Lake Simcoe History/Geography

Lake Simcoe is the 12th largest freshwater lake in Ontario, Canada. It is one of the world's largest freshwater lakes to freeze completely over in winter. First named in the 17th century it was called Ouentironk ("beautiful water) by Huron natives. It was renamed in 1793 by Lieutenant-Governor of Upper Canada, John Graves Simcoe in memory of his father.

Lake Simcoe is about 30km (19 miles) long and 25km (16miles) wide. The lake contains a large island, Georgina and is dotted with several smaller islands. Most are cottage destinations. A number of rivers flow into Lake Simcoe. From the east the Talbot River, part of the Trent-Severn waterway system is the most important, connecting the lake with the Kawartha lake system and Lake Ontario, with its connection to Lake Couchiching where Orillia is located at the narrows where the two lakes join. Other rivers that flow into Lake Simcoe are the Pefferlaw, Maskinonge, Black, Holland, Beaverton, Bluff's Creek and White's Creek.

Georgina Township, named by Governor Simcoe in honour of King George 111, was laid out by Duncan McDonald. Settlements first developed among the dense forests beside the waterways: Udora, Egypt, Baldwin, and Virginia. Sutton and Pefferlaw on the Black River were major settlements. Because Lake Simcoe was the "highway to the upper lakes" and the major water route across the province it was originally destined to be the capital of Upper Canada and the land was purchased. But as it turned out, the government officials and their families settled at York having made the move from Niagara only twenty years before. Settlement of the Township of Georgina began around 1826. The second wave of settlers, many upper-class British who built vast and unique manor houses, barns, stables and workers lodgings along the shorelands. Sutton became a village in 1890. Each village or town had its own government until January 1, 1971,when the Region of York Act united them under the Townships of Georgina and North Guillimbury.

The beautiful stone St George's Church located on Sibbalds Point and Hedge Rd. is the resting place of two famout Canadian authors, Mazo de la Roche and Stephen Leacock and their families. Both spent many summer holidays on the south shores of Lake Simcoe in The Briars cottages across from the golf and country club: home of Peter Gzwoski's annual golf tournament for literacy.

The undulating curves of nature in that stretch of shorelands from Roches Point through to Jackson's Point and on to Pefferlaw brought the tourists and cottagers around the turn of the century to the charms of the South Shore of Lake Simcoe. The need for transportation created the rail line (Radial) from Toronto to Jackson's Point, following the lake through Roches Point and Eastbourne, on to Jackson's Point, finally curving down into Sutton.

Jackson's Point was the site of many ice houses, filled with twenty-five to fifty pound blocks of ice that had been cut from the lake in the winter and packed in sawdust. These were shipped to Toronto and outlying areas to keep the iceboxes of the times.

As Ontario's first cottage country, the area eagerly accommodated the toursits and cottagers with numerous resorts, hotels, fresh air camps located along the shorelands off Lake Simcoe overlooking the lake and taking advantage of many fresh water springs supplying the area. The Red Barn Theatre in Jackson's Point still lends itself to the "straw hat" theatre atmoshphere it began with in the early 1950's, and a definite must for any visitor to experience.

As the shorelands travel east along Lake Simcoe past Pefferlaw and moving toward Beaverton, it starts to lend itself to a higher elevation over looking the beautiful water. Again dotted with cottages and permanent homes that have replaced the original large country summer homes of yester-years, the road winds toward the lakeside town of Beaverton. The train first pulled into Beaverton on Christmas Eve, 1870. Where the Beaver River enters the lake it was a stopping place for sailing vessels and lake steamers. The rich farm lands boarding the shorelands along the easterly boarder of Lake Simcoe spread from Beaverton to outlying areas of Woodville, Cannington, Sunderland and Udora. The pride of being such a rich, important agricultural base of Ontario is evident in the well maintained land and restorations of many Victorian style farm homes placed within the area of creeks and rivers.

They say there is another city on Lake Simcoe. Its population transient, but loyal. It's thousands of buildings are moved every March 15th but reappear the following year December or January. This is the city of ice huts that make Lake Simcoe the ice-fishing captial of the world.In 1815 a settler saw a native fisherman crouched on the ice, with a short spear ready to transfix any fish attracted to his bait. Today's huts have heat, benches, cooking stoves, radios and DVD players. This multi-million dollar industry is an attraction for the avid fisherman and a definite for family fun. Definitely a sport to be enjoyed by all ages.

For further reading and reference Please enjoy at your local library the following:

Jackson's Point, Ontario's First cottage country by Jeanne Hopkins

Lake Simcoe and Lake Couchiching By Mary Byers