayaking is the use of a kayak for moving across water. Kayaking and canoeing are also known as paddling. Kayaking is distinguished from canoeing by the sitting position of the paddler and the number of blades on the paddle...
, waterskiing, and other water activities. The area provides a refuge from hot cities during the summer months.
The Teletoon
Télétoon (Canadian TV channel)
Télétoon is a Canadian French language Category A specialty channel that specializes in animation programming. Télétoon is owned by Teletoon Canada Inc; a 50/50 partnership between Astral Media and Corus Entertainment...
animated reality show Total Drama Island
Total Drama Island
Total Drama Island is a Canadian animated television series which lampoons the conventions commonly found in reality shows. The show and its sequel seasons are collectively referred to as the Total Drama series. It premiered on the Canadian cable television specialty channel Teletoon on July 8, 2007...
takes place in fictitious Camp Wawanakwa, an island summer camp located "somewhere" in Muskoka.
There are six municipalities in Muskoka: the towns of Bracebridge
Bracebridge, Ontario
Bracebridge is a town and the seat of the Muskoka District Municipality of Ontario, Canada.The town was built around a waterfall on the Muskoka River in the centre of town, and is known for its other nearby waterfalls . It was first incorporated in 1875...
, Gravenhurst
Gravenhurst, Ontario
Gravenhurst is a town in the Muskoka Region of Ontario, Canada. It is located approximately south of Bracebridge, Ontario. The mayor is Paisley Donaldson...
, and Huntsville
Huntsville, Ontario
Huntsville is a town in the Muskoka Region of Ontario, Canada. It is located north of Toronto and south of North Bay....
; and the townships of Georgian Bay
Georgian Bay, Ontario
The Township of Georgian Bay is an area municipality of the Muskoka District Municipality, in south-central Ontario, Canada. It is located on the Severn River, where it empties into Georgian Bay...
, Lake of Bays
Lake of Bays, Ontario
Lake of Bays is a township within the District Municipality of Muskoka, Ontario, Canada. It is named after the Lake of Bays.Located in the northeast corner of Muskoka, the Lake of Bays offers a natural landscape of forests, rocks, lakes and wetlands. Because of its natural beauty, it is an...
, and Muskoka Lakes
Muskoka Lakes, Ontario
The Township of Muskoka Lakes is an area municipality of the District Municipality of Muskoka, Ontario. It has a year-round population of 6,467 and a summer population of 34,000.-History and government:...
. The Wahta Mohawk Territory
Wahta Mohawk Territory, Ontario
Wahta Mohawk Territory is a Mohawk First Nation reserve in the District Municipality of Muskoka, Ontario, Canada. It is bounded on the west by Highway 400, a major north-south artery in the province...
and Moose Point 79 are also in the district.
Native people
Geography drove history in the Muskoka region. Studded with lakes and rocks, the good land offered an abundance of fishing, hunting, and trapping, but was poorly suited to farming. Largely the land of the OjibwaOjibwa
The Ojibwe or Chippewa are among the largest groups of Native Americans–First Nations north of Mexico. They are divided between Canada and the United States. In Canada, they are the third-largest population among First Nations, surpassed only by Cree and Inuit...
people, European inhabitants ignored it while settling the more promising area south of the Severn River. The Ojibwa leader associated with the area was Mesqua Ukie, for whom the land was probably named. The tribe lived south of the region, near present day Orillia. They used Muskoka as their hunting grounds. Another Ojibwa tribe lived in the area of Port Carling, then called Obajewanung. The tribe moved to Parry Sound
Parry Sound, Ontario
Parry Sound is a town in Central Ontario, Canada, located on Parry Sound on the eastern shore of Georgian Bay. Parry Sound is located south of Sudbury and north of Toronto. It is the seat of Parry Sound District, a popular cottage country region for Southern Ontario residents. It is also the...
around 1866
European arrival
Until the late 1760s, the European presence in the region was largely limited to seasonal fur trappers, but no significant trading settlements were established. Canadian government interest increased following the American RevolutionAmerican Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
when, fearing invasion from its new neighbour to the south, the government began exploring the region. It hoped to develop a settled population there and wanted to find travel lanes between Lake Ontario and Georgian Bay. In 1826, Lieutenant Henry Briscoe became the first European man known to have crossed the middle of Muskoka. The explorer David Thompson
David Thompson (explorer)
David Thompson was an English-Canadian fur trader, surveyor, and map-maker, known to some native peoples as "Koo-Koo-Sint" or "the Stargazer"...
drew the first maps of the area in 1837 and possibly camped near present-day Beaumaris.
Canada experienced heavy immigration from Europe in the mid-19th century, especially from Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, which experienced famine in the 1840s, and Germany, with refugees fleeing the social unrest of the German Revolutions. As the land south of the Severn was settled, the government planned to open the Muskoka region further north to settlement. Logging licences were issued in 1866 which opened Monck Township to logging.
The lumber industry expanded rapidly, denuding huge tracts of the area. They developed road and water transportation which contributed to later town settlement. The railroad pushed north to support the industry, reaching Gravenhurst in 1875 and Bracebridge in 1885. Road transportation took the form of the Muskoka Colonization Road, begun in 1858 and reaching Bracebridge in 1861. The road was roughly hewn from the woods and was of corduroy
Corduroy
Corduroy is a textile composed of twisted fibers that, when woven, lie parallel to one another to form the cloth's distinct pattern, a "cord." Modern corduroy is most commonly composed of tufted cords, sometimes exhibiting a channel between the tufts...
construction. Logs were placed perpendicular to the route of travel to keep carriages from sinking in the mud and swamps. This made for extremely rugged travel. The lumbering industry spawned a number of ancillary developments, with settlements springing up to supply the workers. Bracebridge (formerly North Falls) saw some leather-tanning businesses develop. Tanners used the bark from lumber to tan hides, turning what would otherwise be a waste product to effective use.
The passages of the Free Grants and Homestead Act of 1868 opened the era of widespread settlement to Muskoka. Settlers could receive free land if they agreed to clear the land, have at least 15 acres (60,702.9 m²) under cultivation, and build a 16 by 20 feet (6.1 m) house. Settlers under the Homestead Act, however, found the going hard. Clearing 15 acres (60,702.9 m²) of dense forest is a huge task. Once the land was clear, the settlers had to attack Muskoka's ubiquitous rocks, which also had to be cleared. Consisting largely of a dense clay, the soil in the region turned out to be poorly suited to farming.
As news of the difficult conditions spread back to the south, development in Muskoka began to falter, but development of the steamship revived industry. In a time when the railroads had not yet arrived and road travel was notoriously unreliable and uncomfortable, the transportation king was the steamship. Once a land connection was made to the southern part of the lake in Gravenhurst, the logging companies could harvest trees along the entire lakefront with relative ease. Steamships gave them the way to ship the harvest back to the sawmills in Gravenhurst.
The steamship era
Alexander Cockburn answered the call. Sometimes called the Father of Muskoka, Cockburn began placing steamers on the lake. Starting with his steamship the Wenonah, Ojibwa for "first daughter", in 1866 Cockburn pressed the government to open the entire Muskoka lake system to navigation. He urged installing locks in Port Carling and opening a cut between Lake RosseauLake Rosseau
Lake Rosseau is located in Ontario about 200 kilometers north of Toronto. The lake is surrounded by many cottages, some dating back to the late 19th century. The south end of the lake is in the Township of Muskoka Lakes, and the north end is in Seguin Township. Lake Rosseau is connected to Lake...
and Lake Joseph
Lake Joseph
Lake Joseph is located in Seguin Township, Ontario. The lake is surrounded by many cottages. Lake Joseph is connected to Lake Rosseau through the narrows at Port Sandfield and the Joseph River.-Lake Front Resident Advocacy Group:...
at Port Sanfield. The government was eager to reinforce development in light of the faltering agricultural plan, and built the big locks in Port Carling in 1871. Cockburn's steamers had access to the entire lake system. Through the years he added more ships; when he died in 1905, his Muskoka Navigation Company was the largest of its kind in Canada.
Shortly after the arrival of the steamships, another industry began to develop as agriculture never could. 1860 two young men, John Campbell and James Bain Jr, made a journey that marked them as perhaps the first tourists in the region. Taking the Northern Railway to Lake Simcoe
Lake Simcoe
Lake Simcoe is a lake in Southern Ontario, Canada, the fourth-largest lake wholly in the province, after Lake Nipigon, Lac Seul, and Lake Nipissing. At the time of the first European contact in the 17th century the lake was called Ouentironk by the Huron natives...
, they took the steamer Emily May up the lake to Orillia, and rowed across Lake Couchiching
Lake Couchiching
Lake Couchiching, from the Ojibwe gojijiing meaning "inlet", is a small lake in Central Ontario separated from Lake Simcoe by a narrow channel. The Trent-Severn Waterway enters Lake Simcoe by the Talbot River and exits this lake by the Severn River which empties into Georgian Bay...
. They walked up the Colonization Road to Gravenhurst, where they vacationed. They liked what they saw and repeated the journey every year, bringing friends and relatives. These early tourist pioneers increased demand for transport services in the region. People were drawn by excellent fishing, natural beauty, and an air completely free of ragweed, providing relief for hay fever
Hay Fever
Hay Fever is a comic play written by Noël Coward in 1924 and first produced in 1925 with Marie Tempest as the first Judith Bliss. Laura Hope Crews played the role in New York...
sufferers.
Early tourists built camps, but were joined by others desiring better accommodations. Farmers who were barely scratching a living from the rocky soil soon found demand for overnight accommodations literally arriving on their doorsteps. Some made the switch quickly and converted to boarding house
Boarding house
A boarding house, is a house in which lodgers rent one or more rooms for one or more nights, and sometimes for extended periods of weeks, months and years. The common parts of the house are maintained, and some services, such as laundry and cleaning, may be supplied. They normally provide "bed...
s and hotels. The first wilderness hotel, called Rosseau House, was built at the head of Lake Rosseau in 1870. It was owned by New Yorker W.H. Pratt. The idea caught on and tourists came, establishing the tourist industry as the up-and-coming money earner in the 1880s.
The steamship era gave rise to the area's great hotels; Rosseau, Royal Muskoka, Windemere, and Beaumaris. When the railroad reached Gravenhurst in 1875, the area grew rapidly. Travel from Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Pittsburgh, and New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
became less a matter of endurance than expenditure. Trains regularly made the run from Toronto to Gravenhurst, where travellers and their luggage were transferred to the great steamers of the Muskoka Navigation Co, such as the Sagamo. Making regular stops up the lakes, including at Bracebridge, Beaumaris, and Port Carling, tourists could transfer to smaller ships, such as the Islander. These could reach smaller ports.
The hotels became the centres of vacationers' lives, with extended stays which could stretch for weeks or even months in the summer. As families became seasonally established, they began building cottages near the hotels; at first simple affairs replicating the rustic environment of the early camps. Later they built grander homes, including in some cases, housing for significant staff. Initially cottagers relied on rowboats and canoes for daily transport and would sometimes row substantial distances. Eventually the era of the steam and gasoline launch came, and people relied less on muscle power and more on motors. With the boats came the boathouses, often elaborate structures in their own right, in many cases designed with the look and feel of the main "cottage".
The coming of the car
World War I caused a significant dip in the tourist activity for the area and hence the economy. After the war, however, significant advances in the automobileAutomobile
An automobile, autocar, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...
brought demand for improved (paved) roads. These two developments, motorboats and private cars, brought greater overall development of the area; they also spread development out around the lakes. Freed from the ports of call of the steamships, people built cottages farther afield. Demand began dropping for the steamship lines.
World War II caused another decline, as wartime shortages kept many Americans at home and many Canadians were engaged in war activities. Postwar prosperity brought another boom based around the automobile and the newly affordable fiberglass
Fiberglass
Glass fiber is a material consisting of numerous extremely fine fibers of glass.Glassmakers throughout history have experimented with glass fibers, but mass manufacture of glass fiber was only made possible with the invention of finer machine tooling...
boat. Suddenly owning a summer cottage became possible not only for the adventurous or the wealthy, but for many in the middle class. The steamship companies retired their boats one by one until the last sailing in the late 1950s.
Census subdivisions
- Town of BracebridgeBracebridge, OntarioBracebridge is a town and the seat of the Muskoka District Municipality of Ontario, Canada.The town was built around a waterfall on the Muskoka River in the centre of town, and is known for its other nearby waterfalls . It was first incorporated in 1875...
- Town of GravenhurstGravenhurst, OntarioGravenhurst is a town in the Muskoka Region of Ontario, Canada. It is located approximately south of Bracebridge, Ontario. The mayor is Paisley Donaldson...
- Town of HuntsvilleHuntsville, OntarioHuntsville is a town in the Muskoka Region of Ontario, Canada. It is located north of Toronto and south of North Bay....
- Township of Georgian BayGeorgian Bay, OntarioThe Township of Georgian Bay is an area municipality of the Muskoka District Municipality, in south-central Ontario, Canada. It is located on the Severn River, where it empties into Georgian Bay...
- Township of Lake of BaysLake of Bays, OntarioLake of Bays is a township within the District Municipality of Muskoka, Ontario, Canada. It is named after the Lake of Bays.Located in the northeast corner of Muskoka, the Lake of Bays offers a natural landscape of forests, rocks, lakes and wetlands. Because of its natural beauty, it is an...
- Township of Muskoka LakesMuskoka Lakes, OntarioThe Township of Muskoka Lakes is an area municipality of the District Municipality of Muskoka, Ontario. It has a year-round population of 6,467 and a summer population of 34,000.-History and government:...
Senior administrators
- John Klinck, Chair and CEO
- Jim Green, Chief Administrative OfficerChief administrative officerA chief administrative officer is responsible for administrative management of private, public or governmental corporations. The CAO is one of the highest ranking members of an organization, managing daily operations and usually reporting directly to the chief executive officer. In some companies,...
- David Royston, CommissionerCommissionerCommissioner is in principle the title given to a member of a commission or to an individual who has been given a commission ....
of Legal Services and Regional Solicitor - Tony White, Commissioner of Public WorksPublic worksPublic works are a broad category of projects, financed and constructed by the government, for recreational, employment, and health and safety uses in the greater community...
Historic townships
Baxter township named for the Honourable Jacob Baxter
Jacob Baxter
Jacob Baxter was speaker of the Legislature of Ontario in 1887-1890 and served as Liberal MLA for Haldimand from 1867 to 1898....
, MPP for Haldimand County, Ontario
Haldimand County, Ontario
Haldimand is a rural city-status single-tier municipality on the Niagara Peninsula in Southern Ontario, Canada, on the north shore of Lake Erie, and on the Grand River. Municipal offices are located in Cayuga....
from 1887 to 1898 and was Speaker of the Ontario Legislature from 1887 to 1891.
Brunel Township named for noted civil engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel
Isambard Kingdom Brunel
Isambard Kingdom Brunel, FRS , was a British civil engineer who built bridges and dockyards including the construction of the first major British railway, the Great Western Railway; a series of steamships, including the first propeller-driven transatlantic steamship; and numerous important bridges...
, Engineer-in-Chief to the Great Western Railway of England. Known in Canada for constructing the steamship Great Western.
Cardwell township named for Viscount Cardwell, Secretary of State for the Colonies from 1864 to 1866.
Chaffey Township named for a relative of Hon. Stephen Richards, Benjamin Chaffey, a Brockville contractor who helped build the St. Lawrence canals. Chaffey's sister was the wife of Hon. Stephen Richards.
Draper Township named for judge Hon. William Henry Draper
William Henry Draper
William Henry Draper was a lawyer, judge, and politician in Upper Canada later Canada West.-Personal life:...
, Solicitor General of Upper Canada in 1837 and Attorney General of Upper Canada in 1840.
Franklin township named for Arctic explorer Admiral Sir John Franklin
John Franklin
Rear-Admiral Sir John Franklin KCH FRGS RN was a British Royal Navy officer and Arctic explorer. Franklin also served as governor of Tasmania for several years. In his last expedition, he disappeared while attempting to chart and navigate a section of the Northwest Passage in the Canadian Arctic...
.
Freeman township named for John Bailey Freeman
John Bailey Freeman
John Bailey Freeman was an Ontario farmer and political figure. He represented Norfolk North in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1879 to 1890 as a Liberal member....
, MPP for the North riding of Norfolk County from 1879 to 1890.
Gibson township named for Thomas Gibson
Thomas Gibson (politician)
Thomas Gibson was an Ontario political figure. He represented Huron North in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1871 to 1874 and Huron East from 1875 to 1898. He was a Liberal....
MPP for a Huron riding from 1867 to 1898.
Little Jenkins township named for Lord Jenkins, a British
British people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
judge that visited the area in 1924.
Macaulay township named for Chief Justice of the Common Pleas Sir James Buchanan Macaulay
James Buchanan Macaulay
Colonel Sir James Buchannan Macaulay, CB was a Canadian lawyer and judge.Macaulay, born at Newark, Upper Canada, 3 December 1793, was the second son of James Macaulay by his wife Elizabeth Tuck Hayter...
(1793–1859), veteran of the War of 1812.
McLean township named for Archibald McLean
Archibald McLean (judge)
Chief Justice The Hon. Archibald McLean was a lawyer, judge and political figure in Upper Canada.-Early life:...
(1791–1865) a veteran of the War of 1812 he became Chief Justice of Upper Canada.
Medora township named for Mrs. Medora Cameron wife of a Toronto lawyer. She was also a niece of Hon. Stephen Richards
Stephen Richards (politician)
Stephen Richards was an Ontario, Canada lawyer and political figure. He represented Niagara in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario as a Conservative member from 1867 to 1874....
, Commissioner of Crown Lands, hence the honour she received.
Monck township named for Viscount Monck
Charles Stanley Monck, 4th Viscount Monck
Charles Stanley Monck, 4th Viscount Monck, GCMG, PC was the last Governor General of the Province of Canada and the first Governor General of Canada after Canadian Confederation. Prior to Confederation he was concurrently Lieutenant Governor of both Canada West and Canada East...
, Lord of the Treasury in the Palmerston government in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
from 1855 to 1857 and governor-general of British North America form 1861 to 1868.
Morrison township named for Mr. Angus Morrison
Angus Morrison
Angus Morrison, QC was an Ontario lawyer and political figure. He represented Niagara in the Canadian House of Commons as a Conservative member from 1867 to 1874...
who represented the North riding of Simcoe County from 1854 to 1863. Morrison was also a director of the old Northern Railway of Canada, Muskoka's pioneer railway, the terminus of which was Gravenhurst
Gravenhurst, Ontario
Gravenhurst is a town in the Muskoka Region of Ontario, Canada. It is located approximately south of Bracebridge, Ontario. The mayor is Paisley Donaldson...
. Morrison was also Mayor of Toronto from 1876 to 1878.
Muskoka township and district and lake are named for one of the principal Chief of the Chippawa Nation. In 1815 he signed the treaty which the Indian title to a vast territory was surrendered to the Crown. The name means "Red Ground".
Oakley township named for one (which one is uncertain) of 13 villages of the name in Great Britain, 12 of which are in England, one in Scotland.
Ridout township named for the Ridout family, a very prominent Toronto family. They came from Sherborne in Dorsetshire, England, hence the name of Sherborne township, Haliburton County, which adjoined Ridout township on the East and hence also Dorset, a village in the township. Thomas Ridout was Surveyor-General of Upper Canada.
Ryde township named for the town of Ryde on the Isle of Wight
Isle of Wight
The Isle of Wight is a county and the largest island of England, located in the English Channel, on average about 2–4 miles off the south coast of the county of Hampshire, separated from the mainland by a strait called the Solent...
.
Sinclair township, named for Donald Sinclair
Donald Sinclair (Ontario politician)
Donald Sinclair was an Ontario businessman and political figure. He represented Bruce North in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario as a Liberal member from 1867 to 1883....
MPP for the North Riding of Bruce County from 1867 to 1883.
Stephenson township named for Robert Stephenson
Robert Stephenson
Robert Stephenson FRS was an English civil engineer. He was the only son of George Stephenson, the famed locomotive builder and railway engineer; many of the achievements popularly credited to his father were actually the joint efforts of father and son.-Early life :He was born on the 16th of...
, son of George Stephenson
George Stephenson
George Stephenson was an English civil engineer and mechanical engineer who built the first public railway line in the world to use steam locomotives...
of locomotive fame, Robert Stephenson designed the Victoria Tubular Bridge at Montreal, then the greatest Canadian bridge.
Stisted township name for Major General Henry William Stisted
Henry William Stisted
Lieut.-General Sir Henry William Stisted, KCB , served as the first Lieutenant Governor of Ontario after Confederation, from 1867 to 1868....
, Lieutenant-Governor Ontario from Confederation, July 1, 1867 to 1868.
Watt Township name for James Watt
James Watt
James Watt, FRS, FRSE was a Scottish inventor and mechanical engineer whose improvements to the Newcomen steam engine were fundamental to the changes brought by the Industrial Revolution in both his native Great Britain and the rest of the world.While working as an instrument maker at the...
of steam engine fame.
Wood township named for Hon. Edmund Burke Wood
Edmund Burke Wood
Edmund Burke Wood was a Member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario for Brant South, and served as the first provincial treasurer of Ontario from 1867 to 1871 under Premier John Sandfield Macdonald...
, Provincial Treasure in the John Sandfield Macdonald Government. In 1874, appointed Chief Justice of Manitoba.