Muskoka It's history and charm

Muskoka: experience it and you feel the connection with nature; the peace and tranquility, the warm friendships, the solitudes, the awe. Carved out of the Precambrian Shield, in the last ice age, Muskoka exhibits a rare and rugged blend of granite outcrops, pristine lakes and rivers and forests of evergreens and hardwoods. The cavalcade of fall colour is world renowned.

From the forays of the early American families of means to Muskoka in the first part of the 20th century, evolved the “summer cottage”

These large families, replete with maids, housekeepers and butlers laden with steamer trunks and provisions, would make their way by train and steamer to their “cottage” in Muskoka for the summer season.

“The cottage” would in fact be a compound consisting of a main residence as well as a number of outbuildings. A guest cottage was essential for visitors, extended family, business associates and the like. “Bunkies” for the children and their friends were usually some distance from the main cottage. An icehouse would be filled with ice cut from the lake in winter and stored in the icehouse with thick sawdust blanketing for insulation. Often a games room would be a separate building that may have featured a large Muskoka granite fireplace and ample room for entertaining.

The boathouse was a unique icon of “the cottage”. It would have had several slips for boats such as a sailboat or two, perhaps a disappearing propeller rowboat locally known as a “Dippie”. Of course the ultimate was the obligatory 30+ foot Ditchburn Mahogany inboard launch with double cockpits and a finish freshly varnished to a flawless glistening deep red, trimmed with ochre caulk and hand rubbed brass fitments. And then there was the sound it made!! On an evening cruise the unique deep-seated rumbling throatiness of its massive engine was at once unforgettable. As well, the iconic cedar strip canoe was often seen on one of the docks, subtly beckoning one for a paddle as the mists of morning rose from the lake.

Occassionally a tennis court was part of the landscape, as well as a campfire setting. Only rarely was a sand beach part of the property as it is indeed a rare feature of the topography of Muskoka. Paths through the forest were carpeted with generations of pine needles donated by the canopy of majestic eastern white pine that are so characteristic of Muskoka. And so the stage was set. Idyllic, memorable summers – lifetimes forever changed.

On the largest island in Lake of Bays, which is located in the northeast corner of Muskoka, the world famous Bigwin Island Hotel was built and opened in 1920. The Who’s who of filmdom, commerce, and high society traveled from all over North America and overseas to spend part of their summers at Bigwin. Clark Gable and Carole Lombard danced the evenings away to the Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey band. Duke Ellington and Frank Sinatra entertained there as well. Ernest Hemingway found refuge on Bigwin Island. Lady Eaton often visited and her yacht, the Wanda III was added to Bigwin’s fleet of boats for cruises of the Lake of Bays and all of its 400 kilometers of shoreline. Stanley Thompson, a contemporary and friend of famed golf course designer Donald Ross, designed a golf course that was built on the island.

Ahhh – “Those were the days my friend”