Discovering Muskoka

Aerial of Lake Muskoka

A Boater's Paradise

By Jake Thomas

Known to the Algonquin natives as “land of the red earth,” Muskoka lives up to its name as shades of crimson can be found almost everywhere – from the dramatic sunrises and sunsets to the rich vibrant colour in the never-ending granite rock formations.

Muskoka has long been a frontier holiday area of charm and grace nestled among this rugged natural setting. Breathtaking scenery, tranquility, pristine lakes, and clean, invigorating air brought early 19th century people to the area to escape the heat and congestion of the city in the summer months. To this day, the same holds true.

Over all these years, one thing has remained, and that is the lakes are a boater’s paradise with as much to do on the water as there is on the land.

History

Encompassing 2,500 square miles, the District of Muskoka was originally suggested to be turned into a large Indian reservation. But after the realization of Muskoka’s timber industry, the creation of the Free Land Grant and Homestead Act of 1868 encouraged settlement to the area and the immigration of settlers into southern Ontario.

The railway reached Gravenhurst in 1875 and then Bracebridge 10 years later. Shortly thereafter, the timber business was so busy that as many as 13 mills were located on Muskoka Bay alone. Unfortunately, this success eventually put the lumbermen out of business because they had cut down all of the available trees. The railway did, however, provide better transportation for tourists as the trek north by road was still very difficult.

Eventually sportsmen from surrounding cities arrived to hunt and fish, and local settlers discovered providing food and lodging was a more profitable business. Demand grew as the sportsmen brought their families and soon the settlers were expanding their lodges, leading to the birth of the tourism and hotel industry in Muskoka.

A gentleman by the name of Alexander P. Cockburn is responsible for a good deal of what the area is today. He was the founder of the Muskoka Navigation Company, which had grown to one of the largest in the country by the time he died in 1905.

With support from the government to help develop the waterways and roads in the area, Cockburn started construction of a steamship that was launched in 1866 called the Wenonah. The steamships in this era opened the Muskoka lakes to many people, providing water access to their summer homes, mail service right off the dock and were – for all intents and purposes – early mass pubic transit.

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View the video online: See Episode 4 and Episode 5 of the 2010 season of PowerBoat Television.