Dorset, Ontario
Encyclopedia
Dorset is a small community located on the boundary between the Lake of Bays Municipality
in Muskoka District
and the Algonquin Highlands Township
in Haliburton County, Ontario
, Canada. Dorset was originally called Cedar Narrows. In 1859 Francis Harvey became the first white settler here. Zachariah Cole mapped out the area for the government around 1860. The name DORSET was chosen by some of the settlers that came from Dorset, England
As of 2009, Dorset has a local permanent population of approximately 400 although these numbers increase more than tenfold in the summer months due to cottagers and vacationers. The most up to date information about Dorset is listed here: Dorset Ontario community resource directory
ecological region of Canada. The region has many lakes surrounded by mixed hardwood forests of predominately Sugar Maple
, Red Oak, White Ash
, and Yellow Birch
as well as softwoods such as Eastern White Pine
, Black Spruce
, Eastern Hemlock
, and Balsam Fir
. Spruce bogs, wetlands, large granite
rock outcroppings are also common in the local area.
Dorset is located on the shores of Lake of Bays
between Big and Little Trading Bay. The two bodies of water are connected via the natural Dorset Channel that runs through the middle of Dorset.
campgrounds for years. When white settlers began moving into the area in the early
1800’s, Dorset became known as Trading Bay for Francis Harvey’s trading post that
sprang up along the Narrows. No one knows who the first white travelers were, but
someone carved 1675 into a rock in the area – found in the early 1800’s by Tom
Salmon, one of the first settlers on Lake of Bays.
Over the years the hamlet saw an influx of loggers, timber barons, hunters and trappers,
soon to be followed by settlers in 1868 taking up free grant land . While the land
looked promising, as it was cleared it became apparent that the stony Canadian
Shield did not lend itself well to farming. The lakes and forests were much more appealing
to tourists who soon followed into the region every summer. The families of
Chief Yellowhead and Chief Bigwin continued to summer in this region well into the
middle of the 1900’s.
The town line divides the main street between Sherborne and Ridout townships.
Sherborne was surveyed in 1862 by Gen. Thomas Ridout, who named it for his hometown
in England. Ridout was named for the surveyor himself. The abutting ward,
Franklin took its name from the great Arctic explorer who died seeking the fabled
Northwest Passage. Now Sherborne is incorporated into the Algonquin Highlands,
while Ridout and Franklin were encompassed into the Township of Lake of
Bays.
The village has a long and colourful history. Zachariah Cole, one of the surveyors on
the Bobcaygeon Road, saw such promise here that he became the first settler, clearing
17 acres. When the logging boom hit, Zac Cole built a hotel and trading post on
the site of an old French Trading post, complete with a whiskey still in the backyard
next to a brick kiln. A driving force in developing the young village, Zac used to claim
he wanted his coffin made from tamarack, because it burned with loud cracks and
noises, so everyone in Hell would know he had arrived. Today a great many people
consider the village that Zachariah Cole promoted to be a little piece of heaven.
Dorset Heritage Museum
as well as Muskoka Road 117. Bracebridge, Dwight & Huntsville are the nearest local population centers which are approximately 60, 15, & 40 kilometers away respectively.
and abroad flock to their cottages and enjoy the clean lakes and natural scenery. In Autumn, many visitors also come to see the changing fall foliage in the local forests. Dorset's relatively close proximity to Algonquin Provincial Park makes it a prime spot for tourists to rest and enjoy the area over lunch or dinner to and from the park. The community hosts a few restaurants, ice cream shops, a custom electronics store (Avery Audio), a bed and breakfast(The Moose B&B) as well as a general store(Robinson's General Store), and LCBO liquor store.
TV show The Forest Rangers
).
Dorset is home to the famous Robinson's General Store, once voted "Canada's Best Country Store", owned and operated by the same family since 1921.
Located on the Dorset channel is cajun inspired restaurant, the Fiery Grill. Every Sunday afternoon from Canada Day through until Labor Day, local blues singer, Papa John performs on the patio. During the winter months, guests can enjoy the many brave people that cross the open water of the channel on their snowmobiles. Check out the tally board located near the restaurants entrance to see what snowmobiles have gone down. The restaurant also boasts a cozy fire place and big screen tv, showing all major sporting events throughout the year.
Lion's Camp Dorset, a resort in Ontario, Canada, for Ontarians on kidney dialysis. The resort has a dialysis unit onsite in order to provide guests in renal failure with their dialysis three times a week. It also provides an excellent opportunity to experience the great outdoors; get back to nature; and enjoy a relaxing atmosphere away from the stresses of everyday life.
The Dorset Heritage Museum http://www.dorsetheritagemuseum.ca/ is located on Main Street and features many displays about Dorset's early pioneer life, significant historical past as a major logging community. The museum is open on weekends from Victoria Day until Canada Day then Wednesday through Sunday until Thanksgiving. Entrance is by donation.
There was a time in the early 1900's when the world's elite travelled and experienced the beauty of Lake of Bays aboard majestic wooden steamships. The Bigwin is the last of the original fleet of these steam ferry boats. This restoration project will return a precious part of our long lost heritage to the residents and visitors to Lake of Bays, enabling future generations to explore and enjoy our Lake of Bays the way our forebears did. Bigwin Steam boat
.
Lake of Bays, Ontario
Lake of Bays is a township within the District Municipality of Muskoka, Ontario, Canada. It is named after the Lake of Bays.Located in the northeast corner of Muskoka, the Lake of Bays offers a natural landscape of forests, rocks, lakes and wetlands. Because of its natural beauty, it is an...
in Muskoka District
Muskoka District Municipality, Ontario
The District Municipality of Muskoka, more generally referred to as the District of Muskoka, or simply Muskoka, is a Regional Municipality located in Central Ontario, Canada. Muskoka extends from Georgian Bay in the west, to the northern tip of Lake Couchiching in the south, to the western border...
and the Algonquin Highlands Township
Algonquin Highlands, Ontario
Algonquin Highlands is a township located in Haliburton County, Ontario, Canada. It has a population of 1,976. The northeastern section of the township is included in Algonquin Provincial Park....
in Haliburton County, Ontario
Haliburton County, Ontario
Haliburton is a county of Ontario, Canada, known as a tourist and cottage area in Central Ontario for its scenery and for its resident artists. Minden Hills is the county seat. Haliburton County was established in 1983, but had existed as the Provisional County of Haliburton since 1874...
, Canada. Dorset was originally called Cedar Narrows. In 1859 Francis Harvey became the first white settler here. Zachariah Cole mapped out the area for the government around 1860. The name DORSET was chosen by some of the settlers that came from Dorset, England
Dorset
Dorset , is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The county town is Dorchester which is situated in the south. The Hampshire towns of Bournemouth and Christchurch joined the county with the reorganisation of local government in 1974...
As of 2009, Dorset has a local permanent population of approximately 400 although these numbers increase more than tenfold in the summer months due to cottagers and vacationers. The most up to date information about Dorset is listed here: Dorset Ontario community resource directory
Geography
Dorset is located within the Canadian ShieldCanadian Shield
The Canadian Shield, also called the Laurentian Plateau, or Bouclier Canadien , is a vast geological shield covered by a thin layer of soil that forms the nucleus of the North American or Laurentia craton. It is an area mostly composed of igneous rock which relates to its long volcanic history...
ecological region of Canada. The region has many lakes surrounded by mixed hardwood forests of predominately Sugar Maple
Sugar Maple
Acer saccharum is a species of maple native to the hardwood forests of northeastern North America, from Nova Scotia west to southern Ontario, and south to Georgia and Texas...
, Red Oak, White Ash
White Ash
For another species referred to as white ash, see Eucalyptus fraxinoides.Fraxinus americana is a species of Fraxinus native to eastern North America found in mesophytic hardwood forests from Nova Scotia west to Minnesota, south to northern Florida, and southwest to eastern...
, and Yellow Birch
Yellow Birch
Betula alleghaniensis , is a species of birch native to eastern North America, from Newfoundland to Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, southern Quebec and Ontario, and the southeast corner of Manitoba in Canada, west to Minnesota, and south in the Appalachian Mountains to northern Georgia.It is a...
as well as softwoods such as Eastern White Pine
Eastern White Pine
Pinus strobus, commonly known as the eastern white pine, is a large pine native to eastern North America, occurring from Newfoundland west to Minnesota and southeastern Manitoba, and south along the Appalachian Mountains to the northern edge of Georgia.It is occasionally known as simply white pine,...
, Black Spruce
Black Spruce
Picea mariana is a species of spruce native to northern North America, from Newfoundland west to Alaska, and south to northern New York, Minnesota and central British Columbia...
, Eastern Hemlock
Eastern Hemlock
Tsuga canadensis, also known as eastern or Canadian hemlock, and in the French-speaking regions of Canada as pruche du Canada, is a coniferous tree native to eastern North America. It ranges from northeastern Minnesota eastward through southern Quebec to Nova Scotia, and south in the Appalachian...
, and Balsam Fir
Balsam Fir
The balsam fir is a North American fir, native to most of eastern and central Canada and the northeastern United States .-Growth:It is a small to medium-size evergreen tree typically tall, rarely to tall, with a narrow conic crown...
. Spruce bogs, wetlands, large granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
rock outcroppings are also common in the local area.
Dorset is located on the shores of Lake of Bays
Lake of Bays (Ontario)
Lake of Bays is a large lake in Ontario, Canada. It is located in the Township of Lake of Bays, Ontario, which is named after the lake, in the Muskoka District Municipality of central Ontario. Highway 35 runs north and east of the lake....
between Big and Little Trading Bay. The two bodies of water are connected via the natural Dorset Channel that runs through the middle of Dorset.
History
First Nations’ Chippewas of Bigwin Island made this part of Lake of Bays their summercampgrounds for years. When white settlers began moving into the area in the early
1800’s, Dorset became known as Trading Bay for Francis Harvey’s trading post that
sprang up along the Narrows. No one knows who the first white travelers were, but
someone carved 1675 into a rock in the area – found in the early 1800’s by Tom
Salmon, one of the first settlers on Lake of Bays.
Over the years the hamlet saw an influx of loggers, timber barons, hunters and trappers,
soon to be followed by settlers in 1868 taking up free grant land . While the land
looked promising, as it was cleared it became apparent that the stony Canadian
Shield did not lend itself well to farming. The lakes and forests were much more appealing
to tourists who soon followed into the region every summer. The families of
Chief Yellowhead and Chief Bigwin continued to summer in this region well into the
middle of the 1900’s.
The town line divides the main street between Sherborne and Ridout townships.
Sherborne was surveyed in 1862 by Gen. Thomas Ridout, who named it for his hometown
in England. Ridout was named for the surveyor himself. The abutting ward,
Franklin took its name from the great Arctic explorer who died seeking the fabled
Northwest Passage. Now Sherborne is incorporated into the Algonquin Highlands,
while Ridout and Franklin were encompassed into the Township of Lake of
Bays.
The village has a long and colourful history. Zachariah Cole, one of the surveyors on
the Bobcaygeon Road, saw such promise here that he became the first settler, clearing
17 acres. When the logging boom hit, Zac Cole built a hotel and trading post on
the site of an old French Trading post, complete with a whiskey still in the backyard
next to a brick kiln. A driving force in developing the young village, Zac used to claim
he wanted his coffin made from tamarack, because it burned with loud cracks and
noises, so everyone in Hell would know he had arrived. Today a great many people
consider the village that Zachariah Cole promoted to be a little piece of heaven.
Dorset Heritage Museum
Transportation
Dorset is easily accessible by Ontario Highway 35Highway 35 (Ontario)
King's Highway 35, also known as Highway 35, is a provincial highway in the Canadian province of Ontario, linking Highway 401 with Peterborough, Kawartha Lakes, and Algonquin Park. The highway travels from west of Newcastle, through Lindsay and the Kawarthas and into Haliburton before terminating...
as well as Muskoka Road 117. Bracebridge, Dwight & Huntsville are the nearest local population centers which are approximately 60, 15, & 40 kilometers away respectively.
Industry
Historically, Dorset has been primarily dependant on of the forestry industry; although over the years this dependence has diminished and tourism has taken over as the dominant contributing industry to the local economy.Tourism
Dorset depends on tourism as it is a major contributor to the local economy. The Summer months tend to be the busiest time of the year for the community as thousands of people from the Greater Toronto AreaGreater Toronto Area
The Greater Toronto Area is the largest metropolitan area in Canada, with a 2006 census population of 5.5 million. The Greater Toronto Area is usually defined as the central city of Toronto, along with four regional municipalities surrounding it: Durham, Halton, Peel, and York...
and abroad flock to their cottages and enjoy the clean lakes and natural scenery. In Autumn, many visitors also come to see the changing fall foliage in the local forests. Dorset's relatively close proximity to Algonquin Provincial Park makes it a prime spot for tourists to rest and enjoy the area over lunch or dinner to and from the park. The community hosts a few restaurants, ice cream shops, a custom electronics store (Avery Audio), a bed and breakfast(The Moose B&B) as well as a general store(Robinson's General Store), and LCBO liquor store.
Attractions
The Dorset Scenic Look Out Tower is located on a high ridge above the community and the tower offers a panoramic view of the surrounding hills and picturesque Lake of Bays in the Muskoka / Haliburton region and is open year round; although the access road is not plowed or maintained in the winter months. Built in 1967 on the sight of the original fire tower (1922-1962), the scenic lookout is open to cars from late spring until Thanksgiving. Snowmobilers can access the tower in the winter months. The tower as well as the ridge is a dominant geographical feature in Dorset as it can be seen from almost anywhere within Dorset. (In 1963 the former Dorset Fire Tower was shown in the opening credits of the old CBCCBC News
CBC News is the department within the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation responsible for the news gathering and production of news programs on CBC television, radio and online services...
TV show The Forest Rangers
The Forest Rangers
The Forest Rangers was a Canadian television series that ran from 1963 to 1965. It was a co-production between CBC Television and ITC Entertainment and was Canada's first television show produced in colour...
).
Dorset is home to the famous Robinson's General Store, once voted "Canada's Best Country Store", owned and operated by the same family since 1921.
Located on the Dorset channel is cajun inspired restaurant, the Fiery Grill. Every Sunday afternoon from Canada Day through until Labor Day, local blues singer, Papa John performs on the patio. During the winter months, guests can enjoy the many brave people that cross the open water of the channel on their snowmobiles. Check out the tally board located near the restaurants entrance to see what snowmobiles have gone down. The restaurant also boasts a cozy fire place and big screen tv, showing all major sporting events throughout the year.
Lion's Camp Dorset, a resort in Ontario, Canada, for Ontarians on kidney dialysis. The resort has a dialysis unit onsite in order to provide guests in renal failure with their dialysis three times a week. It also provides an excellent opportunity to experience the great outdoors; get back to nature; and enjoy a relaxing atmosphere away from the stresses of everyday life.
The Dorset Heritage Museum http://www.dorsetheritagemuseum.ca/ is located on Main Street and features many displays about Dorset's early pioneer life, significant historical past as a major logging community. The museum is open on weekends from Victoria Day until Canada Day then Wednesday through Sunday until Thanksgiving. Entrance is by donation.
There was a time in the early 1900's when the world's elite travelled and experienced the beauty of Lake of Bays aboard majestic wooden steamships. The Bigwin is the last of the original fleet of these steam ferry boats. This restoration project will return a precious part of our long lost heritage to the residents and visitors to Lake of Bays, enabling future generations to explore and enjoy our Lake of Bays the way our forebears did. Bigwin Steam boat
Festivals & Annual Events
Every third weekend of February, the Annual Dorset Snowball Winter Carnival; which includes many family activities such as hot air balloon rides, helicopter rides, dog sledding, minnow races, craft show, bake sale, broom ball tournaments, mini snowmobile rides, family skating, as well as a pancake breakfast. This event attracts hundreds of visitors from all over OntarioOntario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
.
External links
- http://www.dorsetcanada.com/
- http://www.dorsetsnowball.com/
- http://www.algonquinhighlands.ca/
- http://www.dorsetheritagemuseum.ca/
- http://www.dorsetfiredept.ca/