The Story of Beaver Creek Minimum Security Institution
Author Charles Stickel’s memoir of a pioneering Canadian penal institution, the Beaver Creek Minimum Security facility in Muskoka, is aptly named “the inside-out” prison. The guards were unarmed, the fences kept people from straying in rather than inmates escaping – or almost!
Father of Muskoka
This deeply researched work by Muskoka historian Richard S. Tatley portrays the career of hard-working visionary Alexander Peter Cockburn who appeared in Muskoka at the opportune time to become a principal driver of the district’s development. A merchant and entrepreneur, Cockburn launched Muskoka’s first steamship, then persevered to expand his Muskoka Lakes Steamships to the largest inland steamer line in North America.
Gravenhurst Opera House & Arts Centre: A Muskoka Tradition for 100 Years
The Many Stages of Our Lives impresses upon anyone the astonishing significance and widefelt impact of Gravenhurst's Opera House, a community centre where just about everything except opera took place. In time, even an opera was sung.
The Story of Doctor Norman Bethune
This book celebrates the turbulent career of Dr. Norman Bethune (1890–1939), a brilliant surgeon, campaigner for socialized medicine, and communist. Bethune’s courageous opposition to fascism, as well as his introduction of innovative techniques...
Then and Now
The 386-kilometer inland waterway between Lake Ontario and Lake Huron took a long time to plan and construct, in many stages. The combination of canals, locks, lakes, and rivers, linking the Bay of Quinte and Port Severn on Georgian Bay, runs along Severn River, the southern boundary of Muskoka District.
Reminiscences of Redmond Thomas
When Redmond Thomas penned these reminiscences in the late 1960s, he was seasoned in life as a lawyer, soldier, newspaper editor, and magistrate. Steeped in the history of Muskoka, he savoured the district's stories and tells them with charming flourish.