GBA Update Fall 2024

COTTAGE

By Brittany Walden, Twelve Mile Bay Association

Short on Maps, Strong on Will: The Early Years Cottaging on Twelve Mile Bay

A fter navigating through heavy northbound traffic on a Friday night, the Twelve Mile Bay Road exit sign off Highway 400 is a welcome sight for modern-day cottagers. They know that within a quick and easy drive, they can unwind and destress while sitting in a Muskoka chair, sipping a drink, and enjoying the serene view of the bay. For many, the cottage is a place to escape the pressures of everyday life and find comfort and relaxation in the peaceful Canadian Shield landscape. However, this has not always been the case. Those who first came to cottage on Twelve Mile Bay had a different experience. Their courage and commitment to grinding out the foundations for this special place has brought so much joy to so many, and we owe them a great debt of gratitude.

L to R: Don Emslie, Scott Forbes, Dave Walden, Carl Walden, Ian Forbes, Bill MacDonald. Leaving for a Moon River fishing trip, early 1960s.

a densely forested lot on remote Twelve Mile Bay in the late 1950s offered little tangibility, but for the adventurous, hardworking and optimistic sort, its potential was limitless. In the fall of 1958, 36-year-old Don Emslie was working full-time as a firefighter for the Toronto Fire Department and lived in the city with his wife, Helen, and two young daughters. Having previously served in the Royal Canadian Navy during World War II, Don caught wind from his friends Ian Forbes and Keith Gould that the government was offering lots for sale at a place called Twelve Mile Bay and thought that it sounded like the kind of opportunity for the adventure that he was craving. Wanting to see for themselves, Don, Ian, and Keith borrowed a small wooden boat from a friend and left Parry Sound on the Friday of Thanksgiving weekend, headed for Twelve Mile Bay armed with a fearless determination but no map. They were navigating with nothing more than a verbal description of a wide-mouth opening to a long, narrow bay, despite suggestions from seasoned locals that they might want to wait out an impending storm. With waves threatening to swamp their boat, they made it to the mouth of the bay. They quickly discovered the seriousness of the warnings from the OPP and the Lands and Forests Department that turning into the mouth of the bay in such weather could quickly capsize their boat. They camped for the night on an island set to the soundtrack of gusting winds, crashing waves, and grunts and groans from curious animals attracted to the scent of their dinner. Rising early the following

This is a tribute to the original cottagers of Twelve Mile Bay.

Initial 39 surveyed lots from the Department of Lands and Forests.

When the Department of Lands and Forest made 39 surveyed lots available for purchase along Twelve Mile Bay in 1957 – 29 on the south side of the bay and 10 on the north – convenience and relaxation weren’t part of the appeal in pursuing this venture. In contrast to the more developed area of Muskoka Lakes, where wealthy cottagers had flocked for decades, Freeman Township, home to Twelve Mile Bay and Moose Deer Point Reservation, remained largely undiscovered and was known as a rugged, isolated wilderness owing to the lack of road access. Reachable only by plane or boat through the turbulent waters of Georgian Bay, at $1 per linear foot water frontage,

www.georgianbay.ca

GBA UPDATE Spring 2024

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