We'll show
you what's been forgotten.... Ontario Guided Horseback
Riding, Dogsledding and Snowmobile Vacations in Algonquin Park and area - the Heart of
Ontario's Greatest Wilderness.
What you'll see on one of our fully
guided Ontario Vacations packages....
We'll show
you what's been forgotten....
It was the early 1800's.
Maynooth was home to a tenacious and resourceful group of immigrants, who arrived hopeful
and determined to clear and farm the free land granted by the government. A thriving
village on the edge of nowhere, back then, it was called "Doyle's Corners".
Many were defeated - by rocks, poor soil, and the relentless forest.
A rocky field, dotted with spruce
and balsam - in the middle of the wilderness. A mossy split rail fence, leaning but
still standing, in the middle of an eerie cedar swamp. A piled stone fence, disappearing
into a thick stand of balsam. A part of a hay rake, tucked away just off the path through
the pines. These things are all that remains - ghostly reminders of the past.
.
Large Families were the trend when the colonization roads pushed north.
Here, an 'average' family of eleven children. Some had as many as 16 siblings, all raised in small farmhouses with no running water or hydro.
The youngest in this 1914 photo (girl on left in white dress) was born in 1898 ~ my grandmother!
On your Tour you will see things hidden in the forest that will surprise and amaze you! You will be shown the hidden remnants of a vast farming & mining culture that dominated the Bancroft/Barry's Bay area at the turn of the century. Deep in the woods of the Algonquin area, thousands of visitors unknowingly pass by the crumbled ruins of hotel foundations, grist mill stones, and the abandoned remains of wagons & machinery ..... we know where it lies, hidden by the encroaching forest! Every bit of it has a rich history attached ~ a touch of nostalgia from a bygone era. Your guided tour is run not just for thrills and recreation, but as a sightseeing adventure that will enrich your journey through this vast wilderness.
Here is Burle's
Shack dubbed so by it's visitors. Hidden in the woods, a km off
the main forestry road, on a tiny path through a swamp, it was used in the early part of
this century as a trapper's cabin by Burle Bradshaw. The chinking is gone from the
walls, but the woodstove and bunk remain. The trapper could reach out and put
a stove length in the woodstove from his bed.
Until the sixties, trails into the forest were rough tracks, made by loggers,
& used by the townfolk to get to their hunting camps. Trapping, hunting,
recreation ... Bancroft folk have a real joy of life, and loved getting outdoors and
away from the hard work of life in a small northern town.
As my good friend Elmer says....."When you live up here, you have to make your own fun!."
Since the settlement era, the building & maintenance of fire & logging roads has opened up the forests for greater ease of travel. Now, an extensive network of trails exists, maintained by the loggers, area snowmobile clubs, private landowners and a vast number of volunteers.
Seasonal Riding Stable Offerings About
Our Riding Stable Trail Riding Rates Riding Lessons
Winter Riding Tours Spring
Riding Tours Fall Riding Tours
Summer
Horse Camps
What
to bring to Camp Meet
the Horses Overnight
Horseback Excursions
The Appaloosa Horses for Sale
Team
Penning
Ontario Dogsled Tours Meet our Dog Team What is an Alaskan Husky?
Cottage for Rent
Dressing
for Our Tours Our
Areas' Rich History
Ontario Snowmobiling Tours
Snowmobile Tour Rates
Proper
Licensing for Snowmobiling
Cancellation/Damage
Policy Contact Us Printable Directions
Our Links Page