WigWam Brochure from the mid 70's

"This brochure was in a drawer of Miss Simmon's belongings when we bought the place on Oak Road directly beside The former Wigwam Inn."

-Barb de Kat

The text follows:

"Thank you for your recent inquiry requesting information about the Lodge. I am enclosing illustrated literature and rate sheet which will give you the general information as to location, types of accommodation, activities, etc. Should you wish to reserve accommodation for your vacation please fill out the enclosed reservation card and mail it to us along with the required deposit. Upon receipt of this we confirm your reservation request. We are now under new management and Lodge is now under Renovation and fully Licensed under L.L.B.O."

TOURIST ATTRACTIONS:

Buffalo Park

Santa's Village

Summer Theatre

Boat Rides

ACTIVITIES:Para Sailing

Swimming

Boating

Water Skiing

Nightly Entertainment

Fully Licensed

Beach

Barbecue

Dancing

NEARBY ACTIVITIES:

Horse Riding

Tennis

Golf

LODGE RATES

MOTEL On beautiful Safe Sand Beach, Modern units, 3 pc. Baths

Rate for 2 persons Weekly $148. Daily $25

ONE ROOM CABINS Efficiency Cabins, 2 and 3 Pc. Bath, Double or Single BedsRate for 2 persons Weekly $130. Daily $22Season $5.50

THREE ROOM CABINS Two Bedrooms Plus Sitting Room, Double or Single BedsRate for 4 persons Weekly $180. Daily $40Season $7.50 All Rates Plus 7% Ontario Sales Tax.

PLEASE NOTE!Each additional person Weekly $25. Daily $5.00 $50 deposit for accommodation

Rates do not include meals

No pets please.

Children under 8- 1/2 rate on meals - infants free

Special rates for company's

"Try Us For Your Next Banquet"

WigWam Lodge, Kahshe Lake

The Lodges Period on Kahshe Lake

Above is an excerpt from a 1935 newspaper found in the wall of Barb deKat’s home in Toronto. Barb is a Kahshe Lake cottager. (See her notes below.)

The excerpt reads as follows:

Saturday, June 8, 1935
Summer Resorts
WIG WAM INN

Lake Kahshe, Muskoka, ninety-seven miles north of Toronto, central sitting and dining rooms, verandahs, electric lights, indoor toilets.

View entrancing, bathing, boating, fishing, and dancing facilities excellent,

Per person: Day $3.50 up; week $18 up; season $15 weekly up. Book cabins early.

Miss Mary Lean, 40 Arlington ave, Lloydbrook 1371

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The Evening Telegram, Toronto, Saturday, June 8, 1935

Daily circulation, May, 156,170

Gerry and I were repairing our turn of the century High Park, Toronto home this spring. This newspaper was found under old linoleum that was under plywood and vinyl flooring. I was very excited to find a newspaper from 1935, the year we know an extensive addition was added to our home.

I almost fainted when I peeled back a page and saw the advert for Wigwam Lodge AND further down Kahshe Kamp.

Barb de Kat

Kahshe Lake Kamp

Kahshe Kamp

This Kahshe Kamp postcard has been supplied courtesy of Bill and Marion Edwards. It is a promo for Ed Day's Kahshe Kamk from the 40's-50's era.

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Bill writes: "My sister stayed there in the 30's, so I'm sure it will bring back memories for some of the old folks. This property was purchased by John Klinck a few years ago and he built a new house on it." John has since sold the house on the South Kahshe Road past the bridge.

KAHSHE KAMP FOR FUN AND FOOLIN'
We are pleased to forward our folder with pictures taken at Kahshe
Kamp. These will give you a fair idea of the type of vacation enjoyed
by our guests who return to us year after year.

A typical day's fun starts with a refreshing dip in the lake, followed
by the good natured chats at the breakfast table, then out for a canoe
paddle, a game of tennis, or perhaps a bit of dancing in our recreation
hall. After another swim your appetite says dinner sounds good.

In the afternoon the usual sun baths are popular or a hike in the woods,
where berries are plentiful and small animals play around. It's almost
supper time now and after a little rest, everyone joins in the games and
dancing, with square dances thrown in for good measure.

A feature of Kahshe Kamp is the all day canoe picnic, which starts
after breakfast, usually on Wednesdays, for a pleasant paddle to our
picnic Island at the head of Beautiful Kahshe Lake. Lunch is taken
along and after a day's real fun we arrive back in camp ready for an
evening dinner and the usual dance and games. Hot Dog roasts, of
course, are not forgotten, with the good old camp-fire sing-songs.
Our guests comprise a splendid class of gentile young folks, and the
sociability of the camp is well known. You can come alone and be
assured of meeting a friendly crowd. There is no style or dress-up here.

Sleeping accommodation in cabins for each two or three guests
assures complete rest when you feel like taking life easy. These are
built amongst the pines and oaks and face the beautiful Muskoka Sunsets.
And to assure you of a real Happy Holiday, we do not allow the use
of liguor on the grounds.

Our Rates are $14.00 Weekly Each. This includes all meals and
cabin accommodation. There are no extras for dancing and picnics

Canoes may be rented at $3.00 weekly.

TRANSPORTATION
Take Gray Coach Line to "Kahshe Lake Road," whose Kahshe Kamp
car will meet you.
If driving, follow No. 11 Highway to five miles North of Severn Bridge,
then turn right at the sign of Kahshe Kamp.
Fare from Toronto by Gray Coach is $5.70 return.
For a Happy Holiday at Kahshe Kamp
Please send deposit to reserve accommodation to:

J E. DAY
KAHSHE LAKE, P.O.
MUSKOKA

Introduction

The Kahshe Lake History Project’s Archives

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arranged and introduced

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by Clare Henderson

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The Healing Waters of Kahshe Lake contains many stories of cottaging families as well as a more comprehensive history of this area of Muskoka. In collecting the material for the two volumes of Healing Waters, I ran across several documents that did not fit the concept of a print history. However, they are very interesting because they tell the inside story of life on and around Kahshe Lake from early on until recent times.

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What is an archive? A collection of original documents and photographs that tell us much about aspects of life in the past.

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What is a blog? A web log is a page on a web site that allows documents and photographs to be uploaded to it. A blog is accessible by anyone from any computer with Internet access. Anyone can leave comments on any of the postings.

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A blog is an excellent way of publishing an archive.

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The materials in these archives have been generously loaned to us by residents of Kahshe Lake so we can make them available them on the web for future generations to read and view and see what life on the lake was like in earlier times.

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These are, of course, fragments of a much larger picture. The story of the development of Kahshe Lake is large and complex. If you have documents and pictures that you are willing to share with others, please send them to us.

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Maps, documents, letters, old photos can be included. In fact anything that can be scanned, even in part, is fodder for an archive.

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To contact me, e-mail info@kahshelake.ca

Our Studebaker

This priceless picture comes from the albums of the Moad Family of Kahshe Lake. It is entitled, "Our Studebaker."

Expenditures on the Road

In order to reach his property on the lake, W.C.Wright built a corduroy road over the swamp where South Kahshe Lake Road now goes after the dam. In the 1940's, the cost for 9000 feet of roadway was a serious investment.
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This posting includes an original photograph of the road and a copy of the original typed "expenditures on road to date".

Outline of Kahshe Lake Property

This "Outline of Kahshe Lake Property" explains how future development on the south side of Kahshe Lake can take place now that a bridge over the river had been built in 1948 as well as a gravel road over the wetlands in 1949.

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The second part of the Outline provides an estimate of return over a ten year period.

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What follows is a partial transcript of the "Outline". Spellings and grammar are original.

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Outline of Kahshee Lake Property
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The following is an outline of the possibilities of development on the south shore of Lake Kahshee about seven miles south of Gravenhurst and east of N. 11 highway and leaving the highway at the entrance ot the Sopers Hotel about 1 mile east.
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This estimate is based on the development that has actually taken place on the road in to Kluey Bay about a mile north of this one, where there must be about 100 houses built within the last fifteen years.
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Scarcely a lot remains unsold on the north shore, but very little development has taken place on the south shore due to the fact that no bridge over the North Kahshee river has been provided and no road over the low land just across the river.
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During 1948 and 1949 a bridge and a gravel road have been built providing access to part of the property, and when produced to the high land (which we expect to be finished this year) will open hundreds of acres for cottage sites.
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If our plan of development is followed out which call for placing gravel on places where old road is in need of repair, cleaning out undergrowth, and filling in swampy places, making it so can be driven over, we then expect the Township to take over and maintain it. This will then make possible the securing of Hydro.
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Finally: As there will be about a good mile or more of road running in the rear of the water lots and across sections, it would not be out of the way to estimate at least 15,000' of building lots along the road similar to the Kluey Bay road.
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ESTIMATE OF RETURN OVER TEN YEAR PERIOD
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A. Fifteen hundred feet inside lots at say $3.00 per $4500
A. One point at price asked now------------------------- 600
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TOTAL return sale of lots only----------------------------$60,000
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If a campaign of building was inaugurated the picture would become really attractive.

Tax Notice 1949

This tax notice shows the assessed value of 135 acres to be $110 and the total taxes for the year 1949 to be $6.49.

W.C.Wright

This photograph taken on the dock in front of Rockhaven in 1936 shows W.C.Wright on the right, his business partner Ron Nelles on the left with their wives and a friend between them.

Desirable Kahshe

In 1933, W.C.Wright sought to sell his properties to "a desirable class of people" by offering them to teachers using this form letter.

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Your name has been given to me as one who would possibly be interested in a piece of land on Kahshe Lake.

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Kahshe Lake is situated about seven miles south of Gravenhurst in Muskoka, and is just off the main highway. It is beautifully wooded, with numerous bays and islands, which make it very pretty. There is good boating, bathing and fishing and it is safe for children.

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Being the owner of a large tract of land on the west shore of the Lake, close to post-office, store, etc,, I have decided to place this property on the market. As it is my wish to have only a desirable class of people located on my property, I am offering a limited number of lots at exceptionally low prices to Toronto school teachers

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If you would care to make a visit to Kahshe Lake and spend a portion of your holidays here, I have made personal arrangements for a reduction in the Hotel rates. You would then be in a position to inspect the property and become acquainted with Kahshe Lake's advantages .

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If you are at all interested I can furnish you with the names of a number of Toronto school teachers who are already located here and a call on your phone to any of them would be appreciated.

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Enclosed are circulars from the three hotels with their reduced rates for this year. As their accommodation is limited I have made arrangements with a friend of mine, with whom you can communicate by phoning Hudson 0422w, to give all information in regard to hotels and property. You can arrange your reservations with him or communicate with the Hotel or myself.

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Yours very truly,

Advertisements

Advertisements in the Toronto Telegram
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R.C.Nelles, partner of W.C.Wright, placed these classified ads in the Toronto Telegram in July 1949 when Mr. Wright became ill.

Christopher Ruttan -Saw Mill

Christopher Ruttan was one of the entrepreneurs at the Houseys Rapids end of the lake. He had the first threshing machine according to Jessie Cook writing in 1948 (Healing Waters, Volume 1, page 25)

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The top photograph shows Christopher Ruttan with two of hsi workers at the saw mill built on the shores of the lake near Houseys Rapids. The other two photos are shots of the mill itself from the water and from up on the hill.

Christopher Ruttan -Postcard

This postcard was mailed to Christopher Ruttan in "Muskok" and postmarked July 16, 1915.
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It reads,
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89 Lindsay Ave. Toronto, July 15th
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My Dear Friend
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I hope you are feeling better. Indeed I would love to see you well and strong again. I only arrived home last night and found everybody fine.
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Your loving friend,
[Signature obscured]
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Note the CNE Stamp dated Aug 23 to Sep 3 1915.

An Alligator in Kahshe Lake

Oh, no! you say. Alligators in Muskoka!

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Well, it's true. There used to be many alligators in the lake. Not the biting kind, of course --that was left to the mosquitoes-- the pushing kind.

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An alligator Muskoka style is a flat-bottomed, steam-powered boat used to push logs around and get to the end of the lake where the saw mills were.

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They are called alligators because they had a steam winch at the front end of the boat used to drag itself across land to the next lake or river. Hook onto a tree, winch the boat along. Hook another...

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It took a lot of winching.

Land Survey -Eleanor Gray

Original 1931 Lot Survey

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Eleanor Gray, an avid Kahshe Lake cottager, still has the survey of the first little lot that her grandfather Jack Bradley built his cottage on. It is a treasured keepsake and hangs framed on her cottage wall. Eleanor is the daughter of Betty Bradley and the first cousin of both Bob Bradley and Mike Whaling.