Gravenhurst, Ontario
Encyclopedia
Ontario
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....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. It is located approximately 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) south of Bracebridge, Ontario
Bracebridge, Ontario
Bracebridge is a town and the seat of the Muskoka District Municipality of Ontario, Canada.The town was built around a waterfall on the Muskoka River in the centre of town, and is known for its other nearby waterfalls . It was first incorporated in 1875...
. The mayor is Paisley Donaldson. The Town of Gravenhurst includes a large area of the District of Muskoka, known to Ontarians as "cottage country." The town centre borders on two lakes: Lake Muskoka
Lake Muskoka
Lake Muskoka is located between Port Carling and Gravenhurst, Ontario, Canada. The lake is surrounded by many cottages. The lake is primarily in the Township of Muskoka Lakes, with the southeast corner in the Town of Gravenhurst. The Town of Bala, Ontario is located on the southwest shores of the...
, which is the largest lake in the Region, and Gull Lake, a smaller cottage-bordered lake. Another lake, Kahshe Lake
Kahshe Lake
Kahshe Lake is a lake situated in the Muskoka region in Ontario, Canada . It is one of the main cottaging lakes in the region and is the fourth largest of these lakes by area. There are approximately 600 cottages on the lake...
, is situated 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) south of the town.
Recreation
Gravenhurst is home to the Muskoka Bay Club. In 2010 the Muskoka Bay Golf Course was ranked 9th best Course in all of Canada. The facility boasts a 17,000 sqft Cliff Top Clubhouse with dining, fitness centre, pools, tennis, massage, steam rooms and is the social gathering point of the club. The club offers extensive real estate offerings and a luxury accommodation program that allows guests to stay at the club. Developed by Freed Developments the Muskoka Bay Club has acquired world wide accolades. It is a must see. Muskoka bay ClubHistory
Gravenhurst was originally named McCabes Bay and later as Sawdust City. Gravenhurst was named after a village in EnglandEngland
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
which is mentioned in Washington Irving
Washington Irving
Washington Irving was an American author, essayist, biographer and historian of the early 19th century. He was best known for his short stories "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" and "Rip Van Winkle", both of which appear in his book The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent. His historical works...
's Bracebridge Hall.
Gravenhurst's economic prosperity stemmed from the construction of a colonization road in the 1850s. Steamboating on the Muskoka lakes began in the 1860s. The town is located strategically at the northern terminus of the Toronto, Simcoe and Muskoka Junction Railway. The town is positioned as the "Gateway to Muskoka".
Nearby Muldrew Lake was named after the lake's second cottager, Dr. William Hawthorne Muldrew. He was the principal of the first Gravenhurst high school in 1894. In 1901 he published a book called Sylvan Ontario, A Guide to Our Native Trees and Shrubs. It was the first book published on this subject in Ontario, and the drawings were his own. All the different types of trees and shrubs of Muskoka could be seen at the school, as he transplanted many of the specimens from Muldrew Lake.
From 1940 to 1943 Gravenhurst was site of "Little Norway," an important training camp for what is today the Royal Norwegian Air Force
Royal Norwegian Air Force
The Royal Norwegian Air Force is the air force of Norway. It was established as a separate arm of the Norwegian armed forces on 10 November 1944. The RNoAF's peace force is approximately 1,430 employees . 600 personnel also serve their draft period in the RNoAF...
during World War II. From 1940 to 1946 Gravenhurst was the site of Camp XX, the Gravenhurst Internment Camp, for Nazi Prisoners of War, known locally as "the Muskoka officers club". Before the war it was the Calydor Sanitarium. After the war it was turned into a TB sanitarium, again, and later became a kosher resort called The Gateway.
Original Townships
The Town of Gravenhurst includes these original townships from the 1800s:- Wood Township (eastern half)
- Morrison Township
- Ryde Township
- Muskoka Township
Demographics
| Census | Population |
|---|---|
| 1871 | 400 |
| 1881 | 1,015 |
| 1891 | 1,848 |
| 1901 | 2,146 |
| 1911 | 1,624 |
| 1921 | 1,478 |
| 1931 | 1,864 |
| 1941 | 2,122 |
| 1951 | 3,005 |
| 1961 | 3,077 |
| 1971 | 7,133 |
| 1981 | 8,532 |
| 1991 | 9,988 |
| 2001 | 10,899 |
| 2006 | 11,046 |
Gravenhurst had a population of 11,046 people in 2006, which was an increase of 1.3% from the 2001 census count. In 2006, Gravenhurst was 95.6% White, 2.0% Aboriginal, and 2.4% Visible Minorities.
In the summer months Gravenhurst has a population of approximately 34000 due to cottagers coming up to stay for the summer.
The median household income in 2005 for Gravenhurst was $45,962, which is below the Ontario provincial average of $60,455.
Age Structure
- 0–14 years: 14.6%
- 15–64 years: 64.3%
- 65 years and over: 21.1%
Education
Lake Muskoka
Lake Muskoka is located between Port Carling and Gravenhurst, Ontario, Canada. The lake is surrounded by many cottages. The lake is primarily in the Township of Muskoka Lakes, with the southeast corner in the Town of Gravenhurst. The Town of Bala, Ontario is located on the southwest shores of the...
since 1949 Gravenhurst has been home to the Ontario Fire College. The College run by the Province of Ontario
Ontario
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....
, under the Fire Marshall's Office, offers training and education programs which are based on the Ontario Fire Service Standards. Courses are available to members of any Ontario municipal fire department, whether full-time or volunteer. The campus also provides a location for Ontario Provincial Police
Ontario Provincial Police
The Ontario Provincial Police is the Provincial Police service for the province of Ontario, Canada.-Overview:The OPP is the the largest deployed police force in Ontario, and the second largest in Canada. The service is responsible for providing policing services throughout the province in areas...
marine and K-9 training.
Transportation
Gravenhurst also declares itself the "Gateway to the Muskoka Lakes" and has a large gate bearing this message hanging over Muskoka District Road 169, the main road leading into town from Highway 11. The gate had been removed but was rebuilt in 2009 and stands again at the south end of town. It is the home port of the RMS SegwunRMS Segwun
RMS Segwun is the oldest operating steam driven vessel in North America, built in 1887 to cruise the Muskoka Lakes in the District of Muskoka, Ontario Canada, a resort area with many lakes and rivers. Early in the 20th century Muskoka was poorly served by roads...
, the oldest vessel powered by a working steam engine
Steam engine
A steam engine is a heat engine that performs mechanical work using steam as its working fluid.Steam engines are external combustion engines, where the working fluid is separate from the combustion products. Non-combustion heat sources such as solar power, nuclear power or geothermal energy may be...
in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
.
The Gravenhurst railway station
Gravenhurst railway station
The Gravenhurst Railway Station is located in the community of Gravenhurst in Ontario, Canada.It is a stop for Northlander trains of Ontario Northland....
along the Northlander
Northlander
The Northlander is a Canadian passenger train operated by the Ontario Northland Railway in Ontario.It operates 6 days per week year-round in both directions and connects Cochrane with Toronto...
line receives passenger service six times per week.
Famous residents
Norman BethuneNorman Bethune
Henry Norman Bethune was a Canadian physician and medical innovator. Bethune is best known for his service in war time medical units during the Spanish Civil War and with the Communist Eighth Route Army during the Second Sino-Japanese War...
was born in Gravenhurst and his family's home there has been preserved as a Canadian National Historic Site.