The Canadian Elite

There were plenty of wealthy Canadian cottagers in Muskoka as well. Timothy Eaton, who created a mercantile empire that dominated the country for well over a century, had a cottage at Windermere on Lake Rosseau. His son, John – along with his wife Flora - built this luxurious summer home, Kawandag, further north on the lake in 1906. It had stables and a private golf course.

Kawandag, from the archives of The Muskoka Steamship and Historical Society

The Eatons often entertained illustrious visitors.  Canadian opera legend, Edward Johnson, who became Director of the New York Metropolitan Opera, was a good friend, and sometimes stayed for weeks at Kawandag to rest and rehearse.

Ardwold

This was John and Flora’s Toronto home, Ardwold, which had 50 rooms, 14 baths, a hospital infirmary with two nurses on staff, and a half-acre glassed area housing a swimming pool and a conservatory. It was completed in 1911, sold in 1936, and demolished for a subdivision.

John Craig Eaton was knighted in 1915 for his philanthropic activities and his contributions to the war effort. Sir John continued to pay wages to 3,300 Eaton employees on active military service for the duration of the war at a cost of over $2 million.