Boakview Boomed in the Lumbering Days
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NSpg3Apr26.qxd* 4/26/06 1:57 PM Page 1 Wednesday April 26, 2006 ◆ PARRY SOUND NORTH STAR – 3 Boakview boomed in the lumbering days arry Sound District’s first sawmill (and the western end of Shawanaga Lake. With William community, and only a single old railway building, nucleus of the future town of Parry Sound) Francis’ son George Wilfred in charge, the Lake lately used as a hunting camp, marks the location took shape in 1857 where the Seguin River MACFIE Rosseau Company then went into gear, acquiring of Boakview station. Both landmarks gone but not Pmakes its final plunge into Georgian Bay. much of its annual supply of hardwood and entirely forgotten: John Boak and his cousin The region then being untracked wilderness, By John Macfie hemlock timber by purchasing sawlogs or Barbara Patterson of Huntsville both told me that the only way to get sawn lumber to market was by standing trees from settlers in surrounding descendants of William Francis Boak still boat, so lumberman William Milnor Gibson townships. occasionally drive up the Bunny Trail to visit old floated pine logs down the Seguin to be sawn lumbermen could ship The Boak family’s Muskoka mill was destroyed family haunts. where the lumber could be loaded directly aboard their product year- by fire in 1908, but the Shawanaga schooners and steamers plying the Great Lakes. round. Among those who operation carried on for several more Soon, several large mills were operating both in recognized an years. The partnership of local men, Parry Sound and at the mouths of the opportunity in the George Beagan and Thomas Simpson, Magnetawan and French rivers, processing the railway-building boom then took over the idled Lake Rosseau uncounted millions of board feet of timber that the was Toronto lumber mill, or at least the building that housed district produced in the storied pine-logging era. merchant William it, and the sawing of lumber continued At the close of the century, a new generation of Francis Boak. A son of there during the 1920s. sawmills began appearing alongside the railways Irish immigrants who The Boaks' sojourn on the that were now penetrating the interior. These tried farming before Shawanaga is commemorated on older trackside mills, smaller than those on Georgian going into business in topographical maps in the form of a Bay, stood closer to the timber supply and, in the city, Boak, in 1902, John Macfie CNR rail stop named Boakview. That addition, exploited tree species that formerly lay incorporated two was the name applied to a station and beyond reach. companies to supply his lumber yard. siding about a mile north of the mill. In Hardwood logs, too heavy to be floated long One, the Skeleton Lake Lumber Company addition to serving the needs of the distances, were sleigh-hauled directly to the mills, operated in Muskoka, the Lake Rosseau Company sawmill, Boakview station also or rafted across lakes harnessed to buoyant pine harvested timber in the upper Shawanaga River provided a railhead for a region For Dining at its or cedar logs. basin, north of Parry Sound. As a site for the latter extending as far as Dunchurch. best, come join us Sawn lumber was plied and left to dry alongside sawmill, Boak chose the point where the right-of- Merchants had carloads of supplies at The Bay Street spurs jutting off the railways’ main lines. No way for the planned Toronto-Capreol line of the dropped off there, and settlers made Cafe overlooking longer tied to the Great Lakes navigation season, present day Canadian National Railway skirts the use of it as a shipping point for stuff the beautiful they had to sell, such as cream, lumber and tanbark. Georgian Bay As a youngster, my summer rambles and cow-hunting expeditions often took 22 Bay Street, Parry Sound, Ontario me past the ruins of a lumber camp in 705-746-2882 our back fallow which, my father told Fax 705-774-9044 me, had housed men cutting logs and sleigh-hauling them to Shawanaga NOW SMOKE FREE! Lake for the Lake Rosseau Lumber Company. However, I hadn’t seen a photograph Open Daily of the Boakview mill until just recently, From 11 a.m. when my neighbour Stan Scarr (himself a son of Boakview) brought me the pictures shown here. I then contacted John Boak of OPENING Creemore, Ontario, great-grandson of the enterprising George Wilfred Boak, TH The setting of this picture may be Boaks’ Muskoka sawmill, near Utterson, rather than their Boakview for the foregoing thumbnail sketch of APRIL 27 , 2006 operation. The white-aproned gent probably is the cook, while the dark-aproned-men are outfitted for his family’s Parry Sound-Muskoka handling lumber. Two men are holding lumber-scaler’s rulers. John Boak, a descendant of the lumber activities. company Boaks, doesn’t know the identity of the official-looking men riding in the democrat. Today, forest has reclaimed the Specializing in: Photo courtesy of Stan Scarr former of the Boakview Mills Pastas, Fresh Fish & Seafood, The Corporation of the Vegetarian Dishes, Generous locals Municipality of Whitestone Steak & Ribs RABIES CLINIC impress again Wednesday, May 3, 2006 continued from front 6:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. “The money that was raised will assist in purchasing new equipment for the health centre. We appreciate the community’s continuous involvement and Dunchurch Pavilion support, thanks again,” she said. Ms Parolin, who is new to the Foundation, says this event was a great opportunity $15.00 per animal for her to see just how generous the community is towards its health centre. DOGS AND CATS ONLY *Daily Lunch & Dinner Specials* “I’m looking forward to all the fun again next year,” she said * Heated Patio * LLBO Dog tags are due at $10.00 each * Boat Access and will be available for purchase. 3718 3771 FFromrom foundationfoundation toto thethe finalfinal touches,touches, talk talk toto oneone ofof ourour LendingLending SpecialistsSpecialists toto findfind outout howhow wewe cancan helphelp youyou GetGet GoingGoing.. The North Star saw several readers come into the Star office to renew their newspaper subscriptions, as part of the West Parry Sound Health Centre Foundation’s Hustle for Health fundraising event. The North Star donated $5 of every newspaper renewal to the Foundation. Gallery thankful for funds continued from front Mr. Scrimgeour says he painted 13 bowls himself and purchased one of his own pieces as a keepsake. Gallery members provided a variety of soups, breads, buns and side dishes. “It was pretty much a word-of-mouth event. We’re surprised at how quickly everything happened. There was a line up of people to get in before noon,” said Mr. Scrimgeour. “Hopefully next year we’ll do twice as many bowls and get the SIXTEEN BRANCHES TO SERVE YOU INCLUDING: restaurants involved. We’ll invite them to supply the soup and have their menus out for people to see. I wasn’t expecting it to be this successful, not at all. I couldn’t Parry Sound believe it.” 1 Church Street – (705) 746-9061 Mr. Scrimgeour says a large part of the event’s success is due to the hard work of volunteers, gallery members and Barb Jackson, owner of Toad Hill Pottery, who www.kawarthacu.com fired all of the bowls. Based on the success of this event, Mr. Scrimgeour says members are already thinking of hosting a similar event involving goblets. “We’ll have artists decorate goblets and people will get to try different wines and cheese and take their goblet home,” he said. 2457.