If you have read “About this blog” and gone on to “Who is this Ancient Islander“, you may understand how I came by my affection for Georgian Bay. But these legacies are not unique to me or my extended family. Numerous permanent and seasonal residents have felt the pull of this region for centuries andContinue reading “How we love this place…”
Author Archives: ritchiewith
Royal visitors steam into the Bay
The St. Lawrence Seaway was officially opened in 1959 by Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh. They came to Canada and proceeded up the new waterway system to the Great Lakes aboard the royal yacht Britannia. Doing so, they demonstrated the purpose of the Seaway in opening the centre of theContinue reading “Royal visitors steam into the Bay”
Frank Rourke was a man with ‘sweet waters’ in his veins
To followers of this blog, the Rourke name might ring a bell. There are posts about Juanita Rourke, and her brother-in-law Emery O’Rourke. There also are mentions in other posts of Juanita’s husband Frank Rourke. Now it’s time to do the memory of Frank justice with a post about him and his incredible affinity forContinue reading “Frank Rourke was a man with ‘sweet waters’ in his veins”
Boat building for War
Imagine a five-year-old boy whose father had gone overseas with the navy in World War 2. He might have become very interested in grey warships, despite his young age. If he had a chance to actually see one sliding into the water for the first time, it might have been a huge thrill. Such wasContinue reading “Boat building for War”
The Group of Seven
Most art lovers familiar with Canada’s iconic Group Of Seven might know of their connection with Georgian Bay. Some of their best known works, and those of their contemporary Tom Thomson, depict in their unique individual styles the waves, rocks and pines of the islands. A big reason for this was that their prominent patron,Continue reading “The Group of Seven”
Early years at Hope Island Light
Charles Tizard was the first lighthouse keeper at Hope Island, between Collingwood and Midland. He started the light on Oct. 27, 1884, and closed it down Dec. 15 at the end of the navigation season on the Great Lakes. The Celtic was the government supply ship at that time. On Jan. 4, 1886, Tizard sailedContinue reading “Early years at Hope Island Light”
The last one…
On a clear day during the migration season, up and into the 19th Century, the skies around the Great Lakes might turn black. That is when literally millions of Ectopistes migratorius — the legendary Passenger Pigeon — were winging their ways to or from their nesting areas. At perhaps as many as 5 billion, itContinue reading “The last one…”
“Pipesmoke Of The Past”
How did the nearly 300 Metis, voyageurs, and others who quite suddenly populated Penetanguishene in the early 19th Century get there? Where did they come from? When the War of 1812 between Britain and the United States ended in 1814, Drummond Island in the St. Mary’s River was returned to the U.S. So Britain hadContinue reading ““Pipesmoke Of The Past””
The Westerns beckon
They had been a world apart to me since even before I had known anyone who had been there. Ten or twelve miles out in the open Bay from Wahnuhke, to a youngster the Western Islands had seemed as distant as the far side of the moon. Then one day on an excursion up theContinue reading “The Westerns beckon”
Longevity on the Bruce
On a cliff above Georgian Bay at Lion’s Head is the oldest living tree in Ontario. It’s not a towering majestic pine or hardwood. It’s a lowly, twisted, gnarley white cedar that you probably wouldn’t give a second glance. Yet that tree has clung to its rocky perch for 1,316 years! Its remote and ruggedContinue reading “Longevity on the Bruce”
SWEETWATERS 