Frank Garfield "Gary" Denniss is a Canadian historian, newspaper columnist, retired public school teacher, speaker "Muskoka Scrapbook - Speaker Series", sponsored by Muskoka Steamship and Historical Society", First speaker, Gary Denniss, Sun., April 22, 2007. and ordained minister born in 1944 in Bracebridge, Ontario Denniss is the author of 43 books on the history of 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 ...

, (Muskoka District, at the southern edge of the

Canadian Shield The Canadian Shield (french: Bouclier canadien ), also called the Laurentian Plateau, is a geologic shield, a large area of exposed Precambrian igneous and high-grade metamorphic rocks. It forms the North American Craton (or Laurentia), the anc ...

, stretches north from the Severn River through rocky and forested lake land, bounded by Georgian Bay on the west and Algonquin Park to the east, connecting to twin district Parry Sound.)

Biography

Gary Denniss was born at Bracebridge Memorial Hospital on May 31, 1944, to Frank Edwin Denniss II (1908–2003), and Jessie Evelyn Arnott (1917–1991). Mr Denniss taught in the public schools in the

Bracebridge, Ontario Bracebridge is a town and the seat of the Muskoka District Municipality in Ontario, Canada. The town was built around a waterfall on the Muskoka River in the centre of town, and is known for its other nearby waterfalls (Wilson's Falls, High Falls ...

area (Wah Wah Taysee, Cochrane, Bracebridge, Vankoughnet, Huntsville, and Macaulay) until his retirement in 1998. He continues to live in Bracebridge, where he writes, teaches piano, and officiates at weddings and funerals. Since 1991, Mr Denniss has held a leadership role in the maintenance of Bracebridge veterans' gravesites, veterans' memories and Langford Cemetery, Macaulay Township." "Volunteers, athletes thanked for their many contributions", "Gary Denniss received the Heritage Community Recognition Award for his tireless efforts in restoring, maintaining and operating the Langford Cemetery in Macaulay Township", Huntsville Forester, June 27, 2012, by Louis Tam

Published works

* "Macaulay Township in Days Gone By" : Herald-Gazette Press, 1970, (

Algoma University Algoma University, commonly shortened to Algoma U or Algoma, is a public university with its main campus located in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada. With a particular focus on the needs of Northern Ontario, Algoma U is a teaching-focused and s ...

, Wishart Library). * "The Pioneer Zimmerman Family of Macaulay Township", newspaper article, Herald-Gazette, Bracebridge, ON. April 2, 1970. * "A Brief History of the Schools in Muskoka", Herald-Gazette Press, 1972.Cited by "Canadian Books in Print", University of Toronto Press, 2003, on p. 1312 and p. 1468.Cited by "Huntsville:with spirit and resolve", by Pryke, Susan, 2000, book 255 pages, Huntsville, Ont. : Fox Meadow Creations, 2000. , and 2010 , Tor. Public Library and Muskoka Books. * "Free Methodist Hill, a Centennial History", 1879–1979, Herald-Gazette, 1979. * "The Spirit of the Twelfth (1982); The story of the Orange Order in Canada", Gravenhurst Printing, 1982 * "Muskoka - Ontario’s First District Municipality", 1995, GarDen Press. * "A Brief History of the Churches in Muskoka", 1997, 1998 and 2003, Publisher: GarDen Press, 2003 (

, Wishart Library), * "The Story of Springdale Park", Publisher: Springdale Park Spiritual Association, 1998. , by Gary Denniss. * "Educating Muskoka District", 1999, , by Gary Denniss. * "The Educational Heritage of Muskoka", 2001 (History of the Muskoka Board of Education), . * "The Past Before Us: A History of Free Methodist Camp Meetings in Muskoka, 2002, . * "In Loving Memory: The History of Langford Cemetery", 2006 (collection of obituaries). * "Going to School in Macaulay", 2010, by Gary Denniss. * "The Holditch Family Reunion", Sept. 2013, GarDen Press. * "Historic Routes of Bracebridge", 2012, GarDen Press."New book to shine a light on the history of Bracebridge streets", a review of "Historic Routes of Bracebridge", by Louis Tam, Weekender, Fri., May 11, 2012. * "Bracebridge Connections", Vol. 1, 2014, GarDen Press. * "Bracebridge Connections", Vol. 2, 2015, GarDen Press * "Bracebridge in the Fifties", 2016, GarDen Press * "Bracebridge in the Sixties", 2017, GarDen Press * "Bracebridge in the Seventies", GarDen Press, February 2018, * "Muskoka Scrapbook" (series of eight books: Individual years, 1926, 1936, 1946, 1956, 1966, 1976 (two volumes), 1952."Ghost Towns of Muskoka", Andrew Hing & Maria Da Silva, , Dundurn Press, Muskoka, ON. 2008, pp. 261, 262 - Cited by "Muskoka Scrapbook Vol. 1, p. 41", "Macaulay Township in Days Gone By, p. 61", "A Titch of Muskoka", "The Spirit of the Twelfth" p. 80-81, and p. 261-262. * "A Good Town Continues - Bracebridge 1915–1999", contributed to by Gary Denniss. * "The Orange Lodge and its History in Muskoka", 1999. * "Titch of Muskoka (a seven-part series)" * "Muskoka Scrapbook - a five-part series of books on World War 1" -1914, 1915, 1916, 1917, 1918): Volume 1 , Volume 2 , Volume 3 , Volume 4 , Volume 5 "Muskoka Scrapbook - Speaker Series", sponsored by Muskoka Steamship and Historical Society", First speaker, Gary Denniss, Sun., April 22, 2007. * Bracebridge in the Eighties December 2018, GarDen Press * The Family Heritage of Howard and Sheila Vincent, , December 2018, GarDen Press * "The Arnott's of 36 Edward Street", , June 2019. * "Muskoka Memories 101" November 2019, * "Muskoka Memories 102" * "Muskoka Memories 103" October 2021 * "Muskoka Memories 104" * "Muskoka Memories 105" * "Langford Cemetery 1873-2023"

Reviews

* "Among local Historians, Gary Denniss is Royalty", by Ted Currie, Muskoka Today, Nov. 3–17 issue, 1995.

Awards and honors

* Lieutenant Governor's Ontario Heritage Award for Lifetime Achievement, presented by Lt. Gov. David Onley, Feb. 21, 2013 "Local resident honoured with lifetime heritage award", Bracebridge Examiner, Feb. 26, 2014, by Lisa Gillan * Heritage Community Recognition Award, presented to Mr. Denniss at the Rene Caisse Theatre, the Town of Bracebridge, by Councillor Steve Clement and C. Hammond, June 27, 2012 * Robert J. Boyer Award, "honours the dedication of individuals in our community who work to keep the natural and cultural history of our region alive", presented to Gary Denniss by the Board of Directors, Muskoka Conservancy, May 17, 2013.Letter to G. Denniss from Kristie Virgoe, Muskoka Conservancy (May 17, 2013 (retrieved April 20, 2017)
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References

External links

* * * http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~murrayp/muskoka/macaulay/langford/index.htm * http://www.bracebridge.ca/en/live-here/Cemeteries.aspx?_mid_=1499# * http://www.heritagetrust.on.ca/en/index.php/pages/programs/recognition-programs * http://gravenhurstmuskoka.blogspot.ca/2014/03/congratulations-to-muskoka-historian.html * https://www.churchesinyourtown.ca/communities/bracebridge/sermons/speaker/gary-denniss {{DEFAULTSORT:Denniss, Gary 1944 births 20th-century Canadian biographers Canadian educators 20th-century Canadian historians Canadian male biographers Canadian schoolteachers Canadian people of German descent Canadian people of English descent Free Methodist Church ministers Historians of Canada Living people People from Bracebridge, Ontario 20th-century antiquarians Wilfrid Laurier University alumni 21st-century Canadian historians 20th-century Canadian male writers 21st-century Canadian biographers 21st-century Canadian male writers

Biography

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Awards and honors

References

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