A Trip to Rebecca Lake from Huntsville in the 1930s
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"Waiting for the boat" from the landing to Rebecca Lodge, 1920s – and dressed for travel! (Marcia Julian)
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By Joy Julian
The great day had finally arrived! We were gathering our belongings – old clothes, blankets and sheets, bathing suits and books, food for a two week stay, and cards and games to entertain the adults and children in the evenings. Our destination was “Rebecca Lodge” at the west end of Rebecca Lake.
The Hutcheson family enjoyed going to camp, as it was called, in a large group. Weeks before the departure date, letters had been exchanged to find out how many could come. As there were only three tiny bedrooms in the old cottage, some juggling of accommodation was necessary.
Two cars were needed for the trip, about 16 miles from Huntsville. The “good” car was usually driven by one of my uncles. My father, George, had the dubious honour of driving the “old” car – a Willy’s Overland open touring car, which we children had fondly named the “puddle jumper.” Both cars, loaded with passengers and the belongings of two or three families as well as numerous family dogs, started out the East Road (now Highway 60). Things usually went smoothly, barring flat tires, until we turned into the bush at the Limberlost Road. As I remember, this road was narrow and dusty and went up and down hills, leading for miles into the interior of Sinclair township. At a sharp turn three miles in (where there was once a checkerboard sign), we approached the old pioneer homestead of Henry Field.
Dad had arranged to park our good car in one of the barns, as this was the point of transhipment. Everybody out! The load was assessed. Any pregnant passengers or mothers with a small baby got into the puddle jumper with my dad. He was the only one who seemed to be able to drive the ornery beast. My sister Marion remembers that at the age of four or five she was allowed to ride on a bag of potatoes that was placed behind a narrow metal fence clamped to the running board. The adults, older children and the dogs formed a straggly group walking the three miles through the bush behind the car. Suitcases were tied on the roof and the back seat held the rest of our belongings. Axes and saws had to be readily available in case of clearing trees which had sometimes fallen across the one-track road.
After leaving the Field farm we soon found the road became an unmarked rock face of native Muskoka pavement. Next came a swampy area over which someone had built a corduroy road (logs laid crosswise over a watercourse). This part often caused great problems as the water was often over the logs and Dad drove as fast as possible lest the wheels got stuck in the logs. If a flat tire occurred – we often had two or three in the course of the trip – everything had to be unloaded while the men got out the jack, the pump, the tools and the patching material. If the patch didn’t hold on the tire, the entire procedure would have to be repeated. Mosquitoes followed our procession in clouds and the kids often howled in frustration!
Sometimes the car refused to go, even after much effort with the crank. Often we had to select small rocks to put under the back wheels so the car wouldn’t go backward down the hill.
At last we approached the hillside overlooking Rebecca Lake. Across the mile of lovely lake stood our old Rebecca Lodge. We carried all the goods down to the little dock. Dad had arranged to borrow Jim Bennett’s rowboat. By the time five or six trips were made in leaky boats, which hadn’t soaked up, we arrived, tired but happy.
It was time for Dad to produce the keys, open the rusty lock and let us into the old cottage. We were ready to decide who got the bedrooms and who would occupy the large tent, which still had to be erected in the yard. We had, after five adventure-filled hours, arrived at Rebecca to start our holiday!
Believe it or not, my dad retraced these steps and went to town once a week for supplies. Fresh milk sure beat powdered!
Forest Fires of May 1914
(“Forest Fires are Raging,” Huntsville Forester, May 21, 1914, p. 1)“Forest fires are raging in almost every direction, and from reports received in Huntsville, it is evident that heavy losses are being sustained. … In the region of Sand Lake, the fires threaten t burn themselves out to the lake shore, and summer residents in the vicinity are uneasy. Messrs. W. R. Hutcheson and A. C. Bernath went out hurriedly on Tuesday to protect their cottages on Sand Lake.”
(“Forest Fires Are Out,” Huntsville Forester, May 28, 1914, p. 1)
“After a week of the greatest anxiety, during which time much property was destroyed, rain on Friday stayed the progress of the forest fires, and in most cases totally extinguished them. … [T]he strenuous efforts of a band of men near Rebecca Lake checked the fire as it reached the roadway, and thus saved several thousand dollars of standing timber., as well as the new buildings erected a year ago by Mr. Mansell of Toronto, on the shore of Sand Lake. Only through determined and persistent work, were the cottages of Messrs. A. C. Bernath and W. E. Hutcheson saved on Rebecca Lake shore. The fire is reported from every quarter to have been the worst in years, and the damage done exceeded that of any previous year.”