The Life of Norway Point

The Life of Norway Point by Daphne Curtis Gordon’s Corners, 1880’s Church The Life of Norway Point Norway Point was first discovered by many of the first nations’ tribes that were the earliest Canadian people. From before written history, the Ojibwa tribe summered on Lake of Bays, while the other groups would travel to this lake for exchange of goods and fishing at Trading Lake, now known as Lake of Bays. Found on Norway Point was an arrowhead, indicating that this was likely an early campground for trading, meeting, and summer life of the various aboriginal groups. Norway Point, so called because of the Nor- way — red — Pines that surrounded the point, is a beautiful stretch of land. During the lumbering years, every tree but one was cut down, the lone remaining tree becoming a familiar landmark not only in the days when the land was farmed, but also when the Wawa hotel was in existence, and finally when the cottages were built. Sadly, in the 1950’s, the famous tree, at the water’s edge, was struck by lightning and destroyed. In the 1880’s, Gordon’s Corners, at the intersection of Brown’s Brae Road and Paint Lake Road, was the centre of the community of early settlers. By the years around 1877, the area surrounding Norway Point was “more thickly populated than it ever has been.” At Gordon’s Corners were a church, a schoolhouse, and a home that was the Post Office. In the early cottage years, — the 1900’s — Norway Point was considered to stretch from what is now the Sailing Club, (previously the St. Patrick’s Roman Catholic Church) to the Bigwin Island dock. Today, and for the purpose of this report, however, Norway Point is the land from Nor- way Point Road to the Bigwin Golf Course property. THE ROBERTSON FAMILY In the late 1870’s, from Edinburgh, came John Wilson Robertson, a coal merchant who had sold his business and then purchased a land grant, including Norway Point and the land surrounding the present road down to the lake. When he arrived with his wife, Catherine, and their three adult sons and one daughter, they purchased two sections on Concession 13: Lots 24 and 25. They may have first built a “but and ben” — a cabin — near the current location of Harriet Muirhead’s property and later constructed a log house on the founda- tion of the present Robertson house. On the property today, the remains of the barn still exist, as does the small farmhouse. In the early years, the lives of the Robertson family as farmers were a challenge, especially because the land was not only full of stones, but somewhat unproduc- tive. Because of this, many of the early settlers soon left the area. By 1877, the three Robertson sons were married and had settled for themselves. The eldest, George, married Elizabeth Forest, a nurse from Scotland who arrived in 1875. George drove to Bracebridge over the ice and snow to meet and marry Elizabeth, and to take her to their new home in the forest. The couple bought and resided on Lot 23, Concession 13; this house was on the Wawa beach as may be seen in an early picture. A long time later, Elizabeth herself was to be known to all cottagers as “Granny”. The second son, John Brown Robertson, had married Maria Jane Foulner in Scotland and then had travelled with his wife and baby daughter to settle in Canada. They purchased land from Tom Salmon and farmed the property known as Grove Park: Lot 15, Concession 14. Anthony, the youngest son, meanwhile, took up lot 27, Concession 12, the land behind White Lake, where he both farmed and ran a lumber mill on the property which became known as White Wheels. Later, Anthony purchased more land — Lot 26, Concession 13 — and ran Grandview Lodge near the current Lake of Bays Tennis Club courts, west of the old Glenmount Hotel. He married Mary Jane Brown, daughter of Duncan Brown of the Brae. The family built a road from the farmhouse to Grove Park to connect the properties, a road which later continued as the main artery until the present highway was built. Some years later, the elder Robertsons moved to Baysville where they lived with their daughter, Mrs. Secord, until their deaths — Mrs. Robertson’s in 1898 and Mr. Robertson’s in 1901. Previous to their deaths, John had purchased the elder Robertsons’ land. By the turn of the century, a new era dawned — the time of the tourists — when Mrs. George Robertson, “Granny”, opened her house on the beach to summer visitors. Each year, the guests would arrive by boat on a rickety dock at Norway Point where Granny would meet her visitors and accompany them to her beach house, carrying their luggage in a wheelbarrow. Mrs. VanWyck remembered her first arrival at the point: travelling by train to Huntsville, by steam boat to the portage, by wagon across the portage, and, finally, by another steam ship, all over the lake, before landing very late in the day. After disem- barking, her first act was to fall through the planks and into the water. “Granny” Robertson THE FIRST COTTAGERS In 1899, the Rev. J.L. Brown, who came to visit the lake, became so enthusiastic about the region that he convinced the Robertsons to sell some land to his wife. Although the Rev. Brown was not permitted to earn money, his wife, Mrs. Lizzie Brown, was known as a “real business woman” who divided the lots, selling them to Presbyterian ministers. While most of the ministers did not own houses, as the church supplied them with manses, they could buy cottages which they could rent out to raise money. At this time, when Dr. MacTavish was visiting at the Robertson lake house, he purchased land from Mrs. Brown and first built his home in 1901. The Browns and Dr. MacTavish were so keen on life at the lake that they also persuaded several of their ministerial colleagues to purchase properties along the shores. Early in the century, on some of the Browns’ land, a cottage was built for the Rev. Dr. R. M. Hamilton who later sold to Mr. Higgins, from South America. Mr. James W. Tyrrell of Hamilton first rented a cottage, purchasing it the following year, in 1905. He named his cottage Minnewawa, meaning “wind in the trees” and this property remains in the family today. Further along the shore settled Dr. Fraser Smith, a missionary from China as well as Dr. Murdock MacKenzie and the Rev. Dr. McKay, also missionaries. !n 1908, the Buckingham family rented from the Rev. Brown and, several years later, purchased the property. In 1910 and 1911, the Sprott family also rented from the Rev. Brown and later purchased one of his homes At present, the Buckingham cottage is owned by descendants, the Osbornes, while the Sprott cottage is now owned by the Dennis family. At the beginning of their time on the lake, the various ministers and their families held services in a grove under the trees at the current site of Norway Point Church.. It is said that when people sat on planks balanced on pine stumps, they had to careful to stand up all together lest someone slide off. There was also a boys’ choir and, on many evenings, the sound of song carried across the silent lake. Most of the cottages were built largely by their owners with some local help, especially because many of the ministers were better preachers than carpenters, having little time to waste on the finer aspects of architecture. The properties built for the ministers often shared very similar architectural designs with each other, still noticeable today. All along the shore of Norway Point, lots were being developed. When the Rev. Brown convinced a parishioner who had an illness to try life at the lake, the Muirhead family first came to Lake of Bays. Similarly, many more families arrived, their numbers building a community. In 1915, to counter some of the nagging questions as to property lines, Mr. William C. Tyrrell, a Hamilton Surveyor, was hired from J.W. Tyrrell and Company. As a result of his measuring, his prepared plan was accepted by all the members of the group as a legally binding document. The signatures of all the properties’ owners were witnessed, and, even today, several of the original owners have copies of this document. Because so many of these property holders were either ministers or parishioners, it is no wonder that some people called the settlement the “Clergy Reserve”. NORWAY POINT CHURCH In 1908, the first Norway Point Church was built by the many ministers visiting the lake, the cornerstone being laid, on August 8, 1908, by the Rev. Brown and Dr. McTavish. The carpenters Tackaberry, along with the Langford brothers, some assistants, and Drs. Neil and MacTavish — who were said to be distin- guished roofers — began work on August 10, and, in spite of some obstacles, the church hosted its first service on August 23, quite a feat. Not only was the attendance good but the offering amounted to $217. Prior to the construction of the church, a board of Trustees was elected who agreed, first, that the property would be deeded to the Presbyterian Church of Canada; and, second , that “the pulpit and services be opened to ministers and members of any evangelical denomination.” The committee agreed to borrow $500 from a Mrs. Margaret B. Quantz at seven percent interest. An $800 insur- ance policy was placed on the building, the actual cost of construction having amounted to $805.70.

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