Frame Four: The Muskoka Recreational Boat Industry
A Ditchburn launch on Lake Muskoka. About 1917.
The recreational boat industry is important for northern Ontario - Muskoka being part of the Boreal Shield - because it was an industry that added value to the lumbering industry during the first 60 years or so of the 20th century. It might also be considered part of the colonialization of the Muskoka Lakes, traditionally the summer hunting grounds of the Anishnaabeg. The lakes were opened up for logging and then for cottagers and tourists by steam boats.