Buildings & Structures Archives | "Are We There Yet?" Highway-Based Tourism In Kawartha Lakes

On the Road Again After Taking a Trip Down Memory Lane

Located in the village’s former Presbyterian church, the Kirkfield & District Historical Society’s museum is more than just an exhibit space; it’s a gathering place for the community. […]

Corduroy Roads Made Travelling a Bumpy, Bone-Rattling Experience!

Among the earliest means of transporting tourists in present-day Kawartha Lakes were the dreaded corduroy roads. Fashioned from logs laid side by side through the bush, they were […]

Robert Wires Reflects on the Future of Highway-Based Tourism In Northwestern Kawartha Lakes

Recorded at the Kirkfield Museum, February 26, 2022 Interviewer: Ian McKechnie Videography: Ekaterine Alexakis Duration: 2:22 Robert Wires sitting in front of white wall. Text on screen reads: […]

Tourists Enjoy Branson’s Gallery in Rosedale

In 1952, the Lindsay Daily Post ran an editorial which urged every town or hamlet in the municipality to open a small museum or other roadside tourist attraction. […]

A Shell of its Former Self: What Comes Next for Coboconk’s Abandoned Shell Station?

Built not long after the Second World War, this abandoned two-storey wooden Shell gas station stood well into the first two decades of the twenty-first century. Operated by […]

Changing Times: Demolition of a Gas Station, Coboconk

At one time, Coboconk was home to half a dozen gas stations. Due to changes in technology and consolidation among oil companies from the 1970s onward, that number […]

Keeping Kids Off the Road: Gate Separating Falcon Lodge From Highway 46

This gate was used to keep children and pets staying at Falcon Lodge from darting out onto busy Highway 46. “Remarkably as a kid, I took it for […]

Camping at Balsam Lake Provincial Park: The Early Years

Balsam Lake Provincial Park opened in 1967 and within five years had become one of central Ontario’s most popular parks. The first campsites were fairly rustic and scarcely […]

Robert Wires Discusses the Impact of Balsam Lake Provincial Park

Recorded at the Kirkfield Museum, February 26, 2022 Interviewer: Ian McKechnie Videography: Ekaterine Alexakis Duration: 1:58 Robert Wires sitting in front of white wall. Text on screen reads: […]

Roadside Tourist Camp, Norland

Roadside “tourist camps” began to appear in northwestern Kawartha Lakes during the 1920s and 1930s. Sometimes called “motor camps,” they were informal affairs – often consisting of little […]

The Station Wagon: A Very Versatile Vehicle!

The versatile nature of station wagons made them synonymous with road trips through the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s. They could accommodate several passengers with plenty of room to […]

Kim Tuckett Remembers the Trip to Falcon Lodge

Recorded at the Kirkfield Museum, February 12, 2022 Interviewer: Ian McKechnie Videography: Ekaterine Alexakis Duration: 1:29 Kim Tuckett sitting in front of white wall. Text on screen reads: […]