Muskoka Lakes Museum

 

On September 9, 1961, the Port Carling Historical Society was born at the cottage of Marion Catto on the Indian River, and with it were planted the seeds of Mrs. Catto's dream to have a pioneer museum in Port Carling - a museum that would preserve the past history of the area, serve the community, and provide a tourist attraction.  The plans included a log cabin to display pioneer objects, a structure for the marine exhibits, with space for a room to house Victorian furnishings and a teepee for Indian artifacts.

By July, 19673, the Historical society was housed in the dining room of the old Algonquin Hotel on Joseph Street in Port Carling.  Already plans were underway to have a museum built on Island Park as a centennial project and the Village or Port Carling raised one third of the money needed, while the federal and provincial governments provided the remainder.

The Port Carling Museum was incorporated in October 1964.  On July 2, 1967, Marion Catto cut the ribbon and declared the museum "open".  Donations and loans of artifacts from the descendents of the pioneers were soon pouring in and it was obvious that a further structure was needed to house them all.  So in 1972 the Catto Wing was added and names in honor of Marion Catto. Other additions were added in 1976 and 1977 and then again in 1982 when the Hall Family Homestead was purchased.  In 1989 the Board of Directors of the museum passed a motion to change the name to Muskoka Lakes Museum.  It was unanimously agreed that this name would better serve the area and reflect not just Port Carling, but all the communities on the Muskoka Lakes, for which the village serves as a hub in its unique and strategic position by the locks.

 

"Because of the importance of boats in this area, the marine aspect has always bee strong", says curator Michael Thompson.   Recently the museum's focus was on its dippy. Badly in need of restoration, the project became a community effort.  The museum's 1022 Uncle Sam (Deluxe) model disappearing propeller boat, built by Port Carling's Disappearing Propeller Boat Company, left Muskoka last September for a much-needed nine-month overhaul, and now it was coming home.

So in late May of this year, defying their reputation for being somewhat temperamental and stubborn, 10 dippies puttered smoothly into Port Carling.  The flotilla was part of the festivities surrounding the return of the newly restored dippy to the museum.  Dick Bell, project coordinator for the restoration, pointed out to the crowd gathered at the docks on Island Park that six years of fund raising and preparation led up to the actual restoration and said, "There's people in our club who gent over backwards to make sure the boat got back to the museum on time".  The dippy's return was times to coincide with the museum's season opening.

The disappearing propeller boat was known as the "poor man's launch" when the boats were popular earlier in this century.   They can be rowed or powered by their sometimes finicky engines, which are unique because the propeller can disappear into the housing while the engine is  running.   "The boat was tired and shabby but not terribly rotten," said boatbuilder and restorer Dwight Boyd, who did much of the work in his Campbellford shop.  "we retained as much (of the original boat) as humanly possible. The restoration was done faithful to the original materials and techniques. 

"The museum's dippy doesn't actually have a name, which is not uncommon for these boats," said Port Carling's Paul Dodington.   "A lot of people had names for them, but they were unprintable," he joked, referring to the dippy's reputation for constant breakdowns.  Dodington helped with the restoration by providing advice and parts.  He and his daughter each drove a dippy in the flotilla that accompanied the museum' s dippy home. He, like many others in attendance, was impressed with how smoothly it all went.  "The amazing thing was that they were all running," said Dodington.  "Usually somebody is left behind cursing and swearing".

The Muskoka Lakes Museum is located on Island Park, in Port Carling, Ontario.  Telephone at (705) 765-5367 of email at mlmchin@muskoka.com for more information.  The museum is open Tuesdays through Saturdays 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sundays from noon to 4 p.m.

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