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Introduction
Even a quick look at a map of Ontario reveals one inescapable geographic reality: Lake Simcoe dominates the central part of the province. It's big?by far the largest body of water between Lake Ontario and Lake Huron?and it's located right in the heart of the province.
But not only does Lake Simcoe dominate the map, it dominates the history of central Ontario as well, and that's what Secrets of Lake Simcoe sets out to explore through a collection of fascinating and largely unknown stories. How many know that Lake Simcoe played a vital role in safeguarding Canada during the War of 1812, that explorer Sir John Franklin passed through it during one of his Arctic explorations, or that Ontario's original cottage country was located here rather than in Muskoka? Not many. It seems that the deep waters of Lake Simcoe guards its secrets well, as if jealously hoarding a precious treasure. And in a sense these stories are a treasure, as they tell much about Ontario's development.
At 48 kilometres (30 miles) long and 29 kilometres (18 miles) wide and with a maximum depth of 41 meters (136 feet), Lake Simcoe is huge. Some have likened it to a sixth Great Lake. It certainly qualifies, if not for its size then for its historic importance: for centuries, in the era when there were no roads and the landscape was covered with impenetrable forests, Lake Simcoe was the most important waterway in the province. It formed a vital link between Lakes Ontario and Huron, helping open up the north and the west for natives, fur traders, soldiers, explorers, settlers, and industrialists.
It's impossible to pinpoint when Lake Simcoe first began its rise to prominence. The lake played an important role in the lives of the Huron and Ojibwa natives who inhabited most of central Ontario and had done so for hundreds, likely thousands of years. The natives paddled its length in birchbark canoes while trading and conducting war, fished its depths to supplement their diets, and established settlements along its shores. The Huron called Lake Simcoe Ouentaron, or "the beautiful lake." To the Ojibwa it was Wahweyagahmah, "round lake." But whatever name they called it, to native peoples Lake Simcoe was an important element of their lifestyle.
Seventeen-year-old Etienne Br?l? was the first European to see Lake Simcoe when he was sent to scout the interior in 1610. Samuel de Champlain, the famed explorer, followed a few years later in 1615. But while several Jesuit missions were established in the area to convert natives to Christianity, and there may have been fur-trade forts as well, in general the French did little to develop or exploit Lake Simcoe (which they called Lac aux Claies, "lake of the fish weirs," in reference to the native fishing fences at the narrows between Lake Simcoe and Lake Couchiching) during the two centuries it was part of New France.
In 1763, at the end of the Seven Years War, Canada became a British possession and shortly after, Lake Simcoe became a hive of activity. Canoes and bateaux belonging to the North West Company, a fur trading enterprise, began to pass over the lake with ever-increasing frequency as the fur trade gathered momentum.
Then, in 1793, Lieutenant-Governor John Graves Simcoe saw the lake while surveying the province's interior and gave it its modern name. Though some believe Simcoe egotistically named the lake for himself, in actual fact it was intended to honor his father, Captain John Simcoe of the Royal Navy. Lieutenant-Governor Simcoe was preoccupied with the very real possibility of an American invasion of Canada and began building Yonge Street from York (present-day Toronto) to the shores of Lake Simcoe as the first leg of an overland route to Lake Huron following the old native/fur trader route. Simcoe knew that traffic along Lakes Ontario and Erie could easily be disrupted by enemy ships, severing British ties to the West, but an overland route through central Ontario was far more difficult to sever. The wisdom of Simcoe's preparations was revealed in 1812 when the United States declared war and invaded: during the conflict that followed, Yonge Street and Lake Simcoe played a pivotal role in keeping the country from falling into American hands.
After the War of 1812, settlement of Lake Simcoe's shores was not long in coming. Holland Landing, situated at the northern end of Yonge Street and with access to Lake Simcoe via the Holland River, became the gateway to the region and a thriving port community. From here, settlements slowly spread up the shores of the lake, and eventually further into the interior. For decades most traffic bound for or from the lake, whether it was people or goods, passed through this town. It was only with the arrival of rail lines in the 1850s that Holland Landing began to lose its position of prominence.
While most settlers were common folk from the British Isles, the government encouraged retired military officers to settle the region by offering free land grants as reward for their service to the Crown. It was believed they would assume administrative, political, and judicial leadership, and thereby form a solid foundation upon which society could develop. The plan worked; their rank and experiences brought respect, and the retired army and navy officers became the gentry for this region. In many cases, they built elaborate manor homes that wouldn't have looked out of place in the British countryside (some of which still stand today), and furnished them with treasures brought over from the old country. These homes and the people residing within them became islands of culture and refinement in a frontier region.
Governor Sir Peregrine Maitland envisioned great things in store for Lake Simcoe. Centrally located, the hub of Ontario's water transportation system and yet far from the reach of any invading American army, Maitland reasoned that Lake Simcoe would make an ideal location for the province's capital. He would move the capital from York, which had proven itself vulnerable to attack, and re-establish it at Roches Point in Georgina. In 1882, the government purchased 200 acres from James Roche and began laying out a new town with streets named after British army officers and lots reserved for an ambitious array of public buildings. That was as far as the scheme progressed, however, as Maitland was unable to convince the Crown of the merits of his vision.
Industry began to develop in earnest after railway lines encircled the lakeshores, exploiting the region's vast resources of lumber, fish, farm produce, limestone, and ice for refrigeration. These industries brought new wealth to the area and fuelled further growth, leading one-time sleepy villages to develop into towns bustling with energy. Though these industries are long gone today, the towns developed into modern cities?Barrie, Keswick, and Bradford?that remain at the heart of the region today.
Towards the end of the nineteenth century, vacationers started to come every summer, and cottages and resorts began to dot the lake's picturesque shoreline. Steamers took tourists around the lake, people headed out onto the waters in skiffs and canoes, and moonlight excursions became a particularly popular activity. Lake Simcoe became a place of leisure, and it largely remains so to this day. Lake Simcoe offers visitors a variety of attractions: resorts to unwind in, historical sites to explore, quaint communities, boat cruises on the lake, world-class angling (especially in winter?Lake Simcoe is widely reputed to be the best location for ice fishing in North America), and endless opportunities to engage in water sports.
Secrets of Lake Simcoe is a collection of stories that together reveal the historical importance of southern Ontario's largest interior lake. We have selected tales that encapsulate key moments and important facets in the lake's history, revealing as many of its secrets as can be contained within a book of this size. These stories are the basis for the unique character of the region in general, and in particular for the character of the vibrant communities, large and small, which ring Lake Simcoe today. But for every story mentioned in this book, there are still others which must remain a secret?at least for now.
In most cases, it's possible to visit the sites where these events unfolded. Indeed, one can circumnavigate the lake and stop at all the locations in a couple of days. Once on the spot, the visitor experience varies greatly. In some places?like The Briars, Sibbald Point Provincial Park, and Rogers Reservoir?that are geared towards tourists, one is presented with a remarkable experience that is rewarding and insightful. Here, history literally comes alive. In other cases, the past has been erased under modern developments or claimed by nature and one must use a great deal of imagination to "see" the past, and then only in the mind's eye. In any event, to travel to the spots where history unfolded is to gain a new appreciation for Lake Simcoe and its varied communities.
