A SKETCH OF GRAVENHURST FROM THE YEAR 1871 - BY THOMAS MCMURRAY
FIRST CREDIT BESTOWED ON GRAVENHURST FOR ITS EARLY SIGNS OF PROGRESS
"TEN YEARS AGO (1861), THE PRESENT SITE OF THE VILLAGE OF GRAVENHURST, WAS A WILDERNESS OF PINES, WHICH FLOURISHED IN ALL THEIR PRIMEVAL GRANDEUR. BUT, AS THE RESOURCES AND ADVANTAGES OF THE COUNTRY BECAME GRADUALLY KNOWN TO THE OUTSIDE WORLD, EAGER IMMIGRANTS FROM THE MOTHER COUNTRY AND LAND SEEKERS FROM THE OLDER SETTLEMENTS, CAME HERE; AMONGST THOSE, MESSRS. JAS. SHARP, SENIOR; DAVID WRIGHT, JOSEPH BROCK, EDWARD AND JAMES HEWITT, AND JAS. MCCABE, THE LAST NAMED PARTY ALSO BEING PROPRIETOR OF THE 'FREE MASONS ARMS,' HOTEL. THE PROGRESS OF GRAVENHURST AND VICINITY WAS NECESSARILY SLOW FOR A FEW YEARS," WRITES MCMURRAY, IN HIS SETTLERS' GUIDEBOOK, ENTITLED "MUSKOKA AND PARRY SOUND."
I'M WORKING TONIGHT, FROM AN ORIGINAL PRINTING OF MCMURRAY'S BOOK, THAT ONCE BELONGED TO THE SHEA FAMILY OF UFFORD; FOLKS COUNTED AMONGST THE FIRST HOMESTEADERS IN THE VICINITY OF THREE MILE LAKE, NEAR WINDERMERE. THE BOOK WAS GIVEN TO ME BY MY MOTHER-IN-LAW, HARRIETT STRIPP, DAUGHTER OF JOHN SHEA, A FORMER MUNICIPAL CLERK IN THE PRESENT TOWNSHIP OF MUSKOKA LAKES. HER BROTHER, BERT SHEA, WAS A WELL KNOWN REGIONAL HISTORIAN, WHO PUBLISHED TWO OUTSTANDING BOOKS OF FAMILY AND COMMUNITY HISTORY, THAT I HAVE OFTEN USED IN MY MUSKOKA RESEARCH PROJECTS.
"MESSRS. P. COCKBURN & SON, COMMENCING LUMBERING OPERATIONS IN THE COUNTRY DURING THE WINTER OF 1865-66, GAVE AN IMPETUS TO INDUSTRY AND ADVANCEMENT PREVIOUSLY UNKNOWN; THEY PURCHASED LOGS FROM THE SETTLERS AND GAVE THEM EMPLOYMENT DURING THE WINTER MONTHS, SOON CONVINCING THE INHABITANTS THAT PINE TREES WERE USEFUL FOR OTHER PURPOSES THAN BEING BURNT INTO ASHES. MR. A.P. COCKBURN, M.P.P., CONTRIBUTED VERY MATERIALLY ABOUT THIS TIME, TO THE WELFARE AND PROGRESS OF THE SETTLEMENT, BY PLACING A STEAMER ON MUSKOKA LAKE, BUILT NEAR GRAVEHURST WHARF, AND KNOWN AS THE 'WENONAH; HE ALSO OPENED A GENERAL STORE DISTINGUISHED AS THE 'MONTREAL STORE,' - SINCE THAT THE COUNTRY HAS STEADILY PROGRESSED."
MCMURRAY WRITES THAT, "GRAVENHURST IS PLEASANTLY SITUATED ON A GENTLE DECLIVITY BETWEEN MUSKOKA BAY AND GULL LAKE; IT IS DISTANT FROM TORONTO, 106 MILES; FROM ORILLIA, 26 MILES; FROM SEVERN BRIDGE, 12 MILES; AND FROM BRACEBRIDGE, 11 MILES. IT IS CONNECTED WITH LAKE COUCHICHING BY A NEW PLANK AND GRAVEL ROAD CONSTRUCTED DURING THE PAST SUMMER. THE PRINCIPAL BUILDINGS ARE BROWN'S HOTEL, MR. COOPER'S NEW BUILDING, THE QUEEN'S HOTEL, THE STORES OF MESSRS. COCKBURN AND CO., A STEAM SAWMILL; A PLANING MACHINE AND SASH AND DOOR FACTORY, ARE ALSO TO BE RUN IN CONNECTION WITH THE SAW-MILL."
"A.P. COCKBURN, ESQ., IS CONSTRUCTING A FINE NEW STEAMER ON MUSKOKA BAY, WHICH HE EXPECTS TO LAUNCH IN THE MONTH OF APRIL NEXT. I MIGHT MENTION THAT JAMES SHARPE, SENIOR, IS GENERAL AGENT FOR THE DIFFERENT STEAMERS AND THE 'UNION LINE' AT GRAVENHURST," RECORDED MCMURRAY IN HIS TEXT. "THE LUMBERING FIRM OF HOTCHKISS, HUGHSON & CO., HAVE AN OFFICE AT THIS POINT. THE ONLY PLACES OF WORSHIP, AT PRESENT, ARE THE ENGLISH CHURCH, AND SCHOOL HOUSE. TWO NEW CHURCHES AND A PUBLIC HALL ARE IN CONTEMPLATION. THE MEDICAL PROFESSION IS REPRESENTED BY DR. J. ADAMS, OF NOVA SCOTIA. AMONGST THE EXPECTATIONS ARE THE TORONTO, SIMCOE AND MUSKOKA JUNCTION RAILWAY, AND A BRANCH OF THE MONTREAL TELEGRAPH LINE (COMING SOON). BEING SITUATED AT THE FOOT OF NAVIGATION, GRAVENHURST DOES A LARGE AND INCREASING TRADE. THE STEAMER WENONAH CALLS AT THE WHARF TWICE EACH DAY. THE VILLAGE IS FAVORED WITH A DAILY MAIL, WITH A THROUGH MAIL FROM TORONTO DURING THE SEASON OF NAVIGATION."
SO WHY ARE THERE SO FEW EARLY GRAVENHURST OBSERVATIONS - ABOUT WHAT KIND OF TOWN WAS BUDDING IN SOUTH MUSKOKA
I have thought about this a lot, frankly, and I have some untested, unchallenged theories. First of all, particularly after the announcement of the Free Land Grants program, from about 1868 onward, Gravenhurst became a significant arrival and departure location. It was a conduit to the rest of the District of Muskoka. When exhausted settlers arrived in Gravenhurst, especially those who had come from Europe in the weeks before, and who had few provisions and resources, but big hopes, Gravenhurst was just another stop on a monstrously long and difficult journey to the homestead acreage. For many years to follow, passengers, whether by stage-coach, roughly appointed cart, or later by train, wanted to get on with their land-seeking adventures…..and didn't wish to dawdle here. I have read more than thirty outstanding accounts, referencing their passage to the Muskoka interior, and on most occasions, mention of the stop in Gravenhurst is particularly thin and unremarkable….yet from what McMurray indicates, in 1871, and the Guidebook and Atlas (quoted in my last blog), profiled at some length, of the local commerce and industry, thriving in 1879, there must have been something worth writing about, in a personal journal…..other than "arrived in Gravenhurst, then departed by steamship." Yet this is the most often quoted observation, but it is known Gravenhurst was a bustling, noisy, industrious place in those formative years, of a District-wide settlement boom. Whether it was the case, Gravenhurst was too noisy, and too industrious, to wax poetic about, I can only surmise……but there is no question a lot was happening here during those years, that would have suggested to the voyeur, money was being made by some enterprising folks at least.
The connection with the logging industry could also be a factor. It was an aggressive, sprawling, intrusive, and noisy enterprise, and in Muskoka Bay, there are a lot of stories, and photographs in existence, about the crowding of the waterway with logs. It may not have been the kind of attractive vista sportsmen, early tourists, settlers and commuters in general, were interested in writing about…..and artists didn't wish to sketch, as it was a rather stark scene, with a lot of the white pine clear-cut from the shoreline. It certainly was in very stark contrast, to the scene a few miles out of Muskoka Bay, and into the wider Muskoka Lake, where journal writers I've studied, do begin making scenery references, especially on the approach to the mouth of the Muskoka River, and the route up to Bracebridge, to the north.
The characters connected to the lumbering and logging enterprise were a rough lot, and there are many stories told, about the aggressive behavior of these workers, after the spring drive, coming into Gravenhurst to enjoy what was left of their money, after paying the camp store. One such story, I believe, was published in the journal entitled "From Logging Camp to the Ministry." Seeing as we had lumbering employees for a good chunk of the year, and they worked and lived hard, it's a characteristic we may have downplayed over the decades. And yes, they were often guilty of over consumption of alcohol. The influences of the lumber industry are difficult to prove, without corroborating evidence……such as private journals and stories written by reporters, indicating just how rough it could get between the work places and the local hotels. It certainly isn't to imply Gravenhurst was cursed by the evil side of the lumbering industry, but it did possess an industrial character that many of the other Muskoka communities didn't, at the same time in their development. From a passerby's point of view, Gravenhurst had huge industrial capabilities, from logging, lumbering, transportation, rail and steamship, to assorted large and small boat building. Visually, and for quite a few decades, the village looked like a small city neighborhood, with residences only a short distance from major industrial operations. This was likely not what the settlers expected, when they heard or read about the opening of free grant lands. Gravenhurst was the place to arrive and depart, and the journey for a majority of travelers, didn't end in our town. There were many anxious miles to yet to travel.
Gravenhurst would very early, in its history, earn a reputation as a hub of industry and transportation for the entire region; of critical importance to both the province and the federal government, watching the progress and success of the incoming settlers, carving out those hundred acre plus homesteads across the massive district. Both levels of government gambled on the successes they hoped to achieve, even before launching the land grant program. Many settlers did fail. But enough survived and turned forests into working homesteads, that both governments, in the 1880's, as is recorded in Agricultural Commission minutes, were declaring the effort a profitable venture, and full of future potential for the adverse landscape to the north. This was especially the case, when the governments would look at extending the grants even further across Canada, to foster settlement……justifying the future construction of the ribbon of rail, to bind the regions together. This was based, in part, on the success of the Muskoka experiment.
When the clean air and healthy climate later, in the town's history, inspired the interest of the medical community, to establish Tubercular Sanatoriums in Gravenhurst, there was unspecified trepidation, as you might expect, bringing an aggressive, contagious disease close to the populated areas of the fledgling community. It may not have generated great protests in the streets, but it was a whispered about situation, none the less. Many settlers and inhabitants generally, of our fair little burg, would have understood what it meant to be diagnosed with tuberculosis, and have heard embellished stories about how the sickness ravaged the lungs…..unto a painful death. Tubercular patients from outside the area were being brought to Gravenhurst for treatment. To my knowledge, Bracebridge did not have even one Sanatorium, at a time when Gravenhurst was becoming a booming treatment centre, with multiple locations……a trend and characteristic that would reach into the modern era. But the early success rate treating tuberculosis was not great. So it's understandable that some folks visiting or passing through Gravenhurst, wondered about such things…..and may have even wished a speedy meeting and departure.
Consider also, how many communities in the entire country…..in North America, played host to German Prisoners of War, from 1940 to 1946, and all the connotations and realities that stirs up. It must have been pretty significant, because the stigma has lasted all these years. You will definitely find a book on the Calydor Prisoner of War camp (which was in my neighborhood here in town), written by Gravenhurst Historian, Cecil Porter, but you won't find an historical plaque anywhere on the former camp property……despite the efforts of some in this community, to influence the town to apply for a suitable heritage marker. I suppose it is considered a politically incorrect thing to do……to erect a marker acknowledging a former POW camp, but not to the German tourists who visit…..who often ask us, at our main street shop, how they can get to it, for a little visit.
I don't think there is any conclusive answer, to why there aren't more observational profiles of Gravenhurst, certainly written in the period from the late 1850's though to the 1950's. Honest, no holds barred opinions, such as the ones that would have been written in personal journals or in letters to loved ones and family. I'd like to know what these casual visitors, and even dawdlers, thought about Gravenhurst…..and reasons why. If they attended an event, I'd love to know what they felt about the day….the people, the accommodations, the food, services, and friends made along the way. This may seem trivial to some, but to historians, looking for the color, to impose upon the present black and white images……it's worth all the work to dig these untutored, honest, naive observation out of reims of paper heritage. Canadian author, Wayland "Buster" Drew, used to tell me about steaming on the Sagamo, as a youngster, past the Prisoner of War Camp, at Calydor…..abutting Muskoka Bay, and the bandmaster, Charlie Musgrave, I believe it was, playing "There Will Always Be An England," to taunt the German soldiers, swimming in the barbed wire enclosure. Wayland was on his way to the Muskoka Beach Resort, which of course became the Muskoka Sands and then, the present "Taboo," Resort on Muskoka Beach Road.
All these little gems of personal observation are important to possess, in conjunction with the hard facts of real history. One needs the other to form the true dynamic of heritage conserved.
Once again, I wish to thank everyone who has taken the time to visit this blog over the past month, which has at times, boosted the number per day, to well over 600 readers. The number has dropped somewhat, as we approach New Years, but I'm happy to say, my audience is still hovering between 400 and 500 each day…..which, honestly, makes me blush. I hope I can continue to earn your trust, as a local Muskoka historian and writer……..hoping to continue my blogs well into the New Year. Thanks again for you support. I do not take it for granted. That's why I'm working on some exciting new stuff for the coming year. Better bundle up. It's going to get pretty chilly by the turn of the year. I need to get out there and hustle-up some firewood. My indoor supply is getting pretty low. Farewell for now!
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