. : CLUBHOUSE CAUSEWAY LAKE SCUGOG —_* CHANNELS Ve es . ? © en View of a section of the Scugog Marsh and Game Preserve, south of the Port Perry causeway. The dotted line shows a very small portion of the more than 8,000 acres of land privately owned by the Osler family. image courtesy of Google Earth Part One OF Two First owners planned to drain swamp south of the causeway and reclaim the land 16 FOCUS - MAY 2008 The lands south of the Port Perry Causeway are most often referred to as the Scugog Marsh, and have long been a mystery to most people living in the Lake Scugog area. But for longtime residents of the area, the large tract of land and submerged swamp was known simply as “The Syndicate”. Early newspaper records suggest that the Scugog marshlands were a favourite spot for local sportsmen. In fact up until the 1880s it was one of the most popular spots around Port Perry for hunting, fishing and trapping. In an effort to uncover some of the mystery about this property, local historian J. Peter Hvidsten researched the property as far back as the 1870s, for his book Scugog The Early Years. Following is a con- densed story about the fascinating history which spans more than 130 years. Condensing more than 130 years of history regarding the Scugog Marsh into a couple of thousand words isn’t easy, but what follows should provide a capsulized look at this impor- tant, yet somewhat mysterious piece of property lying south of the Port Perry causeway. It wasn’t until November 1878 that the swamp property became newsworthy, when an applica- tion was made to build embankments across the southern stretches of Lake Scugog so the marsh could be drained. This effort, to reclaim the land, was undertaken by a group known as the Lake Scugog Marsh Lands Company. After years of attempts to get the project start- ed, the high cost doomed the ambitious project and the land was sold in December 1883 to a group of Toronto men. Their plans were to use the area as a private hunting and fishing reserve for family and friends. It wasn’t long after the marsh purchase was finalized that the new owners began posting “Private Property” and “No Hunting or Fishing” signs warning intruders to keep out. News of the land being taken over by a con- sortium of private “out-of-towners,” did not sit well with area residents, in particular those who had hunted and fished in the marsh for much of their lives. In fact some residents of the commu- nity, defied the posted signs, but would later feel the wrath of the owners when they were hauled into court, prosecuted and fined for trespassing. The conflict between the new owners and the residents of Port Perry carried on for months. Continued on page 30 focus@observerpub.ca