Beaumaris muskoka Novels Historic cruises relocatiNg Wanda III iN

Issue 93
Beaumaris
Muskoka Novels
Historic Cruises
Relocating Wanda III in 1993
Railroads in Muskoka, Part VII
Spring 2015
ENJOY THE
NEIGHBOURHOOD.
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and the perseverance and hard work it takes to achieve it. With offices in Muskoka, Halton Hills and
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TOLL FREE 1.877.422.8467
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About Us
Muskoka Steamship &
Historical Society
www.realmuskoka.com
Muskoka Steamships
185 Cherokee Lane,
Gravenhurst, ON P1P 1Z9
info@realmuskoka.com
705-687-6667
Muskoka Boat &
Heritage Centre
275 Steamship Bay Road,
Gravenhurst, ON P1P 1T9
acurley@realmuskoka.com
705-687-2115
Charity Registration #13261 7770
General Manager: John Miller
Operations Manager (MBHC):
Ann Curley
Membership:
Pat Young & Lawton Osler
membership@realmuskoka.com
Features
Muskoka Summer Post Offices
Eileen Godfrey��������������������������������������������������������������������������� 7
A Literary Tour with Muskoka Novels
Gabriele Wills����������������������������������������������������������������������������� 8
Beaumaris: The Origins of “Little Pittsburgh”
Gerry Hatherley����������������������������������������������������������������������� 10
The Greatest Little Motor Boat Afloat
James Onions ������������������������������������������������������������������������� 13
Railroads in Muskoka
Part VII: Into the New Century, and a Golden Age of Rail
Rod Brazier������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 14
Historic Cruises
Gerry Hatherley����������������������������������������������������������������������� 18
From Dwight to Sagamo Park: Relocating Wanda III in 1993
Jack McIrvine��������������������������������������������������������������������������� 21
The First Lady of Speedboat Racing
Ray Windsor����������������������������������������������������������������������������� 24
Board of Directors:
Rick Terry—President
Columns
Norma Bandler, Dan Cornacchia,
Bill Garriock, Gary Getson,
Dunc Hawkins, John Lee, Jim Lewis,
Rick McGraw, Blair McMurchy,
Stan Meek, Hank Smith, Mary Storey,
Murray Walker, Pat Young
Big Thanks To RMS Segwun Donors ����������������������������������������4
Editor & Publisher: Mary Storey
archives@realmuskoka.com
Advertising: Mary Jean Kline
jc466@rogers.com
Membership Matters������������������������������������������������������������������4
President’s Message ������������������������������������������������������������������5
General Manager’s Report ��������������������������������������������������������5
On the Horizon����������������������������������������������������������������������������6
Friends of Muskoka Steamship & Historical Society��������������9
Front Cover: Moving Wanda III. Unless otherwise noted, all historical photos
appear courtesy the Archives Department at MBHC.
Muskoka Steamship & Historical Society
Vision: To be a leader in demonstrating the culture and
heritage of the Muskoka Region and its contribution to
Canada by presenting compelling, entertaining and
educational experiences, attractions and events.
Mission: The Muskoka Steamship & Historical Society
preserves, educates and promotes the traditions of the
steamship, boat building and resort era in Muskoka.
Spring 2015 • 3
T h e R e a l M u s k o k a St o r y
BIG THANKS TO RMS SEGWUN DONORS
The largest one-time restoration
to RMS Segwun since she was relaunched commercially in 1981 was
completed in May 2015. The wheelhouse was removed last fall and new
wood installed below to make the
structure capable of lasting another 50
years. Electrical wiring was replaced
in more places than originally thought
was necessary. Mechanical repairs
were worked on all winter and completed in May. New carpets and floor
coverings were installed and new wallpaper applied in the washrooms. All
the dining room chairs were reupholstered by volunteers from the Society
at a great savings to the organization —
thanks to Hank Smith and Ron Riddell
for their leadership! There were a few
surprises, but also some savings so
the project was completed on budget
and in time for the start of the season.
RMS Segwun is as “fit as a fiddle” and
ready to take thousands of passengers
around the Muskoka Lakes.
All this retrofitting was made
possible by the 273 donors who
answered the “Help Segwun” call
in the fall of 2014 and contributed
$209,000. This kind
of community support is critical to the
Muskoka Steamship
& Historical Society’s
mission to preserve
and celebrate the
traditions and culture that have made
the Muskoka Region
such a special place.
A reception aboard
RMS Segwun is being
held on July 17, 2015
to personally thank
all those who supported the campaign
and to show off all
the good work that
was completed.
Rick McGraw
Chair, Segwun Wheelhouse
Campaign
MEMBERSHIP MATTERS
Why are you a member?
Is it because you see RMS Segwun
in the locks in Port Carling at least
twice a summer? If you are lucky,
you will hear the Lock Master talking
to the Captain as he locks through.
Maybe you are a member because
when you drive past Muskoka Wharf
you always have a good chance of seeing Segwun with her fires banked and
a little smoke drifting from her stack.
Perhaps it is the opportunity to jump
in your boat and show your guests
Segwun or Wenonah II. Or, are you
a member because of the special sound
of the ships’ whistles from across
the lake?
Perhaps it is the preservation of our
4 • Issue 93
precious heritage and the one-of-akind Muskoka Boat & Heritage Centre
where the stories of our heritage come
to life in hands-on, state-of-the-art
exhibits, and where the only in-water
exhibit of working antique boats in
North America is on display and provides a feast for the eyes.
We all have our own reasons for
being a member.
No matter what your reasons for
being a member, one thing is indisputable: our membership fees and donations are an important source of revenue
for the Society. This support ensures
that we can carry on the important
work of preserving our heritage and
that the ships continue to sail.
We all believe Muskoka without the
steamships is not Muskoka.
When the summer season gets
closer and closer and you finally see
the ships on the lake remember —
Membership Matters! Thank you!
Happy Cruising,
Pat Young
Membership Co-Chair
patalyoung@gmail.com
705-687-3258
Lawton Osler
Membership Co-Chair
lawton.osler@oslerhr.ca
416-562-5910
T h e R e a l M u s k o k a St o r y
President’s Message
From time to time my wife Karen and
I visit our daughter and her family in
the west of London, England and that
is what we are doing as I write this message. The weather here is about a month
ahead of ours in Muskoka and we love
to get out and walk along the shores of
the Thames. Today we were walking
where the Oxford–Cambridge rowing
competition has been held since 1856.
We walked past a half-dozen rowing
clubs. All are busy places with young
rowers preparing shells or launching
them with tremendous technique. In
the river, rowers are practicing in their
shells, urged on by the Cox’s megaphone and sometimes accompanied by
coaches in long narrow slipper launches.
Karen said “I bet you want to be out on
the water.” Well, yah! Although my butt
wouldn’t fit in one of those racing shells.
By the time you read this Karen
and I will be opening the cottage for
the May 24th weekend and we will
be out on the water. Wenonah II will
have taken her first cruise of the season and RMS Segwun will be showing
off her restored wheelhouse deck and
furnishings. The Segwun project has
progressed very smoothly under our
ship’s master carpenter Fred Mischler
and our workshop volunteers have
worked hard to refurbish the dining room chairs before having them
professionally reupholstered at great
savings to the Society. Once again we
thank our generous donors who made
this possible. Thank you, thank you.
Your Board of Directors recently
approved a truly exciting initiative to
shift the Muskoka Boat and Heritage
Centre’s appeal toward children and
families. We believe that this initiative is the key to the sustainability of
the organization. Called “KidZone,” a
number of new hands-on features and
exhibits will be showing up beginning in June. Bring your children and
grandchildren to visit “Life Under the
Canopy,” a professionally developed
exhibit exploring life in the forest and
streams, and let them try their hand
at being a Bush Pilot in the new Flight
Simulator or one of the other exciting
new interactive features.
Summer is only a moment away.
We’ll see you at the Annual General
Meeting on Wenonah II, Saturday
May 30 at 9:00 a.m.
Rick Terry
President
General Manager’s Report
As you will read in Rick Terry’s report
and our new four page insert in this
magazine, we have a dramatic shift
in our offerings at Muskoka Boat
& Heritage Centre happening this
summer! KidZone represents a huge
change in our exhibit and marketing
strategies and is now focused on families. Our collaborations this past year
with Science North and Lord Cultural
Resources have shown us that we need
a more interactive experience targeted
towards a younger audience and we
have begun with the first phase of our
revitalization — KidZone!
Our committee, Pat Young, Jake
Thomas, Jan Getsen, Hank Smith and
management led by Ann Curley, have
been working hard to transform the
mezzanine into an engaging educa-
tional experience that will entertain
kids from 3–12 years of age.
The family theme has been
extended to our ships as well with
the launching of our newest line of
“Frozen” cruises! Please bring your
family and friends to Muskoka Wharf
this season to discover the latest in
family entertainment!
The Segwun refurbishment will
be completed before our first sailing
date and I would like to thank all the
donors to our campaign last year. This
campaign was one of the most important fundraising efforts we have tackled
in the 14 years I have been with the
organization. In the middle of a very
poor season in 2014, we recognized
that we may not have the funds to complete important restoration work and a
campaign was planned and launched.
In a matter of months we had raised
enough funds to cover the wheelhouse
work and many other smaller projects
that were required. Thanks to Rick
McGraw who led this extremely successful campaign!
At our AGM this year we will
announce the retiring of four directors, John Lee, Murray Walker, Bill
Garriock and Norma Bandler. I would
like to thank these individuals for
their invaluable contributions to our
Society by serving on our board —
combined over 40 years of work!
See you this summer… bring the
kids!
John Miller
General Manager
Spring 2015 • 5
T h e R e a l M u s k o k a St o r y
On The Horizon
Muskoka Boat & Heritage Centre
Sunday, June 7, 2:00 p.m.
Tuesday, June 9
July 15 to August 15
Series Bruce Koyptek,
author of newly released Eaton’s:
The Trans-Canada Store. As a boy
Bruce travelled with his family
through cities
where Eaton’s
was the major
department
store.
He
lingers on the
beauty of the
buildings and
the products
they sold, the
innovations
that
drew
customers through the doors
and the character of the founder,
Timothy Eaton, who cared deeply
for the well-being of his employees.
New Season: New Collection
Fashion Show Come and see the
Under the Canopy: Animals of the
Rainforest Get ready to meet a
new collection of fashions found at
Muskoka Boat & Heritage Centre.
live python, crocodile, tarantula,
scorpion or lizard as we showcase
the colourful world of tropical
rainforest animals from Little Ray’s
Reptile Zoo.
Speaker
$15.00 • 705-687-2115
Friday, June 19
Annual
Heritage
Fundraising
Gala Dinner, Music & Dancing,
Silent Auction and special Guest
Appearance. $115.00 • 705-687-2115
Tax receipt issued.
June to October
Summer Exhibits: 100th Anniversary
of Wanda III and Disappearing
Propeller Boats as well as resorts
and hotels of Muskoka that have
been with us for more than 100
years.
All Summer
KidZone Action-packed activities
especially for kids! Keva Planks,
Lego, Light Peg Wall, Die Cutter,
Float Plane Simulator, Make It Table,
and more. Something for everyone.
Discover Kayaking and Discover
Stand Up Paddle Boarding In
partnership with Ann & Mike Valin
from Happy Paddling, we offer this
2.5 hour weekly program. $79.00
includes all equipment. Space will
be limited.
Muskoka Steamships
Sundays: July 19 to August
16, 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
Monday, August 17,
10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Pirate Cruises — Arrghh Mateys!!! Grand Muskoka Cottage Tour This
Rumor has it that the infamous
Captain Corbin will be “taking”
Wenonah II and her crew every
Sunday morning! Beware of cannon
fire as our new pirate recruits take
the vow to lead a life of piracy!
Fridays: July 17 to August 14,
10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
Noah’s Ark Cruises Have you ever
felt the quills of a porcupine or the
shell of a snapping turtle? Join
“Speaking of Wildlife” as they
present furry friends and slithery
reptiles on board Wenonah II.
is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity
to tour one of Muskoka’s palatial
summer homes, complete with
luxuriously appointed interior and
manicured grounds.
Fridays: July 17 to August 21,
6:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
Fridays with Kenny Munshaw Enjoy
the celebrated sounds of Kenny
Munshaw along with dinner, Friday
evenings aboard Wenonah II.
Friday, July 17,
11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Saturdays: July 25, August 8 and
August 22, 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Historic Cruise aboard RMS Segwun:
Celebrating the Grand Resorts of
Lake Muskoka By the late 1890s,
“FROZEN” Cruises Join the Ice
Muskoka had become one of the
premiere holiday destinations in
North America. Join us in viewing
the site of nineteen former resorts.
Includes lunch. Queen and Snow Princess for a
captivating and magical cruise as
they tell the story of “Frozen” and
perform the enchanting songs. 6 • Issue 93
Friday, July 31,
11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Historic Cruise aboard RMS Segwun:
Ships of Yesteryear Lake Muskoka
holds the remains of many of the
Navigation Company’s 23 ships.
Find where they are located at the
bottom of the lake and how they got
there. Includes lunch.
Friday, August 14,
11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Historic Cruise aboard RMS Segwun:
Cruising to East Bay and the Kettles
Area Lake Muskoka has some very
interesting geography and geological
areas. Learn the scenic facts and
some history of this western area of
Lake Muskoka. Includes lunch.
Sagamo hull
T h e R e a l M u s k o k a St o r y
Muskoka Summer Post Offices
In the late 19th and early 20th Centuries,
Muskoka had become a popular vacation
destination. Many tourists remained for
lengthy visits and they needed a means
of communicating with their friends
and families back home.
New post offices were established
to accommodate these guests and they
remained open as long as the tourists
were in residence. These summer post
offices were designated by Canada Post
as ones that were open from May to the
end of September each year. There were
approximately 51 summer post offices
over the years in Muskoka. The first one
was established at Cloverport on the Big
Island (Tobin Island) in Lake Rosseau in
1887 with Postmaster Martin Collins.
This first summer post office remained
in operation until 1892.
According to Susan Sheffield in her
book The Companion Guide to Muskoka
District Post Offices, the Beaumaris
summer Post Office was the last one
established. It opened between June and
September of 1999. It is interesting to
note that each summer post office also
had a winter address, usually connected
with a nearby settlement.
These post offices were usually
located in resorts and stores in summer
communities. They handled letters, post
cards, newspapers and parcels. These
rare postmarks are valuable collectibles
today. Each item of mail travelled along
many intersecting distribution routes.
They would have been carried by rail and
possibly steamer and then by launch,
canoe or row boat. We are reminded
that most of the Muskoka ships were
designated as mail ships and still today
a guest can mail a letter on board
RMS Segwun and have it cancelled with
that ship’s unique post mark.
There were many mail contractors
who carried items overland to offshore
summer post offices. These routes were
very efficient. A letter mailed in Toronto
could arrive in Muskoka the same day.
Messages posted in Rosseau would
arrive in Gravenhurst accepting a dinner engagement that evening.
As you can imagine, these summer
post offices added greatly to the commerce of the area.
There are many reasons for the closures of these special post offices. Many
resorts burned down including their
post offices. Other resorts went bankrupt. Some postmasters retired or left
the business without being able to find
a replacement. Eventually, rural mail
delivery improved and in 1954, Canada
Post did not renew the contract with the
Muskoka Lakes Navigation and Hotel
Company and the ships could no longer
officially carry mail.
Eventually, Canada Post Corporation
closed all summer post offices and now
all mail is picked up only at year-round
postal facilities. —Eileen Godfrey, Archives Volunteer
Post Office at St. Elmo (Bracebridge)
Lifting the Mail to the Ship
Rowing the Mail from Shore to Ship
Spring 2015 • 7
T h e R e a l M u s k o k a St o r y
A Literary Tour with Muskoka Novels
For me, walking in the footsteps of
favourite characters and exploring the
landscapes which inspired authors adds
an exciting dimension to the enjoyment
of books. Although many of the Muskoka
islands and locales in my novels — The
Summer Before the Storm, Elusive Dawn,
and Under the Moon — are fictional, they
are based upon or typical of real places.
Muskoka novels by the author
Gravenhurst Wharf:
A century ago, the Wyndhams and their
cottage neighbours arrived on this dock
after a lengthy train ride from Toronto.
They and their servants boarded one of
the elegant steamships with trunks of
supplies for their three-month sojourn
amid the sublime beauty of Muskoka.
You can recapture the essence of that era
by sailing aboard the original Segwun
or Wenonah II. Some cruises take you
past Millionaires Row and Beaumaris,
mentioned in the novels. The grand old
cottages could have belonged to several
of my characters.
Muskoka Boat &
Heritage Centre:
This is the site of the former Ditchburn
boatworks. Among the in-water
displays of antique craft are custombuilt mahogany launches like the ones
that the families in the novels drove —
perhaps even a “gentleman’s racer” that
8 • Issue 93
Chas Thornton might have used to win
international races in Under the Moon.
Ungerman Gateway
Park, Gravenhurst:
This waterfront park was once part of the
private Calydor Sanatorium, referred to
as the Lakeview San in Under the Moon.
If you search near the beginning of the
path above the beach, you’ll find the
rocky, clifftop hollow where sweethearts
Claire and Colin met secretly. Fictional
“Hope Cottage” sprawled on the shore
south of the Sanatorium. Calydor closed
in 1935, and became a German prisonerof-war camp during WWII, which plays
an important role in upcoming Book 4.
Huckleberry Rock:
The granite crest is the site of the “snakebite
scene” in Under the Moon. But there’s no
cause to fear the endangered Massasauga
rattlesnake in this part of Muskoka now.
Take a hike up this majestic rock for spectacular views, and imagine a 1920s picnic
with sassy flappers sipping illegal champagne and dancing to jazz music.
Port Carling:
Called “Port Darling” in the books for
artistic licence, Port Carling is the site of
several scenes in the books, including a
devastating fire in 1919, which echoed
the real one of 1931. On the wharf above
the locks, you can envision the Seaford
Boatworks, from which you would have
glimpsed Esme’s fictional home across
a stretch of “Chippewa Bay.” From
the island where the Muskoka Lakes
Museum is now located, Esme and her
cousins watched natives weaving baskets
and cleaning fish around the campfires
of the real Indian Village that once lay
on the east shore of the bend in the river.
Ferndale Road &
Shamrock Lodge:
Esme drove warily down this road,
past the home of sinister Trick Butcher,
to Pineridge Inn, located where the
Shamrock Lodge is today. The fictional
“Stepping Stone” islands stretch north
from there. You can see the south point
of Mazengah Island in the distance —
the inspiration for Wyndwood. The
MLA Golf and Country Club, next to
Shamrock, was the model for the Summer
Residents’ Association (SRA) Club in the
novels. Nearby was the fictional Spirit Bay
Children’s Retreat, on the site of the longvanished Ferndale Inn.
Clevelands House:
Pineridge Inn is loosely based on
Clevelands House, one of the few surviving 19th century resorts. From the waterfront row of colourful Muskoka chairs,
you can see the north end of Mazengah
Island (fictional Wyndwood) in the distance. Look for a large white boathouse
framed by closer islands. Mad Phoebe
might be gazing back at you from the cliff
where she met a shell-shocked stranger.
The other enchanting isles before you
were transformed into the Thorntons’
four islands. In the far distance straight
ahead lies Tobin Island. It’s the site
of the real Muskoka Assembly of the
Chautauqua, which characters visit several times in Under the Moon.
T h e R e a l M u s k o k a St o r y
The Rosseau, J.W.
Marriott Resort & Spa:
“It was the whisper that started their war.”
So begins The Summer Before the Storm
in the fictional Grand Muskoka Hotel,
based on the opulent but long-gone
Royal Muskoka Hotel, which was located
further along Juddhaven Road. The
Wyndhams and their friends often dined
and danced at The Grand. Feathery pines
in the distance grace the north point of
Mazengah Island (fictional Wyndwood).
Bala:
The Thorntons and their friends visit the
picturesque Bala Falls in Under the Moon.
Down River Street to the north of the falls,
Alice and Arthur chance upon famous
author L. M. Montgomery, who was
holidaying incognito at Roselawn Lodge
in 1922. The original inn burned down,
but the Annex is still standing; however
it’s now a private cottage. A rite of passage
for the Wyndham boys and their friends
was a challenging canoeing expedition
down the Moon River to Georgian Bay,
beginning from Bala.
By Boat:
Sunset Cruises depart at various times
daily from Port Carling to tour Lake
Rosseau, which is where most of the
fictional cottages in the novels are
located. Some cruises take you right
past Mazengah Island, which inspired
the novels, as well as the site of the old
Ferndale Inn — the basis of The Spirit
Bay Inn, which Ria and Chas turn into
a children’s convalescent hospital. North
of Mazengah lie Wistowe, Ouno, The
Brackens, and Rockhaven islands, which
could have belonged to the Thorntons.
On Tobin Island there is nothing left
of the Muskoka Assembly’s Epworth
Inn (later Wigwassan Lodge), but some
of the private cottages belonging to
Chautauqua founding families still exist.
Fans worldwide have expressed
an interest in visiting Muskoka. At
the request of Muskoka Tourism, I’ve
prepared a driving tour based around
these locations. Muskoka will undoubtedly work its usual magic on newcomers,
as it did me, many decades ago.
—Gabriele Wills, author
Friends of Muskoka Steamship & Historical Society
The Board of Directors and Staff sincerely appreciate the contribution our Friends have made to the Society which has
enabled us to support major projects including: interactive exhibits, programming focused on youth, smart phone app,
restoration work on the Segwun and upcoming support for this summer’s attraction focused on the building of the
KidZone. This year, 36 new Friends were welcomed through contributions to the restoration of the Segwun Wheelhouse.
If you have not already done so, we encourage you to join our growing community of Friends with an annual donation of
a minimum of $1,000 and join our special Friends events, this year a cruise from Beaumaris on July 26th.
—Gary Getson, Chairman of Friends Program
List of Friends including 2013–2014
Wayne & Patricia Anaka
Arthur & Marilyn Angus
Antique & Classic Boat Society
– Toronto
Ross Ashforth
Norma Bandler
Ralph Barford
Ronald & Barbara Besse
Bruce Bone
Burgundy Asset Management
John Callaghan
Canadian & Commonwealth
Shipping
Don & Gail Chapman
Gary & Valerie Clark
Rob & Kaija Clark
Don & Helen Coates
Ronald Cooper
Dan & Mary Cornacchia
John & Maggie Cowan
Chris & Louise Cragg
Alan & Debbie Cranfield
Norma Croxon
Jim & Beth Cruickshank
Mark & Ann Curry
Spencer & Dora Dalton
Mildred Dawber
Donald Decker
Down Family Foundation
John & Merrilyn Driscoll
Bill Etherington
Graeme & Phyllis Ferguson
Jock & Sue Fleming
Gary & Jill Ford
Ken & Maureen Fowler
Paul & Helen Gareau
Bill & Patty Garriock
Bobby & Karen Genovese
Domenic Gesualdi
Gary & Janice Getson
Jim & Marlyn Goodwin
Dunc & Sharie Hawkins
Diana Hogarth
Richard & Pamela Hallisey
J & L Rogers Foundation
Robert Jacob
Robert Jennings
Johnston & Associates
The Klinck family
John & Ruth Lawson
John Lee
Jim & Eleanor Lewis
Paul & Mary Lou Little
Peter Little
John & Nancy Love
Greg & Pat Martin
Donald McCartney
Rick & Gayle McGraw
Jack & Britt McIrvine
Peter & Gillian McMullin
Blair & Linda McMurchy
Stan Meek
Paul & Penny Minz
Jeff & Rose Ann Mitchell
Barry Morrison
Craig A. Murray
Miles & Kelly Nadal
John & Sarah Nagel
Jim Onions
Desmond & Pamela O’Rorke
Lawton & Martha Osler
W. Bruce Redpath
Jeff & Linda Reid
John & Pamela Rennie
Rob Reuter
Bill & Susan Ringo
John & Lynn Rooney
Lloyd & Susan Ross
Bryan Rowntree
Larry & Vicky Rozak
Rolf Schoene
Robert Sheppard MD
Ross & Nancy Siemms
Jamie & Doreen Smith
John & Mary Storey
Brian & Charlotte Ternoway
Rick & Karen Terry
Nancy & Brian Thompson
Murray Walker
Chris & Sandy Wood
Windsor Boat Works
John & Beryl Woollett
Spring 2015 • 9
T h e R e a l M u s k o k a St o r y
Beaumaris
The Origins of “Little Pittsburgh”
Beaumaris Cottage
Why did this small Muskoka community
attract so many wealthy Pittsburghers?
Tondern Island was first settled and
given its name in 1868 when Paul Dane,
an Irish immigrant, purchased it from
the Crown for the very reasonable sum
of $101. Dane built a large house on the
property and proceeded to farm the
land. After he died in 1871, his nephew
inherited the island, but sold it again in
1873 to two Englishmen, Edward Prowse
and John Willmott. They paid $1,560 for
the island and divided it between them.
Prowse took the southern half, which
included the existing house.
Prowse and Willmott chose the name
“Beaumaris” for their new home in memory of a holiday their families had spent
in the Welsh seaside town of that name,
the site of Beaumaris Castle. Derived
from Norman French, the name referred
to the beautiful marshlands found in
that area. At first, Prowse and Willmott
called their community “Beaumaris
Landing” because the steamship stopped
there, but the name was shortened when
the post office was established in 1881.
In popular use, what “Beaumaris”
actually designates is somewhat elastic.
10 • Issue 93
It originally referred to the small settlement at the heart of Tondern Island, but
today it is not unusual to hear the name
applied to the whole island. Even more
loosely, the name is often applied to
that region of the lake around Tondern,
including some twenty smaller islands.
In this sense, “Beaumaris” has become
synonymous with that area of expensive
real estate known as “Millionaires Row.”
Another nickname that Beaumaris
acquired around the turn of the century
was “Little Pittsburgh.” This came about
because of the large number of Americans
from that city who had come there to
vacation and build summer homes. This
wasn’t mere coincidence. There were
various factors that made Beaumaris an
attractive spot for Pittsburghers.
First, the journey from Pittsburgh to
Muskoka was a relatively easy and direct
one, especially after 1875 when the railway was extended to the Gravenhurst
wharf and passengers could be delivered right to the waiting steamships for
transport into the lakes. Trains departed
for Muskoka on a daily basis and the trip
took only two days. Heading almost due
north from Pittsburgh, the trains went
through Erie, PA, Buffalo, NY, Niagara
Falls and Toronto, where travellers
would normally stay overnight before
continuing on to Muskoka.
The earliest visitors to Muskoka were
outdoor enthusiasts who came here
to fish and hunt. This included many
Americans, to whom Muskoka was promoted as a region of pristine wilderness
and lakes teeming with fish. Looking to
“get back to nature,” various clubs made
the trip here to spend a week or two
camping in the bush, where they lived
in large tents.
Regatta at Beaumaris
T h e R e a l M u s k o k a St o r y
Beaumaris Hotel
Among these were two clubs from
western Pennsylvania, the Solid Comfort
Camp and the Sharon Social Fishing Club.
Both visited Muskoka and eventually
bought land near Beaumaris for permanent camps. Solid Comfort bought four
acres from Edward Prowse in 1883, but
in 1905 they decided to sell it and leave
again because the island was becoming
too crowded. After a trip to Beaumaris
in 1891, the Sharon group decided to buy
property nearby for a clubhouse, which
they still own and operate today.
Although most early visitors to
Muskoka were content to “rough it” in
tents, demand grew for accommodations that were more suitable for families. Farmers and other local residents
found that they could make extra money
by renting rooms in their homes. In his
Beaumaris house, Edward Prowse regularly took lodgers, but he saw the need
for something bigger. So, in 1883 he
began building a large three-storey hotel
that could accommodate 150 guests.
With that, he became one of the pioneers of the Muskoka resort industry.
The Beaumaris Hotel soon became
a popular destination in Muskoka.
It offered comfortable rooms, good food
and a variety of recreational facilities,
including tennis courts, a croquet field,
a bowling alley, a billiards room and
a small dance hall. In 1900 a five-hole
golf course was built, which eventually
grew to a full 18 holes in 1919. There
was plenty to appeal to wealthy, sophisticated patrons, and the hotel attracted
guests from large cities in both Canada
and the U.S. To meet demand, more
rooms were added in 1905, increasing
capacity to 200 guests.
Another selling point of Muskoka
was its clean air. This feature was especially promoted for hay fever sufferers, since ragweed didn’t grow here.
Fresh air would have had a lot of appeal
for residents of heavily industrialized
Pittsburgh, where smoke hung in the
streets and soot covered the buildings.
Air quality was terrible and even worse
in hot weather. If you could afford to get
out of town for the summer, you went.
But why did so many Pittsburghers
end up in Beaumaris? Probably the
simplest answer is that word-of-mouth
recommendation spread Beaumaris’
fame within that city’s social network.
Two of the earliest visitors, Lewis
Willard and Reuben Miller, seem to
have been responsible for bringing a
number of other cottagers to the area.
Lewis Willard was a prominent doctor in Pittsburgh, who first came to
Beaumaris in the early 1880s. He stayed
at the hotel for several summers and
recommended it to his friend Charles
Scott, also from Pittsburgh. The two
bought adjacent lots from Prowse in
1889, but Scott completed his cottage first in 1891, making him the first
American to build on Tondern Island.
It took a few more years for Willard to
finish his cottage, which has become a
landmark of Beaumaris.
Dr. Willard appreciated the health
benefits of Muskoka and “prescribed”
a Beaumaris visit to many patients and
friends. William Blair, a colleague of
Willard’s, was introduced to Beaumaris
by him, and Blair in turn brought
Beaumaris Village
Spring 2015 • 11
T h e R e a l M u s k o k a St o r y
Solid Comfort Club
Benjamin Wells. The two purchased lots
in 1895 and built cottages on the north
side of the island. An influential person in both Beaumaris and Pittsburgh,
Willard was instrumental in forging the
connection between the two.
Another important figure was
Reuben Miller, who had interests in
Pittsburgh steel manufacturing and
banking. Reuben and his brother each
purchased two lots (circa 1895) and
built cottages on them, including the
iconic “Rockmont.” All were occupied by members of the Miller family.
Reuben Miller also bought several other
nearby properties, including the former
Solid Comfort camp. Most of these were
resold to other Pittsburghers, including the Hilliard family. The Pudding
Point area of Beaumaris thus became an
essential part of “Little Pittsburgh.”
In a similar way, personal and professional relationships led other prominent
Pittsburghers to Beaumaris. William L.
Mellon, who had connections to both
the Hilliard and Miller families, first
visited Beaumaris in 1909 and the following year bought property on Squirrel
Island. John Walker and his wife, who
first owned Hepburn Island, then
Buck Island, became acquainted with
Beaumaris through the Willards.
Today, over a century later, these
connections have kept the Pittsburgh
element strong in Beaumaris. Many of
the cottages have been passed down to
12 • Issue 93
younger generations still living there.
Some have been sold, but have gone
from one Pittsburgh owner to another.
In spite of the changes, there are still a
lot of Pittsburghers who cherish their
summer homes on Lake Muskoka.
The Johnstown –
Beaumaris Connection
On May 31, 1889, the town of Johnstown,
Pennsylvania was devastated by a flood.
Most of the town was destroyed and
over 2,200 people died. Although there
had been unusually heavy rainfall over
the previous two days, what made the
flood so destructive was the failure of
a dam about 14 miles upstream in the
Allegheny Mountains. When the dam
broke, it unleashed a huge torrent of
water that hit the low-lying town with
overwhelming force.
At the time, the owners of the dam
were a group of wealthy Pittsburgh businessmen called the South Fork Fishing
& Hunting Club. They had bought the
land about eight years earlier and established a summer retreat around the
reservoir that formed behind the dam.
This small lake enabled the members
to enjoy fishing, swimming and sailing
during the summer months. Sixteen of
the members had built cottages there
and a large clubhouse accommodated
other members and guests.
After the flood, when the circumstances of the disaster were learned,
the South Fork group became the focus
of much public anger and criticism.
Newspaper coverage of the flood was
extensive and the SFFHC was widely
blamed for not maintaining the dam
properly. Much of this coverage played on
class resentments against the rich, who
were contrasted with the working poor of
Johnstown. While it is true that the South
Fork group had done an inadequate job
of repairing the dam, neither the club nor
any of its members were found to be negligent or held legally responsible.
With the lake drained, the SFFHC’s
idyllic community was also gone.
Unlike Johnstown, the houses were still
standing, but they now surrounded an
unappealing, muddy hole. All but one
of the club members (Colonel Unger)
abandoned their homes near the ruined
dam, trying to distance themselves from
the disaster.
Over the years it has been speculated that many of these wealthy cottagers relocated to Beaumaris and that
the flood was the ultimate reason for
its popularity among Pittsburghers.
This seems plausible, perhaps, but the
connection is not that strong or direct.
Although they may have come from
the same social circle, historical records
don’t support the idea of a mass exodus
of South Fork members to Muskoka.
There were a few who ended up at
Beaumaris, however, and some others
with close family ties, such as:
Early Beaumaris
T h e R e a l M u s k o k a St o r y
Some Beaumaris Families:
James W. Brown (1844–1909) earned his
fortune in the iron and steel business,
and also had some banking interests. He
later became a U.S. Congressman from
1903–05. Brown bought Hepburn Island
in 1901 and renamed it St. Brandon’s.
followed his
father into iron and steamboat manufacturing and was very successful in the
Pittsburgh steel and banking businesses.
He came to Beaumaris and built his first
cottage in 1895, bringing many relatives
Reuben Miller (1839–1917)
with him. He bought and sold a lot of
real estate on Tondern Island and was a
prominent figure there.
ran successful lumber, oil and banking businesses
and became famous as a millionaire
philanthropist and Secretary of the US
Treasury. He did not build in Muskoka,
but his nephew William L. Mellon did.
The founder of Gulf Oil, W.L. Mellon first
visited Beaumaris in 1909, then bought
property on Squirrel Island the next year.
Andrew Mellon (1855–1937)
spent the early
part of his career in the Pittsburgh steel
industry, but in 1877 he bought into the
Philadelphia Press newspaper, eventually becoming its sole owner and publisher. His son, Benjamin G. Wells, also
had interests in steel, banking and newspapers, succeeding Calvin as publisher
of the Press. Introduced to Beaumaris by
William Blair, Benjamin Wells built the
“Fenshaven” cottage in 1898 and later
purchased “Breakwater.”
Calvin Wells (1827–1909)
—Gerry Hatherley, Archives Volunteer
The Greatest Little Motor Boat Afloat
The Disappearing Propeller Boat or
Dispro was manufactured in various
forms from 1916–1956. Approximately
3000 were built and today there are
over 350 boat still in existence, many
of which are operated regularly by their
dedicated owners.
Over the years, there were three different companies manufacturing Dispros
in Ontario and one in Tonawanda, New
York. The approximate production is
outlined at right.
These unique boats are double-ended,
ranging in size from 16 to 18 feet, use
lap strike construction and are powered
by 3 to 6 hp engines. The engine drives a
shaft with a universal coupling, allowing
the shaft and propeller to be lifted by
activating a lever into an aluminum
housing located behind the engine on
the bottom of the boat.
The retractable propeller portion of
the boat was patented in 1915 so this
year marks the 100th anniversary of
their invention. To celebrate, the Dispro
Owners Association (DOA) is marking the anniversary with special events.
Dispros will be the featured boat at
the Antique and Classic Boat Society’s
annual Summer Boat Show, Saturday,
July 11 in Gravenhurst. The Club’s main
Centennial Celebration will be in Port
Carling on Saturday, August 8th, where
up to 100 Dispros will be on display.
Everyone is invited.
—James Onions, Archives Volunteer
and proud Dispro owner
Disappearing Propeller
Boat Co. • Port Carling, ON
1916–1926 • 2,015 boats
Lindsay Boat Works
Lindsay, ON
1927–1936 • 170 boats
Tonawanda Boats
Tonawanda, NY
1921–1923 • 500 boats
Greavette Boat Works
Gravenhurst, ON
1937–1956 • 500 boats
Spring 2015 • 13
T h e R e a l M u s k o k a St o r y
Railroads in Muskoka
Part VII: Into the New Century, and a Golden Age of Rail
Continued from the Winter 2014 issue of The Real Muskoka Story
SPANS
WORLD
By 1900, the Grand Trunk Railway and
its predecessors, the Northern Railway
of Canada and the Northern & Pacific
Junction Railway, had enjoyed a 25 year
monopoly in Muskoka, and 14 years of
controlling the most direct route between
southern Ontario to the transcontinental
CPR. But that would soon change.
Railroad Wars:
The Battle for Muskoka
“
Enter the Canadian Northern Ontario
Railway (CNOR) (formerly the James
Bay Railway) and the Canadian Pacific
Railway (CPR). Both the CNOR and
the CPR were planning to build lines
through Muskoka, and even though
their principal interest was connecting
southern Ontario with expanding
markets in western Canada, they were
also intent on tapping into the lucrative and growing tourist trade in the
area. Coincidentally, the Grand Trunk
Railway, in anticipation of the new competitive environment — both locally and
nationally — was also making plans.
In 1903, the GTR agreed to participate with the Federal government in
building a second transcontinental railway, the Grand Trunk Pacific (GTP).
14 • Issue 93
This arrangement was tinged with
more than a little irony, as it was the
GTR that John A. Macdonald’s government had approached to build the first
transcontinental, way back in 1867. The
Grand Trunk had declined, feeling there
was insufficient business to be had in the
northwest. Now the GTR was in the position of playing catch-up. The new line
would open up the northern Prairies,
This arrangement
was tinged with more
than a little irony —
Now the GTR was
in the position of
playing catch-up.
which were now viable for agriculture
with the development of new grain species; it would also establish a second
Pacific port at Prince Rupert, B.C.
In 1904, as part of the GTP strategy,
the GTR purchased J.R. Booth’s Canada
Atlantic Railway (CAR). (See Part V
for more on the CAR.) This acquisition not only gave the GTR an established line between eastern Ontario/
western Quebec and Georgian Bay, it
also allowed the GTR the distinction
of running the first ever train between
Toronto and Parry Sound. On June 18,
1905, a special train of dignitaries travelled north through Muskoka to Scotia
Junction near Emsdale, then west on the
Canada Atlantic to Parry Sound.
Even closer to home, with construction of the CNOR and CPR lines well
under way, an entry in the March, 1906
edition of Railway & Marine World stated:
… a rumor is current to the effect
that in order to meet the competition of the CPR and the James Bay
(Canadian Northern Ontario) Ry.,
which will have their Toronto–
Sudbury lines built into Muskoka
this year, the GTR will build a
branch from its Toronto–North
Bay line to Port Carling.
But the very next month, the same
publication reported:
We have been officially advised
that while consideration has been
T h e R e a l M u s k o k a St o r y
given to a project to construct
an extension from the Northern
Division of the G.T.R. near
Falkenburg, to Port Carling, to
open up to the rail a new section of
the Muskoka country, nothing has
been decided as to construction.
As we know, nothing further became
of this idea, possibly due, at least in part,
to the GTR’s major investments elsewhere (the Canada Atlantic acquisition
alone had cost the GTR $16 million).
Nevertheless, it is intriguing to contemplate how such a line to the “heart” of
Muskoka’s lakes might have affected travel
patterns and economies in the region.
C.N.O. Station, Bala Park
CPR Bala Summer Station: Cherokee at Wharf
Tapping the Lakes
Port Carling may not have been destined
to become a hub of railway activity, but
Bala most assuredly was. In fact, the
impact of the railways was felt in Bala
long before the trains actually arrived.
In his Early History of Bala, Frederick
William Sutton writes:
As might be expected, when something like two thousand men of
many nationalities were here, occasioned by the building of two railroads, there were many exciting
incidents. Police problems proved
too much for our local police
until the Ontario Provincial Police
opened the first Post in Muskoka.
(Note: Bala was, in fact, the first
OPP detachment in the province.)
Rambunctious railway workers
weren’t the only by-product of railway
construction. On a single day in the
summer of 1905 two steamships were
severely damaged when they encountered a previously unknown rock submerged near the Wallace Cut entrance to
Bala Bay — almost certainly the result of
railway blasting. On another occasion,
blasted rock obstructed one of the channels into Bala Bay to such an extent that
water levels rose, causing widespread
flooding, ice damage, and even lowering of the ambient temperatures in the
area! It took an appeal by local leaders
to, and a ruling by, the National Board
of Railway Commissioners to force the
implicated railroad (in this case the
CNOR) to clear the channel.
While railway building undoubtedly
presented the village with certain tribulations, it also brought prosperity and
growth. In 1900 Bala had a population of
about 40; by 1914, when the community
was incorporated as a town, that number
had grown to 300, and Bala could boast
at least four resorts, numerous commercial establishments, and improving
social and recreational amenities.
The Canadian Northern Ontario
Railway was officially opened in October
1906. From Washago it followed a route
north through Port Stanton on Sparrow
Lake, crossing the Severn River at Ragged
Rapids, then on to Torrance, across
Bala Park Island, and on to Barnesdale
and Gordon Bay on Lake Joseph, heading for Parry Sound. Summer wharf
stations, which enabled passengers to
conveniently connect with the Muskoka
Navigation Co. steamships, were built
on Bala Park Island, and at Barnesdale
(Lake Joseph Station).
The CPR, which opened to Bala in
July 1907, followed an even more westerly route north, bypassing Washago
and crossing the Severn at Severn Falls
before making its way to Bala, Muskoka
Station (Mactier), Barnesdale, Gordon
Bay and on to Parry Sound. The CPR’s
summer station at Bala, like the GTR’s
Muskoka Wharf, included a Customs
Agent to process international visitors.
Spring 2015 • 15
T h e R e a l M u s k o k a St o r y
Railroad Plenty
And so it happened that, by the summer
of 1907, three different railway companies were each sending three or four
trains a day steaming north — as many
as twelve trains a day arriving at various
Muskoka stations.
With the GTR, CNOR and CPR all
vying for Muskoka-bound business, the
competitors naturally did whatever they
could to distinguish their service from
the others. The CPR, for example, had
invested heavily during construction
to minimize the grade of its line, claiming the benefit to be faster trains and
shorter trips. In response, the GTR
spent $40,000 to reduce the grade on its
line between Toronto and Gravenhurst.
With these improvements, the trip from
Toronto to Muskoka Wharf could be
made in about one and a half hours. For
its part, the CNOR was advertising they
not only had “The Quickest Route to
Muskoka,” but also that its Lake Shore
Express, with “parlour-observation and
dining cars, is the best appointed train
in the Muskoka service.”
In 1912, the CNOR also began running the following advertisement in
publications such as the Canadian
Home Journal:
At a rent of two dollars a year,
you can secure a splendid island
lot in the heart of Muskoka.
The Canadian Northern Ontario
Railway has made this possible.
The Company holds a number
“
By the summer of
1907, as many as
twelve trains a day
were arriving at
various Muskoka
stations.
of lots on Bala Island, and as the
leases are made out for ten years
and are renewable, this extremely
low rental means practical ownership…. The lots offered are large
and have a beautiful location. Far
from the dust and turmoil of the
city, the man who builds his home
on one of these lots will enjoy the
cool, health-laden breeze sweeping in from the lake.
CNOR Lake Joseph Summer Station: Sagamo at Wharf
Unfortunately, one of the conditions
of this arrangement was that the lessee
had to agree to erect a cottage “costing
not less than $300!”
Even though the GTR, CNOR and
CPR were competing for the tourist
trade in Muskoka, they were not inclined
to create a “win at all costs” business
environment. All three had experienced
the damaging effects of ticket price wars
in the past, and so in 1907 agreed to set
“comparable tariffs” on their Muskoka
routes. Quite a sophisticated term for
price fixing, don’t you think?
Port Cockburn: The Rise
and Fall of a Muskoka Gem
The arrival of the Canadian Northern
Ontario and Canadian Pacific certainly
ramped up passenger and freight activity on the west side of the Muskoka
lakes, and Bala and Barnesdale in particular emerged as distribution points
for people and goods. However, as we
witnessed in north Muskoka (Part III in
this series), even as the railway brings
prosperity to one community, it can
spell decline for others. In 1886, it was
Hoodstown that withered when the
Northern & Pacific Junction Railway
was built through Huntsville. After 1907
it would be Port Cockburn’s turn.
Port Cockburn, at the northern
extreme of Lake Joseph, began its rise to
prominence in 1871 when AP Cockburn,
for whom the location would be named,
escorted an adventurous Brampton lawyer by the name of Hamilton Fraser to
explore the head of the lake. Richard
Tatley, in Volume I of The Steamboat
Era in the Muskokas, describes what
happened on that momentous occasion:
They noted the safe anchorage, the abundance of land sloping gently down to the water’s
edge, and the overland distance of only eighteen miles to
16 • Issue 93
T h e R e a l M u s k o k a St o r y
S.S. Sagamo and S.S. Cherokee at Port Cockburn
the rising port of Parry Sound. Here was the logical
embarkation point for steamers on Lake Joseph.
It could become the focal point for the entire lake and a
centre of great importance. At the very least, it would be
an excellent site for another hotel.
Hamilton Fraser went on to purchase land, on which he built
an elegant, three-story hotel. By 1879 Summit House would be
the focal point of a small, thriving community with a post office,
homes, stage service to Parry Sound, and steamships calling
three times a week.
The arrival of the railroads changed all that. Port Cockburn
had been the main transfer point for passengers and freight
heading for points on Lake Joseph and on to Parry Sound. In
1907, virtually overnight, Barnesdale became the distribution centre for the lake, and the trains now conveyed people
and goods directly to Parry Sound. Fortunately, Summit House
continued to draw visitors, but when the hotel burned to the
ground in October 1915 the last raison d’être for Port Cockburn
was extinguished with it. The post office would close in 1918,
and much of the surrounding land would revert to its natural
state, awaiting development as vacation property in later years.
Port Cockburn
Jeremy Fowler
The Wooden Boat Centre of Muskoka
WOODEN BOAT RESTORATIONS
SALES, SERVICE & STORAGE
c 705.706.4646
p 705.765.3141
f 705.765.2090
jeremy@dukeboats.com
2 James Bartleman Way
Port Carling ON P0B 1J0
www.dukeboats.com
Selected Bibliography
Railway & Marine World. March & April, 1906.
Sutton, Frederick William. Early History of Bala. Herald
Gazette Press.
Tatley, Richard. The Steamboat Era in the Muskokas;
Volumes I & II. Boston Mills Press. 1983, 1984.
www.trainweb.org/oldtimetrains/CPR_Bruce/stns/bala.htm
archive.org/
Homemade Goodness on the Go
Well Fed
Deli • Take Home Meals • Home Baking
Corporate and Custom Catering
eco.canadiana.ca/
—Rod Brazier, Archives Volunteer
Next Time: More on the New
Century of Rail in Muskoka
Annette Gillan
150 Hotchkiss Street
Gravenhurst, Ontario
P1P 1H6
705-684-WELL (9355)
eat@wellfedinc.com
www.wellfedinc.com
Like Us on Facebook
Spring 2015 • 17
T h e R e a l M u s k o k a St o r y
Historic Cruises
This summer, RMS Segwun will be doing
three special cruises which will highlight the rich heritage of Lake Muskoka. Each cruise sails from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00
p.m., with lunch served on board, and
features special historical commentary.
Join us on July 17th as we explore the
grand resorts & hotels of Lake Muskoka.
On July 31st, we will learn about the lost
ships of the Muskoka Lakes Navigation
Company. And finally, on August 14th,
we set sail to the Kettles area of Lake
Muskoka to discover some of the geography and history of the lake.
Here is a “sneak preview” of a very
few of the areas that will be explored.
Wenonah &
Cinderwood Island
Wenonah was the first steamboat to operate on Lake Muskoka, running from 1866
to 1885. After retirement, its engine was
removed and for a few years the vessel
was used by AP Cockburn and his family
as a houseboat. It was then towed to
Cinderwood Island to serve as a temporary shelter for Cockburn’s sister’s family,
the Proctors, who were building a cottage there. Abandoned in a small cove,
much of the timber was removed for
firewood, leaving the hulk an undesirable
eyesore. In 1890 it was finally disposed
of by being towed away from the island
and sunk. Divers have looked for the
Wenonah (I) & Cinderwood Island
18 • Issue 93
wreck of Wenonah, but
with no success.
Originally
referred
to as “Wenonah Island,”
the island was sold in
1906 to two brothers
from Pittsburgh, Carl &
Henry Bontraeger. When
they first arrived on the
island, they found that it
had been recently burned
over, prompting the name
change to “Cinderwood.”
Carl and Ruth Bontraeger
resided on the island for many years,
during which they acquired several
large yachts. One of these, a 50-foot
launch named Rita, has passed to the
current owner of the island and is now
being restored. At the north end of
Cinderwood Island is a large boathouse
built by the Bontraegers in the style of a
log cabin.
Idlewylde Island
Idlewylde is the farthest west of the
“Seven Sisters” islands, which lie at
the north end of Lake Muskoka. It was
originally purchased from the Crown in
1880, sold in 1897 and again in 1903 to
William Gage. It remained in the Gage
family until 1951, passing first to Sir
William’s wife, then to his daughter.
William Gage was a successful businessman and philanthropist, the owner
of a Toronto publishing company that
specialized in textbooks. As a young
man, Gage had spent a year in medical
school and he remained interested in
health issues, particularly the treatment
of tuberculosis. He was an important
figure in the fight against this disease
and in 1894 he donated $25,000 toward
Idlewylde Island
the building of the first sanatorium
in Gravenhurst. For his philanthropic
works, Gage was knighted in 1917.
Gage built a large cottage on
Idlewylde that featured a castle-like
turret. The island is well-known for a
rock formation at its west end called
“Indian Head Rock.”
The Sinking of Waome
Just north of Idlewylde is the site where the
steamship Waome sank on Oct. 6, 1934.
This was the most tragic event in the history of the Muskoka Navigation Company
and resulted in the death of three people.
Because it was near the end of the season,
the Waome was the only boat still operating
and it was staffed by senior crew, including
three captains (Henshaw, Thompson and
Leeder). It was a dark, overcast day and
there was only one passenger onboard,
a Reverend Coxon. Waome had passed
through the locks at Port Carling and was
continuing south toward Beaumaris when
about 10:30 a.m. they spotted a huge, black
cloud and heavy rain to the west. Suddenly,
a gust of wind hit the boat broadside and
pushed it over, allowing water to flood in.
Captain Henshaw was thrown into the
T h e R e a l M u s k o k a St o r y
water from the
wheelhouse and
the others struggled to get out of
the boat’s interior before it went
under. Two of
them, Thompson
and
Coxon,
were trapped in
the lounge and
drowned, while Captain Henshaw died in the water from a heart
attack. With the aid of some buoyant objects from the boat, the
other four men were able to make it to Delmar Island, about a
kilometer away. They found shelter in a cabin there and were soon
rescued. Divers later recovered the bodies of the other men from
the sunken Waome, which remains in the same place today, about
70 feet (21 m) below the surface.
The Sinking of Waome
Mortimer’s Point/ Wingberry House
In 1872 William and Harriet Mortimer emigrated here from
England. They brought eight children and had five more after
they arrived. Beginning in 1890 they turned their home into a
hotel for summer visitors, which they called Wingberry House.
By 1892 the building had three floors and a ballroom and by
1909 it had a capacity of 40 guests. The Mortimer family ran
the hotel for many years, then began leasing the hotel to others
to run, including W.D. McArthur, who ran it during the 1930s.
In 1950 the hotel was sold to the Spoffords, who undertook a
massive restoration of the dilapidated building, as well as adding new features like a golf course, tennis courts and boathouse.
Renamed Heather Lodge, it continued to operate until 1975,
when the Spoffords retired. The building is now a private home.
Alfred Mortimer owned and operated various small steamboats from the Point, including Florence Main, built in 1901.
In the early years these boats were essential to local residents,
since there was no road access to the area. Members of the
Mortimer family have been successful over the years in both
boat and cottage building, and they run the local marina.
The Kettles
Located opposite Mortimer’s Point, near Shaw Island, the
Kettles is a rocky shoal that is picturesque, but a hazard to
boaters. The name is said to come from the rounded rocks
that look like overturned kettles (or cauldrons) protruding from the water, though another theory claims that it is
based on an aboriginal word that describes the frothy, boiling
appearance of the water.
The Church of the Kettles is situated on the mainland to
the southeast, but there are no roads, so it is accessible only by
boat. The non-denominational congregation was established
in 1885 by Robert Shaw, who held services at his cottage. A
ten-acre parcel of land was purchased for a chapel, which was
finally built by volunteers in 1900. Although it was enlarged
in 1929, the church remains quite small. It features many windows and outside benches to accommodate the overflow. It is a
popular place for intimate Muskoka weddings.
—Gerry Hatherley, Archives Volunteer
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M u s kok a’s B u i l di ng C e n tr e
Spring 2015 • 19
T h e R e a l M u s k o k a St o r y
From Dwight to Sagamo Park
Relocating Wanda III in 1993
Many trucks help with the move
On a nippy fall day — October 7, 1993
to be specific — a group of five or six
people stood scratching their heads on
the beach at Dwight Bay because Wanda
III was reluctant to leave Lake of Bays
and refused to get on board the trailer
which was in front of her in the water.
She was booked for a trip to Gravenhurst
to join her new owners, the Muskoka
Steamship and Historical Society.
If one of the people on the beach had
not been Laurie McCulloch of Whitby,
and the reputation of his company
Laurie McCulloch Building Movers,
Wanda III might still be in Lake of Bays.
Laurie is famous for being an unflappable problem solver when it comes to
moving large loads.
Wanda III had been towed from Rat
Bay, where Sandy Thomson had moored
her for most of the twenty-five years that
he had owned her. Now he had donated
her to the Muskoka Steamship and
Historical Society. The aim at Dwight
Beach was to move her onto dollies on
a super-size flat-bed trailer and pull her
out of the water, then proceed along the
highway to Gravenhurst. But first, loading meant lining her up exactly, which
“
20 • Issue 93
Wanda III was
reluctant to leave
Lake of Bays and
refused to get on
board the trailer.
involved using two small boats as surrogate tugs to nudge her into position,
and two highway tow trucks to pull, as
well as Laurie’s trailer winch.
A temporary marine railway had
been laid from the water at Dwight
Bay beach onto the trailer, but at first it
wasn’t long enough. It was extended, but
still Wanda III was reluctant. Eventually
two tires were flattened and the tow
trucks prevailed, and she was aboard the
trailer late on October 8. She then spent
Thanksgiving weekend on the trailer at
the boat ramp.
Preparations for the move had been
underway since the Historical Society
had accepted Wanda III on September
10 and carried out an appraisal to qualify her under the Canadian Cultural
Property Export Review Board rules as
a charitable gift.
The preparations planned carrying her along a route of about 120 km
from Dwight to Highway 35 to Highway
118 to Highway 11 to Highway 169 and
through Gravenhurst to Sagamo Park,
now Muskoka Wharf. The challenges
were several: first, to avoid underpasses,
since their normal height is 4.26 meters
and Wanda III measured 6.6 meters
Lifting the wires
T h e R e a l M u s k o k a St o r y
without her funnel, which had been removed as part of the
preparation; second to pass under the 200 or so electricity and
telephone cables which span the highways, since their nominal
height is 5.5 meters. For this, assistance from Bell and Ontario
Hydro was arranged.
The chosen route had to use one entrance ramp, Highway 118,
as an exit to Highway 11 to avoid a cloverleaf and underpass. This
acute-angle backwards turn with the large load posed a challenge
in turning the truck which was solved by Laurie McCulloch by
spreading several gallons of detergent on the pavement and nudging the trailer sideways to line it up with the entrance/exit road.
Preparations also involved Ontario Provincial Police for
traffic control, and Ontario Hydro and Bell Canada, to raise or
Moving Wanda
Police help with the move
Handmade by – Dean Rivett
Gravenhurst, Ontario
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temporarily disconnect overhead lines where they crossed the
roadways along the route. Permits for an oversize load were
obtained from the Province of Ontario, the Districts of Muskoka
and Huntsville, and the Town of Gravenhurst.
The parade started on the morning of October 28, a few
days later than expected, and wound its way slowly toward
Gravenhurst. Driving the route recently (except for the backward highway entrance) revealed that there are several significant hills, quite a bit of twisty road, and several bridges. The
Society’s archives include numerous photographs, several videos, and a number of press clippings from local newspapers,
which show a flotilla of OPP cars, cherry-picker boom trucks
from Hydro and Bell, and Laurie’s truck making their way slowly
along the roads.
FOR RESERVATIONS: 705.681.0700
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Spring 2015 • 21
T h e R e a l M u s k o k a St o r y
Travelling on the highway
A tight turn in Gravenhurst
This parade ran out of daylight on October 28 and Wanda
III was left overnight at Francis Thomas Construction yard
in Carnarvon, which is about half of the total mileage from
Dwight to Gravenhurst. The next day, it made its way to
Wanda III being launched in Gravenhurst
22 • Issue 93
Coming through Gravenhurst
Sagamo Park, now Muskoka Wharf, where she ended up
spending the winter on blocks while restoration was started.
Then, in late spring 1994 she was again trailered by Laurie
McCulloch to the ramp adjacent to the historic Muskoka
Wharf, where Muskoka Boat & Heritage Centre now stands,
and re-launched into Lake Muskoka, returning to the lakes
where she had originally lived as one of the Eaton family ships.
Restoration involved repair to the hull, improvement to the
galley and head (washroom if you are not a “salt”), water and
electrical supply systems, and repairs to the boiler and engine.
These diverse items will be covered in future articles.
And so in October 1993 Laurie McCulloch went home to
a late Thanksgiving with his empty flatbed and another notch
in his belt scoring another successful move.
—Jack McIrvine, Archives Volunteer
T h e R e a l M u s k o k a St o r y
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Spring 2015 • 23
The First Lady of Speedboat Racing
Lorna Margaret Reid first met Harold
Wilson, her future husband, at the
University of Toronto in 1932. Harold
was the racing scion of the Greavette
Boat Company (his father was the first
president and then a board member of
the company) and Lorna would become
his racing partner, mechanic and advisor.
For nearly two decades, Lorna and Harold
Wilson were the fastest couple afloat. And
Muskoka was their second home.
Between the two world wars,
Muskoka was a place where people came
to play and to race their fast speedboats.
Lorna and Harold racked up trophies in
Muskoka Lakes Association regattas and
moved on to larger venues and bigger
races. And still they continued to win.
Lorna became the leading lady of international powerboat racing in spite of any
disapproval from “proper society.”
She was competitive and committed to being the best and the fastest on
water. She and Harold won Canada’s
first motorsport World Championship
in 1934, and repeated the feat in 1935.
Lorna secured her position as the fastest woman afloat when she and Harold
raced in the prestigious Gold Cup races
in Miss Canada II and Miss Canada III,
and winning the 1939 President’s Cup
and World Championship in the Seven
Litre (Gold Cup) class.
Lorna briefly moved from the copilot seat to the shore in 1939 while
pregnant with their first child. After the
War, however, and despite now being the
mother of three, she once again donned
her racing helmet. Fearless on the course
and credited by Harold for saving his
life twice because of her fast thinking, she finally stepped aside for good
in 1947. But while she no longer raced
with Harold, Lorna remained an integral
member of the team involved in all dis-
cussions and decisions about the boats
Harold would continue to drive. She
also took on other responsibilities for
the team including crew chief and public relations. Lorna was the elegant first
lady of the Miss Canada team, meeting
dignitaries from around the world and
impressing them with her knowledge
and understanding of speedboat racing.
When Harold and Lorna raced along
the Toronto waterfront in September
1934, the crowd cheering their win over
some of the best racers in all of North
America was estimated around 60,000
people. By the time this legendary race
couple left the competitive spotlight,
they were drawing crowds in excess of
300,000 spectators.
The Wilsons retired from speedboat
racing in 1950, but their days of adventure were not done. Lorna and Harold
went on to become avid ocean sailors and they even turned their skills to
international car rallying. Eventually,
Muskoka became their permanent
home where they experimented with
hovercraft and forerunners of today’s
personal water craft, although they
wisely wintered where they could boat
to their hearts’ content.
Harold & Lorna, World Water Speed
Champions, the movie of this internationally recognized first couple of
speedboat racing, traces the history of
all of the Miss Canada racers culminat-
ing with Miss Canada IV, the first boat
to travel in excess of 200 mph.
A review of the docudrama reads, in
part: “The almost-forgotten exploits of
Harold and Lorna Wilson, who raced
their Miss Canada boats into international fame, made Canadians proud
and racing fans everywhere stand up
and cheer.”
The DVD, Lorna and Harold, is available for sale at the Muskoka Boat &
Heritage Centre retail shop.
Lorna Margaret Wilson, an international racing icon and a Muskoka
legend, died in 2000. Harold predeceased her in 1995.
—Ray Windsor, Archives Volunteer