The Founding of Huntsville

During the late 1860s a small agricultural settlement, founded largely through the efforts of Captain George Hunt, developed here. In 1870 a post office called Huntsville was established and the following year the Muskoka Colonization Road was extended to this point. Improvements in transportation including the opening of a navigable water route north from Port Sydney to Huntsville in 1877 and the arrival of the Northern and Pacific Junction Railway eight years later spurred the village’s growth. With the erection of a tannery and saw, planing and shingle mills by the 1890s, the community emerged as an important industrial centre for the region. Although lumbering enterprises gradually declined during the early 20th century, Huntsville continued to prosper as one of Muskoka’s most popular resort towns.

À la fin des années 1860, une petite collectivité agricole s’établit ici principalement grace aux efforts du capitaine George Hunt. En 1870, un bureau de poste appelé Huntsville est créé et, en 1871, la Muskoka Colonization Road est prolongée jusque-là Huntsville, et la construction de la ligne de chemin de fer de la Northern and Pacific Junction Railway huit ans plus tard donnent au village un essor important. Avec l’établissement, dans les années 1890, d’une tannerie, de scieries, d’usines de rabotage et de fabriques de bardeaux, Huntsville devient un important centre industriel de la region. Malgré un déclin progressif de l’industrie du bois au début du XXe siècle, Huntsville continue de prospérer en devenant l’un des centres de villégiature les plus popularizes de Muskoka.