Lake of Bays is a township municipality within the

District Municipality of Muskoka The District Municipality of Muskoka, more generally referred to as the District of Muskoka or Muskoka, is a regional municipality in Central Ontario, Canada. Muskoka extends from Georgian Bay in the west, to the northern tip of Lake Couchiching ...

, Ontario, Canada. The township, situated north of Toronto, is named after the Lake of Bays. During the 2016 census, the township had a population of 3,167 and encompassed of land. Located in the northeast corner of Muskoka, the Lake of Bays offers a

natural landscape A natural landscape is the original landscape that exists before it is acted upon by human culture Culture () is an umbrella term which encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and norms found in human societies, as well as the kn ...

of forests, rocks, lakes and

wetlands A wetland is a distinct ecosystem that is flooded or saturated by water, either permanently (for years or decades) or seasonally (for weeks or months). Flooding results in oxygen-free (anoxic) processes prevailing, especially in the soils. The ...

. It is an important cottaging, recreation and tourism destination in Ontario. Currently, the economy of the township is primarily based on tourism,

recreation Recreation is an activity of leisure, leisure being discretionary time. The "need to do something for recreation" is an essential element of human biology and psychology. Recreational activities are often done for enjoyment, amusement, or pleasur ...

, and the service sector with forestry and aggregate (composite) extraction contributing as well.

History

The Township of Lake of Bays was established in 1971 from the former Townships of Franklin, Ridout, McLean and Sinclair/Finlayson (unorganized) as one of six area municipalities within the District of Muskoka. In the early 20th century several grand resort hotels opened on the lake, among them the Wawa (built in 1908 and destroyed by fire in 1923) and the Bigwin Inn, a resort that operated on Bigwin Island from 1920 until the late 1960s. These hotels were sought after destinations for many rich and famous individuals and groups at the time, including Hollywood stars like Clark Gable, writers like Ernest Hemingway and, during the Second World War, the Dutch royal family. The township was once home to the smallest commercial railway line in the world called the Portage Railway. Between 1904 and 1958 it ferried passengers between North Portage on Peninsula Lake to South Portage on Lake of Bays, a distance of 2 km. The train, named the ''Portage Flyer'', was discontinued in 1958 and was relocated to an amusement park near

St. Thomas, Ontario St. Thomas is a city in southwestern Ontario, Canada. It gained its city charter on March 4, 1881. The city is also the seat for Elgin County, although it is independent of the county. At the time of the 2021 Census, the population of the city wa ...

, until 1984. Much of the original components have since been repatriated and continue to operate on the grounds of Muskoka Heritage Place near Huntsville.

Communities

The township includes the communities of Baysville, Bigwin, Birkendale, Bona Vista, Bondi Village, Britannia, Brooks Mills, Browns Brae, Dorset, Dwight, Fox Point, Glenmount, Grandview, Grassmere, Grove Park, Hillside, Limberlost Lodge, Lumina, Maple Ridge, Millar Hill (ghost town), Nith Grove, North Portage, Norway Point, Port Cunnington, Sea Breeze, South Portage and Wahawin. A small community developed on the subdivided landholdings of a sawmill built by William Brown in the 1870s. The economic development of Baysville was enabled by good road and steamboat connections. Baysville developed into a popular region for vacationers and sportsmen. File:Baysville ON.JPG, Baysville File:Dorset Ontario.JPG, Dorset File:Lake of Bays Ontario.JPG, Lake of Bays in Dwight

Local bodies of water

* Cooper Lake * Echo Lake * Ellis Lake * Lake of Bays * Oxtongue River * Peninsula Lake *Ril Lake * Rusynyk Bay * Tackaberry Lake

Demographics

In the

2021 Census of Population The 2021 Canadian census was a detailed enumeration of the Canadian population with a reference date of May 11, 2021. It follows the 2016 Canadian census, which recorded a population of 35,151,728. The overall response rate was 98%, which is sli ...

conducted by

Statistics Canada Statistics Canada (StatCan; french: Statistique Canada), formed in 1971, is the agency of the Government of Canada commissioned with producing statistics to help better understand Canada, its population, resources, economy, society, and cultur ...

, Lake of Bays had a population of living in of its total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of . With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021.

In film

The 1949 FitzPatrick Traveltalk ''Ontario: Land of Lakes'' includes a segment on Bigwin Inn. In 1963 the former Dorset Fire Tower was shown in the opening credits of the old CBC TV show ''

The Forest Rangers The Forest Rangers may refer to: * ''The Forest Rangers'' (TV series), Canadian TV series *The Forest Rangers (band), band formed to create the soundtrack for TV series Sons of Anarchy * ''The Forest Rangers'' (film), 1942 film starring Fred MacMur ...

''. The tower can also be seen in the 1999 Canadian documentary ''Over Canada: An Aerial Adventure''. The lake scenes from the Canadian film starring Gordon Pinsent called '' Away From Her'' were also shot in the township on the south shore of Lake of Bays across from Price's Point.

Notable residents

Art Asbury Arthur Challinor Asbury (March 24, 1922, in Dwight, Ontario – November 13, 2003, in Bobcaygeon, Ontario) is a Canadian hydroplane boat racer. He was inducted into the Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame in 2001 World record On November 1, 1957, A ...

, speed boat racer and one-time world speed record holder.

References

External links

* {{Muskoka District Lower-tier municipalities in Ontario Municipalities in the District Municipality of Muskoka Township municipalities in Ontario