Misplaced Pages

#278721

74-638: The District Municipality of Muskoka , more generally referred to as the District of Muskoka or Muskoka , is a regional municipality in Central Ontario , Canada. It extends from Georgian Bay in the west, to the northern tip of Lake Couchiching in the south, to the western border of Algonquin Provincial Park in the east. A two-hour drive north of Toronto , it spans 6,475 km (2,500 sq mi). It has some 1,600 lakes, making it

148-513: A tannery , two blacksmiths , four shoemakers , a tailor , and two furniture makers. A grist mill could be found about a mile away. In 1869, the population was 1200. Construction of the Monck Road began in 1866 and was completed in 1873. A 100-mile stretch allowed for travel to Bancroft , Ontario where other roads could be found for travel to Ottawa. Transportation links with Toronto and Georgian Bay stimulated Orillia's development as

222-512: A boat decorating contest and turkey buffet. Boat and cottage shows are held in June and August. Orillia also hosts an annual Canada Day event at Couchiching Beach Park. The day begins with a traditional pancake breakfast served by the Mayor and Council, and ends with a large fireworks display at dusk. Orillia is the original and current site of the popular Mariposa Folk Festival . Begun in 1961, it

296-466: A commercial centre and summer resort. The village of Orillia was incorporated in 1867 (sharing the same birth year as Canada ). By 1875, the population was 2,000 and Orillia became a town with a mayor, reeve, deputy reeve, and nine councillors. Orillia was designated a city in 1969. In Stephen Leacock 's 1912 book Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town , Orillia was used as the basis for the fictional town known as "Mariposa", although Leacock stated that

370-468: 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

444-459: A designated education space and hosts activities including art-making and interpretive programming for children, artists, artisans, historians, etc. Many tourists and boaters are attracted to the city each year because of its waterfront park Couchiching Beach Park/Centennial Park/Port of Orillia and its position as a gateway to Lake Country, cottage country in Muskoka , Algonquin Provincial Park ,

518-521: A large Indigenous population, but written evidence suggests that until very recent years it has harboured only nomadic groups. Largely the land of the Ojibwa people, European inhabitants ignored it while settling what they thought were the more promising area south of the Severn River . The Ojibwa leader associated with the area was "Mesqua Ukie", for whom the land is believed named, as he was liked by

592-486: A lesser extent, Germany began to arrive. 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 1866 which opened Monck Township to logging. The lumber industry expanded rapidly, denuding huge tracts of the area. Road and water transportation was developed and used later to facilitate town settlement. Road transportation took

666-420: A living from the rocky soil soon found demand for overnight accommodations arriving on their doorsteps. Some made the switch quickly and converted to boarding houses and hotels. The first wilderness hotel, called Rosseau House, was built at the head of Lake Rosseau in 1870. It was owned by New Yorker William H. Pratt . The idea caught on and the number of tourists increased, establishing the tourist industry as

740-901: A major summer colony . Due to the region's popularity and high property costs, hundreds of Muskoka properties are available for short-term rental through online platforms. Many of Muskoka's seasonal properties are large summer estates, some of which have been passed down through families for generations. Most of these properties can be found along the shores of Muskoka's four major lakes: Lake Muskoka , Lake Rosseau , Lake Joseph and Lake of Bays . In recent years, various Hollywood and sports stars have built retreats in Muskoka, including Steven Spielberg , Tom Hanks , Mike Weir , Martin Short , Harry Hamlin , Cindy Crawford , and Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell . There are six municipalities in Muskoka (in descending order of population): The aboriginal reserves Wahta Mohawk Territory and Moose Point 79 are in

814-430: 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 District was created in 1868, through the withdrawal of townships and unorganized territory from three other jurisdictions: together with

SECTION 10

#1732779852279

888-449: A popular cottaging destination. This region, which, along with Haliburton , Kawartha Lakes , and Peterborough County is referred to as " cottage country ", has over 2.1 million visitors annually. Muskoka is populated with several villages and towns, farming communities, lakeside vacation hotels and resorts near golf courses , country clubs , and marinas . Its regional government seat is Bracebridge and its largest population centre

962-462: A population of 33,411 living in 14,422 of its 15,428 total private dwellings, a change of 7.2% from its 2016 population of 31,166 . With a land area of 28.53 km (11.02 sq mi), it had a population density of 1,171.1/km (3,033.1/sq mi) in 2021. The median household income in 2015 for Orillia was $ 55,802, which is below the Ontario provincial average of $ 74,287. Orillia

1036-559: A review of the District's local government arrangements. The report was released in June 1969, and its recommendations were substantially adopted by the new Minister Darcy McKeough , and subsequently implemented in January 1971, when the entire District was formally established as an upper-tier municipality consisting of the following municipalities: As a census division in the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada ,

1110-572: A small campus downtown, with the main campus on a new site on University Ave. The Orillia campus opened in the downtown in 2006 and the campus on University Ave. opened in September 2010. The Lakehead University campus located on University Avenue is the first in North America that has been built to meet all LEED® (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification standards. There

1184-417: Is Huntsville . Muskoka is geographically within the Central Ontario region of the province, although it is treated as part of Northern Ontario and even Eastern Ontario by some government programs due to its status as a transitional area between the geographic regions. Muskoka is a summer destination for Toronto residents and was the #1 most searched Canadian destination for vacation rentals in 2017. It

1258-540: Is a National Historic Site of Canada . The government made treaties with the Hurons in 1798, 1815, and 1818 to gain land to the north and west of Lake Simcoe and then made grants to military veterans. In 1840, the government bought extra land from the First Nations and laid out the settlement of Orillia. The population in 1846 was about 200. The settlement had a church, a post office , four stores, three taverns ,

1332-668: Is a mixture of many different industries including manufacturing, government services, customer service and tourism. Orillia is located on the shores of two connected lakes: Lake Simcoe and Lake Couchiching . Both lakes are part of the Trent-Severn Waterway . Travel north on Lake Couchiching, then through three locks and the only marine railway ( Big Chute Marine Railway ) still in use in North America leads to Georgian Bay on Lake Huron . Travel south-east across Lake Simcoe, through many locks (including two of

1406-467: Is also an Adult Learning Centre, where adults may upgrade to receive high school diplomas . The Orillia Soldiers' Memorial Hospital is a 230-bed hospital in the city. Opened in 1908 as the 20-bed Orillia General Hospital, it took its current name in 1922 to honour those who died fighting in World War I . Orillia Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital celebrated its 100th anniversary on May 28, 2008. The hospital

1480-780: Is also an alternative secondary school, known as OASIS. Publicly funded Catholic English-language education is available via the Simcoe Muskoka Catholic District School Board through four elementary schools and one secondary school, Patrick Fogarty Catholic Secondary School. Private schools include the Orillia Christian School. There are two post-secondary institutions that are based in Orillia. The Orillia campus of Georgian College offers applied arts and technology programmes to 1,600 students. Lakehead University operates

1554-503: Is governed by the Orillia City Council , which consists of eight city councillors and a mayor. There are four wards in the city. From 1875 to 1969 the council was led by a reeve or mayor. Since 1969 the head of the council is the mayor. Grape Island is a lake island located off Victoria Point in the north end of Lake Simcoe . Today the island is occupied by about 40 private homes or cottages and residences are part of

SECTION 20

#1732779852279

1628-401: Is marine archaeological evidence of ancient fishing weirs used by Huron and Iroquois people to trap fish over 4,000 years ago. Also, there are several archaeological sites in the surrounding area that provide evidence of trading, fishing, and hunting camps that were visited for hundreds of years by Indigenous people . Although the site of what is now Orillia was originally a settlement of

1702-507: Is offered in Orillia. There is one Catholic French-language elementary school, École élémentaire catholique Samuel-de-Champlain , operated by the Conseil scolaire de district catholique Centre-Sud . Students from this elementary school attend École secondaire catholique Nouvelle-Alliance , which is operated by the same board and is located in Barrie. English public education in Orillia

1776-580: Is provided via the Simcoe County District School Board , which has nine elementary and three secondary schools in the city. The secondary schools are Twin Lakes Secondary School , Orillia Secondary School, formerly OD/Park Secondary School and originally called Orillia District Collegiate and Vocational Institute and Park Street Collegiate Institute . The schools joined together in the summer of 2013. There

1850-465: Is the longest-running folk festival in Canada. The Stephen Leacock Associates have honoured former Orillia resident and humourist Stephen Leacock 's memory since 1947 with the annual Stephen Leacock Memorial Medal for Humour , awarded to the best Canadian humorous book published the previous year. The Leacock Medal Gala and Award ceremony is held each June at nearby Geneva Park, with tickets for sale to

1924-546: The American War of Independence , the British North America government feared invasion from its new neighbour to the south. The authorities began exploring the region, hoping to develop a settled population and find travel lanes between Lake Ontario and Georgian Bay. The first European known to have caught even a glimpse of Muskoka or Haliburton was a French youth, usually identified as Étienne Brûlé , and

1998-642: The Grape Island Property Owners Association (c. 1952). Access is restricted to residents of the island with access by boat from Forest Avenue South dock to private docks on the island. The heavy traffic at the mainland docks have resulted in tensions between island residents and residents of Victoria Point. The city of Orillia is working on finding a solution for access to the island without inconveniencing residents in Victoria Point. There are no vehicular roads on

2072-481: The Huron and Iroquois peoples in the area over 4,000 years ago, and of sites used by Aboriginal peoples for hundreds of years for trading, hunting, and fishing. Known as the "Sunshine City", the city's large waterfront attracts many tourists to the area every year, as do a number of annual festivals and other cultural attractions. While the area's largest employer is Casino Rama , overall economic activity in Orillia

2146-537: The Nipissing II plied the lakes of Muskoka for decades before decommission in 1914. In 1924, the vessel was outfitted with twin propeller engines and in 1925 was relaunched with an Ojibwe name, Segwun , meaning "springtime." Royal Mail Ship Segwun is still in operation today in Gravenhurst, Ontario, functioning as a pleasure cruise vessel and still delivering mail. World War I caused a significant dip in

2220-512: The Trent–Severn Waterway , and other natural attractions. The city's waterfront has an extensive lakeshore boardwalk, a large park with two beaches, several playgrounds, an outdoor theatre, a touring ferry, and a children's train. The city of Orillia also is home to a large number of retirement homes (currently nine, with four more under construction). As such, it is often characterized as a "retirement community", although less than 18% of

2294-486: The "United Provisional Judicial District of Muskoka and Parry Sound", but it did have its own District Court and Surrogate Court This would continue until 1899, when Muskoka and Parry Sound were divided into separate provisional judicial districts. In 1967, the Muskoka District Council was advised that J.W. Spooner , Ontario's Minister of Municipal Affairs , had appointed Donald M. Paterson to conduct

District Municipality of Muskoka - Misplaced Pages Continue

2368-491: The 1980s and 1990s. Orillia is known as the "Sunshine City", taking the moniker from its role as the fictional "Mariposa" in the book Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town by Stephen Leacock . Many local businesses also use "Mariposa" in their names. The city council has actively restricted the construction of large buildings downtown and seeks to maintain a certain "small town" look with regard to signs and decorations. However, in 2017, plans were further discussed to redevelop

2442-599: The Coldwater Road centuries later; it was used by the Hurons , Ojibways , French , and British as a fur-trading route. Champlain spent the winter with the Hurons in their chief village of Cahiague (near the current Warminster). Ecole Samuel de Champlain , a local francophone elementary school, is named in his honour. A monument to Samuel de Champlain can also be found in Couchiching Beach Park and

2516-495: The District Municipality of Muskoka had a population of 66,674 living in 28,571 of its 47,560 total private dwellings, a change of 10% from its 2016 population of 60,614 . With a land area of 3,839.47 km (1,482.43 sq mi), it had a population density of 17.4/km (45.0/sq mi) in 2021. List of regional municipalities in Ontario, Canada Too Many Requests If you report this error to

2590-479: The District of Muskoka." Its constituent municipalities were: Its authority did not extend to the geographic townships. Provision was made in 1888 for a procedure to erect the District into a provisional county, but it was never invoked and was quietly repealed in 1911. The District, unlike a county in Ontario, did not initially have the status of being a separate judicial district. Such an identity followed that for municipal purposes until 1888, when it became part of

2664-523: The District were formally defined by statute: Although the townships were part of the District, they were still allied with their original counties for municipal purposes. This was rectified in 1877, when all of the District was declared to be within Simcoe County. This lasted until 1888, when it was separated from that County. The passage of the Free Grants and Homestead Act of 1868 , opened

2738-631: The European Canadians. The tribe lived south of the region, near present-day Orillia . They used Muskoka as their hunting grounds. Another Ojibwa tribe lived in the area of Port Carling, then called "Obajewanung". The tribe moved to Parry Sound around 1866. In the present day, Muskoka contains four First Nations reserves: Until the late 1760s, the European presence in the region was largely limited to seasonal fur trappers , but no significant trading settlements were established. Following

2812-665: The Guardian Angels Catholic Church, the Samuel de Champlain statue in Couchiching Beach Park as well as Chiefs Island in the middle of Lake Couchiching . Orillia was the first municipality in North America to introduce daylight saving time and had the first municipal hydroelectric transmission plant in North America. The first recorded use of the name to describe the region, which until then had no officially sanctioned designation,

2886-518: The Huron-Wendat people, it was later inhabited by the Ojibwe people, who settled the land under the leadership of Chief William Yellowhead . The Ojibwe people remained on the land until the arrival of European settlers. Also of historical note, the famed French explorer Samuel de Champlain visited the area that would later become Orillia in the summer of 1615, travelling over what would become

2960-412: The Muskoka census division but are independent of the District Municipality. Geography drove history in the Muskoka region. Studded with lakes and rocks, the good land offered an abundance of fishing, hunting, and trapping, but was poorly suited to farming. The Muskoka and Haliburton area, with its chain of lakes and rivers, its fur-bearing animals, its fish, wild fruit, and maple sap, would have supported

3034-590: The Wikimedia System Administrators, please include the details below. Request from 172.68.168.132 via cp1112 cp1112, Varnish XID 926506356 Upstream caches: cp1112 int Error: 429, Too Many Requests at Thu, 28 Nov 2024 07:44:12 GMT Orillia It was incorporated as a village in 1867, but the history of what is today the City of Orillia dates back at least several thousand years. Archaeologists have uncovered evidence of fishing by

District Municipality of Muskoka - Misplaced Pages Continue

3108-438: The availability of the automobile, improved roads, and the newly affordable fiberglass boat. Suddenly owning a summer cottage became possible not only for the adventurous or the wealthy, but for many in the middle class. They traveled by private automobiles, and the steamship companies were forced to retire their ships one by one, until the last sailing in the late 1950s. The District was formed from unorganized territory which

3182-519: The centres of wealthy vacationers' lives, and families conducted extended stays that could stretch for weeks or months in the summer. As families became seasonally established, they began building cottages near the hotels; at first simple affairs replicating the rustic environment of the early camps. Later they built grander homes, including in some cases, housing for significant domestic staff. Initially cottagers relied on rowboats and canoes for daily transport and would sometimes row substantial distances. In

3256-554: The city's population is actually over 65 (see below). Orillia is home to an annual Perch Fishing Festival. Perch are netted, tagged, and released into the local lake, to be caught for prize money. This event also includes a large social gathering consisting of a "perch fry". Other popular annual festivals include the Leacock Festival, Blues Festival, Jazz Festival, Scottish Festival, and Beatles Festival. The Port of Orillia holds an annual "Christmas in June", which includes

3330-489: The development of Orillia's newest rope-making business, Redpoint Ropes .) Large public-sector employers include the headquarters for the Ontario Provincial Police , which is located in Orillia. The Huronia Regional Centre , formerly an asylum that later became an institution to house disabled people, was one of the area's largest employers for many decades until the de-institutionalization movement of

3404-403: The early 20th century, announced it was closing its doors in September 2007. In late July 2009, Parker Hannifin announced that they were shutting down their operations in Orillia at the end of the year. G.W.B. Rope & Twine , which was one of the foremost North American producers of braided rope from 1973 to 1985, was also the inventor of the automotive grocery or cargo restraint net. The net

3478-532: The era of the steam and gasoline launch, tourists relied less on muscle power and more on motors. With the boats, the wealthier summer people built boathouses, often elaborate structures in their own right, in many cases designed with the look and feel of the main "cottage". In 1887, the Nipissing II was built in Glasgow, Scotland and assembled in Gravenhurst, Ontario . Originally a side paddlewheel steamer,

3552-537: The era of widespread settlement to Muskoka. Settlers could receive free land if they agreed to clear the land, have at least 15 acres (6.1 ha) under cultivation, and build a 16x20 ft, or 320-square-foot (30 m) house. Settlers under the Homestead Act, however, found the going hard. Clearing 15 acres 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

3626-604: The fictional town could really be any town. The book was based on Leacock's experiences in the town and since the book's release, the city has attempted to mimic the fictional location in as many ways as possible. The Leacock Museum and National Historic Site, located in Orillia, is one of the National Historic Sites of Canada . William E. Bell's 1989 novel Five Days of the Ghost was also set in Orillia, with many readers recognizing popular local spots, including

3700-651: The first "campers" (a pop-up tent in a car). Economic activity in Orillia is a mix of manufacturing, government services, customer service, and tourism. The largest employer in the area is Casino Rama , located in the nearby reserve land of the Chippewas of Rama First Nation . Manufacturing operations in the city include CCI Thermal Technologies (industrial heaters and heating components), Dorr-Oliver Eimco (industrial equipment), Kubota Metal Corporation ( petrochemical industry components), Parker Hannifin (moulded rubber products), Pliant Corporation (components for

3774-540: The form of the Muskoka Colonization Road, begun in 1858 and reaching Bracebridge in 1861. The road was roughly cut through 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 railroad pushed north to support the industry, reaching Gravenhurst in 1875 and Bracebridge in 1885. The lumbering industry spawned

SECTION 50

#1732779852279

3848-522: The government to open the entire Muskoka lake system to navigation. He urged installing locks in Port Carling and opening a cut between Lake Rosseau and Lake Joseph at Port Sanfield . The government was eager to reinforce development in light of the faltering agricultural plan, and built the big locks in Port Carling in 1871. Cockburn's steamers had access to the entire lake system. Through

3922-588: The great steamers of the Muskoka Navigation Co, such as the Sagamo . Making regular stops up the lakes, including at Bracebridge, Beaumaris, and Port Carling, tourists could transfer to smaller ships, such as the Islander. These could reach smaller ports. Improving transportation links opened smaller or more remote upper Muskoka lakes (Fairy, Vernon, Mary, Peninsula and Lake of Bays) to tourism around

3996-515: The highest hydraulic lift locks in the world, Peterborough Lift Lock and Kirkfield Lift Lock ) eventually leads to Lake Ontario . From either of these Great Lakes one can connect to the St. Lawrence and thence to the Atlantic Ocean . The human history of the area extends back several thousand years: in the "Narrows", a small waterway that connects Lake Couchiching and Lake Simcoe , there

4070-481: The hub of art and culture for the city, playing an instrumental role in municipal cultural events. The museum occupies all four floors of the historic Sir Sam Steele Building, a landmark destination for both residents and visitors. A collection of over 10,000 artefacts of regional historical significance features in a rotating exhibits schedule. On a separate floor is contemporary art space with exhibits featuring regional and international artists. The museum also features

4144-672: The island. Only Ivy Lane, a road allowance, serves as path to homes on the island. Water taxi is the main means of transportation to the island (unless residents have their own private vessels) from the GIPOA-owned mainland dock to the island dock (on a vacant lot). Initial interest in Orillia came from fur traders who used the gathering place at the Narrows to do business with the many tribes that came there each spring and fall. Subsequently, Orillia's economics has ranged from farming (even downtown) to machinery, to automobiles and even one of

4218-466: The most common explanation holds that the name originates in the Spanish , "orilla," which can mean the shore of either a lake or river. The Spanish pronunciation sounds much like, "oreeya," and since the word itself is spelled almost identically to Orillia, without the second, "i," it has come to be commonly accepted as the source word for the city's name. Further backing the theory of a Spanish origin are

4292-414: The names of surrounding communities and landmarks, which include Oro for gold , Mariposa for butterfly , and Mono for monkey . Historical documents contain a second spelling of the name which was never officially recognised, Aurelia, which when pronounced sounds similar to the name and is considered a clerical error . In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada , Orillia had

4366-408: The packaging industry), Smiths Aerospace Components (aerospace industry machining), and TI Group Automotive Systems (automotive components). Call centre Tele Tech Canada also employs approximately 850 people. The Central Operations Headquarters for Ontario Provincial Police is located in Orillia on Memorial Drive along with the regional headquarters. Heywood-Wakefield seating, which operated from

4440-535: The public. The Royal Canadian Legion sponsors a yearly Scottish Festival at Couchiching Beach Park and Centennial Park in July each year. Marching bands from around the country participate. Since 1963, the Webers hamburger restaurant has been approximately 1 km north of Orillia, next to Ontario Highway 11 . Lake St. George Golf Club is ten minutes north of Orillia. Both French and English public education

4514-656: The steamer Emily May up the lake to Orillia, and rowed across Lake Couchiching . 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. These early tourist pioneers increased demand for transport services in the region. People were drawn by the fishing, natural environment, and an air free of ragweed, providing relief for hay fever sufferers. Early tourists built camps, but were joined by others desiring better accommodations. Farmers who were barely scratching

SECTION 60

#1732779852279

4588-764: The steamships, people built cottages farther afield. Demand began dropping for passenger billets on the steamship lines. Meanwhile, demand increased for air transportation. The earliest runways of Muskoka Airport were laid out in 1933. The airport has been intermittently upgraded. It was used strategically during World War II as a training field for the Norwegian Air Force after the Nazi occupation of Norway. The demands of World War II slowed residential development in this area. Wartime shortages kept many Americans at home and many Canadians were engaged in war activities. Postwar prosperity brought another boom based around

4662-417: The tourist activity for the area and hence the economy. After the war, however, significant advances in the automobile brought demand for improved (paved) roads. These two developments, motorboats and private cars, brought greater overall development of the area; they also stimulated the spread of development around the lakes, as people no longer needed to be near major landings. Freed from the ports of call of

4736-533: The turn of the 20th century, with steamers out of Huntsville servicing hotels like Deerhurst on Peninsula Lake . The Portage Railway between Peninsula Lake and Lake of Bays enabled comparatively easy access to the latter, resulting in a blossoming of tourism there, with 21 hotels eventually springing up, among them notably the Wawa and Britannia hotels and perhaps culminating in the Bigwin Inn . The hotels became

4810-554: The unorganized territory lying between the southern boundary of Humphrey and the Severn River , bounded on the west by the western boundary of Humphrey extended southerly to the Severn River The townships of Stisted, Chaffey, Franklin and Ridout (all from Victoria County) were transferred to the District in 1873, while Humphrey Township was transferred to the Parry Sound District . In 1876, the boundaries of

4884-477: The up-and-coming money earner in the 1880s. The steamship era gave rise to the area's great hotels: Rosseau, Royal Muskoka , Windermere, Clevelands House, Beaumaris, and many more. When the railroad reached Gravenhurst in 1875, the area grew rapidly. Travel from Toronto , Pittsburgh , and New York City became less a matter of endurance than expenditure. Trains regularly made the run from Toronto to Gravenhurst, where travellers and their luggage were transferred to

4958-509: The waterfront district and other areas underdeveloped or otherwise vacant. A 3D model was developed at the local Royal Canadian Legion to reflect the possible future and is to be on display in city hall. Orillia's "Arts District" is located on Peter St. S., between Mississauga St. E. and Colborne St. E., and is home to a variety of art galleries , fine dining and shops. At its centre is the Orillia Museum of Art & History, considered

5032-483: The year was in 1610 or 1611. In 1826, Lieutenant Henry Briscoe became the first European man known to have crossed the middle of Muskoka. The explorer David Thompson drew the first maps of the area in 1837 and possibly camped near present-day Beaumaris. Canada experienced heavy immigration from Europe in the 19th century, and Muskoka was no different. Large numbers of settlers from the United Kingdom , and to

5106-536: The years he added more ships; when he died in 1905, 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. 1860 two young men, John Campbell and James Bain Jr , made a journey that marked them as perhaps the first tourists in the region. Taking the Northern Railway to Lake Simcoe , they took

5180-785: Was in 1820 when the name was given in York , Upper Canada by then Lieutenant-Governor Sir Peregrine Maitland . Maitland was a veteran of the British campaign against the French in Spain , called the Peninsular War , during the Napoleonic Wars where he served under the command of the Duke of Wellington . While there are no records clearly indicating the reason for the name Orillia,

5254-503: Was introduced with the launch of the Ford Taurus at Christmas 1985, and shortly thereafter the company was sold and became Polytech Netting Industries , which employed several hundred people until moving to Mexico in 1996–97. G.W.B. Rope and Twine's founders, Gordon W. Brown and family, launched G&B Ropes in 1990. (Their son Sean Brown worked with G&B Ropes until it transferred ownership around 1998. Sean Brown then assisted in

5328-542: 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. Sometimes called the Father of Muskoka, Alexander Cockburn began placing steamers on the lake system. Starting with his steamship the Wenonah , Ojibwa for "first daughter", in 1866 Cockburn pressed

5402-409: Was only partially surveyed into geographic townships by 1868. Surveying was completed in the coming years, and most, but not all, townships became organized municipally. The first townships were organized in 1869. In 1970, four geographic townships still existed in the District. In 1873, the organized townships were formed into a municipality similar to a county, known as the "Municipal Corporation of

5476-604: Was ranked #1 for Best Trips of 2011 by National Geographic , and was a finalist for the same distinction in 2012. The municipality's name derives from a First Nations chief of the 1850s. Lake Muskoka was then the hunting grounds of a troop led by Chief Yellowhead or Mesqua Ukie or Musquakie . He was revered by the government, who built a home for him in Orillia where he lived until his death at age 95. Muskoka has 60,000 permanent residents, but an additional 100,000 seasonal property owners spend their summers there, making it

#278721