TWO SUMMER READS VINTAGE HIND, FULL OF MUSKOKA HISTORY, HAUNTING STORIES, TOO
MUSKOKA — Andrew Hind loves Muskoka stories past and present and has written at length about all parts as well as many interesting pioneers and people in his beloved district.
Hind’s history of Muskoka goes beyond documents and dates, illustrating the unique character of a multifaceted and endlessly fascinating region, he says in a release.
“Stretching from the wilderness of Algonquin Park in the east to the windswept shores of Georgian Bay in the west, Muskoka is one of Canada’s most popular vacation destinations. Providing a backdrop for escape is a rich and diverse history,” he says about a couple of his many books, including now Muskoka Vintage and Muskoka’s Most Haunted 2.
Muskoka Vintage:
He says “James and Letitia McCabe came to Muskoka in 1869, founding a humble inn around, which Gravenhurst would spring.
“Steamships plied the Muskoka lakes for almost a century, including the hardworking tugs of sawmill operator Charles Woodroffe. Calling Vankoughnet home to a military hero who earned a Victoria Cross, Britain’s highest military honor, during the Indian Mutiny.
“For a time, the 21 Club was the place to be in Muskoka, a dance hall that attracted the best acts of the Big Band Era.
“George Mollard was a pioneer in the cranberry industry that is today iconic to Bala.
“Tired of fruitlessly working his bush farm, John Frederick Pain turned his ambition to welcoming summer guests and opened Paignton House, a resort which his family was still lovingly tending to nearly a century later.
“Together, these stories and others like them weave the distinctive fabric of Muskoka history.”
Muskoka’s Most Haunted 2:
“Muskoka is famous for many things,” says Hind.
“As a vacation destination where crystalline lakes call out to you on hot summer days, as a place of charming communities and equally charming cottages, as a place of rich natural and human heritage, and as a place of serene beauty.
”But, if stories are to be believed, Muskoka should also be famous for its ghosts and legends.
The district weaves a spell so entrancing that some who experience it, either as a long-time resident and merely a visitor, “refuse to leave even after death….”
‘Muskoka’s Most Haunted 2’ explores the spectral underside to Ontario’s cottage country.
Hind takes you on a journey to places such as Bigwin Inn, thought to be inhabited by the restless spirit of a waitress who once served Hollywood celebrities; to the former Severn River Inn where unusual events were the norm. And the recreated pioneer village at Muskoka Heritage Place, where a coaching inn is rumoured to be haunted by past guests who refuse to check out from the historic hotel.
This compendium of haunted locales spans Muskoka, from the Severn River in the south to Lake of Bays in the north.
“Brimming with spooky lore and fascinating history, it is guaranteed to raise hairs,” Hind says.
Both books are available from Amazon or local retailers (Artisans of Muskoka and Cedar Canoe Books in Huntsville, Lilibird in Bracebridge, Birchbark in Bala, and Hilltop Interiors and Rosseau General Store in Rosseau).
