Resources - Community Heritage

If you haven’t been to Dwight Beach lately, here’s reason for a special visit. You’ll get to see how two dying trees towards the east end of the shore have been transformed into remarkable nature sculptures. It’s the work of Burk’s Falls based chainsaw artist Jake Rhodes, who placed first in the 2023 and 2024 US Open Chainsaw Sculpture Championship event. To learn all about it, check out this article by Brian Simpson.

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Tom Probislo of Meaford discovered an interesting birch-bark autograph book among several quill boxes that his late mother Ilse had collected. The book belonged to “Vivienne” and her connection to Ilse is unknown. The 20-page book is a collection of notes and autographs from her apparent co-workers at Bigwin Inn. Based on these delightful comments and jokes, it seems that Vivienne worked there in 1938. Tom’s search to find a home for this little piece of history led him to the Foundation. After some sleuthing we discovered that Douglas McTaggart’s book Bigwin Inn lists all the staff who worked there in the 1920’s, 30’s and 40’s. Only one Vivienne appears, and her last name is Van Huson. Perhaps this is her book. Thanks to Ilse and Tom, it will soon be on display at the Lake of Bays Marine Museum in Dorset.

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1. A Brief Illustrated History of Landscape and Aboriginal Peoples in the Muskoka Region. Click Here For the Full Presentation (PDF)  2. Report of the Master Plan of Archeological Resources of the District of Muskoka and The Wahta Mohawks. February 1994, 3 volumes. Volume 1 and Volume 2 3. Final Phase 1 Report of the Master Plan of Archaeological Resources of the District Municipality of Muskoka. Submitted to the District Municipality of Muskoka and the Mohawks of Gibson, 1992. View The Full Report

Here is a partial list of books and publications to learn more about Lake of Bays heritage. Many are available in the Baysville, Dorset and Dwight libraries or online. Some titles may be on sale at local stores. Please contact us at info@lakeofbaysheritage.ca if you know of other books or publications that should be on the list. Publications An Evaluation of Wildlife Habitat in the Lake of Bays Vicinity
 In 1988, the Lake of Bays Heritage Foundation commissioned Kenneth Towle to assess the lake. Sixteen sites are discussed including Langmaid Island, Lower Oxtongue River, Baysville Marsh, Dreamhaven Lake, Menominee Bay, St. Mary Creek, Port Cunnington Wetland and Bigwin Island. Natural Heritage Evaluation of Muskoka 1994, by Ron Reid and Bonnie Bergsma. Part of the Muskoka Heritage Areas Program a project of the District of Muskoka and The Muskoka Heritage Foundation. The text of all the site evaluations can be found on the “Muskoka Water Web” map or Heritage Areas site. Report of the Master Plan of Archaeological Resources of the District of Muskoka and The Wahta Mohawks February 1994, 3 volumes. Volume 1 Volume 2 Final Phase 1 Report of the Master Plan of Archaeological Resources of the District Municipality of Muskoka Submitted to the District Municipality of Muskoka and the Mohawks of Gibson, 1992. Report Books By Wagon and Water
 A Tweedsmuir History produced by the Haystack Bay Women's Institute focusing on the areas of Port Cunnington, Foxpoint and Birkendale. Originally published in 1951 with reprints in 1980 and 2008 with some additional 20 pages of family histories. The book was not set in type; instead all 167 pages were elegantly handwritten by Elizabeth Hungerford and Ethel Bedat. “By Wagon and Water” is an excellent reference. Baysville Area, Tweedsmuir History by the Baysville Women’s Institute. Dwight Memories , 1875-1985, Dwight Women’s Institute, 1989. Muskoka’s Grand Hotels By Barbara Boyer, 1987, Boston Mills Press
. This book gives an idea of the extent of the tourist industry in Muskoka with 143 resorts; many long vanished such as the Wawa. It offers brief histories of 21 resorts on the Lake of Bays. This is a useful and well researched book. Enchanted Summers, The Grand Hotels of Muskoka By Cameron Taylor, 1997. The Steamboat Era in the Muskokas Volumes I and II by Richard Tatley.
 An exhaustive study of the steamboats, big and small, when and how they were built, operated and, in most cases, sank or burned. The book discusses the development of Huntsville and Lake of Bays Navigation Company from Captain Marsh to C.O. Shaw. Guide Book & Atlas of Muskoka and Parry Sound Districts 1879, text by W.E. Hamilton. Lorin and the Juanita By Merrill Orne Young.
 Privately published in 2004 to mark the centennial of Savage Den, the Young’s cottage. The author tells the story of his father and his long connection with the lake and with a 22 ft. gasoline powered launch, the Juanita. Told with great warmth and wit. The Ruth Martin Papers This collection of four volumes, plus a volume of photographs, contains over 900 pages of typewritten information on the history of the settlement of Lake of Bays. Ruth Martin collected every written history that pertained to the area, transcribed many of them, and between 1966 and 1974 conducted 55 interviews with descendants of homesteading families. She taped the interviews then typed a transcription. In 1995, Margaret McBurney, a director of LBHF and herself a notable historian, arranged to have the papers copied and the originals deposited with the Thomas Fisher Rare Books Library at U of T. Copies were given to the Dwight, Dorset and Baysville libraries and are now available in PDF format on this website. Click here to view papers . Looking Back In Time: Picture Memories from the Area 1890-1990 by The Port Cunnington Centennial Committee. My Happy Years at Lake of Bays By Jessie Garratt, 1988.
 Charming book about the author’s memories about her time spent on Lake of Bays beginning in 1905. Lures and Legends of Lake of Bays By Mary Lynn Findlay, 1973.
 A small book worth reading if you can find a copy. Baysville: Photos from The Past By Mervyn Kelly, 1996. Adventures of a Bigwin Postmistress By Maryleah Otto, 2004.
 A charming little book about the author’s summer working at Bigwin in 1949 when Frank Leslie owned the resort. English Bloods: In The Backwoods Of Muskoka 1878 by Frederick de la Fosse. 
Originally published in 1930, reprinted in 2004 with an introduction and helpful notes by Scott D. Shipman. Informative and amusing account of the author’s experience of being sent from England at 18 to learn how to be a settler in Canada. Bigwin Inn By Douglas McTaggart, 1992, Boston Mills Press. This is the definitive book on the history of the Bigwin Inn. Lavishly illustrated and thoroughly researched. Whiskey and Wickedness, Volume 3, Muskoka and Parry Sound Districts 1850 to 1900 By Larry D. Cotton, 2004.
 History of the taverns of the area and many stories of alcohol fueled mayhem taken from contemporary newspaper accounts. By Steam Boat and Steam Train: The story of the Huntsville and Lake of Bays Railway and Navigation Company By Niall Mackay, 1982 and 1994. Pictures from The Past: Huntsville, Lake of Bays Boston Mills Press 1986, Muskoka Pioneer Village. Camping in the Muskoka Region: A Story of Algonquin Park By James Dickson 1886, reprinted 1960. Mostly about camping in Algonquin Park but the journey begins on Lake of Bays. East Georgian Bay Historical Journal, volumes 1-5 1982-1989
 These issues are full of interesting and well researched articles about the history of Muskoka and Georgian Bay. “Echoes of the Past” Resounding in the Present
 A brief illustrated general history of a central region in Southern Ontario
Formed by Two Muskoka and Ten Haliburton Townships. Post Cards from Lake of Bays Published in 2008 by LBHF past-President Bruce MacLellan with 160 pages of old post cards depicting the first half of the 20th century. For sale in local gift shops. Back Again at Lake of Bays This book is a sequel to Post Cards from Lake of Bays. Bruce MacLellan has assembled more post cards about the lake, covering places and resorts not included in the first book. It is for sale in gift shops around the lake. Reflections: Muskoka and Lake of Bays of Yesteryear By Sidney G. Avery, 1974. My Sixteenth Winter: An account of logging on the French River By J. Mason 1974. Muskoka Past and Present Geraldine Coombe, McGraw-Hill. A detailed account of history and present life in the whole region in 1976, including Lake of Bays. Rare.
 Gilmour Tramway Gary Long, 2003. An excellent account of the lumber scheme to transport logs from Algonquin through Lake of Bays and down to Trenton. Available at local book stores.
 Steamboating in Muskoka Richard Tatley, 1972. Anecdotes and information about the original steamships. Mainly about Lakes Muskoka, Rousseau and Joseph, but some connections to Lake of Bays. The Night the Mice Danced the Quadrille 1995. Written by Thomas Osborne in 1934, 60 years after his arrival in Muskoka, this book is a tale of pioneer hardship and ingenuity. A charming book narrated by the young boy who settles in Lake of Bays with his family in the late nineteenth century. He states Bigwin was connected to Port Cunnington due to pre-dam water levels. Out of print and selling on the Internet for $50 to $60. Reluctant Pioneer This book is a re-release of "The Night the Mice Danced the Quadrille" by Thomas Osborne. You can find it on the Muskoka Books website. Hardscrabble, The High Cost of Free Land Donna E. Williams, 2013. Forward by Patrick Boyer. How emigrants were lured to Ontario’s Muskoka in the 1870’s in a vain attempt to farm the Canadian Shield. A Muskoka Century, The Story of the S.S. Bigwin Marijane Terry and Jeff Gabura. An excellent source of SS Bigwin history. Available for sale online and at the Marine Museum in Dorset. George Works!: Lad to Leadership, The Making of a New Canadian George Daniels, 2019. George, who was instrumental in the formation of the Lake of Bays Heritage Foundation, pens a fascinating autobiography. A History of the Cunningtons of Port Cunnington Written in 2010 by Doug Cunnington, grandson of B.H. Cunnington. Traces the history of the Cunningtons from 1737 to 2010. https://dougcunningtonbooks.com/ The WaWa Hotel, Norway Point, Lake of Bays Written by Doug Cunnington, 2010. Updated and expanded 2022. Incorporates many photos and post cards. https://dougcunningtonbooks.com/the-wawa-hotel/ Memories of Lake of Bays , as told by Mary Elder, a pioneer’s daughter and Dean Mathews, an early cottager to Doug & Helen Cunnington. Written in 2010. Includes lots of photos and old post cards of Lake of Bays. https://dougcunningtonbooks.com/memories-of-lake-of-bays/ Art Asbury, Speedboat Driver, World Record Holder, Friend Outlines the life of Art Asbury of Dwight through his life as a serviceman in the RCAF and his remarkable career as a successful hydroplane racer. Includes lots of photos. More Memories of Lake of Bays A look at the history of he Anglican Church Regatta in the Port Cunnington – Haystack Bay area, and Turner’s Island, a look into the history and life on Turner’s Island from the time it was Point Elizabeth to the present. Again, lots of photos. Due to be released summer 2021.

First Nations’ Chippewas of Bigwin Island made this part of Lake of Bays their summer cam pgrounds for years. When white settlers began moving into the area in the early 1800’s, Dorset became known as Trading Bay for Francis Harvey’s trading post that sprang up along the Narrows. No one knows who the first white travel l ers were, but someone carved 1675 into a rock in the area – found in the early 1800’s by TomSalmon, one of the first settlers on Lake of Bays. DOWNLOAD THE MAP AND GUIDE (PDF) Credit for this pr oject must go to the Township of Lake of Bays Heritage Advisory Committee and their dedicated volunteers, and the Dorset Community Group for their invaluable insights into their hometown. Special mention must go to Brad Robinson, Roy McKay, Penny McEachern and Ruth Ross. We hope you enjoy this h eritage t our.

This tour takes about an hour and a half to walk through the main central region, with side trips by bike or car to the more outlying points of interest. Please park in the Municipal lot, take some time to explore the shops in the village itself, and do be respectful of private property. DOWNLOAD THE MAP & GUIDE (PDF) Credit for this project must go to the volunteers of the Heritage Committee and residents of Dwight for their invaluable insights into their hometown. Special mention to Jacqueline Godard and Nancy Tapley, and a special thanks to Rebecca Krawczyk for crafting the maps. Thank you to the Township of Lake of Bays, The Huntsville/Lake of Bays Chamber of Commerce and Muskoka Futures for supporting this project. We hope you enjoy this Historical Tour.

The Foundation was entrusted with four precious loose-leaf notebooks in 1995. The pages recorded priceless interviews with descendants of many of the first settlers in Lake of Bays Township. Ruth Martin had the foresight to pursue her interest in our pioneers’ stories. We owe Ruth Martin a tremendous debt of gratitude. Settlement around Lake of Bays began after the Free Land Grant Act (1868) made land available. Little of it was arable, however, and the new arrivals faced daunting challenges. During the late 19th and early 20th centuries the lumber industry offered employment for some, and the arrival of the first summer cottagers at the turn of the century added another dimension to life by the lake. The people interviewed from the early 1950s to mid-1970 s by Ruth Martin were, in most cases, children or grandchildren of the first settlers in the township. Ruth Martin (nee Campbell) summered for many years on Bigwin View Lane. She was born in 1908 and taught at Eastern High School of Commerce in Toronto. She was the social hostess at Bigwin Inn for three summers in the 1940s. When illness prevented Ruth from continuing with her writing, the Ruth Martin Papers were put in safekeeping with her stepdaughter, Annette Benson. Jane Tate, daughter of Mary Lynn Findlay, who was a friend of Ruth Martin, took possession of the papers. Jane Tate and her nephew, Lee Van Ormer , allowed the Foundation to arrange for their publication. Margaret McBurney, a former director of LBHF and herself a notable historian, arranged to have the papers photocopied unedited and the originals deposited with the Thomas Fisher Rare Books Library at U of T. Copies were given to the Dwight, Dorset and Baysville libraries. The Foundation, with the support of the Township’s Heritage Advisory Committee, has made the papers available as downloadable PDF files. Thank you to Gloria Woodside, a director of LBHF for organizing the project, and the community members who contributed their time and careful efforts in transcribing the typed papers into electronic format. Book 1: General Muskoka History Book 2: Lake of Bays General History – Tom Salmon - Fox Point Road - Birkendale & Ten Mile Bay - Port Cunnington Road - Haystack Bay Tweedsmuir History Book 3: Dwight—Portage—Newholm—Portage Book 4: Bigwin—Baysville—Gordon’s Corners—Brown’s Brae