Six Star Magazine Six Star Magazine Fall/Winter 2019 | Page 15

Georgian Bay Airways, offers a number of excursions,
including a fall colours tour that passes over Manitouwabing
Lake, Lake Joseph and Lake Rosseau. The more ambitious
multi-taskers out there may, instead, chose to pair that scenic
tour with an effort to sidestep cottage traffic.
Small planes that shuttle cottage owners and visitors
to Muskoka is not a new phenomenon and various charter
services have been operating for some time. In fact, one of
the first commercial flights in Canada took off in 1920—and
it went from Toronto to Muskoka. But earlier this year, when
Porter Airlines launched its service from Toronto City Airport
to Muskoka Airport in Gravenhurst, the route created a stir.
In season, the 35-minute flight leaves the Big Smoke on a
Thursday evening and returns on the Monday morning; on
long weekends, the return lands at the Toronto Island Airport
on the Tuesday.
This is a move that speaks to the growth of the region
and an influx of more visitors, including those from south of
the border. But with only one summer season in the books,
it’s too early to speculate on the impact the route has had so
far. To be sure, the communities in Muskoka are invested in
keeping such developments in check. And it makes sense: The
tremendous appeal of Muskoka is its pristine nature—clean
air, clean water, mature forests.
The region needs just enough people to visit every year
to help the communities thrive. But too many tourists or too
much development would create a tipping point. There are
committees devoted to preserving the environmental integrity
of Muskoka. But in a supply and demand environment,
businesses understand that demand wins the day, so there’s
money to be made—lots of money.
In the early 1800s, this was a far different place, first home
to the Ojibwe with the name “Muskoka” deriving from a local
chief’s name, Misquuckkey (or Mesqua Ukie). The Ojibwe
farmed the land, hunted, fished and created their home near
present day Port Carling, before being forced  by European
settlers to Parry Island, an area north of Parry Sound. In 1881,
another native people, the Iroquois, relocated to Muskoka,
driven there by similar battles with settlers in Quebec.
The community that the Iroquois founded continues
today as the Wahta Mohawk reserve, located just west of the
town of Bala. 
In 1888, the government of Ontario penned the Free Grants
and Homestead Act in a bid to convince farmers to work the
land in Muskoka. Thousands of homesteaders arrived and
found little to work with—the thick forests and uneven rocky
terrain proved difficult to clear, and the poor quality of the
soil underneath made the effort all the more taxing.
From what were fairly desperate straits, the more lucrative
enterprises of logging and tourism developed. Farmers
supplemented their incomes by building cottages, running
hotels or supplying hotels with food.
Steamships and railways transported lumber out of the
area; on the return trips, they brought in tourists who were
eager to experience the crystal clear waters and dramatic
landscapes.  The land gained in value over time; today, a
lakefront cottage is akin to owning a goldmine.
PHOTOS: (TOP AND LEFT) MUSKOKA TOURISM; PHOTO: (RIGHT) BRÜHMÜLLER STUDIO
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