Where is muskoka located

Canada experienced heavy immigration from Europe in the midth century, especially from Ireland, which experienced famine in the s, and Germany, with refugees fleeing the social unrest of the German Revolutions.

As the land south of the Severn was settled, the government planned to open the Muskoka region further north to settlement. Logging licences were issued in which opened Monck Township to logging.

The lumber industry expanded rapidly, denuding huge tracts of the area. They developed road and water transportation which contributed to later town settlement. The railroad pushed north to support the industry, reaching Gravenhurst in and Bracebridge in Road transportation took the form of the Muskoka Colonization Road, begun in and reaching Bracebridge in The road was roughly hewn from the woods and was of corduroy construction. Logs were placed perpendicular to the route of travel to keep carriages from sinking in the mud and swamps.

This made for extremely rugged travel. The lumbering industry spawned a number of ancillary developments, with settlements springing up to supply the workers.

Bracebridge formerly North Falls saw some leather-tanning businesses develop. Tanners used the bark from lumber to tan hides, turning what would otherwise be a waste product to effective use. The passages of the Free Grants and Homestead Act of opened the era of widespread settlement to Muskoka.

Settlers could receive free land if they agreed to clear the land, have at least 15 acres 61, m2 under cultivation, and build a 16 by foot 6. Settlers under the Homestead Act, however, found the going hard. Clearing 15 acres 61, m2 of dense forest is a huge task. Once the land was clear, the settlers had to attack Muskoka's ubiquitous rocks, which also had to be cleared. Consisting largely of a dense clay, the soil in the region turned out to be poorly suited to farming.

As news of the difficult conditions spread back to the south, development in Muskoka began to falter, but development of the steamship revived industry. In a time when the railroads had not yet arrived and road travel was notoriously unreliable and uncomfortable, the transportation king was the steamship.

Once a land connection was made to the southern part of the lake in Gravenhurst, the logging companies could harvest trees along the entire lakefront with relative ease. Steamships gave them the way to ship the harvest back to the sawmills in Gravenhurst.

Alexander Cockburn answered the call. Sometimes called the Father of Muskoka, Cockburn began placing steamers on the lake. Starting with his steamship the Wenonah, Ojibwa for "first daughter", in Cockburn pressed the government to open the entire Muskoka lake system to navigation.

The government was eager to reinforce development in light of the faltering agricultural plan, and built the big locks in Port Carling in Cockburn's steamers had access to the entire lake system. Through the years he added more ships; when he died in , his Muskoka Navigation Company was the largest of its kind in Canada.

Shortly after the arrival of the steamships, another industry began to develop as agriculture never could. They walked up the Colonization Road to Gravenhurst, where they vacationed. They liked what they saw and repeated the journey every year, bringing friends and relatives. The first Muskoka summer houses — stately homes with wraparound porches, staff quarters and boathouses with several berths to house steamboats — were anything but cottages.

It still represents the interests of thousands of waterfront property owners. At that time, before the development of tuberculosis medications, sanatoriums provided treatment regimens of fresh air and rest.

The house in which he was born in is now a national historic site and museum. The s saw a decline in Muskoka tourism due to the economic constraints brought on by the Great Depression.

With the expansion of highways and increased use of private automobiles after the Second World War , however, Muskoka opened up even more, and a new era began. Improvements in transportation into the region resulted in more competition to local farmers from outside producers.

Many farmers who had supplemented their income with winter work in logging camps were forced to leave the area. This process continued for decades, and by the late s, only farms remained in Muskoka. As the second half of the 20th century progressed, cottagers and tourists continued to access Muskoka by car and tourism remained its primary industry. The number of steamboats transporting tourists and cottagers to their lakefront destinations steadily declined.

Today, just two steamboats remain in what was once a fleet of nearly the Wenohah II , a modern replica, and the RMS Segwun , the oldest operating mail steamship. The Segwun , with its long, low whistle and distinctive red chimney, is an icon in Muskoka.

Muskoka draws approximately 85, seasonal residents from spring to fall each year. In addition to hotels and cottages, numerous summer camps , outdoor recreation centres and retreats operate in Muskoka. Religious groups, major charities and traditional overnight camps have facilities on Muskoka lakefront property. Muskoka hosts cultural events throughout the year, from the Antique and Classic Boat Show in the summer to the Bala Cranberry Festival in the fall and the Bracebridge Fire and Ice Festival in the winter.

While seasonal properties in the area range from modest to massive, there is a growing trend toward the type of opulence Muskoka has not seen since the 19th century.

There are numerous golf courses , more and more retail stores, restaurants and widespread gentrification. There is large-scale development on the horizon as the popularity of the area continues to increase. James K. Bartleman, Raisin Wine Muskoka Tourism Information for visitors on what to do and where to stay in Muskoka. Muskoka Digital Archives Search this digitized collection of newspaper articles, genealogy, images and more.

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Book a romantic vacation in a naturally beautiful setting, or start planning your family summer vacation at one of our lakeside resorts. Why Muskoka?