The Opeongo: Dreams, Despair and Deliverance

David Calderley is a Ph.D. candidate in history at the University of
Ottawa.

This short, readable local history of the Opeongo Colonization Road,
located in eastern Ontario, is divided into two sections. The first
deals with the early history of the area, the building of the Opeongo,
and the arrival of settlers. In the second section, a map takes the
reader through towns (for which the author provides historical
background) along what remains of the Opeongo route.

The fact that Shaw draws heavily on the reports of the provincial
survey crews sent in the 1850s to find a route for the road lends his
book an authority that is often lacking in local histories. Despite
this, The Opeongo places more emphasis on narrative than on analysis. It
relates the experiences of the first settlers, but treats them as a
homogeneous group, ignoring the differences, for example, between
pensioned British army officers who settled along the Opeongo and
penniless Polish immigrants.

Shaw’s book is nevertheless enjoyable, and will likely find an
audience among local residents with an interest in the history of the
area.