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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Huntsville and Lake of Bays Railway Society
Muskoka,
Ontario. August 2007. The Ontario Heritage Trust and the Township
of Lake of Bays will unveiled in the town of Dwight
a provincial plaque to commemorate the Huntsville and Lake of Bays Railway
Company - once known as the "smallest commercially operated railway
in the world." Over the years, northern
Ontario has attracted settlers and tourists alike. This awe-inspiring
landscape, however, made settlement and transportation a challenge. Although
rail travel and canals were often effective in connecting remote and rugged
regions, challenges still existed - for example, the 1.8-km stretch between
Peninsula Lake and Lake of Bays. This challenge was finally overcome when
the Huntsville and Lake of Bays Railway Company track was completed in
1905. For the next 55 years, this narrow-gauge railway provided essential
links for both commerce and tourism in North Muskoka.
By the 1980s, after the railway had long been dismantled and the locomotives
relocated to St. Thomas, a local movement to bring back the railway gained
momentum. Today, the Huntsville and Lake of Bays Railway Society owns
and operates the railway in conjunction with the Town
of Huntsville's Muskoka Heritage Place. Thanks to the efforts of these
dedicated local residents, ex-railway employees and rail enthusiasts,
the restored railway and Muskoka Heritage Place celebrate the rich history
of settlement and tourism in Muskoka and welcome thousands of visitors
each year. The Ontario Heritage Trust's Provincial Plaque Program commemorates
significant people, places and events in Ontario's history. Since 1953,
over 1,200 provincial plaques have been unveiled.
Gordon Pim
Marketing and Communications Coordinator
Telephone: 416-325-1484
E-mail: gordon.pim@heritagetrust.on.ca
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