Etwas Geschichte Teil 1

Unser Camp hat schon viel gesehen, erlebt, überstanden. 
Einer der Vorbesitzer hat einen Teil der Geschichte wie folgt aufgeschrieben:

"In 1854 a number of Directors from the Pennsylvania New York Railway formed a Country Club and built a summer retreat at this location.

Stories, related a few years ago by older local residents of Rutherglen, talked of a railway siding used by the P.N.Y.R. to park the rolling stock which the members travelled in. The tents and equipment were transported to the site by locals in boats and barges. A permanent cookhouse was the only building on the site, the campers slept in tents on raised platforms. Two settler families from the U.S.A. were employed to provide food and to maintain the property when the Members were not there. Descendants of one of these settlers still live in the area and James Bay is named after them. Another familiy, the Smiths, farmed an area one mile west of the property which is still known as the Smith Farm but abandoned it around 1905 following a huge fire. The same fire destroyed the buildings and tent sites and the camp was threatened with closure. A few of the original members decided to purchase the property and formed a Hunt Club, a rebuilding program was begun. The resulting log cottages are still on the property and in use today.

During the 1870's and 80's the Booth Lumber Company became actively engaged in lumbering in this area and utilized the water to move the logs to the mills at Ottawa. Many of the old logging roads and skid-ways are still visible. Horses had difficulty pulling sleighs up hill so roads were planned to always follow a downward slope. In this valley the roads led to the Camp Landing. The natural water ways were also altered. The Mattawa River was straightened directly into Lake Talon with most of the dug channel still visible.
The old original river is now known as the Dead River. The depression of the 1930's brought another change in direction. The property was sold to Mrs. Ferguson, one of the descendents of the James family.

The Camp became primarily a commercial hunting and fishing establishment and remained so until the advent of the outdoor sports and family resort concept that has been established during the last few years."

Sommer 1956

in der Bildmitte das weisse (heute nicht mehr benutzte) Cottage

rechts die alte Lodge, die 1976 oder 77 niederbrannte

Sommer 1957

Bildmitte das jetzige Log Cottage, rechts die alte Lodge

eines der beiden kleinen Gebäude links (damals Cottage #4)...

 ...dient uns heute neben der neuen Lodge als Gartengeräte-Schopf. 
Es misst nur 3,7 x 2,5 Meter und beherbergte damals angeblich ein Doppelbett, einen Tisch, zwei Stühle, ein Gestell mit einem zwei-Platten-Kocher samt Küchenzubehör sowie ein kleines Möbel für Kleider. Was brauchte man damals mehr für einen fröhlichen Ferienaufenthalt...

Soweit zur bekannten Geschichte. Den Rest reimte ich mir selber zusammen. 

Fortsetzung folgt...