By Steam Boat and Steam Train: The Story of the Huntsville and Lake of Bays Railway and Navigation Companies

Les Harding is author of The Voyages of Lesser Men: Thumbnail Sketches
in Canadian Exploration.

This is a brief history of one of Canada’s more unusual transportation systems. From 1895 to 1960 the Huntsville and Lake of Bays Navigation Companies shuttled passengers and freight around the Muskoka region of Ontario by a combination of steamboat and steam locomotive. The rail portion, at 1-1/8 miles in length, claimed to be the smallest commercially operated railway in the world. The text is flat and generally uninspiring, but who cares. In a volume of this type it is the illustrations that count. About half of the book consists of rare and fascinating black-and-white photographs of the system’s ships and trains. They are guaranteed to tickle the heart of any steam fan. The volume also contains maps, technical drawings, and specifications of steamboats, locomotives, and rolling stock. Of minor interest to the general reading public, this book should please rail and steam buffs.