Recreational Archives | "Are We There Yet?" Highway-Based Tourism In Kawartha Lakes

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: […]

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 […]

An Early Motorist Goes Camping at Coboconk

It didn’t take long for outdoor enthusiasts to embrace the automobile! By the 1920s, when this picture was taken in Coboconk, campers were tying canoes to their cars […]

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: […]

“Bingo! I Spy a Hardtop Cadillac!” Car Games Kept Kids Entertained

Games such as Magnetic Car Bingo, manufactured by the Norbert Specialty Corporation, kept young travellers occupied on long road trips. Players were to look out the window of […]

Places to Go, Things to See: The Kawartha Lakes Tourism Association’s “Travel Vacation Guide”

The Kawartha Lakes Tourist Association (KLTA) was “comprised of representatives of businesses large and small in the Counties of Peterborough and Victoria, as well as the municipal councils […]

Stopping for Gas at the Club Balsam Snack Bar, Rosedale

The Club Balsam Snack Bar was located on the west side of Highway 35 in the village of Rosedale. With its log construction, the snack bar evoked the […]

Relaxing at Falcon Lodge, Balsam Lake

Lakefront lodges appeared throughout northwestern Kawartha Lakes during the 1940s and 1950s. Most featured a main lodge house surrounded by several smaller cabins. The main house at Falcon […]

Kim Tuckett Remembers Falcon Lodge

Recorded at the Kirkfield Museum, February 12, 2022 Interviewer: Ian McKechnie Videography: Ekaterine Alexakis Duration: 2:51 Kim Tuckett sitting in front of white wall. Text on screen reads: […]