Port Cunnington, Ontario
| Lake of Bays | |
|---|---|
| Township (lower-tier) | |
| Township of Lake of Bays | |
Municipal office in Dwight
|
|
 Lake of Bays
|
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| Coordinates: 45°18′N 79°00′W / 45.300°N 79.000°W | |
| Country |
 Canada
|
| Province |
 Ontario
|
| Regional municipality | Muskoka |
| Incorporated | 1971 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Township |
| • Mayor | Robert Young |
| • MP | Tony Clement (CPC) |
| • MPP | Norm Miller (OPC) |
| Area | |
| • Land | 677.91 km2 (261.74 sq mi) |
| Population (2016) | |
| • Total | 3,167 |
| • Density | 4.7/km2 (12/sq mi) |
| Time zone | EST (UTC-5) |
| • Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| Postal code span | P0A |
| Area code(s) | 705 |
| Website | www |
Lake of Bays is a township within the District Municipality of Muskoka, Ontario, Canada. The township, situated 193 kilometres (120 mi) north of Toronto, is named after the Lake of Bays.
Located in the northeast corner of Muskoka, the Lake of Bays offers a natural landscape of forests, rocks, lakes and wetlands. It is an important cottaging, recreation and tourism destination in Ontario. Currently, the economy of the township is primarily based on tourism, recreation, and the service sector with forestry and aggregate (composite) extraction contributing as well.
The Township of Lake of Bays was established in 1971 from the former Townships of Franklin, Ridout, McLean and Sinclair/Finlayson (unorganized) as one of six area municipalities within the District of Muskoka.
In the early 20th century several grand resort hotels opened on the lake, among them the Wawa (built in 1908 and destroyed by fire in 1923) and the Bigwin Inn, a resort that operated on Bigwin Island from 1920 until the late 1960s. These hotels were sought after destinations for many rich and famous individuals and groups at the time, including Hollywood stars like Clark Gable, writers like Ernest Hemmingway and, during the Second World War, the Dutch royal family.
The township was once home to the smallest commercial railway line in the world called the Portage Railway. Between 1904 and 1958 it ferried passengers between North Portage on Peninsula Lake to South Portage on Lake of Bays, a distance of 2 km. The train, named the Portage Flyer, was discontinued in 1958 and was relocated to an amusement park near St. Thomas, Ontario, until 1984. Much of the original components have since been repatriated and continue to operate on the grounds of Muskoka Heritage Place near Huntsville.
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Wikipedia