Bobcaygeon
| Bobcaygeon | |
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| Community | |
Bobcaygeon and the Trent-Severn Waterway
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 Bobcaygeon
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| Coordinates: 44°32′30″N 78°32′30″W / 44.5417°N 78.5417°WCoordinates: 44°32′30″N 78°32′30″W / 44.5417°N 78.5417°W | |
| Country | Canada |
| Province | Ontario |
| Municipality | Kawartha Lakes |
| Incorporated | 1876 |
| Amalgamated | 2000 |
| Area | |
| • Total | 5.48 km2 (2.12 sq mi) |
| Population (2011) | |
| • Total | 3,533 |
| • Density | 645.3/km2 (1,671/sq mi) |
| Time zone | EST (UTC-5) |
| • Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
Bobcaygeon is a community on the Trent-Severn Waterway in the City of Kawartha Lakes, east-central Ontario, Canada.
Bobcaygeon was incorporated as village in 1876, and became known as the "Hub of the Kawarthas". Its recorded name bob-ca-je-wan-unk comes either from the Mississauga Ojibway word baabaagwaajiwanaang "at the very shallow currents", giishkaabikojiwanaang "at the cliffed cascades" or obaabikojiwanaang "at currented rocky narrows", or from the French beau bocage "beautiful hedged farmland". The first lock in the Trent-Severn Waterway was built in Bobcaygeon in 1833.
The town is situated on three islands, along with the main land.
Bobcaygeon's chief industry is tourism, particularly related to recreational fishing. Bobcaygeon is a hub for the region, providing many of the services unavailable in the smaller neighbouring communities.
Samuel de Champlain passed through Bobcaygeon with a band of Hurons during his 1615 military expedition. By the early 1830s, the government of Upper Canada had completed its survey of the Township of Verulam and the area began to attract settlers. Thomas Need, who arrived in 1832 is recognized as one of the earliest settlers of the Township of Verulam and is the founder of Bobcaygeon. With his purchase of 3000 acres (12 km²) of land, Need built a sawmill, gristmill, and the first store.
In 1833, the provincial government began construction of a lock and canal at the narrows between Sturgeon and Pigeon Lakes. This was the first lock constructed on the Trent-Severn Waterway. Soon a community began to develop around the lock and the Thomas Need's sawmill and gristmill. In the 1850s, the economic development of Bobcaygeon was stimulated by Mossom Boyd's lumbering business.
The provincial government had reserved and surveyed a town site on the north bank of Bobcaygeon River between Sturgeon and Pigeon Lakes, which was named Rokeby by visiting Lieutenant Governor Sir John Colborne. Need laid out streets and plotted lots on the island, which was named Bobcaygeon. Today, Bobcaygeon designates both sides of the Bobcaygeon River, after the post office was established on the island by the first postmaster, Thomas Need.
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Wikipedia