Heritage and History

Scottish-born Thomas Burgess named the community of Bala after the Bala Lake District in Wales. He arrived in 1868 and set up a sawmill on the Mill Stream. In time he also opened a general store, bakeshop, blacksmith shop and supply boat service and post office.

In 1917 the Burgess family helped establish a hydroelectric facility on the site of Thomas's original sawmill. This generating station supplied power for much of the Medora and Wood Townships. The community of Bala officially became a town in 1914. Dr. A.M. Burgess, a son of Bala's founder Thomas Burgess, was the first Mayor in Bala.

Bala, the town by the waterfalls, captures the true spirit of Muskoka. Known to many as home of the Cranberry Festival, the Kee to Bala, and Don's Bakery, it is a vibrant commercial centre. Bala has a large selection of unique retail shops and is home to a weekly farmer's market in the summer season.

Cardwell was named after Viscount Cardwell, secretary of state for the Colonies in 1864-1866, while Canadian confederation was under discussion. The former Township of Watt was named after James Watt, a native of Greenock, Scotland, who invented the steam engine. 

The first meeting of Council for the United Townships was held January 16,1871 at Mr. Bogart's schoolhouse. Later, in 1878 the United Townships of Watt and Cardwell became separate corporate identities. 

An Act of Parliament created the Corporation of the United Townships of Medora and Wood in 1873 (O.S. 1873 Chapter 49).

Medora was named after Mrs. Medora Cameron, who was the niece of the Honourable Stephen Richards, Commissioner of Crown Lands.

The Township of Wood was named after the Honourable Edmund Burke Wood, who was Provincial Treasurer of Ontario in the John Sandfield MacDonald Government. He was later, from 1874 until his death in 1882, Chief Justice of Manitoba. Mr. Wood was known as "Big Thunder" because of his powerful voice and roaring speeches.

Port Carling, Muskoka's oldest community, began as an Ojibway settlement. The natives called their village Obajewanung, meaning "gathering place.” Europeans called the settlement "Indian Gardens." As more white settlers came to the area, the Ojibway relocated to Parry Island, near Parry Sound. In 1860, when surveyor Vernon Wadsworth visited, there were twenty native homes in Port Carling and plenty of cleared land where they grew their crops.

In 1869 Benjamin Hardcastle Johnston applied for a post office. His application was accepted and a post office was established at Baisong Rapids, on the Indian River. Johnston named the post office Port Carling in honour of John Carling (1869). John Carling, the Minister of Public Works had been instrumental in building the locks. These locks would open navigation between Lakes Muskoka and Rosseau.

Port Carling was incorporated as a village in June 1896, with a population of 110 people.

Today Port Carling continues to thrive in its central location at the hub of the lakes. Large ships such as the Segwun and Wenonah II continue to delight visitors as they pass through the centre of town. For the shopper, the village has a huge selection of boutiques and eateries – all if which make Port Carling a tourist mecca from May to October. Its bright new community hall is a popular venue for theatre and musical events. The Norma and Miller Alloway Muskoka Lakes Library is located in Port Carling. This is the Main Branch of two in Muskoka Lakes.

The great community of Windermere came into being on January 1, 1868 when a post office of that name was established at Archibald Taylor's sawmill at the mouth of the Dee River. It was named after Lake Windermere in the Lake District of England. The post office moved to the home of Thomas Aitken in 1870. Aitken's home grew into Windermere House, one of the pre-eminent tourist resorts of Muskoka. The original settlers in the area were Frank and Elizabeth Forge, David and Ellen Fife, and Thomas Aitken.

Thomas Aitken, a Shetland Islander, established Windermere House in a commanding location overlooking Lake Rosseau. He also convinced the Muskoka Navigation Company to make Windermere a port of call for the first steamboats on Lake Rosseau, the Waubamik and Nipissing, by agreeing to supply them with wood for the boilers. Windermere became an important stopping point between Port Carling and Rosseau.

The Village of Windermere was incorporated on April 17, 1924. It was the smallest village in Ontario at that time. Henry Longhurst was elected reeve by acclamation. Council meetings were held in private homes or at the United Church Sunday School until 1953, when a municipal building was built.

Multiple properties in the Township of Muskoka Lakes have been designated. In many cases, the owners have approached the Township and requested designation as a way of recognizing the importance of their buildings. In other cases, the Council of the Township of Muskoka Lakes recognized the historical importance and heritage value of the Township's own properties.

Designation is registered on title at Land Registry Office, and it carries on even after a property is sold. If subsequent owners wish to make changes to specific elements which were designated, they are required to obtain approval from Township Council.

What are the steps for designating a property?

There are six (6) key steps in designating a property under section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act:

1. Identifying the property as a candidate for designation. 

The owner/applicant must submit an Application for Heritage Designation outlining why the property contains historical and/or cultural significance. Please include any information that may assist Township Staff and Council.

2. Researching and evaluating the property.

A staff report will be prepared and presented to Township Council. Upon Council approval, the next steps of the designation process are initiated:

3. Serving "Notice of Intention to Designate", with an opportunity for objection.

4. Passing and registering the designation by-law.

5. Listing the property on the Township's Heritage Register.

6. Listing the property on the provincial register.

Interested in applying, please complete and submit the Application for Heritage Designation to planning@muskokalakes.ca 

For more information, please view the below webpages:

• Ontario Heritage Trust
• Ontario Heritage Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. O. 18

Heritage Property Tax Relief Program

The Township of Muskoka Lakes has adopted a Heritage Property Tax Relief Program that provides an incentive to property owners to invest in the on-going conservation of their heritage buildings. The property tax relief program encourages and supports property owners to be stewards of their heritage properties by protecting our history for future generations.

The Heritage Tax Relief By-law 2017-110 outlines the following:

• Available to properties with municipal heritage designation
• The program provides up to a 40% refund of property taxes based on the tax amount of that given year
• Property owners apply on an annual basis, not later than the last day of February.
• Property taxes must be paid and in good standing
• The owner must enter into an agreement with the Township to maintain the property or feature to the standards set out in the criteria and make the property available for inspection
• The relief is not available in conjunction with any other tax relief programs, including Provincial programs and conservation easements
• The program is subject to the availability of the rebate pool to be determined annually in the Township's budget

Interested in applying? Please complete the Heritage Property Tax Relief Program Application form and submit to planning@muskokalakes.ca 

Designated Properties and Districts

Township of Muskoka Lakes Heritage Register

The 111-by-45-foot photo mosaic, affectionately called The Wall, provides a breathtaking welcome to Port Carling. It comprises 9,028 pictures that together create the image of the RMS Sagamo passing through the Port Carling locks circa 1922. Viewed up close, however, each individual photo captures a moment of time in the lives of residents of Port Carling during the village's first century (1860-1960).

It all began in 2004 with a suggestion from Don Oliver to the Mayor Susan Pryke, that the main street of Port Carling needed a facelift. The Mayor challenged Mr. Oliver to get involved, so he recruited Ian Turnbull, Ian Wallace and Greg Mannion to help him out.

Within one year these four men had researched, planned and designed a very complex project. Furthermore, they were able to raise all the necessary funds to implement it and set up a reserve for its continued maintenance.

In due time the Bracebridge-based company Forrec, known for their design-build capabilities, was brought into the equation. In collaboration with Toronto Digital Imaging and Magic Mosaics they produced a unique and fascinating historical mosaic known as The Wall. Its purpose was fourfold: to serve as a spectacular tourist attraction; to stimulate further revitalization of Port Carling; to foster community pride and to reflect the heritage of Muskoka Lakes Township.

Located on the large south-facing wall of the former Hanna store, a building that is now owned by Tom and Angie O’Hara, The Wall is visible from District Road 118 and to boats in the bay.

To locate, collect and digitally scan the photographs, the project had support from the Township of Muskoka Lakes and volunteers and staff from the Muskoka Lakes Museum and the Norma and Miller Alloway Muskoka Lakes Library. In total there are 905 individual photographs, which are all displayed in a nine-foot-high “viewing section” in the lower portion of the mural. Above the viewing strip the 905 photos are replicated over and over in a fashion that allows the bigger picture of the Sagamo to appear when viewed from a distance.

The mural is owned and maintained by the Township of Muskoka Lakes. It was officially unveiled on August 1 2005 by the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario James K. Bartleman, with assistance from the Mayor of the Township of Muskoka Lakes Susan Pryke and the Chair of the District of Muskoka Gord Adams. At that time it was the largest historic photo mosaic mural in the world.

This wonderful Port Carling project has achieved all four of its goals. It is an ingenious contribution to the cultural heritage of Muskoka. In 2007, The Wall received a Built Heritage award from the Muskoka Heritage Foundation.