Clarendon and Miller Community Archives
HAMLETS
Myer's Cave Businesses
Marble Lake Lodge (Marble Lake)
(Information and photos from Jenny & Amp; Bernie Duhamel, Eileen Flieler, 1942 news article, Audrey Black, Wanda Kay, present website)
Joseph H. Perry Jr. and his brother, Wilfred, obtained a 99-year lease on the land where the lodge and Wilfred’s house now stand. One of the conditions of the lease was that they build a house on the land. The house was struck by lightning in 1943 and burned to the ground.
For five years 1943-48, Joe and his wife, Maggie (nee Wagar) managed the McCausland Lodge (Greenfield). Business was good and Joe approached Bill McCausland about buying this property and business. They were unable to obtain a clear deed, so Joe decided to build on the leased land. The land was quite swampy, so a reclamation project began. Built in 1945 by Joseph and Maggie Perry as a tourist lodge, Marble Lake Lodge catered to many Americans who were housed in either in one of the six bedrooms on the upper floor or in one of the cottages. The fishing was good and the meals were so good that local people came as well. Every Sunday, Maggie served a chicken dinner with poultry raised in their backyard. She cooked using a six-burner gas stove and an oven. Everyone sat around one large table, and after dinner, retired to the parlour or front porch. Cottages were added and the business flourished.In 1963 Joe died; Maggie continued to operate the Lodge until 1966 or 67, then sold it.
Subsequent owners have added campsites on the west end of the property. The inside of the building has undergone several changes, but the exterior has remained basically the same. A ramp was added to the front for accessibility and the back porch was extended to form a patio for summer dining.
Through the years, there have been many owners of Marble Lake Lodge. In the years that Bernie and Jenny were the proprietors (1985-1990), they upgraded and expanded. They continued to be open all year round and long hours to accommodate the local customers as well as their campers and summer cottage clients. Bernie was the carpenter who completed renovations in every aspect of the main lodge, cottages, playground, and campground, too. The Loft, which originally was six bedrooms, became an elegant Dining Lounge for more intimate dining. The Patio provided open-air dining, perfect for hot mornings or evenings. From The Patio, you could look out to the trailer park that once was Joe and Maggie’s garden and chicken coops.
In addition to the lodge with the restaurant, they operated 11 cottages, the campground, with an 18-hole mini-golf and playground which Bernie built. One of the first upgrades was to get a liquor licence, then Bernie became the bartender and was able to serve favourite drinks with the guests’ meals. Besides the mini-golf and playground, Bernie built a public washroom and shower-house that was very popular with the campers. Jenny continued to take pride in providing excellent meals, but did so from an efficient kitchen. She was the fulltime cook, with the meals being served from 8 a.m-11 p.m. daily. Dinners included bread, rolls and dessert prepared on the premises with options of being served in Jenny’s Restaurant, The Loft or The Patio. Jenny’s Restaurant used to be Joe and Maggie’s parlour, where tradition lived on with a relaxed country atmosphere and reasonable family.At Marble Lake Lodge, the waitresses and waiters took personal responsibility for every meal they served. The philosophy was “our pride is their pride” and the staff were a very important part of the lodge’s reputation. From the General Store section of the lodge, guests could purchase groceries, camp supplies, personalized clothing, souvenirs, home-baked bread, pastries and desserts (all made in the lodge kitchen).
Saturdays were a very busy day with new renters coming into the 11 cottages. They hired help to do the cottage cleaning, but Jenny continued to do the daily cleaning related to the campground. In later years, they downsized to eight cottages by selling the three cottages that were across the road on the corner. There were renovations for the campground, too. People from the campground shared their skills and interests. Besides the musicians that came to play for street dances, one guy offered para-sailing many times each year. The campground was a very busy place as well. People stayed for much of the summer and became part of the Marble Lake Lodge extended family. On weekends (mostly) musicians from the campground and some local ones would provide music for street dances. At the end of the summer, Jenny and Bernie showed their appreciation by providing a pig roast meal to all their campers. One group that came annually to the cottages were the Search and Rescue team from Trenton. They would be seen scuba diving and doing drills. On the July holiday weekend, Marble Lake Lodge provided a fireworks display for the guests and local patrons.
OWNERS:
Joe and Maggie Perry (1945-1967)
Mavis Orser/Reinarda Vermeulen (1967-1985)
Bernie and Jenny Duhamel (1985-1990)
Sylvia and John Pierre Tallon (1990-1992)
Myer's Cave Lodge (Marble Lake)
(Information from Eileen Flieler, postcards from Scot Glass, photos from Fred Perry; present info www.myerscaveresort.com )
Myer’s Cave Lodge (Resort) is a unique historical landmark, as it was built in 1892 by Charles and Eva MacGregor. Charles was twice Reeve in Barrie Township in the early 1900s. The lodge is located on Marble Lake, which leads into the lake and river systems of Bon Echo Provincial Park.Road 506 passes by the front door.
After MacGregor’s death, the homestead was taken over by his daughter, Lilly (Lillian), who married Joe Perry Senior. The Perrys (along with sons Eddie and Mac) subsequently opened their home to tourists, and an old register from the lodge shows a William Washington of Scarborough, Ontario as the first guest in 1921. The first guest register, dated 1892, also shows people from Kentucky, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York state and Montreal and various parts of Ontario. The Perrys operated the lodge until 1951.
As the business grew over time, other buildings were added including a barn, canteen, dance hall, and cottages. Another of the original structures on the property, a log ice-house, still stands today, to the west of the main lodge.
The next owners were Joseph and Barbara Ballah and Kathleen and David Smith. When Mr. Ballah died, it was sold to Mr. William H. Royle and Lester and Francis Webb of Toronto.
Through the years, the Lodge has been completely renovated and remodeled using the original structure to accommodate all the modern conveniences for the 21 st century executives. It sits on five acres of rolling landscape with dense woods, grassy knollls and steep rocks. It has access to a sandy beach on Marble Lake and rapids on the east. It is a two-and-a-half story building with a stone foundation and frame construction. The front veranda extends on two sides, and there is a wrap-around rear deck.
Myer’s Cave Lodge has access to some great fishing regions, but you may choose to just relax in a tranquil setting.
Twin Cedars Park (Marble Lake)
(Information provided by Dale Perry)
Twin Cedars Housekeeping Cottages was started in 1945 by Wilfred Perry and his wife, Violet (McCausland). The land was purchased from Violet's father and had been in the McCausland family since 1850. The original barn remains on the property and is said to be the oldest building on Marble Lake. The house was part of Greenfield Lodge.
Wilfred built five cottages plus a double cottage. This double cottage could be divided to provide accommodations for two families, or could be opened to provide a single accommodation with four bedrooms and two living quarters.
In 1972, brothers Laurie and Norval Perry purchased the business from their mother, Violet. Wilfred had passed in 1966. Laurie and Norval began to develop a campground at this time and named the business Twin Cedars Camping and Cottages. Twin Cedars was host to the Old Time Fiddlers Picnic for 20 years, from 1973 through 1992. This event was very popular and attracted thousands of people from across the province as well as families from New York State. It was the brainstorm of Laurie Perry who himself, was an accomplished fiddle player. In addition, Twin Cedars also hosted Bluegrass Jamborees for many years. These musical events put the business on the map. People know of Twin Cedars and even Marble Lake as a result of these attractions.
In 2014, after both Laurie and Norval passed, Laurie's son, Dale and wife, Patti, took over the business. It currently operates under the name of Twin Cedars Park. Today, the resort has 130 seasonal campsites, five rental cottages (four of which are original structures), and room for 105 overnight campers.
SALMOND’S RESORT (Mississagagon Lake)
(Photos and info provided by Fred Perry, Steve and Dean Salmond)
From the booklet “Salmond History As Remembered by Mac Salmond”
The Salmonds of Salmond Resort are direct descendants of George and Isabella Gold of Bathgate, Scotland. They were married in 1852 and emigrated to Canada in 1865. Their son, William Campbell, was 12 years old at that time. George and Isabella first settled in Lanark, where they tried to farm the 100 acres that they purchased. After two years, they moved into town and George worked at the mill. Two of their daughters, Ellen and Maggie, worked at the mill when they were old enough.
William worked on the Mississippi River log drive and stayed at Snider Depot, near Cloyne (at that time there were stores, saloons, a blacksmith and a boarding house). William met Mary McCausland, who lived near Snider Depot. The McCausland family had a large land holding in the area, including all the lower parts of Mazinaw Lake.
William and Mary were married on July 26, 1879 and moved to homestead the land around Mississagagon Lake on lots 14, 15, and 16 in Barrie Township. They built a large log house and William worked the log drives as a cook.
While living on the homestead, William and Mary had six children: Mary Louise, George Thomas (1884), Isabella, William, Maggie, and Edmond. In 1915, William and Mary, along with other family members, William M., Edmond and wife Delma, Isabella and husband George Head, moved to Grand Prairie, Alberta to homestead on 160 acres.
George Thomas remained in Barrie Township and married Evelyn Babcock on October 18, 1910. George bought 300 acres at the foot of Mississagagon Lake. The house is still there (old Martin farm). The three eldest children, Agnes (1912), William E. (1914), and Stanley Edmond (1918) were born in this location. In the early 1920s, they were in the process of moving to the old homestead, but it burned to the ground. George was able to get the lumber from the Big Dipper Mining Company boarding house when the mine closed. This was a large building with seven bedrooms upstairs, and a large kitchen and dining room downstairs. The building was carried to its present site and rebuilt to its original condition. George built a large addition on the back of the mine building to have enough room for family and guests. This was the start of Salmond’s Resort.
Four of George and Evelyn’s children were born at the resort: Gerald Melvin (1924), Kenneth Gordon (1926), John MacKenzie (1928), and Donald George (1936).
The house quickly filled and more space was needed. George started a “motel”-first with two 12 X 20 units then added five 12 X 16 units, then built a building with flush toilets, a small room for a shower stall, and wash basin, a laundry room complete with a wringer washer. The first laundry lady was Nellie Duquette of Flinton; then Dorothea Garey for many years. Next a sleeping area for the guides was built. George then started an outpost camp on Crotch Lake. The camp could sleep six people (two guides and four guests). In 1929, he built two housekeeping cottages. Next, there was a dance hall with a raised stage for the orchestra and caller. Bill Salmond was the first caller, then Hartsel White; the first musicians were Neil Perry on violin, Flora Perry on guitar, and Ross Beaver on piano. The dances continued until the late 1940s. The dance hall building became a boat storage area for the 40 wooden boats that were collected from the outpost camps and lakes; they needed to be cleaned, repaired, painted, and put back in the lakes before fishing season in the spring.
Fishing was excellent in the 1930s to 1950s, when Lands and Forests allowed all kinds of fish to be stocked: Speckled Trout, Lake Trout, Bass and Pickerel. It was part of the guide’s responsibility to carry fish stock to the lake at no extra pay. Some of the fishing and hunting guides for Salmond Resort were Bob Martin, Clinton Armstrong, Charlie Fleiler, Frank Delyea, and Tony Weiss.
Evelyn Salmond was the cook for decades. The kitchen was equipped with a commercial stove, access to a cistern (1000 gallons of water), and a drilled well with a hand pump in the screened-in porch. This porch was where the guides and hired help ate their meals and the guides showed off their catch of fish before cleaning them to put them in the icehouse. About 3000 blocks of ice were needed yearly. In the beginning it took about two weeks to cut blocks from the lake each winter.
In the early 1930s, George operated a generator to have electric pull cord lights. When the Jim Hunter news show (CFRB) came on at six o’clock, the generator had to be turned off.
In the 1930s, George took contracts with Ontario Hydro to draw steel for the three tower lines that were being installed from the Gatineau power station to the switching station in Toronto. George got contracts for clearing right-of-way and to cut long hydro poles for the project. It took several years! For other clearing right-of-way projects, the logs were sold to T.A. Wilson Logging Company. By the mid-1940s, with the war over, George ended his logging business.
In 1933, Salmond’s installed gasoline pumps which were serviced by McColl-Frontenac Oil Ltd. for 20 years, then later Lesage Fuel.
In the late 1940s and early 1950s, the cottage industry changed from American Plan to housekeeping so many of the cottages had to be modified and connected to a septic system. Changes by the government health agency meant that they no longer could serve milk directly from their dairy cows or make their own butter. George sold the cows and used the barn for a large workshop where they made boats, picnic tables, wooden lounge chairs, kitchen cupboards, and anything else needed around the resort.
By the mid 1950s, the summer kitchen was remodelled; the guide quarters above the garage were changed to a two-bedroom cottage with a three-piece bath, a kitchen, and living room; the small cottage that was on the island was replaced with a three-bedroom cottage; and a bridge was built to the island.
George died on January 27, 1964, and Evelyn died on February 5, 1983. Both are buried in Dempsey Cemetery. After George’s passing, the Resort was left to Ken, Mac, and Don. Evelyn had a life lease on the property and was to be looked after for life.
Ken slowly sold off most of the 300 acres. Ken Lancaster purchased the Resort and renamed it Lancaster’s Resort and opened in the spring of 1983.
Lancaster’s Resort (Formerly Salmond’s Resort)
(Information provided by Ken Lancaster and website)
Ken and Linda Lancaster purchased the resort in 1982 from Ken Salmond. They renamed it Lancaster’s Resort and had it ready for spring opening in 1983. Ownership has continued for the past 35 years. There are cottages with one, two, three and four bedrooms. Each comes with full kitchens and bathrooms. Some cottages are equipped with woodstoves; all have a lakefront view. There are many full-service trailer sites for rental or sites available for camping. The site offers a sandy beach, volleyball court, karaoke nights, and lots of fishing.
Glencannon Resort (Mississagagon Lake)
Ted Cannon purchased the property from Charlie Tooley in 1959. In 1960, he purchased an additional 200 acres from Russell Brown. Mississagagon Lake is a six-mile long, one-mile wide lake with numerous islands and deep bays. Fishing was excellent, but Glencannon was not all about fishing; it was a family vacation location all through the year. Glencannon was named for the hobby farm operated by Ted’s Father, located in Bolton, Ontario.
At first, it was rustic camping, then he moved to frame cottages and expanded to restaurant, convenience store, and many recreational services not available in the area.
There were 16 large cottages, all with their own four-piece baths. Each cabin had its own dock. The nearby Lodge housed a small grocery and souvenir shop. Next to this was a uniquely designed outdoor BBQ with a covering roof for use in almost any weather. In 1961, a concrete block building was added, which housed a swimming pool and recreation hall. The location of the Lodge was the original landing for the Star of the East gold mine.
There was a licensed dining room where Ted did most of the home cooking. As well as a bar, there was a dance floor, which got well-used with the cottagers and locals who came for the evening. There was an indoor pool, fitness centre, sauna, tennis and basketball courts, nine-hole mini-golf course, a games room and a Trout pond on-site. There was even a babysitter on-hand if the parents wanted time off.
What most people reported was the easy-going hospitality of Ted and Karen Cannon when they spent time at this Resort!
In 1997, Ted sold the Lodge to Cliff and Carole Sequin, who renamed it Sunrise Beach Resort. Three years later, it was sold to Larry and Carole Zajedilk. The Resort burned in 2002. The property was divided and now has several homes.
Greenfield Lodge (Marble Lake Road)
(Information from the Oxen & Axe, 1974; photo below provided by Dale Perry)
The McCausland family emigrated from Scotland about 1865. We believe that the house photo is the homestead of John William McCausland and his wife, Anastacia. They first settled on land known as “The Head Farm.” The daughter, Louise married William Head. John William McCausland (b.1875) and his son, Tom, drowned in Marble Lake when their boat upset near the island.
John Head McCausland married Anastasia Mulvihill in 1899. They had five girls and one boy, Elizabeth (Lizzie Burke) b.1900, (Ana) Louise (Kring), Violet Eilena (Perry) b. 1906, Stella Adeline b.1909, Mary and William Edmond b. 1903. Three of them were born in the house in the photo.
Greenfield Lodge, also known as the Lakeview House on Marble Lake Road, was located on the McCausland homestead. It was built in 1938 and business was reported as good.
When the Perry house was struck by lightning and burned to the ground in 1942, Joe H. Perry Jr. approached William (Bill) McCausland to buy Greenfield. They were unable to provide a clear deed. Joe and his wife, Maggie (nee Wagar) managed the Greenfield Lodge (1943-48) prior to starting Marble Lake Lodge.
The original property was 100 acres; in later years, it was subdivided with 30 acres going one way and 70 acres the other. Both Twin Cedars and Loon’s Call Campground & Cottage Resort have acreage from the McCausland homestead. The main Lodge remains, but it is now separate from the Loon’s Call Campground.
Werner George owned the business in the 1970s when it consisted of the Lodge (used as family residence), a campground, and cottages. Werner built three A-frame cottages along the road; one has since burned down. Werner then sold off the original cottages and campground, keeping the Lodge and the A-frame cottages he had built. The campground has since been renamed “Loon’s Call.” Dave Garrow owned the Lodge in recent years.
Other owners were Perciful and Valentine Nowell, their son and daughter-in-law (Eleanor and Eric) operated it; then Harrison Royce changed it to a trailer camp.
The old McCausland homestead is still evident with the barn standing and foundation area for the original house. This building is believed to be the oldest structure on Marble Lake.
