SO YOU THINK YOU'VE GOT IT TOUGH? TRY BEING A LOGGER?
MUSKOKA IS A TOURISM JEWELL! FEW WOULD ARGUE WITH US, ABOUT BEING BIG PLAYERS IN THE INDUSTRY, EXCEPT THOSE IN OTHER TOURIST-INDUSTRY AREAS, MOSTLY OUT OF JEALOUSY! IT'S BECAUSE OF ITS RURAL, LAKELAND CHARACTER. NOT JUST BECAUSE, A LONG TIME AGO, A FEW BIG WHEELS DECIDED WE SHOULD BECOME A TOURIST AREA. IT HAD TO HAVE THE ATTRIBUTES, TO APPEAL TO THOSE WISHING FOR AN INSPIRING, HEALTH RESTORATIVE, RECREATIONAL RETREAT. THE HINTERLAND CHARM, IS ITS NATURAL BEAUTY, AND THE WAY HISTORY HAS INTERTWINED WITHIN ITS BOSOM. THE TOURISM INDUSTRY GOES BACK ALMOST AS FAR AS THE FIRST HOMESTEADERS, CULTIVATING THEIR ROCK AND ROOT-FILLED FIELDS, AND BY ANY DEFINITION OF THE PAST, AND ECONOMIC HERITAGE, IT CAN'T BE DENIED ITS EQUAL FOOTING WITH EVERYTHING ELSE, THAT WAS HAPPENING IN THOSE FIRST YEARS OF SETTLEMENT; IN THE RURAL AND HAMLET SENSE OF RESIDING. IN 2014, THE RURAL ENVIRONS OF THIS MAGNIFICENTLY APPOINTED DISTRICT, IN ONTARIO, IS STILL THE ATTRACTION, AND PRIMARY RESOURCE, FOR A THRIVING TOURISM ECONOMY. IT IS TO BE EXPECTED, THAT WITH A CONSERVED, AND PROPERLY STEWARDED ENVIRONMENT, MUSKOKA WILL STILL BE A JEWELL FIFTY TO HUNDRED YEARS FROM NOW. IF THE LAKELAND IS TURNED INTO A METROPOLIS INSTEAD, WELL, ALL BETS ARE OFF. WE SHOULD, IN OUR MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENTS, BE MORE AWARE, AND PRO-ACTIVE OF THIS FACT, AND RECOGNIZE HOW IMPORTANT OUR RURAL COMMUNITY HAS BEEN, AND CONTINUES TO BE, AS OUR FRONT-LINE RESOURCE STEWARDS, AND AMBASSADORS ALWAYS. RESPECTING THE GREAT RESOURCES WE POSSESS, AND HOW IT ALL RELATES TO A DIVERSIFIED ECONOMY; IN THE TRICKLE-DOWN REALITIES, WE HAVE BENEFITTED FROM ANNUALLY. THE TOURISM INDUSTRY HAS PARTNERED WITH MOST OTHER ECONOMIC PURSUITS, FROM THE EARLIEST DAYS OF SETTLEMENT, ON WHAT WAS KNOWN TO HOMESTEADERS, AS A TRULY PRECARIOUS FRONTIER. BIRD'S BLANKETS WERE OWNED BY HOMESTEADERS, RESORT OWNERS, COTTAGERS, AND THOSE IN THE URBAN COMMUNITIES. WHAT KEEPS ONE WARM, AND COSY, IS IMPORTANT. HENRY BIRD EMPLOYED STAFF FROM THE HOMESTEADS OF THE AREA, AS WELL AS THOSE WHO DWELLED WITHIN BRACEBRIDGE. THE VALUE OF THE WOOLLEN MILL WAS SHARED BETWEEN THE STAKEHOLDERS IN THE REGION; AND HAD A REPUTATION INTERNATIONALLY. MANY COTTAGERS, HOTEL PATRONS, AND TRAVELERS, TOOK AWAY BIRDS WOOLLEN MILL PRODUCTS; AN EARLY MUSKOKA INDUSTRY THAT NEEDED THE TOURISM INDUSTRY TO SURVIVE, BUT WAS BOLSTERED BY A SUPPORTIVE LOCAL MARKET, AND AVAILABLE WORKFORCE. BIRDS WOULD HAVE HAD A MUCH LESS PROSPEROUS FUTURE, WITHOUT THE EARLY SUCCESS AND STRENGTH OF THE TOURISM INDUSTRY. IT'S SIMPLE ECONOMICS.
A FEW YEARS AGO, I CAN REMEMBER GETTING FURIOUS WITH REGIONAL POLITICIANS, AND THEIR UNDERLINGS, FOR TRYING TO DEFINE WHAT IT MEANS TO BE "MUSKOKAN." WHAT WAS MUSKOKA ALL ABOUT? WHAT IS THE "MUSKOKA IDENTITY." TWO ASPECTS OF THIS FISHING EXPEDITION, MADE ME WONDER JUST HOW DELUSIONAL OUR LEADERSHIP COULD GET, ABOUT SUCH THINGS; UNNECESSARILY TAMPERING, IN MY OPINION, WITH WHAT THEY KNEW LITTLE ABOUT. THIS IS ASPECT ONE. BEFORE YOU START ON SUCH AN AMBITIOUS BUT PERILLESS JOURNEY, YOU NEED TO CHECK FOR HOLES IN THE BOTTOM OF THE SHIP. THEY WERE EMBARKING ON A MISSION OF DISCOVERY, WITHOUT KNOWING THAT THE MODE OF TRANSPORT, AS A MATTER OF ANALOGY, (THEY WERE TRYING TO NAVIGATE), WAS REALLY A BOTTOMLESS SHIP. NOT JUST A FEW HOLES. NOT ONLY DIDN'T THEY KNOW THE BEHEMOTH TASK THEY HAD ASSIGNED THEMSELVES, BUT THE SHIP HAD NO HULL. THE KIND THAT KEEPS OUT THE WATER. JUST TIMBERS OF THE SUPER-STRUCTURE. BASIC KNOWLEDGE. "GOVERNMENT SPEAK!" THE STUFF THAT APPEARED IN THEIR PLANNING AND COMMITTEE DOCUMENTS. SO WHAT WAS GOING TO KEEP THE WATER OUT DURING THE JOURNEY OF DISCOVERY? HOW DO YOU NAVIGATE FORWARD, IF THE ONLY DIRECTION YOU CAN GO, IS DOWN, DOWN, DOWN. THE BOTTOM OF THE SHIP, YOU SEE, WOULD HAVE BEEN KNOWLEDGE. THE KNOWLEDGE ABOUT HOW MUSKOKA BEGAN ITS HISTORY, FOLLOWING THE PERIOD AS A FIRST NATIONS SEASONAL HUNTING GROUND. THE FOLKS WHO LAUNCHED THIS ENQUIRY, AS FAR AS I KNOW, NEVER CONSULTED A GROUP OF MUSKOKA HISTORIANS, TO SEEK-OUT, AS A SAFEGUARD TO SINKING THE SHIP, SOME SUPPORTING WOODWORK. THE WOODWORK THAT WOULD GUARANTEE THE SHIP WOULD ACTUALLY FLOAT, AND BE CAPABLE OF BEING NAVIGATED FORWARD, OR EVEN BACKWARD IF DEEMED PRUDENT. HISTORIANS COULD HAVE SCULPTED THEM A HIGHLY WATER-TIGHT BOTTOM FOR THEIR VESSEL. BUT THEY WERE SMARTER THAN LOCAL HISTORIANS. WHAT THE HELL DO WE KNOW ABOUT MUSKOKA'S IDENTITY?
THE SECOND RIDICULOUS ASPECT TO THE BUSY-WORK PROJECT, BY LOCAL GOVERNMENT, WAS TO FACILITATE THE OPPORTUNITY, FOR THE CITIZENS OF THIS HUGE REGION, TO OFFER THEIR OPINIONS ON WHAT IT MEANS TO BE "MUSKOKAN." TO CLARIFY FOR CIVIL SERVANTS AND POLITICIANS, WHAT THE "MUSKOKA IDENTITY" THING IS ALL ABOUT. WHILE I LIKE IT WHEN CONSTITUENTS OF THIS FAIR REGION, ARE INVITED TO PARTICIPATE IN SUCH PROGRAMS, TO LET THEIR OPINIONS BE KNOWN, IT HAS TO BE FACTORED-IN, I'M SORRY TO SAY THIS, THAT MANY MUSKOKANS LIKE THE REGION FOR VERY PERSONAL REASONS; WHY FOR EXAMPLE, WE LIKE OUR NEIGHBORHOODS, AND OUR OWN BUSINESS, HOME AND RECREATIONAL PROPERTIES. NOT INVALID, BUT LACKING IN FOUNDATION MATERIAL. IT SEEMED, OF COURSE, THAT THEY COULD ASK THE QUESTION, AND INTERESTED RESPONDENTS WOULD TELL THEM WHAT THEY NEEDED TO KNOW; OR WHAT THEY ALREADY HAD AS A CONCLUSION, EVEN BEFORE RAISING THE ISSUE. AS FOR THE HISTORIANS OUT THERE, WELL, YOU CAN'T DO MUCH MORE THAN CRINGE, CONSIDERING WE'VE ALL SPENT THOUSANDS UPON THOUSANDS OF HOURS, RESEARCHING THAT VERY QUESTION OF REGIONAL IDENTITY. WHEN IT WAS PUT OUT THERE, FOR EVERYONE TO TAKE A SHOT AT DEFINING, AND RE-DEFINING, WHAT IT MEANS TO BE "MUSKOKAN," AND WHAT OUR "IDENTITY" REPRESENTS, ON THE LOCAL, PROVINCIAL, NATIONAL, AND INTERNATIONAL SCENE, YOU REALLY HAVE TO WONDER, IF THEY HAD ANY APPRECIATION WHATSOEVER, WHAT KIND OF VESSEL THEY WERE LAUNCHING FROM DRY-DOCK, INTO THE SEA OF UNPREDICTABLE CURRENTS. "HEY, YOU DON'T KNOW IF IT'LL FLOAT UNTIL YOU TRY IT, RIGHT?" WRONG! IT'S WHAT HISTORY IS ALL ABOUT. LEARNING FROM PAST MISTAKES. LIKE MAKING SURE YOUR BOAT WILL FLOAT FIRST; NOT AFTER THE LAUNCH, AS IT SITS ON THE BOTTOM OF THE RIVER, LAKE, OCEAN OR SEA. PRECEDENTS ARE WORTH CONSULTING. USED CORRECTLY, THEY HELP US RECOGNIZE, THAT WE DO VERY MUCH NEED TO BE THOROUGH, RUTHLESSLY SO, TO MAKE SURE WE DON'T LAUNCH SOMETHING THAT HAS NO NAVIGABLE POTENTIAL.
YOU CAN NOT DEFINE WHAT IT MEANS TO BE MUSKOKAN, WITH ANY HOPE OF SOMETHING SCHOLARLY TO POP OUT OF THE QUESTION, UNLESS THOSE ASKED FOR AN OPINION, HAVE BEEN TUTORED ON MUSKOKA HISTORY FROM THE BEGINNING. NOT JUST WHAT COMES TO MIND, AFTER SEVERAL YEARS OF LIVING HERE. THE MUSKOKA IDENTITY? THIS IS A QUESTION FOR THE SCHOLARS, AND EVEN THEN, IT REALLY IS IMPOSSIBLE TO ANSWER IN A FEW WORDS, OR ANY SIMPLE RESPONSE. IT'S COMPLICATED. MUSKOKA IS NOT EASY TO DEFINE, AND NEVER HAS BEEN, BECAUSE IT HAS AT TIMES, BEEN A CONTRADICTION UNTO ITSELF. THE PROBLEM WITH TRYING TO DEFINE OUR REGION, MOST DEFINITELY FAILED ON THIS ATTEMPT, PRIMARILY DUE TO THE FACT, REGIONAL HISTORIANS WEREN'T INVITED TO PARTICIPATE, IN A ROUND TABLE DISCUSSION, BEFORE THE SHIP WAS LAUNCHED. EVEN AFTER IT SANK, HISTORIANS WERE AVOIDED LIKE THE PLAGUE. I'VE ALWAYS WONDERED WHY OUR MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENTS, ARE SO DARN SCARED OF HISTORICAL TRUTHS; THAT COULD ACTUALLY SAVE THEM ALL A LOT OF QUAGMIRES, THEY SEEMED HELL-BENT ON ENTERING. I THINK A FEW OF US TUNED-IN-TO-HISTORY TYPES, AS FLATULENT AS WE MIGHT BE, COULD HAVE, WITH VERY LITTLE COAXING, OFFERED THE GOOD ADVICE, THAT THE QUESTION OF MUSKOKA'S IDENTITY, REQUIRED MORE STUDY AND SENSITIVITY, BEFORE IT WAS PUT OUT FOR PUBLIC COMMENT. IN OTHER WORDS, WE WOULD HAVE, IN BETWEEN SIPS OF COFFEE, AND NIBBLES OF OUR FREE-GRATIS MUFFINS, (GIVEN TO US AS A GIFT OF THE ROUND-TABLE) BEEN ABLE TO PROVIDE THE KEEN OBSERVATION, ABOUT THOSE MISSING BOARDS OF THE HULL. WE WOULDN'T HAVE CHARGED THE DISTRICT A SINGLE PENNY, FOR OFFERING THIS INFORMATION, AND IT WOULD HAVE SAVED THE EMBARRASSMENT, OF HAVING YET ANOTHER WELL MEANING PROJECT, SUNK, BECAUSE THE DETAILS WERE OVERLOOKED IN THE HASTE OF LAUNCHING, WHAT WAS THOUGHT TO BE A GOOD IDEA. IT HAPPENS ALL THE TIME, IN OUR REGIONAL LEVELS OF GOVERNMENT. INSTEAD OF DUE DILIGENCE, THEY ARE SO SELF-CONFIDENT, THE WORLD WAS MADE IN THEIR TIME, THEY CHORTLE WHEN ASKED IF HISTORIANS SHOULD BE CONSULTED. "WHY, OH WHY, WOULD WE DO THAT?"
EVERY NOW AND AGAIN, QUESTIONS LIKE THIS ARRIVE, AS A SORT OF "WHAT DO YOU WANT TO DO TODAY," AGENDA ITEM, AND OUR ELECTED OFFICIALS ARE ALWAYS TEMPTED TO TRY A RE-LAUNCH; AS IF ANYTHING WILL CHANGE FROM THE LAST TIME THEY TRIED IT, AND FAILED. IT IS NEAR IMPOSSIBLE TO DEFINE WHAT REFUSES TO BE DEFINED. WHAT DOES IT MATTER ANYWAY? IF YOU DON'T ASK THE QUESTIONS IN THE FIRST PLACE, WE WILL ALL CARRY-ON AS WE HAVE SINCE THE LATE 1850'S, WITH REMARKABLY FEW PROBLEMS, WITH WHATEVER STATUS QUO REVEALS. WHEN YOU MUDDY THE WATER, WITH PROFOUND QUESTIONS, THAT HAVE NO CORRECT ANSWERS, YOU HAVE TO EXPECT THAT WITHIN THE ANSWERS, ARE SOME UNDESIRABLE OVERVIEWS. FOR EXAMPLE, AT A PUBLIC MEETING, IN GRAVENHURST, A FEW YEARS BACK, THE ANSWER TO THE QUESTION OF THE TOWN'S FUTURE PROSPERITY, AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, CAME DOWN TO, FOR ONE CONSTITUENT WITH A MICROPHONE, (TO WHAT I HOPE WAS A TONGUE AND CHEEK SUGGESTION), THAT THE COMMUNITY CHANGE ITS NAME. APPARENTLY, THE "GRAVE," PART OF "GRAVENURST," SCARES PEOPLE; SO WE SHOULD CHANGE IT. THE FACT THAT IT WASN'T NAMED AFTER A "GRAVE" BUT AFTER A BRILLIANT BOOK, (STILL IN USE IN UNIVERSITIES TODAY), BY BRITISH POET / PHILOSOPHER, WILLIAM HENRY SMITH, DIDN'T ENTER INTO THE DEBATE. WHY? SIMPLY STATED, IT WASN'T RELEVANT, IN RESPECT TO A REALLY NEAT RETORT FROM THE PEANUT GALLERY. THANK GOD, I WASN'T IN ATTENDANCE, OR I WOULD HAVE BEEN ESCORTED FROM THE VENUE IN SHACKLES; WITH A DUCT-TAPE GAG. I DAMN WELL EXPECT MORE FROM CONSTITUENTS, BUT YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN. NOW PUT THIS TO THE ELECTED OFFICIALS! IS IT ANY WONDER, THAT QUESTIONS ABOUT "MUSKOKA IDENTITY," COME UP IN THE FIRST PLACE, AND INPUT FROM HISTORIANS ISN'T SOLICITED. THEY MIGHT ASK SOMEONE FROM TORONTO TO DEFINE WHAT IT MEANS TO BE MUSKOKAN, BUT TO ASK SOMEONE WHO ACTUALLY HAS A FEW ANSWERS? NO WAY! AND THIS IS A TRADITION!
BACK IN JANUARY, AND I THINK A LITTLE BEFORE THIS, I OFFERED TO TUTOR SOME COUNCIL HOPEFULS, AND RETURNING COUNCILLORS, ABOUT THE HISTORY OF THEIR TOWN, AND THE REGION. ARROGANT BASTARD ME! THEY ARE SO CONFIDENT OF THEMSELVES, AND APPARENTLY KNOW EVERYTHING THAT NEEDS TO BE KNOWN ABOUT THE REGION, AND THE TOWN THEY INTEND TO GOVERN, THAT ASKING FOR ASSISTANCE TO LEARN MORE, WOULD BE INCONVENIENT AND UNNECESSARY. I LOVE THOSE WHO ARE SO SELF-ASSURED IN THIS FASHION, ESPECIALLY WHEN THEY ARE ELECTED, AND MAKE FOOLS OF THEMSELVES, BECAUSE THEY DON'T HAVE MORE THAN A RUDIMENTARY KNOWLEDGE OF CANADIAN HISTORY, LET ALONE THEIR HOME TOWN. JUST BECAUSE YOU'VE LIVED HERE MORE THAN FIFTEEN MINUTES, DOESN'T MAKE YOU HISTORICALLY WELL-ENDOWED. WE ALL NEED REFRESHERS. IT'S WHAT UNFORTUNATELY, LEADS TO SITUATIONS, OR BETTER STATED, DEBACLES, LIKE LAUNCHING PROJECTS THAT REQUIRE HISTORICAL BACKGROUND, AND THE DURABILITY AFFORDED BY RELATED PRECEDENTS. IT IS BELIEVED THEY CAN RULE ON THE INFORMATION, THEY CAN SCRAPE UP FROM THE LOCAL MEDIA, OR WHAT THEY HAPPEN TO CONSUME BY HAPPENSTANCE. SELDOM BY INTENT. EVEN WHEN SOME WELL INTENTIONED, FREE HISTORICAL UPGRADING IS OFFERED, SO THAT WE COULD HAVE MORE INFORMED, AND SENSITIVE ELECTED OFFICIALS, WELL SIR, THERE ARE NO TAKERS. NO CANDIDATE HOPEFUL, IS VOID OF HISTORICAL KNOWLEDGE ABOUT THE TOWN THEY HOPE TO LEAD INTO THE FUTURE. JUST NOT TO THE LEVEL THEY SHOULD BE! THEY THINK THEY KNOW, AND FOR THEM, "WINGING-IT," IS REALLY WHAT THEY SHOULD HAVE TOLD CONSTITUENTS, AT THE ALL CANDIDATES MEETING. THAT A NEW COUNCIL WILL OPERATE ON "A WING AND A PRAYER," OF GETTING IT RIGHT. YET, IN THEIR INDIVIDUAL AREAS OF BUSINESS AND PROFESSIONAL EXPERTISE, IF WE WERE TO QUESTION ONE OF THE STEPS THEY HAVE TO TAKE FOR SUCCESSFUL COMPLETION, AND PROPER INITIATION, SO ALL GOES WELL, WOULD THEY THEN UNDERSTAND US, (THE HISTORIANS IN THE ROOM), IF WE SUGGESTED, "AH, DON'T WORRY ABOUT THAT. IT'S SMALL BANANAS AS LONG AS IT LOOKS LIKE IT MIGHT FLOAT?"
THE MUSKOKA IDENTITY, IF IT WAS ADDRESSED
The real misunderstanding of the Muskoka economic question, has to do with how it all began with the homesteaders. It's why I feel I have to beat this worn down old drum. It is linked to everything else in our chronicle, right up to the present. It's not going away either, and like an overgrown sliver, it will continue to flare-up, as the misunderstandings, and misrepresentations by local government continue to layer upon an old misconception.
Just so that you know, my opinions on this, have been used by many authors and university students, preparing their thesis assignments, and I've been asked to overview the homestead period for numerous publications. I'm always upgrading my bank of reference material, to make sure anything that I find, to the contrary, that either supports or sinks my theories, is given its fair play, for a balanced, proportional, sensible history. I don't set aside conflicting opinion because it reflects negatively on my editorial perspective. I am always open to other points of view, and anything, in documents, historical accounts, and journals, that adjusts my way of looking at the pioneer period. It's not hewn this way, because of any bias. It is based on years of being fascinated by this period in our regional history, that was based on so much self sacrifice, hardship, deprivation, without a parade at the end; because there was no end. The homestead hardships, and related successes, just moved on in time, and became whatever the prevailing conditions influenced. I don't believe there is any difference today, other than the fact, more property investment is being made in the rural clime, by those who have ample financial means. Yes, the subUrbs are coming to Muskoka.
The Agricultural Commission of the 1880's, made it pretty clear, that the government's modestly reckless plan, to settle the lands of Muskoka and Parry Sound, in the late 1860's, had been successful enough, to extend the free land grants into other areas of the province; zones considered to have even more adverse topography, and obstacles to basic agricultural operations. They basically suggest, that the homesteaders pulled together to make it work, brave characters that they were back then. There is no reference to what the "acceptable loss" figures were, and if they had been surpassed, or been lower than anticipated from the commencement of the land grant offering. The fact that the government encouraged those citizens of Europe, the urban refugees, from this period, having little or no experience in farming, or building a simple structure for comfortable, safe residency, clearly meant, there was going to be failure. Potentially serious injury, ill-health, and death? Were these issues to be debated? Did the government care, that they were putting innocents at risk? By offering them free land grant, was it to help the poor of Europe, or just to meet their objectives of land settlement on a tight budget of time. When would the Americans claim the unopened lands of the west? How could a transcontinental railway be justified, without a population in between the east and west coasts?
The Agricultural Commission knew the difference between the highly fertile, level ground of the southern part of the province, and could tell through their advance surveys of the topography, that poorly prepared, and untutored homesteaders, from the urban areas of Europe (without farming backgrounds, or even growing garden shrubs) were going to fail in significant numbers. But the mission was not to worry about failures, as such, because other realities would kick in, after the initial experiment. Homesteaders could at best, build small farms, and continue, year after year, to gain more area to cultivate, after removing the trees, for whatever profit that could turn. Some were able to sell off their surplus produce, and livestock that Muskoka best suited.
What morphed quickly in the homestead period, was the shift to forest exploitation, and the logging boom about the manifest. At around the same time, the tourist industry, which had actually been seeded in the 1850's, by the well-off sportsmen of the Province, began to make an impression on investors. Without haste, the homestead side of life, was being profoundly influenced by opportunities in the logging industry, and to a minor extent, in the fledgling tourism sector. Thus, the homestead kin, could afford to be homesteaders, because there was a growing diversification, certainly by the early 1870's, if not a little before. While this was arguably a good situation for the homesteaders, like Thomas Aitken, for example, who turned his humble abode, on the shore of Lake Rosseau, into Windermere House resort, to take full advantage of visitor opportunities, it also had a negative impact, especially as relates to the logging industry; known as one of the most dangerous industries in the world.
Thousands of men, and to a small extent, women, many with homesteads in the Muskoka hinterland, signed onto logging crews (women would have worked in camp kitchens) for the winter cut, and spring log-drive, in order to make up financial resources to fund their farmsteads. Being a particularly brutal industry, to those unfamiliar with tree felling, and log driving, quite a few homesteads and farmers, were disadvantaged, of their futures, because of injury and death sustained while at work. There are no statistics to support this claim, but it is what occurred. The tourism industry, and the homesteaders' co-operation as sub-contractors, was a far safer form of networking to maintain the farm economy. The homestead period shows more economic success, than it would have had, without the influences of these two most important economic intrusions. There were other industries, such as tanneries, and the woollen mill in Bracebridge, along with urban related merchantile and service businesses, that offered additional jobs for those living on the first homesteads.
Over time, the homesteading chronicle had become less important, other than as the rural characteristic of our region, as other economic realities became more significant income-producers. But early on, in the developing economy of Muskoka, it became clear, there was only so much timber to be harvested, and most of it was in the first two decades of the clear-cut. The tourism industry was showing great signs of resilience to economic calamities elsewhere, and with deep roots, and lots of investment, history was forged, and agriculture was reduced substantially, as a district mainstay. The coming of the railways, and the increase of steamships plying the Muskoka waterways, reduced the need for local produce and livestock, markedly so each decade. By this time, the initial homestead period was long over, and the population while still rural in the provincial sense, was broken down to those who lived in the country, and those who lived in the hamlets, villages, and soon-to-be towns. When the Agricultural Commission released their report, about the state of homesteaders, by that point, it really wasn't an issue, except for them to notch the project of occupying Muskoka, as a clear success. By the 1880's, the success was, in fact, due to a great deal of outside investment, and a substantial amount of speculation, by those in the new tourism sector, who clearly understood that the future of our region was not in agriculture or logging, tanning or the manufacture of woollen wear. As tourism was initiated by the anglers and hunters, and assorted other adventurers, from the urban environs, needing a breath of fresh air, and outdoor opportunity, it's fair to say, that tourism has been around as long, if not longer, than homesteading, and all that came after. When we get cocky about tourism, and when it will finally be replaced by manufacturing as the number one industry in the region, well, the historians chuckle to themselves out of ear-shot, so as not to rain on anyone's parade.
The issue of Muskoka identity, is not an easy one to address, even by historians who live with the issue constantly. We prefer not to be so defining, and hard-lined, as to draw it out, as if the portrait of a "Muskokan" painted in an artist's studio. It is not that fundamental, and certainly not necessary, to get a good, solid impression, of what it means to live on the platform, of the history I have just identified, as the first bare planks, for the purpose of this blog. To have politicians and civil servants, and the general public, only marginally aware of all the intricacies of our regions social / cultural / economic history, and ask for their learned overview, is to launch a ship without a hull; and then be disappointed the sucker wouldn't float. The pitch? Every now and again, a municipality in this fair province, should take an historian to lunch. Make them feel their years of research, and tutored insight, have some value in the contemporary sense. Antiquarians aren't dead. Even though this seems, at times, to be the overview. Put a small mirror below our nostrils, if we aren't otherwise jumping up and down. We love our communities, and would really enjoy participating in its future. That's correct. Historians are often the true progressives, despite what you may have heard to the contrary. But in order to find out what we can bring to the table, we have to, first of all, be invited.
THE RIDERS IN THE NIGHT - BRING OUT THE DEAD - THE HOMESTEADER'S DEMISE
MEDICAL ASSISTANCE WAS DAYS AWAY - AND DEATH COULDN'T WAIT
MAYBE I AM "OLD BEFORE MY TIME," AS SOME OF OUR FAMILY FRIENDS CLAIM. I CAN BUY THAT. HAVING SPENT SO MUCH OF MY TIME RESEARCHING THE PAST, I SUPPOSE IT'S POSSIBLE I HAVE ABSORBED QUITE A BIT OF HISTORY WITHOUT KNOWING IT! I'M NOT UNHAPPY ABOUT THIS. I REALLY FEEL I'VE LEARNED SOMETHING IMPORTANT, ABOUT THE PERILS OF DISCONNECTING FROM THE PAST……BECAUSE IT MISTAKENLY SEEMS IRRELEVANT. I FEEL DIFFERENTLY ABOUT THIS, AND I HAVE A GRAVE CONCERN THIS INCREASING IGNORANCE OF HISTORICAL PRECEDENTS, WILL SNAP BACK ON US ONE DAY, WHEN WE ARE MOST VULNERABLE. WE HAVE SEEN EXAMPLES OF THIS RECENTLY; AND THERE HAVE BEEN HUMBLING CIRCUMSTANCES, CREATED BY THE HAND OF NATURE, THAT HAVE MADE US ALL OF A SUDDEN, WONDER OUT LOUD, WHAT OUR PARENTS AND GRANDPARENTS WOULD HAVE DONE, DEALING WITH A SIMILAR CIRCUMSTANCE OF HARDSHIP.
THERE SEEM TO BE A LOT OF PEOPLE THESE DAYS, WHO HAVE FORGOTTEN THE PASSED-DOWN STORIES, ABOUT THE INHERENT HARDSHIPS OF RESPECTIVE ERAS IN OUR FAMILY'S PAST. THE JOY AND TRAGEDY AS EXPERIENCED BY OUR ANCESTORS. MORE THAN EVER, I BELIEVE, WE ARE OBSESSED WITH THE RIGORS OF THE PRESENT, AND DRAW VERY LITTLE FROM THE EXPERIENCES OF THE PAST. WHICH OF COURSE, ARE LIFE EXPERIENCES THAT SHOULD MAKE US MORE RESOURCEFUL AND PREPARED. EVEN FOR WHAT WE ONLY PERCEIVE TODAY, AS ANNOYING INCONVENIENCES. YET IF YOU GO BACK INTO YOUR FAMILY TREE, YOU WILL CONNECT WITH A BLOOD-LINE THAT HAD IT VERY MUCH WORSE, THAN EVEN THE MOST TROUBLESOME DAY YOU CAN IMAGINE TODAY. AS AN HISTORIAN, I FIND THIS DISASSOCIATION WITH THE PAST RATHER DISTURBING, BECAUSE IN THAT SAME FAMILY HISTORY, WITH CENTURIES OF EXPERIENCE, THERE ARE LESSONS ABOUT SURVIVAL, AND ADAPTABILITY TO DO SO, THAT WE SUDDENLY FEEL WE DON'T NEED TO KNOW.
WE ARE NOW BECOMING ISOLATED FROM A MEANS OF COPING WITH HARDSHIP THAT WAS ONCE COMMONPLACE. AS IF WE KNOW IT ALL, IN THIS MODERN TECHNOLOGICAL ERA, IT'S AS IF WE HAVE EVERYTHING WORKED OUT IN ADVANCE. WE CAN HANDLE CRISIS. THERE IS NO STORM BIG ENOUGH. NO EARTHQUAKE VIOLENT ENOUGH. NO FAMINE. NO DROUGHT SERIOUS ENOUGH TO DESTROY CROPS. THERE IS THE FEELING THE PAST WILL NEVER RETURN. SO WHY WORRY ABOUT THE WAY OUR ANCESTORS LIVED THEIR DAILY LIVES. WELL, THIS IS A BIG PROBLEM FOR MODERN SOCIETY. THE RECENT HURRICANE THAT HIT THE EASTERN SEABOARD OF THE UNITED STATES, TOOK THOSE AFFECTED, BACK TO PIONEER DAYS IN A MATTER OF HOURS. IF THEY HAD FOLLOWED SOME PIONEERING ADVISE BEFORE THE STORM, MAYBE THERE WOULD HAVE BEEN LESS HARDSHIP AND DEATH ASSOCIATED, WITH THIS VIOLENT BUT NATURAL TURN OF WEATHER.
OUR PIONEER COMMUNITY DIDN'T HAVE THE PRIVILEGE OF ANYTHING MORE THAN BASIC PROVISIONS, IN ORDER TO SURVIVE THE HARD LIFE IN THE WILDERNESS. THEY HAD LITTLE CHOICE BUT TO PREPARE FOR THE COMING WINTER, EVEN IF IT WAS THE EARLY SPRING. IT WOULD TAKE THE BETTER PART OF A YEAR, TO MAKE SURE THERE WAS A FULL SUPPLY OF FOOD AND WOOD IN TIME FOR THE TURN OF WEATHER IN OCTOBER. AS FOR PROFIT, IT WASN'T NEARLY AS IMPORTANT AS PREPARING FOR WINTER WITH THE RESOURCES AT HAND. ANY PROFIT WAS TURNED BACK INTO THE FARMSTEADS, TO MAKE A MORE COMFORTABLE LIFE FOR THOSE KNOWING FEW COMFORTS IN A SMALL, DRAFTY LOG CABIN CARVED FROM THE MUSKOKA BUSH.
ONE OF THE GREAT HARDSHIPS ENDURED, OF COURSE, WAS THE DISTANCE FROM MEDICAL ASSISTANCE. IT WAS BAD ENOUGH TO BE A CONSIDERABLE WALK OR WAGON RIDE TO THE NEAREST CHURCH, OR GENERAL STORE, BUT THE LIFE AND DEATH STRUGGLE IN ISOLATION, COST A LOT OF LIVES THAT COULD HAVE BEEN SPARED, HAD THEY BEEN RESIDENTS OF ONE OF THE LARGER SETTLEMENTS…..WHERE A DOCTOR OR TWO HAD SET UP PRACTICE. IN TERMS OF HEALTH, THE HOMESTEADERS WERE CONSTANTLY AT HIGH RISK, BECAUSE OF THE NATURE OF THEIR LIFESTYLE, SHORTAGE OF NUTRITIOUS FOOD, LACK OF MONEY TO PAY FOR A DIVERSE FOOD SUPPLY, AND THE PHYSICAL STRESSES OF THE HOMESTEAD. THERE IS A STORY TOLD BY SUZANNE'S UNCLE, BERT SHEA, IN HIS WELL KNOWN TALES OF PIONEER TIMES, IN THE THREE MILE LAKE AREA OF THE PRESENT TOWNSHIP OF MUSKOKA LAKES, ABOUT AN ELDERLY WOMAN, LEFT ALONE AT HER CABIN, WHO WAS INJURED WHILE SPLITTING WOOD TO KEEP THE HOME FIRE BURNING. A SHARP FRAGMENT OF WOOD FLEW-UP WHEN THE AXE HIT THE LOG, AND HIT HER EYE, EDGE FIRST. THE WOOD SHARD IMBEDDED SO DEEPLY INTO HER EYE SOCKET, THAT SHE COULDN'T PULL IT OUT BY HERSELF. MEDICAL HELP WAS A LONG DISTANCE AWAY, AND SHE HAD NO CHOICE BUT TO WAIT FOR SOMEONE TO COME BY HER CABIN, SO SHE COULD ASK FOR ASSISTANCE. SHE LIVED WITH THAT WOOD SPLINTER IN HER EYE FOR SOME TIME AFTER, BUT THE INFECTION PROVED TOO MUCH FOR THE ELDER SETTLER, WHO EVENTUALLY SUCCUMBED. THERE ARE MANY SIMILAR STORIES ABOUT SICKNESSES THAT HAD TO BE TENDED BY THE SETTLERS THEMSELVES, AS DOCTORS OF COURSE, WERE NOT AS NUMEROUS AS THEY ARE TODAY.
THE SUDDEN ONSET OF A SICKNESS THAT COULD KILL OFF A HOUSEHOLD WITHIN HOURS
DIPHTHERIA: "AN EPIDEMIC INFLAMMATORY DISEASE OF THE AIR-PASSAGES, AND ESPECIALLY OF THE THROAT, CHARACTERIZED BY THE FORMATION OF A FALSE MEMBRANE." BY ANY OTHER NAME, A KILLER DISEASE THAT SPREAD RAPIDLY UNDER THE RIGHT CONDITIONS.
Suzanne's grandfather, John Shea, a former clerk in the present Township of Muskoka Lakes, and farm owner in the hamlet of Ufford, on the shore of Three Mile Lake, took it upon himself, to erect a fence around a small previously unmarked multi-plot gravesite, belonging to a family, wiped out by an outbreak of diphtheria, sometime, we believe, in the late 1800's. The Dougherty family, of which "Dougherty Road" was named, in Ufford, (near Windermere), had contracted the deadly disease, at a time when it was ravaging the pioneer communities in this vicinity of Muskoka. From what we can find, of this tragic circumstance, upwards of five family members died within twenty-four hours, and had to be hastily buried in the late hours of the night to avoid spectators, who could also become infected by close proximity. A number of lilacs were planted by neighbors at the gravesite, some time after, and it was how John Shea knew where to find the plots, when he decided to create a fence to mark the family plot as a latent memorial. This came many years after their deaths. Suzanne and I have visited the site numerous times, and it was always the same lilacs, that led us to the spot. The fence has long since deteriorated. It is located only feet from the route of the present Dougherty Road, not far from the present Ufford Community Cemetery.
"Diphtheria, in the old days, took its course - whole families were wiped out. Burials after midnight by law," wrote family historian, Bert Shea. "The ghastly sound of wagon wheels and horses feet, or the thump of the jumper and the rattle of the bullchair, as slowly the oxen drew the caskets in the dead of night to the place of burial. I will not write more of the terrible procedure, save to say that there are cemeteries in Watt, where there were none present at the midnight burial, save the dim oil lantern…..two figures, one at each side of the grave, shovels in hand, and the good man at the head, conscious of the risk he was taking with his own family, but who, in faith, stood with his parishioners to declare the words of the Master….'I am the resurrection and the life."
He also notes that fumigations were ordered by doctors to prevent diphtheria outbreaks, including after infectious events had occurred. Diphtheria was an agonizing ailment marked by severe fever, coughing, choking, and sore throat. Having a whole house infected, must have sounded horrible, to the attending doctors, nurses, and preachers, if in fact, they were able to attend, related to proximity from established villages. One can imagine the fury of activity around these affected homesteads, and the worry in the surrounding neighborhood, with rampant fear that they would be the next victims of this most vicious illness, that killed children in front of their helpless parents…..the weakest succumbing first. Then the elderly and parents meeting the same fate, often in the same day. There were survivors. But it depended on the care the victims received.
Imagine hearing what Mr. Shea reported, on those fateful nights, the eerie sounds of wagon wheels on the hard packed dirt roads, and the twinkle of lamplights on the sides, helping to guide the way through the woods and partly cleared pastures, to the afflicted household, where death was imminent, some family having already succumbed, and been hastily prepared for a quick funeral before sunrise. This was not the work of an author penning a horror story, or a movie script for profit. It was reality at its most unfortunate, and there were many heroes from this period, and one of them was known as the "Tramp," an Anglican missionary of considerable acclaim, and compassion, by the name of Gowan Gillmor. From his Ministry in the Village of Rosseau, and the Diocese of Algoma, he moved his residence to nearby Ullswater, at the time of a smallpocks outbreak, (and circulated similarly during the diphtheria epidemic) and was one of very few who would tend the sick and those near death, medically and spiritually, and of this, he became a Muskoka legend in his time and beyond.
"Gillmor of Algoma, (written by E. Newton White), is the story of a missionary's life, his struggles, heartaches and joys in those early wilderness areas, along the base of the Canadian Shield, which one Bishop used to describe as 'a land of rock of ages and Christmas trees.' It is the story of a beloved priest who tramped over those rocks and probably even slept under some of those trees, here and there, carving upon them, 'The Tramp'."
"During the years Gowan Gillmor was at North Bay, the scourge of diphtheria was sweeping the north country. It was then a lethal disease and caused terror in the backwoods communities," notes E. Newton White. "What his son in Canada did, is best pictured in Gowan's own tribute to a predecessor in the Parish of Rosseau; the Rev. A. W.H. Chowne - "when there was a terrible epidemic of diphtheria and scarlet fever, he himself nursed the child patients; with his own hands, he prepared the dead for burial, put them in their coffins, dug their graves, and committed them therein, - in sure and certain hope of the Resurrection to Eternal Life."
"The epidemic diseases did not spare Rosseau, and Gowan took up his self appointed duties again. Smallpox broke out in Ullswater, and he closed up the Rosseau Rectory, to take up residence there to minister to the sick. When diphtheria was rife in Rosseau, he had his parsonage quarantined and spent all his time among the stricken homes; only stopping when, as he said, 'there are no more throats to look down'." Additionally, according to White, there was also a case further north, when, on a bitterly cold winter night, with a storm brewing, he planned to attend a family suffering from diphtheria, more than ten miles away. He was to travel on foot, as he usually did. Before he left, he had secured groceries and medicine for the family. Eleven children were infected. According to Gillmor, "Arrived safely." He nursed the family until all were well.
"Gowan used to tell Rosseau people what he told many others in his long experience….that only he and death had undisputed entry into the homes where contagion had taken hold; quarantines notwithstanding. Death kept very close vigil while his own presence lent help, hope and consolation. He did not tell them that he often disputed death's entry, and many a time was able to bar the door to him," notes the author / historian.
There were others throughout our district who defied the deadly disease, to help those in need. It is known that amongst the bravest, were those who tended the burials of the deceased, risking the possibility of carrying the contagion into their own homes. Often there were no doctors attending, and it was family that had to send for help to bury the deceased. This was life and survival on the frontier.
"I have heard the voices of his loved ones in mourning, and the men of the river in silent groups, standing around, the slow tread of the horses and wheels of the carriages, as they bore him away to the quiet burying ground." From the book written by Bert Shea.
Thanks so much for joining today's historical blog. It's always good to have you aboard.
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