Georgian Bay: An Illustrated History

Janet Arnett is the former campus manager of adult education at Ontario’s Georgian College. She is the author of Antiques and Collectibles: Starting Small, The Grange at Knock, and 673 Ways to Save Money.

Barry’s seventh book on the Great Lakes is a welcome addition to
local-history resources for the entire Georgian Bay area in that it
brings together in one volume hundreds of pieces of information
previously available only through research at dozens of museums,
historical societies, archives, libraries, and private collections.

Georgian Bay, an extension of Lake Huron so large and geographically
unique that it is often called the sixth Great Lake, has been the site
of constant change. Following the Native and missionary period, it
entered an era dominated by commercial fishing, shipping, and
shipbuilding, then became a land of loggers and lumber mills. More
recently it has achieved renown as tourist country, the very essence of
summer camps and cottages. This book uses hundreds of historical photos
to document these changes, with an emphasis on the 1850–1930 period,
for which photos are readily available. The Native and early settlement
period is addressed through essays, reproductions of paintings, and
early maps.

The photos are of uneven technical quality, as is typical of historical
photos, but all contribute to our understanding of, and appreciation
for, early life in the area. Because Georgian Bay is so large, its
history includes developments in many towns and villages along its
shores. The book will be of interest, therefore, to those researching
Parry Sound, Pointe au Baril, Midland, Penetanguishene, Waubaushene,
Collingwood, Meaford, Owen Sound, Tobermory, and numerous points in
between. (A modern map depicting village locations would have been
useful.) The book’s large size makes it awkward to handle, but permits
a few choice photos to be printed large enough to reveal considerable
detail.