KAWARTHA LAKES-In the nineteenth century, Lindsay grew as a transportation hub, linking railways with the Trent Waterway. For generations, Lindsay’s wharf was a centre of commercial activity as goods were loaded and unloaded from steamers. Many visitors to the Kawarthas caught a steamer at the wharf to enjoy a pleasant outing or visit one of the villages on the surrounding lakes. In the nineteenth century, many local communities were not served by railways, just roads and the waterway, for instance: Bobcaygeon, Rosedale, Sturgeon Point, Buckhorn and Curve Lake. Given the state of the roads, long distance travellers to these communities typically took a steamer, often departing from Lindsay’s wharf.
Automobiles were faster than steamers and could reach a much greater variety of locations. For instance, in 1899 a trip from Lindsay to Bobcaygeon on the Trent Valley Navigation Company’s Esturion took 2:15 and cost 75 cents one way, $1 return. Initially, both were seasonal modes of transportation. From 1904, Bobcaygeon had a railway link with Lindsay, and within a few years, the two largest local steamship companies had disappeared. In the early twentieth century, Lindsay remained a busy railway town, but steamship travel was noticeably in decline.
Sturgeon Point was founded by steamship captain George Crandell as a cottage community, largely populated by prominent Lindsay gentlemen, with a popular tourist hotel. The hotel was not rebuilt after it burned in 1896, but Sturgeon Point remained a beautiful cottage community. (The Lakeview Inn later opened to the west). For most Lindsay business owners, the most convenient way to get to and from Sturgeon Point remained the steamship—it was much shorter to take the steamer across the lake than a car around it. The Lintonia was the last steamer to run regular service on the Upper Kawartha Lakes. Operated by Charles Gray, it departed at 7 am to reach Lindsay by 9, stopping at Sandy Point, Greenhurst-Thurstonia, and Pleasant Point, that way cottagers could be in Lindsay in time for the work day. The return trip left Lindsay at 5:15. Launched at Lakefield in 1910, this ship was a coal-powered screw steamer, displacing 39.74 tons at 82.4 feet long, and generating nine horsepower.
The Lintonia carried freight and was popular for Sunday School Picnics and excursions. Charles’ wife, Minnie, catered to all the guests on excursions. For one outing she baked 27 pies. It continued to offer regular service until 1931, when Charles retired, selling it to the Department of Railways and Canals. By then local lumber exports had declined precipitously—the last log drive down the Gull and Burnt Rivers had already passed. Lindsay would remain a busy railway town into the 1950s, but the era of steamship travel had ended. As time went on, ever more local residents had a gasoline launch of their own.
This story is part of our partnership with Maryboro Lodge, The Fenelon Falls Museum and was written by Glenn Walker.
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