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Muskoka’s pristine lakes, islands of gnarled pines, and rugged, remote beaches pull people to their shores like a great magnet. In the early 1800s, few people knew Muskoka existed. Only small, wandering bands of Ojibwa traversed this region for hunting. What a magnificent hunting ground!

The wealth of the forests called the first settlers. Hardworking lumberjacks harvested white pine, and pioneer farmers cleared the land. There was no time, then, for recreation!

The first holidayers to head here arrived sometime in the 1860s. Getting there was part of the adventure. First by railway, then by steamboat, rowboat, and finally by foot, they arrived at what was to become Gravenhurst.

It was an arduous journey and there was no one to greet them, but they revelled in the rugged, wild scenery, the fresh air and the clear waters. Local hospitality was simple but genuine. Visitors were truly impressed — enough to want to come back, and even more joined them to explore this rugged land.

Getting there remained a problem for many years. No reliable means of transportation to Ontario’s central lake district existed in the 1800s. A.P. Cockburn, the area representative in government, recognized this shortcoming. He envisioned the possibility of water transportation opening up the district and persuaded the government to install a lock at Port Carling to connect Lakes Muskoka and Rosseau, and to dig a channel at Port Standfield to connect Lakes Rosseau and Joseph.

Gravenhurst circa 1900. Later known as the Garner Lodge, this was home to many weddings like the one here of Bertha Mickle and Howard Cane.

Archives of Ontario

An ambitious entrepreneur, Cockburn proceeded to build a fleet of steamers for the lakes — large, powerful boats with native names like Sagamo and Segwun. He worked to get a railway to the lakehead at Gravenhurst by 1875.

In 1886 the railway went on to Huntsville. Captain Marsh, a transportation magnate, took the lead and put steamers on the upper lakes: Vernon, Fairy, Peninsula, Mary, and Lake of Bays. This helped to open Muskoka to the major commercial centres of the south.

Resorts sprang up around the district. Pratt’s Rosseau House was followed by such well-known places as Summit House, Clevelands House, Windermere House, and the Royal Muskoka Hotel on the southern lakes. On the northern lakes there was Deerhurst Resort, Britannia Hotel, Wawa Hotel, Bigwin Inn and others.

The buildings were typically three-storeyed with gables, turrets, and wide, wrap-around verandas where guests lounged in wicker chairs and sipped refreshments.