The Steamship Era

Photo by Frank Micklethwaite

Getting to a Muskoka resort or cottage was an adventure in itself in the early days, so many vacationers stayed for two or more months. They arrived at the Muskoka Wharf in Gravenhurst by train from Toronto, some, like the Eatons (mentioned in the previous post), in their own private Pullman coaches. Then they boarded one of the grand steamships or their own yachts, three of which can be seen in the photo above.

The leisurely cruise up the lakes could include a fine meal in an oak-panelled dining room with panoramic views of the rocky, pine-tufted islands floating on shimmering blue water.  There were plenty of ports of call as the steamers dropped cottagers and all their trunks and paraphernalia right at their docks. That sometimes included the family silver, pianos, and even cows!

Here we see a mid-lake transfer of passengers, which sounds rather tricky, but was part of the routine. The fleet of up to nine steamships plied different sections of the three interconnected lakes – Muskoka, Rosseau, and Joseph. The regal S.S. Sagamo, which was the largest, could carry 800 passengers and all their stuff. The one on its left is the Segwun, the only one remaining, and at 127 years old, the oldest operating steamship in North America. You can take delightful cruises aboard the Segwun, one of which takes you past Millionaires’ Row, which I mentioned in an earlier posting.

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.

Millionaires' Row

Tourists enchanted by Muskoka often bought land – even entire islands – and built summer homes ranging from simple cabins to sprawling mansions. Around Beaumaris on Lake Muskoka there was an influx of wealthy Americans, especially from Pennsylvania, so this area became known as “Little Pittsburgh” and Millionaires' Row. A million dollars bought a lot in the days when the average wage in North America was $490 per year! Women teachers in Canada were paid only $246 annually, while male teachers earned nearly double that.

Photo copyright Gabriele Wills

This rambling cottage on Buck Island has 14 bedrooms, 8 baths, many of them en suite, and 8 fireplaces, while the entire top floor was a miniature playhouse for the children. The renowned gardens were maintained by 10 full-time gardeners.

Photo copyright Melanie Wills

The president of a Pittsburgh bank built this spacious and luxurious cottage in 1902 on nearby Belle Island at a cost of $80,000. It had a 90-foot long veranda across the front, and the generous interior spaces included a billiard room and several bedrooms with en suite bathrooms and private balconies. A system of bells throughout would summon one of the 26 staff. It also had a private tennis court. Unfortunately this beautiful century cottage burned to the ground during renovations in 2010.

Diamonds in the Wilderness

photo by Frank Micklethwaite

“It was the whisper that started their war.” So begins The Summer Before the Storm in June of 1914, in this dining room of The Royal Muskoka Hotel, which I call The Grand Muskoka.

When The Royal was built on Lake Rosseau in 1901, it was considered to be the largest and most splendid summer resort in Canada, perhaps even in the British Empire.  It boasted electric lighting, central heating, hot and cold running water, en suite bathrooms, telephones, a doctor on duty, a barber, twice-daily mail, a “first-class orchestra”, tennis courts, a golf course, riding stables, and boat livery with canoes, sailboats, and “motor yachts”.

These luxuries were perhaps surprising amid the wilderness of the Muskoka Lakes District, 100 miles north of Toronto. In the early days, the only way to get there was by train and steamship, a journey that took most of the day from Toronto. Below we see a photo of the SS Sagamo at The Royal Muskoka dock.

photo by Frank Micklethwaite

 People with time and money often spent a month or more at the resort, some bringing their own servants. They dressed formally for dinner, arrayed in their finest silks and diamonds. They might have come to Muskoka to breathe the ragweed-free, pine-scented air and play in the pristine waters of the island-dotted lakes, but guests at The Royal also brought high-society life and expectations with them.

Over the years, the hotel had many illustrious visitors, like the Duke of Devonshire, Canada’s Governor General, who opened the expanded golf course in 1918. In July of 1914, Canada’s Prime Minister, Sir Robert Borden, was vacationing at The Royal, but was hastily recalled to Ottawa just days before war with Germany was declared. Obviously, those enjoying the Age of Elegance in Canada had little warning that their world was about to change dramatically.