FUN FACT; Muskoka Heritage Towns and the historic people behind the legacy of the names.

Brunel by the launching chains of the SS Great Eastern in 1857.

Sir Henry William Stisted

Muskoka Post Staff

Who exactly are Muskoka’s Historic Townships named after. Below we have compiled a list of a few of the regions towns and who was influential in their establishment over a 100 years ago.

Brunel

Named for noted civil engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel, Engineer-in-Chief to the Great Western Railway of England. Known in Canada for constructing the steamship Great Western.

Cardwell

Named for Viscount Cardwell, Secretary of State for the Colonies from 1864 to 1866.

Chaffey

Named for a brother-in-law of Hon. Stephen Richards, Benjamin Chaffey, a Brockville contractor who helped build the St. Lawrence canals.

Medora

Named for Mrs. Medora Cameron, wife of a Toronto lawyer. She was also a niece of Hon. Stephen Richards, Commissioner of Crown Lands, hence the honour she received.

Monck

Named for Viscount Monck, Lord of the Treasury in the Palmerston government in the United Kingdom from 1855 to 1857, and Governor-General of British North America from 1861 to 1868.

Morrison

Named for Angus Morrison who represented the North riding of Simcoe County from 1854 to 1863. Morrison was also a director of the old Northern Railway of Canada, Muskoka's pioneer railway, the terminus of which was Gravenhurst. Morrison was also Mayor of Toronto from 1876 to 1878.

Muskoka

The township, district and lake are named for Musquakie, one of the principal Chiefs of the Chippawa Nation. In 1815 he signed the treaty under which the Indian title to a vast territory was surrendered to the Crown. The name means "Red Ground.”

Ryde

Named for the town of Ryde on the Isle of Wight.

Stisted

Named for Major General Henry William Stisted, Lieutenant-Governor of Ontario from Confederation, July 1, 1867 to 1868.

Watt

Named for James Watt of steam engine fame.

With files from Wikipedia