Kinmount Gazette

Kinmount Gazette KINMOUNT GAZETTE COM MITTEE A S U B - COMMITTEE OF T HE KINMOUNT COMMITTEE FOR PLANNING AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT March 2010 Volume 2: Issue 4 The Founding of Kinmount Inside this issue: The village of Kinmount Concession of Somerville first step in his ―complex‖: the officially began its existence Township comprises the vil- construction of the Kinmount NEIGHBOURS AND FRIENDS 2 in 1859. In that year, a post lage site south of the bridge. Dam. office was established and Lot 1 in the 14th Concession There is no record of what the the community called Kin- runs from the north end of the village looked like before the SKIJORING 4 mount. The village was bridge to the Haliburton advent of settlement. The so- blessed by fate with the pre- County border at the Boundary called waterfalls in town was requisites for a Canadian (aka Davis Lake) Road. The likely only a few feet high: MYTH BUSTERS 6 village at the time: a public south half of the village was basically a ridge where the road (Bobcaygeon Coloniza- purchased by John Hunter, Burnt River tumbled over a KINMOUNT KIDS 8 tion Road), a waterfall for a primarily for its mill site. granite ledge. The River above mill site, a major waterway Hunter was a true entrepreneur the dam was likely a mud flat (Burnt River) and a bridge who had scouted the site long with a small stream in the mid- SPOT THE SHOT REVISITED 9 over this waterway. These in advance. He recognized the dle. In the spring run-off, the four factors meant the site potential of this mill site and channel would be full of water where the Bobcaygeon Road was simply waiting for the and the falls would roar into a THE HOT STOVE 11 crossed the Burnt River was Bobcaygeon Road to reach his torrent. After the spring flood destined to become a hamlet. property to begin construction passed, the river would shrink EDITORIAL 15 The Road also laid out the on a dam and sawmill. The into a shallow stream that pattern for the future village Road reached the Burnt River trickled along the rest of the of Kinmount. in the spring of 1858. John year. The downtown core of The village site sprawls Hunter moved from his Bob- the village (Main St) was meadow‖ that flooded in across 2 lots: lot1 in the 13th caygeon home and started the likely a marshy ―beaver spring and dried out in summer. Fluctuating water levels were a huge problem all over the Kawartha Lakes watershed before dams were built. Hunter needed a dam for 2 reasons: provide a stable river level to float his logs and con- trol the water to turn the turbine in his mill. There is no doubt the summer water levels would be too low for logs to float down the river. The dam raised the level at least 8-10 feet and kept it there all year. Hence logs could be ―stored‖ in the river until the mill got around to sawing them. Continued on page 3 The original dam from John Hunter’s time Kinmount Gazette Friends and Neighbours: Rosedale At the far south-west corner bridge replaced the swing The village at one time sup- of Somerville Township lays bridge. ported congregations of the Main Street Kinmount the hamlet of Rosedale. The Rosedale is situated in a val- Anglican, Presbyterian & hamlet is split between ley or dale. It is hard for to- Methodist Churches. It also Kawartha Credit Union is a Somerville & Fenelon Town- day’s traveller to imagine the hosted a Temperance Lodge full-service financial ships at the point where a valley as they pass through on (to ban alcohol) and a branch institution with short river channel connects the high bridge. But in pioneer of the Grangers, a farmers’ 19 branches Balsam & Cameron Lakes. In days, it was a very quiet little political organization. in North and the era before the Trent Canal dale. In the 1850s, the Cam- During the height of the log- East-Central Ontario altered the water levels, this eron Family from Fenelon ging industry, steam boats and from Trenton river was a shallow creek & Falls acquired the property in sawlogs often competed for to rapids that was not navigable. the dale and John Cameron space in the Rosedale River. Parry Sound. The Burnt River empties into named the spot ―Rosa’s Dale‖ Many times, the steam boats Cameron Lake on the east after his wife. The name were forced to cut their jour- side of Rosedale while the Rosedale gradually replaced ney short because the river ATM available 24 hours Gull River meets Balsam the original term. It was was filled with logs! In 1895, Lake on the west side. Balsam thought the site would become it was decided to improve the 705-488-9963 Lake is unique as the highest a mill town, much the same as locks at Rosedale. Twelve point of the Trent Canal. By Fenelon Falls or Bobcaygeon. thousand holes were drilled building a dam at Rosedale, But Rosedale gravitated to a (by hand) in the rocky bed of tors go the spoils! water flowed both directions tourist town instead. Several the river, but only 3,000 were Today the hamlet of Rosedale from Balsam Lake: east to summer homes & lodges blasted before a general elec- Fenelon Falls & west to Kirk- sprang up along the valley. A tion led to a change in govern- still feeds upon its image as a field. A dam & locks was in post office was opened in ment. Work was suspended vacation site on the Trent Canal. operation at Rosedale by 1866 and a townsite was sur- for 3 months until a different Most traffic on Highway #35 1873. The Cameron Road was veyed around the same time. crew were in place to continue passes over the hamlet, but for the earliest colonization road Rosedale serviced both a local the work. The difference? The those who get off the ―beaten to cross the Kawartha Lakes farming community, the river old crew were tories, while path‖, the little hamlet still has at Rosedale. With the coming drivers of the logging era & a the next gang were exclu- some charms! of the Trent Canal, a swing growing number of tourists. A sively grits or lib- bridge was installed. It was popular excursion by steam- erals! To the vic- policy to leave the bridge boat involved a closed to allow road traffic to trip from Coboconk & Minden to pass. Fenelon Falls Any ship that needed the or Bobcaygeon swing bridge open blew their to Rosedale for steam whistle as it ap- a summer out- proached the bridge & the ing. Steamers bridge master, Mr Bro- regularly kenshire, walked the distance passed through from his house to swing the on their way to bridge. In later years, a high Coboconk. Page 14 Kinmount Gazette The Founding of Kinmount, continued from page 1 There was no real hurry to els were actually a ―good crop for any respectable Bench & issuer of marriage licences. get the lumber sawed. It was thing‖ for all concerned farmer. Flour was also the He was also a contractor, teamster & also important to have a since they produced a stable number one staple in the farmer: clearly a man for all seasons. steady flow of water year- water level. local diet. Every farmer as- But prosperity was fleeting for John round to work the turbine. The new sawmill was built pired to grow wheat, not Once the spring freshette had on the east side of the dam: only for his own use, but for Hunter. By 1869, the hotel and tav- passed, the flow slackened to on the opposite side of the sale. It was one of the most ern were gone. In 1870 he sold the the point where not enough river from the present Austin saleable commodities. Set- sawmill to William Cluxton, al- water went down the sluice- Sawmill. Since the Bobcay- tlers would walk for days though he was still the owner of the way to turn the engine. A dam geon Road is still on its through the bush with a bag grist mill (likely the most profitable could store water and allow original course, the mill lay of wheat on their shoulder to of the two). The fortunes of the Hunter to let it go when he between the current road and get to a grist mill. Once ―Founder of Kinmount‖ were clearly wanted the flow. The natural the dam. This site was ad- again, Kinmount had the drop of about 10-12 feet vantageous because wagons first grist mill north of Bob- in decline. In 1875, the Hunter fam- meant the force of gravity and could literally drive into the caygeon, a boon to the local ily left Kinmount and moved to Cali- falling water was the energy mill without leaving the settlers. And its location fornia. They settled near Los Ange- used to drive the turbine in road. Hunter’s Mill was the right on the Bobcaygeon les, in a community now known as the mill. first such structure north of Road... perfect! Anaheim. Ironically as the founder Damming the river at Kin- Bobcaygeon and it was a By 1859, Hunter’s mills of Kinmount moved out, prosperity mount flooded the Burnt boon to the local settlers. were in operation. The cen- River about 3 miles upstream John Hunter was not so sus lists 6 employees in arrived in town in the form of the to the Three Brothers Falls.

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