The St. Lawrence Seaway is a system of locks, canals, and channels in Canada and the United States that permits oceangoing vessels to travel from the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes of North America, as far inland as Duluth, Minnesota, at the western end of Lake Superior. The seaway is named for the St. Lawrence River, which flows from Lake Ontario to the Atlantic Ocean. Legally, the seaway extends from Montreal, Quebec, to Lake Erie, and includes the Welland Canal. Ships from the Atlantic Ocean are able to reach ports in all five of the Great Lakes, via the Great Lakes Waterway.
Huntsville is a town in Muskoka district, Ontario. It is located 215 kilometres (134 mi) north of Toronto and 130 kilometres (81 mi) south of North Bay. Of the three major Muskoka towns, Huntsville has the largest population and land area.
The Welland Canal is a ship canal in Ontario, Canada, and part of the St. Lawrence Seaway and Great Lakes Waterway. The canal traverses the Niagara Peninsula between Port Weller on Lake Ontario, and Port Colborne on Lake Erie, and was erected because the Niagara River—the only natural waterway connecting the lakes—was unnavigable due to Niagara Falls. The Welland Canal enables ships to ascend and descend the Niagara Escarpment, and has followed four different routes since it opened.
The District Municipality of Muskoka, more generally referred to as the District of Muskoka or Muskoka, is a regional municipality in Central Ontario, Canada. It extends from Georgian Bay in the west, to the northern tip of Lake Couchiching in the south, to the western border of Algonquin Provincial Park in the east. A two-hour drive north of Toronto, it spans 6,475 km2 (2,500 sq mi). It has some 1,600 lakes, making it a popular cottaging destination.
The Township of Muskoka Lakes is a municipality of the District Municipality of Muskoka, Ontario, Canada. It has a year-round population of 7,652.
The Muskoka River is a river in the Muskoka District of Ontario, Canada. The river is the third largest river draining the southern Ontario land mass by average annual flow.
Rosseau is a community in the District of Parry Sound in Ontario, Canada, located in the township of Seguin. It is situated on the north shore of Lake Rosseau, a popular vacationing area. It is one of the ends of the Rosseau-Nipissing Road, which stretches all the way up to Lake Nipissing, near North Bay, Ontario. An Ontario Historical Plaque was erected by the province to commemorate the Rosseau-Nipissing Road's role in Ontario's heritage.
RMS Segwun is the oldest operating steam driven vessel in North America, built in 1887 as Nipissing to cruise the Muskoka Lakes in the Muskoka, Ontario, Canada, a resort area with many lakes and rivers. Early in the 20th century, Muskoka was poorly served by roads. Vacationers were transported to lodges, or private cottages, via a fleet of steamships. Segwun is the oldest of only three ships in the world still carrying the status of Royal Mail Ship, and the only steamer.
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 thousands of other seasonal residents in the area.
Lake Rosseau is located in Ontario, Canada, about 200 km (120 mi) 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 19th century.
Lake Muskoka is located between Port Carling and Gravenhurst, Ontario, Canada. The lake is surrounded by many cottages. The lake is primarily within the boundary of the Township of Muskoka Lakes, the southeast corner is within the boundary of the Town of Gravenhurst, and another small portion around the mouth of the Muskoka River is within the boundary of the Town of Bracebridge. The town of Bala is located on the southwestern shores of the lake, where the Moon River starts. Lake Muskoka is connected to Lake Rosseau through the Indian River and lock system at Port Carling. The lake is mainly fed by the Muskoka River, Lake Joseph and Lake Rosseau.
Lake Joseph is located in Seguin Township, Ontario. Cottage development in the Muskoka region began on the northern islands of Lake Joseph in the 1870's but quickly spread to other sections of all three of the larger Muskoka lakes. Lake Joseph is connected to Lake Rosseau through the narrows at Port Sandfield and the Joseph River. William Robinson, a member of the House of Assembly for Upper Canada (1830-1840) and later Commissioner of Public Works named Lake Joseph and neighbouring Lake Rosseau after his friend Joseph Rousseau, the father of a fur trader in the area.
The Severn River is a river in central Ontario, Canada. Its headwaters are located at the north end of Lake Couchiching. It drains Lake Couchiching and Lake Simcoe. The river flows generally northwest into Georgian Bay, a large bay of Lake Huron.
King's Highway 141, commonly referred to as Highway 141, is a provincially maintained highway in the Canadian province of Ontario. Its western terminus is at Highway 400 south of Horseshoe Lake in Seguin Township while its eastern terminus is at Highway 11 near Port Sydney. The route was designated in 1974 when Highway 532 was renumbered and upgraded from a secondary highway to a King's Highway. The route has remained generally unchanged since, though it was extended by several kilometres on October 7, 2003 when Highway 400 was extended north of Mactier.
Beaumaris is a small settlement in Ontario, Canada, on Lake Muskoka which once served as an important transit point during the steamship era on the lake, and once hosted a summer hotel, called the Beaumaris Hotel. The settlement is located on Tondern Island which, though a true island, is attached to the mainland by a small bridge at Milford Bay. Currently the settlement sports a government pier, The Beaumaris Marina, a general store dubbed Willmotts Store after a prominent Beaumaris family, Saint John's Anglican Church, and a private summer club; the Beaumaris Yacht Club.
Wenonah was a sidewheel steamship, built by Alexander Peter Cockburn, on Lake Muskoka, in 1866. She was the first vessel employed by the Muskoka Navigation Company. She carried passengers, mail and freight, and towed logs for the lumber industry, mainly on a cluster of connected lakes that covered much of the county of Muskoka, Ontario, Canada. Some sources also say she was the first steamship on the Magnetawan River, north of Muskoka.
The Indian River is a river in Muskoka Lakes, Muskoka District in Central Ontario, Canada. It is in the Great Lakes Basin, and connects Lake Rosseau (upstream) with Lake Muskoka (downstream).
The Muskoka Wharf is located in the town of Gravenhurst, Ontario on the southern edge of Muskoka Bay on Lake Muskoka. The Muskoka Wharf is the home port of the RMS Segwun, the oldest operating steamship in North America and the last surviving original steamship from the fleet of several dozen that served the county of Muskoka, Ontario in the late 19th century and early 20th century, and the Wenonah II, a modern replica of an early 20th-century steamship. The Muskoka Wharf, once a vibrant hub of economic activity at the union of a major railroad terminus and steamship port, fell into decline as roads and automobiles were introduced to the region, but has experienced a major economic resurgence since the creation of a heritage-based development area in 2005.
The Royal Muskoka Hotel was a luxury summer resort hotel that operated from 1901 to 1952 on Lake Rosseau in Ontario's Muskoka region. The hotel was built by the Muskoka Lakes Navigation Company and was serviced by its steamers. During its first three decades, the Royal Muskoka was Ontario's preeminent summer resort and attracted guests from the upper echelons of Canadian and American society. After the onset of the Great Depression, the hotel struggled through the 1930s. During World War II it saw a mild revival as vacations in Europe were no longer possible, but following the war its problems resumed. In the early hours of 18 May 1952, a fire razed the entire structure.
