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Ba sa i ¥ { i g B § ; to popular recreation destination b Part One of a two part story explaining the history of the lake, commercial and leisure activities from the 1800s to the present; | - By Kelly Lown Port Perry Star What began as not much more than a glorified swamp left by the ice age has trans- formed into Scugog Township's leading tourist attraction. Lake Scugog has along, inter- esting and often contradictory and controversial history. Its in- ception is recorded as a mistake which brought disease and de- struction, but it is also recorded as a blessing which brought havjgation and tourism, mak- ing Port Perry prosperous. ~The name itself has a disput- able background. Lake Scugog, or what has been known as Schoogog; Schugog, Schooag, Eschiugog and Schooguag has been said to mean shallow muddy lake, muddy way and . submerged or flooded land. According to Rev. F. C. Weir's book entitled "Scugog and its Environs" the Indians pro- nouced the lake as Scu-a-gog or Wuh-you-wu-ski-wuh-gog. It is thought that as time went by the name was shortened and ab- breviated to save space and time in correspondence. Finally it remained as simply Scugog. The lake that is now a multi- _ million dollar industry began as a pond prior to the construction of Purdy's Mill in Lindsay in 1830. In 1827, William Purdy and his sons Jesse and Hazard en- tered into a contract with the government where the Purdys were to erect a 10-foot dam in exchange for 400 acres of land. The dam was to provide milling accommodations for settlers in Mariposay Reach, Cartwright, Ops and Fenelon townships. After the first dam was swept away in 1829 by the spring freshet, the Purdys in turn gained an extension and the new dam was ready in April 1830. Grist and saw mills were now operating powered by the dam. In 1834, an Order-of-Council was granted to permit Purdy to overflow on certain lots without being subject to any action for damages. He received freedom from legal action by the many settlers upstream whose land would eventually be ruined. The water from the dam, not equipped with locks, rose some 10-feet flooding far over the banks of Scugog River, the East and West Cross Creeks and Scu- The erection of that 10-foot river barrier changed the level of water in Lake Scugog forever. The once shallow, murky lake, * which did not even appear on a map, was now causing destruc- tion and disease. The full extent of the damage was not realized until the first survey on the area was per- formed in 1886. According to Leslie M. Frost's book "Forgot- ten Pathways of the Trent", Lieutenant Governor John Col- borne commissioned N.H. Baird to report on the construction of the canal between Rice Lake and Lake Simcoe as well as on the effects of the flooding caused by Purdy's Dam. Although today Scugog Town- ship is blessed by what the lake has brought to the township, it was far from a blessing to the farmers when the water began to flow. ) As the water rose some 10 feet, cleared and uncleared land in its vicinity was flooded, leav- ing thousands of acres under water, including forests of tam- aractrees. Many lost their lives during the destruction. dam. It was equipped-with locks which allowed the water to be lowered and save more land from flooding. Purdy was supported by lum- bermen in Victoria County and Scugog Village who realized the value ofimproved navigation. The government dam was completed in 1844. It raised the water level seven feet, four less than before. The settlers were satisfied, although would com- lain years later when Hiriam igelow, Purdy's successor placed a flashboard along the top of the dam raising the water an extra foot. Rotted tree stumps from the flooding can still be seen in Scu- : PHOTO COURTESY SCUGOG SHORES MUSEUM VILLAGE A general view of the lake from the docks where the Latcham Centre and Port Perry Marina now stand. - Mosquitos and blackflies multiplied bringing: with them an epidemic of typhoid fever, malaria fever and ague. There was a time the disease and destruction was so imfa- mous and the mortality rate so high that living near Scugog (or the Styx) was pegged as certain death. Even though it was entirely legal for the Purdy's to raise the water level, farmers, irate over the damage being caused, armed themselves with axes, pitchforks and flintlocks and de- scended on Lindsay and de- stroyed a portion of the dam in 1838. These farmers were angry as the overflowing caused the de- caying of timber and vegetable matter. Marsh hay, used to feed their animals, was also de- stroyed. As the land became settled an effort was made to find a solu- tion to the high water problems. Settlers with low-lying land were worried about flooding and wanted the water level low- ered, while others maintained the water would be too low and navigation would be impeded, fish would spoil and their health jeopardized. The result was a second dam, built by the the Board of Works, after a further agreement was drawn up between Purdy and the government. Purdy was granted use of all surplus water that was not needed for naviga- tion. The dam was located one quarter mile south of the Purdy gog today. They are most notice- able on the Nonquon River near Robinglade Estates. ) 7 With the completion of the lock the river became open to navigation, and would soon open up enourmous possibili- ties to the area. Transportation of goods and peopleimprovedin- cluding the moving of lumber. The logging industry and grist and flour mills attracted set- tlers. Prior this time Port Perry was no competition for its neighbor- ing boom town Prince Albert. ort Perry and Lindsay did not have much of an export trade. There were no steam- boats on Scugog and the roads to the front settlements were bare- ly existent. Prince Albert, which stood on higher ground than Port Perry was thriving in trade with Oshawa. Port Perry's only hope of sur- vival was if commercial naviga- tion could be developed along the lake. The first step in this direction was a horse-powered scow, built by Messrs. Lasher and Hay- wood in 1845. It began to take freight and passengers between Lasher's Landing (Caesarea) and Lindsay. At the same time Reuben Crandell's sons built a boat called the Firefly which moved by oars and sails. It moved mi- grants from Port Perry to Lind- say. : The era of commercial boats then began with the Woodman in 1851. dustry the thriving township needed. Prior to the construction of the Purdy Dam, Lake Scugog was a cranberry marsh where its main advantage to settlers was they could harvest wild rice in huge amounts. The rice, not only a bonus in itself, attracted an 'abundant supply of fish, fur bearing ani- mals and water fowl such as ot- ter, beaver, muskrat and mink. Today the wild rice no longer grows along the lake. Carp, which fed on the root are blamed for the destruction of the crop. Some animals still use Lake Scugog as a breeding ground. Teal, black and wood ducks nest in the marsh area. Blue Herons can be seen on a rare basis and . muskrat and beaver still harbor in the lake. Loons used to be heard on the lake but have long vacated the waters. LR sm took ihe EE Es rr ee Sa > oa] SEE EES ~~ One thing that has not chan much is that Lake Scu- -gog has always been a source of recreation. ak As the lake opened and the railway was built, the cottage era was realized, with the real boom in the '20s and '30s. As many as 700 picnickers were shuttled at one time to Wash- burn Island on a regular basis. American hunters and fisher- men were escorted on excur- sions by local guides. In the beginning the lake was used for steamboats, derby rac- es and ice boats. The Scugog Derby was an an- nual event for several years, at- tracting horses and owners from as far away as Montreal. People from all over the country came to enjoy the. races. The straight track ran between Reach shore and Scugog Island. Later the course was made into a kite-shaped track. Many fa- mous racers including Honest Bill, Lady Mack, Norway Bay, Toronto Chief, Crown Imperial and Lucy Queen of the Turf is proved tobe thein- a RAN racing on Lake S¢ was a popular sport. Scu Derby, an probing fey attracted radio and their horses as well as spectators from miles away. ------------------ graced the track. Today, Lake Scugog is a haven for a different generation of boaters, ones who rejoice in a relaxing travel along the Trent Severn Waterway System, of which Lake Scugog is at the top of the chain. One can take a number of dif- ferent boat trips. It is possible to by canoe or motor boat from Port Perry by way of Lindsay and Bobcaygeon to Peterbo- rough, down the Trent Valley to Lake Ontario. Travelling in the opposite direction boaters can enjoy a trip through Fenelon Falls and Kirkfield to Lake Sim- coe in Orillia through Lake Cou- chiching down the Severn River to Georgian Bay and from there wherever one pleases. One could also go by canoe by the Gull River and Burnt River to Haliburton County and Algon- quin Park to the Ottawa River. _ Cold and snow does not bring Lake Scugog to a standstill, ei- ther. In the winter the lakeis far from idle as snowmobilers come out to test their sleds on the miles of open ice. But the nature of Lake Scugog's ice can be dan- gerous to these operators: Pres- sure ridges caused by buckling ice and open chasms of water are common on the lakes in the Kawarthas and are dangerous to snowmobilers. Ridges occur- i at Caesarea-William's Point, View Lake and from Sev- en Mile Island towards the Non- Jon have peaks of jagged ice ve or six feet high. The ridges caused by expan- sion with temperature change, blowing winds and 'changin water levels create havoc an pose disaster to approaching snowmobilers. Although many enjoy boating and swimming in the lake, be- cause of the lake's shallow na- ture, an abundance of milfoil causes problems for both. The Trent-Severn Waterway Sys- tem aids boaters by keeping navigational ¢hannels cut. But, the weeds are not all bad, as an abundance of weeds also means fish, a popular pastime for town- ship residents since the begin- ning. - Scugog is now a main fishing hole for many, regardless of the season. The Muskie challenge anglers in the fall, jumbo perch Turnto Page 13 BP -- ---------- te