Scott’s Boathouse Road Scott’s Boathouse Road LAKE OF BAYS

Lake of Bays Heritage Foundation Compiled and edited by Penny Thomas and Paul Shoniker 2014. SCOTT’S BOATHOUSE ROAD LAKE OF BAYS

Scott’s Boathouse Road is located on the south shore of Lake of Bays, equidistant between Norway Point and Grove Park, off Old Highway 117. This area of the lake has grand vistas and gorgeous wide sand beaches.

The area was settled following surveys conducted in the mid 1800’s. In 1868, with the ‘Free Grant and Homestead Act’, the Canadian government opened three million acres of land for development from the River to Georgian Bay. In 1878, the road between Baysville and Dorset was scattered with homesteads erected under these grants. Lured by the beauty of the lake country, settlers from all parts of and Europe took up the offer to clear the land, build a home and remain for ten years or forfeit to the government what proved to be primitive and rocky land. Those who remained loved the country and chose to endure the hardship to survive.

Many settlers were discouraged by the rugged, unproductive soil and vacated their claims. In the late 1890’s, tourists discovered the area by the opening of boarding houses such as Grove Park Lodge located three miles east of Norway Point and operated by Mrs. John Robertson. At Norway Point there was another boarding house run by Mrs. George Robertson. At the turn of the century, cottages started to be built along the south shore of Lake of Bays. Grandview Hotel was built in 1901 followed by the Glenmount Hotel next door in 1903.

The legendary at Norway Point was constructed in 1907 on George Robertson’s Norway Point farm, and was a popular summer destination for tourists. The WaWa was a frame structure with a three storey central building and a two storey wing on either side, accommodating a total of 300 guests. Rising from the centre of the building was a five storey tower crowned by a powerful search light. The interior was panelled in Georgia pine and appointed with luxurious furnishings. The hotel attracted so many visitors that it had to offer sleeping tents to accommodate the overflow. Bigwin Inn started construction in 1911 and opened to the public in June 1920, providing an excellent social and entertainment element to vacationers.

Wa Wa Hotel DEVELOPMENT OF THE ROAD LANDER / MORISON COTTAGE

In 1907, Peter Brown of the Township of Ridout purchased 71 acres from the Crown for $35.00. In 1922, three gentlemen from Oshawa; Elgin Vesta Lander, Reuben William Millichamp and Colonel William Eric Phillips (a WW1 war hero married to Mary McLaughlin, daughter of Colonel Sam McLaughlin of Parkwood, Oshawa) were looking for a northern retreat to accommodate their common interest of card playing and a summer vacation place for their families. They acquired shoreline severed from the original Peter Brown 1907 land acquisition.

When the three card playing gentlemen arrived in 1922, Dorset and Baysville supported a thriving lumber industry. Norway Point and Black Point were also solidly populated.

The once treacherous road from Bracebridge to Baysville was somewhat improved. Prior to this, settlers and tourists came to the south shore of Lake of Bays, mostly by water landing at Robertson’s wharf at Norway Point. The travelers would have likely taken the train to Huntsville. The trip from Huntsville to North Portage would be made via the Algonquin. The Portage Flyer railway was constructed in 1905, and linked North Portage with South Portage on Lake of Bays where travelers continued to their destination aboard the Iroquois or Mohawk Belle. While road access to Baysville and eastward gained popularity, the importance of steam boats on Lake of Bays declined.

When Messrs.’ Lander, Millichamp and Phillips built their cottage, the vicinity looked different than it does today. The shoreline was full of logs that had separated from the massive log drifts that were intended for the mills in Baysville. The Boothby and later Bailey farm was located to the east. Further beyond was Grove Park Lodge operated by Mrs. J.J. Robertson. To the east of Grove Park, Mr. Molesworth operated an outstanding gift shop at what was Langford Marina.

The Morison cottage, built in 1922, is a pre-fabricated, mail order package by Michigan/-based Aladdin. Between 1906 and 1940, thousands of North American homes were built according to plans sold by mail order companies such as: Aladdin, Eaton’s or Montgomery Ward. Often an entire mail order structure (in the form of labeled timbers) was shipped via train and was delivered, complete with hinges, windows and even kitchen cabinets.

Mr. Langmaid, a master carpenter from Baysville (Langmaid’s Island was named after him) constructed the cottage. A local stone mason, most likely James McFarlane of Huntsville, built the fireplace. Mr. McFarlane created the fireplaces at Bigwin as well as many of the fine old Huntsville stone homes. A cottage shed built on the property is now used as a cabin. There was also an icehouse where ice was drawn from the lake during the winter months and packed in sawdust and stored until summer. A pump supplied running water to the modern bathroom in the cottage. There was no telephone in the early post war years. Phone calls were made through a community operator at Grove Park Hotel. The cottage power was serviced by a generator system known as a Delco plant. This was a recent technology in 1922. Delco-Light electric plant in the United States, brought the wonder of electricity to rural areas. With this electric power system that teams with battery and appliance manufacturers, ‘flameless lighting’, ‘running water’ as well as convenient labor saving equipment and appliances, such as the wringer wash machine, were available. It was this modern marvel that E. V. Lander brought to Lake of Bays. The Lander/ Butler cottage to the east of the original Morison cottage was built in 1923 for Reuben Millichamp, by Gordon Robinson of Baysville. The cottage was a replica of the pre-fabricated cottage built the year before.

Also in 1923, a two story boathouse with sleeping and card playing space upstairs was constructed. The original, knot-free wood in both cottages remains intact to this day. Coincidentally, also in the summer of 1923, the WaWa Hotel burnt to the ground. The fire broke out in a baggage room after a dance when most of the 240 guests and 95 employees had retired to their rooms. Flames raced up the elevator shaft erupting into the tower. Within 35 minutes, the entire structure was reduced to ashes. Eleven people perished.

The Lander family arrived after a full day’s journey from Oshawa. They spent the entire summer at the cottage and relatives visited often, giving the Lander children many memories with not only their siblings, but their cousins. The mornings were spent doing chores with everyone involved in the care and cleaning of the cottage. By mid-day, the sun shone on the property and blissful afternoons were spent swimming, sailing and canoeing. The Lander children all learned to swim on the sand beach. By the time the Lander children were in their early teens, they took their small wooden boat over to Bigwin Inn to hike up to the tower or visit the tea house for ice cream. The Glenmount tea house provides fond memories of cherry coke, the jute box, the nickel slot machine and collecting the mail at the Glenmount Store operated by Mr. and Mrs. Thompson and later by Bessie Martin.

Ross Heaney, known as the “chicken man”, was a cottage character. Mr. Heaney drove an old Ford pick-up truck and delivered fresh chicken and Muskoka lamb. Mr. Heaney entertained and scared the young children by killing, plucking and skinning chickens and moving the chicken feet back and forth. Mr. Heaney’s Muskoka lamb and chicken was a true organic delicacy. In the late twenties and thirties, William Langmaid operated a grocery boat which pulled up to docks, allowing cottagers to buy fresh fruit and vegetables. Billy Langmaid was the son of the builder of the Morison cottage, and was proprietor of Langmaid’s of Baysville.

Every Victoria Day weekend, the families celebrated by lighting up the sky with fireworks, sparklers and rockets. The climax was the burning school house – an event which all the young ones looked forward to.

Mr. Morison and Mr. Lander fished, and fried up their catch in a big pan on the beach. Many memorable picnics took place on the beach in front of the cottages. Grown-ups dressed formally and continued to do so in post-war times. Elgin Lander always dressed in a shirt, tie and fedora, even to rake the beach. Evening cocktails required formal clothing – a great contrast to today’s casual ‘anything goes’ attire. Music wafted across the lake from the Dance Hall at Bigwin where the Big Bands played on Saturday nights and C.O. Shaw and the Anglo Canadian band performed on Sunday afternoon. Fifth generation cottagers Susan, Judith and Michael Morison and Pat and Lee Butler remember the grown –ups of years past enjoying boating and swimming in the lake, dances at Bigwin Inn and bridge games.

Many years after the last hand of cards was dealt by the three principals, E.V. Lander bought both cottages and boathouse in 1955. Interestingly, Mr. Millichamp sold to C.O. Shaw in 1910. Millichamp and Reuben Islands are named after Reuben Millichamp.

The architecture of the two cottages remain as it originally was in the early 1920’s, with the exception of the enclosure of the front porches that spanned both cottages from east to west. Windows facing the lake have been altered to allow for more light. The kitchen areas have been modernized to allow for electrical appliances and more counter space. Due to the ravages of the years, the 1923 boathouse was replaced in 2012.

FINCH / BYRNES / SCOTT’S BOATHOUSE ‘The Boathouse’ was built in 1924 for Gordon Tupper Finch, a wealthy Toronto mining bond broker. The Boathouse was intended to be the largest boathouse on the lake, and was famous for its parties when Bigwin Inn was a glamorous destination. The double-slip boathouse is accessed by a bridge connected to the mainland. The Boathouse has four bedrooms, a bathroom and maid’s room. A large living room with a substantial and gorgeous stone fireplace (since removed) is at the end of a long hallway. Off this grand living room is a covered veranda overlooking the lapping waters of the lake. The original red painted wicker furniture still graces the living room to this day.

The Boathouse interior walls and ceilings are constructed of Douglas fir, a great extravagance at the time. Inlaid, coloured tiles in the living room have been fashioned into a compass in the centre of the floor. Gordon Finch was an enthusiastic sailor, and porthole windows as well as a red door on the ‘portside’ and green door on the ‘starboard’ side of the building were installed to provide a nautical theme to the structure. A flagstone patio, located out of the wind, provided a gathering space for sun bathing.

Gordon Finch chose this location for his cottage so he could follow the activities at Bigwin Inn from the Boathouse veranda. He went so far as to have an underwater telephone cable installed directly to Bigwin, so he could keep in regular contact with his client, Charles Orlando Shaw. Gordon Finch also built a log cabin at the eastern end of the property. The cabin was used for spring and fall hunting trips, so the cottage did not have to be opened. Gordon Finch tragically died in 1937 at age 52.

In 1938, Helen and John Byrnes from Hamilton bought the Boathouse. The Byrnes children spent the entire summer at Lake of Bays, making the voyage from Hamilton by car, enduring the stomach churning Highway 118 (now Highway 117). They held their breath once they got off the highway until they caught sight of their beloved cottage.

To the west of the Boathouse, was a cove where they spent the warm summer days in the cool waters of the lake. They were carefully watched over by their nana, Miss Jane Griggs. The cove was accessed by a ramp built by the Byrnes. The Byrnes children canoed and around the lake. They rode their bikes to the Glenmount Tea House where there was a nickel slot machine and they could get ice cream cones or sodas.

John and Helen Byrnes enjoyed the social life of the south shore and Bigwin. They were also friendly with internationally renowned singer Gisele LaFleche Mackenzie, who performed at Glenmount and Bigwin. In 1949, the Byrnes sold the Boathouse to Helen and John Scott, The Boathouse has changed very little during the Scott’s tenure. It continues to be a destination and setting for many lively parties and family weddings over the years. The Boathouse remains an icon of a splendid era on Lake of Bays.

FINCH / BYRNES / PRINCE COTTAGE Since it was built in 1926, the interior of the Finch / Byrnes log cabin remains unaltered. Summers are enjoyed there by Sheila Byrnes Prince, Michelle Byrnes, Connie Prince Gregory, Jean Prince, Terence Byrnes Prince, Caroll Thomas Prince, Carla Prince Lanzara and Elizabeth Byrnes Lane. The charming original Finch birch interior furnishings are cleverly fashioned into tables, beds, side tables and chairs. In the Great Room, the log walls and vaulted cathedral ceiling are reminiscent of a hunting lodge. A beautiful stone fireplace adds warmth on cold days. A sleeping loft complete with log ladder is a favourite spot for the children to sleep. An enclosed porch serves as an additional bedroom and is a wonderful place to watch storms coming across the lake from Bigwin Island. A massive outdoor stone fireplace and patio was the scene of many barbeques and pig roasts during the Byrnes tenure. Chinese lanterns were strung from the trees to provide an Asian theme to the festivities. FINDLAY / HOLTON COTTAGE Number 13, Lake of Bays

In 1923, Mary Lynn and Francis T. Findlay ventured from Niagara Falls, N.Y. to Huntsville and the Portage. There they caught the Portage Flyer train to an awaiting steamer to the south shore of the lake and Bigwin Inn. The trip took an entire day.

On their boat ride over to Bigwin Inn, they asked Captain Billy Robinson if there was any property for sale on the lake. Captain Robinson agreed to take them to a beautiful property with 525 feet of sand beach directly across from Bigwin. Frank and Mary immediately purchased the property from the Bailey’s down the road for approximately $1 per shoreline foot. At the time there were two cottages to the west and to the east there was a mile of unsettled shoreline down to the Bailey farmhouse.

The Findlay’s returned the following year to clear the land and build a log cabin. Not realizing logs required seasoning; they built a rough- hewn board cottage. It was designed by an architect friend and was known as “The Red Cottage”. It had a balcony overhanging the living room with a huge fireplace, three bedrooms, a bathroom with dressing area and a detached bunkie.

They ordered furniture from Eaton’s in Toronto, but when the family arrived, the Eaton’s furniture had not. They cooked in the fireplace, ate on the floor and slept uncomfortably. Hence, the Findlay’s and their two daughters sought proper sleeping arrangements in at Glenmount Hotel until the furniture arrived. Mary and Frank’s daughters Kay and Jane were responsible for collecting the milk sold at the Bailey farm one mile up the road. Going for the milk was a big chore! Mary always pasteurized the milk and boiled the drinking water retrieved from the lake. Cottage life was not easy but enjoyed by all. The vegetables were delivered by supply boat which traveled the lake twice a week. Ross Heaney came with fresh chickens and leg of lamb in a gunny sack slung over his shoulder. Mr. Heaney would cut the lamb into any size using a butcher knife and saw. Other supplies were retrieved from Baysville or Dorset, both nine miles away or occasionally Huntsville, some 25 miles away.

In 1937 the dream log cabin, meticulously crafted of full round logs with oakum, was finally built on the middle property, 13 years after the first cottage. It became known as the “Big Log Cabin’’. It was built by Gordon Robinson, who was born on Friday the 13th. Coincidentally, Gordon Robinson also built the Millichamp/ Lander/Butler cottage next door. The ground was broke on May 13 and the family moved in on August 13th. Quite by accident, the cabin is 13 logs high to the roof line and has 13 windows. There is an upper level for sleeping, including a cozy loft room which makes this a comfortable and intriguing design. A wood staircase connects the lower to upper level. Later a fully functional kitchen was installed. The Findlay cabin endures as one of the finest log buildings in Muskoka.

The family returned each summer, often with guests. The family did so much entertaining that in 1950 they added a guest house and maid’s quarters. The guest house, a smaller version of the Big Log Cabin, became known as the Little Log Cabin. The Findlay’s eldest daughter Kay married William K. Van Ormer in 1941. They had three children, Lee, Peter and Catherine Their second daughter Jane married Charles L. Tate in 1948. The Findlay’s gifted the “Little Log Cabin” to Jane. The Tate‘s comfortably spent every summer in the smaller log cabin after Mary added a full country kitchen, 13 years after the Little Log Cabin was built.

The “Big Log Cabin” always remained Mary and Frank’s. Mary however added two rooms, maintaining the historical full round log and oakum structure. First was a large and magnificent lake room providing a breathtaking lake view. Subsequently she added a master bedroom with a bathroom and laundry, all at 13 year intervals. The property was known to the family as Number 13 North Woods.

To Mary’s family and friends, she was an accomplished artist, painter, potter, sculptress and ceramicist. Adding to those gifts, Mary Lynn Findlay became an author in 1973 writing Lures and Legends of Lake of Bays. Her book was the first ever written exclusively on the Lake of Bays. The book cover depicts a painting by the author of the lake view from the Big Log Cabin. Mary wrote in part, “It was 50 years ago when we first came to Lake of Bays and we have come back every year since that time. Once you have felt the pull you can never completely get away from the attraction of this north land. It is like a magnet drawing you and holding you spellbound.” Her dedication reads: “To Francis T. Findlay, who first brought me to Lake of Bays.”

Mary and Frank’s grandchildren: Lee, Peter and Catherine Van Ormer spent idyllic childhood summers swimming, boating, water skiing, sailing, golfing, fishing and camping. Diving was taught by next door neighbor John Scott.

Each summer the family hosted a south shore Regatta on their beach. The winners of the swimming, diving and canoeing races won trophies, always presented by Mary and Frank. Mary is also fondly remembered working on her oil paintings and water colors on their beach. She even painted her own personalized Christmas cards, depicting scenes of their beach. And one will never forget the tradition of The Birthday Tree, beside the Big Log Cabin beach. Kay and Lee Van Ormer both celebrated their birthdays in August. Mary would place all of their birthday cards and whimsically wrapped gifts in the tree. She would then serve birthday cake but not just any cake. Mary traditionally hid pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters, each individually wrapped in tin foil, inside every birthday cake. All would scream with delight when they discovered money in their slice of cake!

The Van Ormer’s huge dog Hughie was half Newfoundland. The children often rode him at the lake as if he were a horse. Mary had a pair of dachshunds named Eric and Elsa. Elsa gave birth to a littler of two puppies Mary named Minky and Monky. The fascinating birthing and whelping process took place in the Findlay’s upstairs dressing room.

On many evenings throughout the cottage season, all changed into proper attire for the appointed 6 PM cocktail hour where the grandchildren would greet guests and pass the hor d‘oeuvres. Formal sit down dinners or casual beach barbecues followed. Mary did all of her own cooking and baking, often serving elegant desserts such as Baked Alaska or Rum Baba. Evenings were spent donning formal attire for gala dinners and dancing to the big bands at Bigwin. The grandchildren recall their grandmother, mother and aunt dressed in formal attire and would walk the beach to the dock, shoes in hand, with the ladies holding their dresses up off the sand. At the dock everyone would brush the sand off their feet before entering Frank’s mahogany Chris Craft, the “Kay-Jay”, named after daughter’s Kay and Jane, for the boat ride across to Bigwin. The grandchildren would drift off to sleep to the sounds of Bigwin’s big band music. When the music stopped one heard the familiar sound of Frank’s boat heading home with cheerful chatter and laughter drifting across the lake above the roar of the boat’s engine.

One of the grandchildren’s lasting memories is that of Mary, after large family dinners, seated by her stone hearth fireplace in what the kids called “The Candy Chair”. Mary would open a large drawer located in the base of the chair and hand out fancy chocolates to the children.

Francis Findlay passed away in 1971. Mary Lynn Findlay passed away in 1983. Lindsay and Anne Holton purchased the Big Log Cabin in 2007. Lindsay Holton’s parents were friends and neighbours of the Byrnes in Hamilton. In 1955, Mary and Frank Findlay spent the summer in South Africa visiting Jane and Charlie Tate. The Findlay’s agreed to rent the Big Log Cabin the one and only time to Lindsay’s grandfather, Dan Webster. In previous years, Dan Webster rented cottages at Glenmount and Burnt Island Bay. He had just purchased a cottage on Kerrimuir Beach, but did not get possession until after the summer. Lindsay’s parents, his sister, his older and younger brother and he stayed in the Big Log Cabin while the Webster’s stayed in the Little Log Cabin.

Coincidentally, Lindsay was not aware of this history when he and Anne bought the Findlay property. This explains why Lindsay had such an odd attraction to the Big Log Cabin when he got the “midnight call” that the property was for sale.

Lindsay and Anne have extensively renovated and restored the Big Log Cabin. Today it is an outstanding example of master log construction combined with a delightful and cheerful interior design. NOTES 1. Findlay (1973) 2. Ross and Visser (1997)

ACKNOWLEGEMENTS

Contributions generously provided by, Gloria Woodside, Darlene MacNeil, Sue Morison, Sheila Byrnes Prince and Lee Van Ormer

The authors would like to acknowledge and to thank the following for photo credits and for accounts which were incorporated into this booklet.

Photo Credits Susan Morrison has provided her painting, “Lake of Bays” which is reproduced on the front cover.

Photos throughout this booklet were provided by Lee van Ormer, Scott Lindsey, Gloria Woodside, Judith Morison and Starshine Video Productions.

Publications Curtis, Daphne, The Life of Norway Point

Findlay, Mary Lynn. (1973). Lures and Legends of Lake of Bays. Bracebridge: Gerald-Gazette Press

McTaggart, Douglas. (1992). Bigwin Inn. Toronto: Stoddart Publishing.

Ross, Judy and Visser, John. (1997). At the Water’s Edge: Muskoka’s Boathouses. Erin: Boston Mills Press