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74-579: Muskoka may refer to: Canada [ edit ] Geographical [ edit ] Lake Muskoka , lake located between Port Carling and Gravenhurst, Ontario, Canada Muskoka River , a river in the Muskoka District of Ontario, Canada Municipalities [ edit ] District Municipality of Muskoka , a regional municipality in Central Ontario, Canada Muskoka Lakes , an area municipality of

148-504: A boat decorating contest and turkey buffet. Boat and cottage shows are held in June and August. Orillia also hosts an annual Canada Day event at Couchiching Beach Park. The day begins with a traditional pancake breakfast served by the Mayor and Council, and ends with a large fireworks display at dusk. Orillia is the original and current site of the popular Mariposa Folk Festival . Begun in 1961, it

222-639: A cable crew snagging the plane in 1960 and the pilot was found inside. For reasons unknown the plane was cut free and fell back to the bottom with the pilot still inside. Authorities are investigating this site as time allows. The RNAF's first fatal accident in Muskoka and the last one recorded by the FTL in Canada took place in August 1944 when a Fairchild PT-19 Cornell trainer with pilot and student aboard lost its wing and crashed into

296-512: A designated education space and hosts activities including art-making and interpretive programming for children, artists, artisans, historians, etc. Many tourists and boaters are attracted to the city each year because of its waterfront park Couchiching Beach Park/Centennial Park/Port of Orillia and its position as a gateway to Lake Country, cottage country in Muskoka , Algonquin Provincial Park ,

370-585: A home for him in Orillia , where he lived until his death at age 95. Geography drove history in the Muskoka region. Studded with lakes and abundant with rocks, the land offered an abundance of fishing, hunting, and trapping but was poorly suited to farming. Largely the land of the Ojibwa people, European inhabitants ignored it while settling the more promising area south of the Severn River. The Ojibwa leader associated with

444-561: A journey that marked them as perhaps the first tourists in the region. Taking the Northern Railway to Lake Simcoe, they took the steamer Emily May up the lake to Orillia, rowed across Lake Couchiching, and walked up the Colonization Road to Gravenhurst where they vacationed. They liked what they saw and repeated the journey every year bringing friends and relatives. The early tourist pioneers increased demand for transport services in

518-607: A matter of endurance than expenditure. Trains regularly made the run from Toronto to Gravenhurst where travelers and their luggage were transferred to the great steamers of the Muskoka Navigation Co. such as the Sagamo, which made regular stops up the lakes, including Bracebridge, Beaumaris, and Port Carling. Tourists there could transfer to smaller ships such as the Islander, which could enter smaller ports. Vacationers often remained in

592-516: A population density of 1,171.1/km (3,033.1/sq mi) in 2021. The median household income in 2015 for Orillia was $ 55,802, which is below the Ontario provincial average of $ 74,287. Orillia is governed by the Orillia City Council , which consists of eight city councillors and a mayor. There are four wards in the city. From 1875 to 1969 the council was led by a reeve or mayor. Since 1969

666-556: A small campus downtown, with the main campus on a new site on University Ave. The Orillia campus opened in the downtown in 2006 and the campus on University Ave. opened in September 2010. The Lakehead University campus located on University Avenue is the first in North America that has been built to meet all LEED® (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification standards. There

740-540: A small regional airport located south of Bracebridge, Ontario, Canada Muskoka Cottage Brewery , a microbrewery Muskoka Magazine , a large format lifestyle magazine published ten times per year in Bracebridge, Ontario. Muskoka Wharf , steamship located in the town of Gravenhurst, Ontario on the southern edge of Muskoka Bay on Lake Muskoka Muskoka Wild , a United Hockey Union-sanctioned junior ice hockey team from Port Carling, Ontario, Canada Topics referred to by

814-413: A town with a mayor, reeve, deputy reeve, and nine councillors. Orillia was designated a city in 1969. In Stephen Leacock 's 1912 book Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town , Orillia was used as the basis for the fictional town known as "Mariposa", although Leacock stated that the fictional town could really be any town. The book was based on Leacock's experiences in the town and since the book's release,

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888-534: A waste product. The passages of the Free Grants and Homestead Act of 1868 brought opened the era of widespread settlement to Muskoka. Settlers could receive free land if they agreed to clear the land, have at least 15 acres (61,000 m ) under cultivation, and build a 16 by 20-foot (6.1 m) house. Settlers under the Homestead Act, however, found the going hard. Clearing 15 acres (61,000 m ) of dense forest

962-440: Is a huge task, but once the land was clear, they were greeted with Muskoka's ubiquitous rocks, which themselves had to be cleared. The soil in the region turned out to be poorly suited to farming, consisting largely of dense clay. As news of the difficult conditions spread back to the south, it looked as though development in Muskoka might falter but for a fortuitous development. Since the railroads had not yet arrived, and road travel

1036-449: Is a major hub for many cottagers in the area. The Muskoka Lakes association was formed in 1894, therefore has been functioning for over 120 years. The Muskoka Lakes Association also focuses on Lake Muskoka's sister lakes – Lake Joseph , as well as Lake Rosseau . The MLA currently represents thousands of people in the Muskoka area, both local and seasonal. One of the primary focuses of the MLA

1110-500: Is also a founding partner of Safe and Quiet Lakes, which is an association of volunteers. Lake Muskoka was referenced by cartoon character Chris McLean in the fictional Fresh TV hit show, "Total Drama Island", in which teenage contestants complete challenges in order to win US$ 100,000. The lake that is mentioned surrounds an island named Camp Wawanakwa, yet the island is in fact, not real. The island made appearances in seasons 1, 4 and 5 and

1184-462: Is also an Adult Learning Centre, where adults may upgrade to receive high school diplomas . The Orillia Soldiers' Memorial Hospital is a 230-bed hospital in the city. Opened in 1908 as the 20-bed Orillia General Hospital, it took its current name in 1922 to honour those who died fighting in World War I . Orillia Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital celebrated its 100th anniversary on May 28, 2008. The hospital

1258-748: Is also an alternative secondary school, known as OASIS. Publicly funded Catholic English-language education is available via the Simcoe Muskoka Catholic District School Board through four elementary schools and one secondary school, Patrick Fogarty Catholic Secondary School. Private schools include the Orillia Christian School. There are two post-secondary institutions that are based in Orillia. The Orillia campus of Georgian College offers applied arts and technology programmes to 1,600 students. Lakehead University operates

1332-481: Is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Lake Muskoka The first mention of Muskoka in any records was in 1615, when territory was occupied by indigenous peoples, mainly consisting of the Algonquin and Huron tribes. Early European explorers to the region like Samuel de Champlain came to the area, followed by missionaries . The name "Muskoka" comes from

1406-498: Is offered in Orillia. There is one Catholic French-language elementary school, École élémentaire catholique Samuel-de-Champlain , operated by the Conseil scolaire de district catholique Centre-Sud . Students from this elementary school attend École secondaire catholique Nouvelle-Alliance , which is operated by the same board and is located in Barrie. English public education in Orillia

1480-607: Is part of the Huronia region of Central Ontario . The population in 2021 was 33,411. It was incorporated as a village in 1867, but the history of what is today the City of Orillia dates back at least several thousand years. Archaeologists have uncovered evidence of fishing by the Huron and Iroquois peoples in the area over 4,000 years ago, and of sites used by Aboriginal peoples for hundreds of years for trading, hunting, and fishing. Known as

1554-556: Is provided via the Simcoe County District School Board , which has nine elementary and three secondary schools in the city. The secondary schools are Twin Lakes Secondary School , Orillia Secondary School, formerly OD/Park Secondary School and originally called Orillia District Collegiate and Vocational Institute and Park Street Collegiate Institute . The schools joined together in the summer of 2013. There

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1628-412: Is the longest-running folk festival in Canada. The Stephen Leacock Associates have honoured former Orillia resident and humourist Stephen Leacock 's memory since 1947 with the annual Stephen Leacock Memorial Medal for Humour , awarded to the best Canadian humorous book published the previous year. The Leacock Medal Gala and Award ceremony is held each June at nearby Geneva Park, with tickets for sale to

1702-565: Is the main means of transportation to the island (unless residents have their own private vessels) from the GIPOA-owned mainland dock to the island dock (on a vacant lot). Initial interest in Orillia came from fur traders who used the gathering place at the Narrows to do business with the many tribes that came there each spring and fall. Subsequently, Orillia's economics has ranged from farming (even downtown) to machinery, to automobiles and even one of

1776-451: Is to invest in the quality of the lake itself. They started with the contemporary Water Quality Initiative in 2000, however "early MLA water testing began in 1972"; over 100 volunteers, in 2013, collected water samples from designated sites in order to facilitate this initiative. These samples are used to analyze various bacteria counts in the water, the amount of dissolved organic carbon, phosphorus, temperature trends, and calcium. In 2013

1850-460: The American Revolution ; fearing invasion from its new neighbor to the south, the government began exploring the region in the hopes of finding travel lanes between Lake Ontario and Georgian Bay In 1826. Lieutenant Henry Briscoe became the first white man known to have crossed the middle of Muskoka. David Thompson drew the first maps of the area in 1837; camped at the present-day Bala during

1924-500: The St. Lawrence and thence to the Atlantic Ocean . The human history of the area extends back several thousand years: in the "Narrows", a small waterway that connects Lake Couchiching and Lake Simcoe , there is marine archaeological evidence of ancient fishing weirs used by Huron and Iroquois people to trap fish over 4,000 years ago. Also, there are several archaeological sites in

1998-603: The Trent-Severn Waterway . Travel north on Lake Couchiching, then through three locks and the only marine railway ( Big Chute Marine Railway ) still in use in North America leads to Georgian Bay on Lake Huron . Travel south-east across Lake Simcoe, through many locks (including two of the highest hydraulic lift locks in the world, Peterborough Lift Lock and Kirkfield Lift Lock ) eventually leads to Lake Ontario . From either of these Great Lakes one can connect to

2072-512: The Trent–Severn Waterway , and other natural attractions. The city's waterfront has an extensive lakeshore boardwalk, a large park with two beaches, several playgrounds, an outdoor theatre, a touring ferry, and a children's train. The city of Orillia also is home to a large number of retirement homes (currently nine, with four more under construction). As such, it is often characterized as a "retirement community", although less than 18% of

2146-487: The automobile resulted in greater overall growth of the area and development spread across the area, including the construction of better roads. As vacationers no longer needed the steamships in order to reach the lake, they built cottages farther afield and demand for the steamships dropped. World War II caused another decline as wartime shortages kept many Americans at home and many Canadians were engaged in war activities. Postwar prosperity brought another boom based around

2220-489: The "Sunshine City", the city's large waterfront attracts many tourists to the area every year, as do a number of annual festivals and other cultural attractions. While the area's largest employer is Casino Rama , overall economic activity in Orillia is a mixture of many different industries including manufacturing, government services, customer service and tourism. Orillia is located on the shores of two connected lakes: Lake Simcoe and Lake Couchiching . Both lakes are part of

2294-491: The 1980s and 1990s. Orillia is known as the "Sunshine City", taking the moniker from its role as the fictional "Mariposa" in the book Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town by Stephen Leacock . Many local businesses also use "Mariposa" in their names. The city council has actively restricted the construction of large buildings downtown and seeks to maintain a certain "small town" look with regard to signs and decorations. However, in 2017, plans were further discussed to redevelop

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2368-583: The 2023 reboot. Lake Muskoka is also the setting of the 2024 Netflix film My Old Ass. Orillia Orillia ( / ə ˈ r ɪ l i ə / ) is a city in Ontario , Canada, about 30 km (18 mi) north-east of Barrie in Simcoe County . It is located at the confluence of Lake Couchiching and Lake Simcoe . Although it is geographically located within Simcoe County, the city is a single-tier municipality . It

2442-526: The District Municipality of Muskoka, Ontario, Canada. Political [ edit ] Parry Sound-Muskoka , a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada Muskoka—Ontario , federal electoral district represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1925 to 1949 Muskoka (provincial electoral district) , an electoral riding in Ontario, Canada Other [ edit ] Muskoka Airport ,

2516-483: The MLA campaigned for the federal government to require all pleasure crafts to have working lights. The many issues that surround safe and respectful boating continue to be a primary concern of the MLA. The MLA aims to reduce boating issues through their partnership with BOATsmart!, by encouraging boaters to receive proper and practical boating instructions. The MLA does so by providing discounts to MLA members towards BOATsmart! boating courses. The Muskoka Lakes Association

2590-557: The MLA collected over 1100 water samples from the Muskoka area. As seen in the 2013 Water Quality Report, the Muskoka Lakes Association focuses on 18 key areas affecting the Lake Muskoka region: Alport Bay, Arundle Lodge, Bala Bay, Beaumaris, Boyd Bay, Browning Island, Dudley Bay, East Bay, Eilean Gowan, Muskoka Bay, Muskoka Sands, North Bay, Stephen's Bay, Taylor Island, Walker's Point, Whiteside Bay, and Willow Beach. Beyond

2664-926: The Water Quality Initiative, the Muskoka Lakes Association extends environmental advocacy by holding seminars in partnership with the Muskoka Conservancy as well as the Ontario Trillium Foundation. The seminars act as " a vehicle to inform shoreline owners on manageable ways to protect the quality of our lakes and rivers and encourage the preservation of natural water’s edge habitats. Lisa Noonan, Office Manager, Muskoka Lakes Association." The MLA also holds an annual Seedling Day in mid-late spring in which waterfront residents can preorder and purchase native plants to help prevent erosion of their shoreline. The Muskoka Lakes Association has always largely focused on water-based issues. Almost 100 years ago,

2738-526: The area was Mesqua Ukie for whom the land was probably named. The tribe lived south of the region, near present-day Orillia, and used Muskoka as their hunting grounds. Another Ojibwa tribe that lived in the area of Port Carling was called Obajewanung. The tribe moved to Parry Sound around 1866. Largely unsettled until the late 1760s, the region had its European presence in largely limited to seasonal fur trapping, but no significant trading settlements were established. Colonial government interest increased following

2812-490: The area, but also prompted the development of road and water transportation. The railroad pushed north to support the industry, reaching Gravenhurst in 1875 and Bracebridge in 1885. Road transportation took the form of the Muskoka Colonization Road, which was begun in 1858 and reached Bracebridge in 1861. The road was roughly hewn from the woods and was of corduroy construction and so logs were placed perpendicular to

2886-578: The arrival of European settlers. Also of historical note, the famed French explorer Samuel de Champlain visited the area that would later become Orillia in the summer of 1615, travelling over what would become the Coldwater Road centuries later; it was used by the Hurons , Ojibways , French , and British as a fur-trading route. Champlain spent the winter with the Hurons in their chief village of Cahiague (near

2960-399: The automobile and the newly affordable fiberglass boat. Owning a summer cottage became more attainable for many in the middle class, resulting in further development around the lake. The steamship companies retired their boats one by one until the last sailing in the late 1950s. During World War II , a crash into Lake Muskoka occurred involving a Northrop Nomad A-17A, which still contains

3034-773: The city has attempted to mimic the fictional location in as many ways as possible. The Leacock Museum and National Historic Site, located in Orillia, is one of the National Historic Sites of Canada . William E. Bell's 1989 novel Five Days of the Ghost was also set in Orillia, with many readers recognizing popular local spots, including the Guardian Angels Catholic Church, the Samuel de Champlain statue in Couchiching Beach Park as well as Chiefs Island in

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3108-546: The city's population is actually over 65 (see below). Orillia is home to an annual Perch Fishing Festival. Perch are netted, tagged, and released into the local lake, to be caught for prize money. This event also includes a large social gathering consisting of a "perch fry". Other popular annual festivals include the Leacock Festival, Blues Festival, Jazz Festival, Scottish Festival, and Beatles Festival. The Port of Orillia holds an annual "Christmas in June", which includes

3182-479: The current Warminster). Ecole Samuel de Champlain , a local francophone elementary school, is named in his honour. A monument to Samuel de Champlain can also be found in Couchiching Beach Park and is a National Historic Site of Canada . The government made treaties with the Hurons in 1798, 1815, and 1818 to gain land to the north and west of Lake Simcoe and then made grants to military veterans. In 1840,

3256-478: The development of Orillia's newest rope-making business, Redpoint Ropes .) Large public-sector employers include the headquarters for the Ontario Provincial Police , which is located in Orillia. The Huronia Regional Centre , formerly an asylum that later became an institution to house disabled people, was one of the area's largest employers for many decades until the de-institutionalization movement of

3330-403: The early 20th century, announced it was closing its doors in September 2007. In late July 2009, Parker Hannifin announced that they were shutting down their operations in Orillia at the end of the year. G.W.B. Rope & Twine , which was one of the foremost North American producers of braided rope from 1973 to 1985, was also the inventor of the automotive grocery or cargo restraint net. The net

3404-517: The entire lake system. The first stop for the semi-weekly steamer, Wenonah , was Walker's Point eight miles from Gravenhurst where fisherman could access good bass fishing at Shanty Bay. Through the years he added more ships and when he died in 1905, his Muskoka Navigation Company was the largest of its kind in Canada. RMS  Segwun , built in 1887 as Nipissing , is still in service as at 2019. In 1860, two young men, John Campbell and James Bain Jr, made

3478-400: The era of the steam and gasoline launch came and people relied less on muscle power and more on motors. With the boats came the boathouses, often elaborate structures in their own right mimicking in many cases the look and feel of the main cottage. World War I caused a significant dip in the tourist activity for the area and hence the economy. Technological advancements in the motorboat and

3552-537: The evening of August 13/14, 1837; and later possibly camped near present-day Beaumaris. Canada experienced heavy European immigration in the mid-19th century, especially from Ireland, which experienced famine in the 1840s. As the land south of the Severn was settled, the government planned to open the Muskoka region further north to settlement. Logging licenses were issued in 1866, which opened Monck Township to logging. The lumber industry expanded rapidly denuding huge tracts of

3626-646: The first "campers" (a pop-up tent in a car). Economic activity in Orillia is a mix of manufacturing, government services, customer service, and tourism. The largest employer in the area is Casino Rama , located in the nearby reserve land of the Chippewas of Rama First Nation . Manufacturing operations in the city include CCI Thermal Technologies (industrial heaters and heating components), Dorr-Oliver Eimco (industrial equipment), Kubota Metal Corporation ( petrochemical industry components), Parker Hannifin (moulded rubber products), Pliant Corporation (components for

3700-540: The government bought extra land from the First Nations and laid out the settlement of Orillia. The population in 1846 was about 200. The settlement had a church, a post office , four stores, three taverns , a tannery , two blacksmiths , four shoemakers , a tailor , and two furniture makers. A grist mill could be found about a mile away. In 1869, the population was 1200. Construction of the Monck Road began in 1866 and

3774-431: The ground south of Gravenhurst; both on board died. The bodies were recovered from the dense undergrowth and a wing section was found, but no wreckage was recovered. Not long after, another Fairchild crashed for the same reason, but both occupants escaped by parachute. The Muskoka Lakes Association (MLA) is a lake advocacy group that focuses on maintaining the Muskoka area for future generations of cottagers, as Lake Muskoka

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3848-486: The head of the council is the mayor. Grape Island is a lake island located off Victoria Point in the north end of Lake Simcoe . Today the island is occupied by about 40 private homes or cottages and residences are part of the Grape Island Property Owners Association (c. 1952). Access is restricted to residents of the island with access by boat from Forest Avenue South dock to private docks on

3922-481: The hub of art and culture for the city, playing an instrumental role in municipal cultural events. The museum occupies all four floors of the historic Sir Sam Steele Building, a landmark destination for both residents and visitors. A collection of over 10,000 artefacts of regional historical significance features in a rotating exhibits schedule. On a separate floor is contemporary art space with exhibits featuring regional and international artists. The museum also features

3996-456: The island. The heavy traffic at the mainland docks have resulted in tensions between island residents and residents of Victoria Point. The city of Orillia is working on finding a solution for access to the island without inconveniencing residents in Victoria Point. There are no vehicular roads on the island. Only Ivy Lane, a road allowance, serves as path to homes on the island. Water taxi

4070-601: The lake's 140-foot bottom. They were recovered in 2010, and the plane, Nomad 3521, was recovered in October 2014. Between 1942 and 1945, at the Muskoka Airport, the Royal Norwegian Air Force (RNAF) trained Norwegian pilots during World War II at what was then called " Little Norway ." One of the planes from a training mission crashed off of Norway Point, killing the pilot. The aircraft was accidentally recovered by

4144-553: The lake. Starting with the Wenonah , Ojibwa for first daughter, in 1866 Cockburn pressed the government to open the entire Muskoka lake system to navigation by installing locks in Port Carling and opening a cut between Lake Rosseau and Lake Joseph at Port Sandfield. The government was eager to reinforce development in light of the faltering agricultural plan, and built the locks in Port Carling in 1871. Cockburn's steamers now had access to

4218-497: The middle of Lake Couchiching . Orillia was the first municipality in North America to introduce daylight saving time and had the first municipal hydroelectric transmission plant in North America. The first recorded use of the name to describe the region, which until then had no officially sanctioned designation, was in 1820 when the name was given in York , Upper Canada by then Lieutenant-Governor Sir Peregrine Maitland . Maitland

4292-403: The name of an Ojibwe or Chippewa tribe chief named Musquakie , which means "not easily turned back in the day of battle". Also known as Chief Yellowhead, it was Mesqua who signed the treaties made between the indigenous peoples and Province of Canada , which sold about 250,000 acres (1,010 km ) of land in the area to the province. He was so revered by the Ontario government it they built

4366-408: The packaging industry), Smiths Aerospace Components (aerospace industry machining), and TI Group Automotive Systems (automotive components). Call centre Tele Tech Canada also employs approximately 850 people. The Central Operations Headquarters for Ontario Provincial Police is located in Orillia on Memorial Drive along with the regional headquarters. Heywood-Wakefield seating, which operated from

4440-527: The public. The Royal Canadian Legion sponsors a yearly Scottish Festival at Couchiching Beach Park and Centennial Park in July each year. Marching bands from around the country participate. Since 1963, the Webers hamburger restaurant has been approximately 1 km north of Orillia, next to Ontario Highway 11 . Lake St. George Golf Club is ten minutes north of Orillia. Both French and English public education

4514-421: The region for weeks or even months in the summer. As families became seasonally established, they began building cottages near the hotels. At first simple affairs replicating the rustic environment of the early camps, but later grander including in some cases housing for significant staff. Initially, cottagers relied on rowboats and canoes for daily transport and would sometimes row substantial distances. Eventually,

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4588-410: The region, drawn by excellent fishing, natural beauty, and an air completely free of ragweed providing relief for hay fever sufferers . Early tourists built camps but were joined by others desiring better accommodation. Farmers who were barely scratching a living from the rocky soil soon found demand for overnight accommodation, resulting in the first boarding houses and hotels. The first wilderness hotel

4662-462: The remains of the British pilot, Peter Campbell, and Canadian pilot, Ted Bates. The pair collided with another Nomad over southern Lake Muskoka and all crashed into the lake's icy depths on December 13, 1940, while searching for another pilot that had gone missing in a snow storm the day before. The other plane's two dead crew members were brought to the surface in 1941, leaving Campbell and Bates' bodies on

4736-445: The route of travel to keep carriages from sinking in the mud and swamps, which made for extremely rugged travel. The lumbering industry spawned a number of ancillary developments including, as mentioned, transport but also settlements began springing up to supply the workers and Bracebridge (formerly North Falls) saw some leather tanning businesses develop. Tanners used the bark from lumber to tan hides thereby using what otherwise would be

4810-411: The same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Muskoka . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Muskoka&oldid=1196196045 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description

4884-510: The surrounding area that provide evidence of trading, fishing, and hunting camps that were visited for hundreds of years by Indigenous people . Although the site of what is now Orillia was originally a settlement of the Huron-Wendat people, it was later inhabited by the Ojibwe people, who settled the land under the leadership of Chief William Yellowhead . The Ojibwe people remained on the land until

4958-502: The waterfront district and other areas underdeveloped or otherwise vacant. A 3D model was developed at the local Royal Canadian Legion to reflect the possible future and is to be on display in city hall. Orillia's "Arts District" is located on Peter St. S., between Mississauga St. E. and Colborne St. E., and is home to a variety of art galleries , fine dining and shops. At its centre is the Orillia Museum of Art & History, considered

5032-411: The word itself is spelled almost identically to Orillia, without the second, "i," it has come to be commonly accepted as the source word for the city's name. Further backing the theory of a Spanish origin are the names of surrounding communities and landmarks, which include Oro for gold , Mariposa for butterfly , and Mono for monkey . Historical documents contain a second spelling of the name which

5106-829: Was a veteran of the British campaign against the French in Spain , called the Peninsular War , during the Napoleonic Wars where he served under the command of the Duke of Wellington . While there are no records clearly indicating the reason for the name Orillia, the most common explanation holds that the name originates in the Spanish , "orilla," which can mean the shore of either a lake or river. The Spanish pronunciation sounds much like, "oreeya," and since

5180-471: Was built at the head of Lake Rosseau in 1870, called Rosseau House. It was owned by New Yorker W.H. Pratt. The idea caught on and tourists came establishing the tourist industry as the up-and-coming money earner in the 1880s. The steamship era gave rise to the area's great hotels: Rosseau, Royal Muskoka , Windemere, and Beaumaris. The area grew rapidly when the railroad reached Gravenhurst in 1875. Indeed, travel from Toronto, Pittsburgh, and New York became less

5254-416: Was completed in 1873. A 100-mile stretch allowed for travel to Bancroft , Ontario where other roads could be found for travel to Ottawa. Transportation links with Toronto and Georgian Bay stimulated Orillia's development as a commercial centre and summer resort. The village of Orillia was incorporated in 1867 (sharing the same birth year as Canada ). By 1875, the population was 2,000 and Orillia became

5328-497: Was introduced with the launch of the Ford Taurus at Christmas 1985, and shortly thereafter the company was sold and became Polytech Netting Industries , which employed several hundred people until moving to Mexico in 1996–97. G.W.B. Rope and Twine's founders, Gordon W. Brown and family, launched G&B Ropes in 1990. (Their son Sean Brown worked with G&B Ropes until it transferred ownership around 1998. Sean Brown then assisted in

5402-420: Was never officially recognised, Aurelia, which when pronounced sounds similar to the name and is considered a clerical error . In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada , Orillia had a population of 33,411 living in 14,422 of its 15,428 total private dwellings, a change of 7.2% from its 2016 population of 31,166 . With a land area of 28.53 km (11.02 sq mi), it had

5476-541: Was notoriously unreliably and uncomfortable, the transportation king was the steamship. Once a land connection was made to the southern part of the lake, in Gravenhurst, the logging companies could harvest trees along the entire lakefront with relative ease so long as they had the means of powering the harvest back to the sawmills in Gravenhurst. Alexander Cockburn, sometimes called the Father of Muskoka, began placing steamers on

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