Prospect House - Port Sandfield, Ontario

Port Sandfield is a community on

Lake Rosseau Lake Rosseau is located in Ontario, Canada, about north of Toronto. The south end of the lake is in the Township of Muskoka Lakes, and the north end is in Seguin Township. The lake is surrounded by many cottages, some dating back to the late 1 ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

, located within and governed by the municipality of

Muskoka Lakes The Township of Muskoka Lakes is a municipality of the District Municipality of Muskoka, Ontario, Canada. It has a year-round population of 6,588. The municipal offices are located in Port Carling. History The area now covered by the townshi ...

. It was founded in 1870, when a canal was built connecting

Lake Joseph Lake Joseph is located in Seguin Township, Ontario. The lake is surrounded by many cottages. Lake Joseph is connected to Lake Rosseau through the narrows at Port Sandfield and the Joseph River. Lake Front Resident Advocacy Group There are man ...

Alexander Peter Cockburn Alexander Peter Cockburn (April 7, 1837 – June 2, 1905) was a Canadian businessman and political figure. He represented Victoria North in the 1st Parliament of Ontario and Muskoka and then Ontario North in the House of Commons of Canada ...

, a member of the

Ontario Provincial Parliament The Legislative Assembly of Ontario (OLA, french: Assemblée législative de l'Ontario) is the legislative chamber of the Canadian province of Ontario. Its elected members are known as Members of Provincial Parliament (MPPs). Bills passed by ...

and founder and first President of the

Muskoka Settlers’ Association Muskoka may refer to: Canada Geographical * Lake Muskoka, lake located between Port Carling and Gravenhurst, Ontario, Canada * Muskoka River, a river in the Muskoka District of Ontario, Canada Municipalities * District Municipality of Muskoka, a ...

played a leading role in getting the canal funded. The canal was funded at the same time as a lock at

Port Carling Port Carling is an unincorporated community in the Township of Muskoka Lakes in the Canadian province of Ontario. It has been the municipal seat of the township since 1971. It has several hundred year-round residents and is a service centre for ...

. The canal and lock allowed a fleet of steamboats to carry freight, mail, cargo and timber over the three largest lakes in the county of Muskoka. Port Sandfield was named after

John Sandfield MacDonald John Sandfield Macdonald, (December 12, 1812 – June 1, 1872) was the joint premier of the Province of Canada from 1862 to 1864. He was also the first premier of Ontario from 1867 to 1871, one of the four founding provinces created at Conf ...

, who was then the

Premier Premier is a title for the head of government in central governments, state governments and local governments of some countries. A second in command to a premier is designated as a deputy premier. A premier will normally be a head of governm ...

of Ontario. The

swing bridge A swing bridge (or swing span bridge) is a movable bridge that has as its primary structural support a vertical locating pin and support ring, usually at or near to its center of gravity, about which the swing span (turning span) can then pi ...

over the canal, built in 1924, is the oldest in the province. The canal fell into disuse, but was rehabilitated in 1999.

References

Communities in the District Municipality of Muskoka {{Ontario-geo-stub