GBA Update Spring 2024

day, they finally reached the bay, where they fished, camped, and took stock of what Twelve Mile Bay had to offer. The following day, Don had to return to Parry Sound to reach home in time for work. The storm warnings they had received earlier in the weekend were proven to be accurate and reinforced at the time of their departure. As they approached the wide mouth of the bay and the waves grew bigger, the prospect of being stranded began to seem more and more likely. Luckily, they spotted a large fishing boat off in the distance. Upon approaching the boat, the captain told the three men that he was astonished to see such a small boat out in such bad weather and confirmed that it would be impossible for them to reach Parry Sound on their own that day. Even though he wouldn't usually be out so late in the year, the captain offered to help the men by towing their boat back to Parry Sound and feeding them Thanksgiving dinner. Feeling satisfied and exhilarated from the rush of adventure, Don purchased Lot 37 that winter.

merely benefit the councilman and his Reeve friend. Despite the challenges, Charles and Douglas spent years lobbying local groups for funds. Finally, by the fall of 1958, they secured grants from the MacTier Lions Club and the MacTier Legion and $50 from each of the original cottagers. This amount was just enough for Charles to start building the road. Beginning in the fall of 1958, Charles, along with Township employees Levi Norrie and Ernie Schell, would leave MacTier at 7 a.m. and return well after dark on his days off from council responsibilities and shifts on the railway, armed with a compass, axe, and a tireless resolve to mark the foundations of the road, walking miles back to their cars at the end of

each day. The threat of animals, rattlesnakes, and the unknown made it challenging, but he was determined to see it through. The trail, wide enough for a car to pass, reached Bloody Bay by the spring of 1959.

Township employee Levi Norrie working on the road.

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As road superintendent on the MacTier council, Charles Hardwicke learned about the Twelve Mile Bay lots early and, along with MacTier Reeve Douglas Shaw, was the first to purchase on the bay's south side in 1957. With responsibilities on council, a full-time job at the railway in MacTier, and a young family, Charles was attracted to the opportunities the non-landlocked Twelve Mile Bay offered through access to Georgian Bay fishing and outdoor adventure. Having had to trudge on foot through the dense, swampy bush between Highway 103 (now the 400) and Lot 5 with his wife and three daughters to access their property, Charles knew that a road was crucial to the success of this cottage adventure for himself and the other originals. At the time, the railway in MacTier was declining, and the council was looking toward developing Freeman Township for the town's economic benefit. Charles knew constructing a road to Twelve Mile Bay could benefit the area's development. However, he faced opposition from local taxpayers who were not willing to finance a road that would Don Emslie’s original Lot 37 cottage. Don went to night school to learn to build his cottage.

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GBA UPDATE Spring 2024

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