Andrew Hind

Stretching from the wilderness of Algonquin Park in the east to the windswept shores of Georgian Bay in the west, Muskoka is one of Canada’s most popular vacation destinations. Providing a backdrop for escape is a rich and diverse history.

James and Letitia McCabe came to Muskoka in 1869, founding a humble inn around which Gravenhurst would spring. Steamships plied the Muskoka lakes for almost a century, including the hardworking tugs of sawmill operator Charles Woodroffe. Calling Vankoughnet home to a military hero who earned a Victoria Cross, Britain’s highest military honor, during the Indian Mutiny. For a time, the 21 Club was the place to be in Muskoka, a dance hall that attracted the best acts of the Big Band Era. George Mollard was a pioneer in the cranberry industry that is today iconic to Bala. Tired of fruitlessly working his bush farm, John Frederick Pain turned his ambition to welcoming summer guests and opened Paignton House, a resort which his family was still lovingly tending to nearly a century later.

Together, these stories and others like them weave the distinctive fabric of Muskoka history. Andrew Hind’s history of Muskoka goes beyond documents and dates, illustrating the unique character of a multifaceted and endlessly fascinating region.