Algonquin Park Archives Blog

The Algonquin Provincial Park Archives and Collections (APPAC or “Archives”) is the repository for artifacts of significance to the natural and cultural history of Algonquin Park and is owned by Government of Ontario, with substantial funding and operating assistance from The Friends of Algonquin Park, a registered Canadian charity.

The Archives is dedicated to the education, interpretation, and conservation of Algonquin Park’s heritage. Their mandate seeks to promote knowledge & awareness, spark curiosity, and inspire visitors to develop a deeper connection with the natural and cultural history that surrounds them.

More blogs posts are coming in the weeks ahead, check back again, or follow our social media for updates.

---

April 15, 2025

#ArchivesFunFacts

This April, the Algonquin Provincial Park Archives & Collections (APPAC, “Archives”) is joining in with the Archives of Ontario’s #ArchivesFunFacts campaign to share intriguing, fascinating, and inspiring stories from heritage organizations.

We’ve compiled 22 fun facts to reminiscence about Algonquin Park’s history and museums. Read one every weekday in April or enjoy them all in one go, the choice is yours! Happy reading!

1. Algonquin Park’s first museum opened in 1946 at Cache Lake. This tent museum was assisted by the Royal Ontario Museum and offered displays of models, taxidermy mounts, and live plants and animals. Dr. J.R. Dymond, and later additional naturalist staff, answered questions from visitors and leaseholders, even identifying the reptiles and amphibians children would bring to the tent.

Image: Interior of the first Algonquin Park Museum, a tent at Cache Lake, c. 1946. APPAC, 1994.3.23.

2. Interpretation of Algonquin Park’s cultural history began in 1959 at the Pioneer Logging Exhibit (PLE). A smaller precursor to today’s Algonquin Logging Museum, the PLE offered a look at the lives of 1800s loggers through machinery, reconstructed buildings, and exhibits.

3. Seventeen lodges once offered accommodations, meals, and outfitting services to visitors. Today only three lodges are still in operation. The lodges are well represented in the Archives’ photographs, brochures, and artifacts through which we can learn more about the luxuries of a visit to the Park, advertising techniques, and hotel amenities.

Image: A deck of playing cards produced for the Grand Trunk Railway System, c. 1910s, advertises the scenic locations a traveler could experience with a trip on their railcars. Algonquin National Park is advertised on seven of the cards with images of a winter snowshoe, fishing parties, the Highland Inn, and this view of Cache Lake which visitors still visit today from the Track and Tower Trail. APPAC, 2024.12.1.

4. Park Rangers were required to keep a daily journal as part of their duties which included enforcing regulations, assisting visitors, maintaining portages, patrolling for poachers, and much more. Not many of these early journals have survived the passage of time, but APPAC holds a small collection that provides a valuable insight into the lives of the Park’s early workforce.

Image: Entries from the diary of Ranger Stephen Waters, May 1897. APPAC, 1998.8.11, From the Collection of Stephen James Waters and Mrs. Albert (Patricia Ware) Swann.

5. The Park Museum opened at Found Lake in 1953 to support the growing interest in Algonquin Park and its natural education program. Staff were excited by the space and the realm of possibilities for the building, but when it opened, they remarked they had already outgrown it! The opening of the museum coincided with the surge in popularity of camping and outdoor experiences. The first program in the lecture hall, which could hold about 100 people, was standing room only with people peering in from outside the doors! Staff soon had to move to outdoor programs.

Make a charitable donation to assist us in protecting Algonquin Park's cultural heritage for future generations.

6. APPAC’s largest artifact sits on the shore of a pond created by the replica logging chute and dam at the Algonquin Logging Museum. The William M. was once a working alligator boat, a vehicle so named for its ability to move on water and land. It was transported over 275 kilometres from Brent on Cedar Lake, where it was to move logs by the Gillies Bros. Lumber Company. Since being added to the museum, it has been completely refurbished twice to repair the wooden components, but all of its metal parts are still those that once steamed and warped their way across Algonquin Park’s lakes.

7. It’s difficult for the Collections Coordinator to pick a favourite object in the collection, but this transom window from the Highland Inn ranks highly on her list. Located above the hotel room doors, transom windows could be opened slightly to provide air circulation. Although it appears to be stained glass, it is actually a faux design, merely painted with a fleur-de-lis pattern to give the appearance of a high-class amenity.

Image: Faux “stained glass” transom window from the Highland Inn. APPAC, 2005.31.1, From the Collection of Don Beauprie.

8. APPAC includes a library which is housed at the Algonquin Park Visitor Centre. Over 11,000 books and journal articles are searchable online and available to researchers during scheduled appointments. The library doubles as a reading room where researchers can view archival records, photographs, and artifacts during their visits.

9. When travelling to vacation destinations, we often return home with souvenirs to remember our trips by and share with family and friends. The Archives contains many examples of postcards, trinkets, and memorabilia which were once sold to visitors in lodge and Park gift shops. An accurate souvenir should represent the environment visited to bring back memories of the trip. Does anything strike you as odd about this pennant?

Image: An “Algonquin Park Canada” pennant purchased during a vacation to the Highland Inn, Cache Lake, during the 1950s. A Canadian “Mountie” RCMP officer appears to be riding a horse with mountains in the background – a scene not represented in the Algonquin Park landscape. APPAC, 2013.1.17.

Learn more about history in Algonquin Park - A Place Like No Other.

10. On May 20, 1993, a ribbon cutting ceremony was held to open the Algonquin Park Visitor Centre as part of the celebrations for Algonquin Park’s centennial year. The design included a purpose-built archival storage space to care for the collection moved from the old Park Museum (now the Algonquin Art Centre).

11. In the 1970s, forward thinking staff started a project to interview Algonquin Park’s “old-timers” to record their stories and recollections. The Oral History Collection now contains over 200 interviews providing a priceless source of information that helps to fill the gaps in written and visual records.

12. Two of the oldest photograph albums in the collection date to 1894-1895 and capture images of the construction of the Ottawa, Arnprior and Parry Sound Railway in Algonquin Park. We can even call one of these images a selfie! In this image John Walter Le Breton Ross, sitting against a tree in the bottom right, holds a trigger in his hand which activates the camera to photograph himself and his colleagues.

Image: W.S. Cranston's Survey Camp, No. 1, Cache Lake, 1895. APPAC, APM 148, Photographed by John Walter Le Breton Ross.

13. APPAC’s oldest artifacts are thousands of years old. When archaeological excavations are conducted in Algonquin Park, the artifacts are stored with APPAC. For thousands of years, Indigenous Peoples travelled and lived throughout this region, and their descendants continue to use these lands for their traditional values today. The archaeological artifacts in the Archives include Indigenous artifacts such as projectile points, adzes, and scrapers, and change with time to remains of logging camps and settler communities.

14. In 1983, The Friends of Algonquin Park (FOAP) became the first Friends Organization established to support an Ontario Provincial Park. Created out of a need to reprint official government publications such as canoe routes maps, trail guides, and educational publications, the FOAP now supports a wide range of initiatives to enhance the education and interpretation of Algonquin Park, creating new stewards for the future.

15. APPAC’s collections include a taxidermy and herbarium collection used by Ontario Parks staff for programming such as “Ask the Naturalist”. The collection also includes historical specimens which provide a valuable source of information for natural history researchers.

Image: Herbarium record #1717, Large White Trillium (Trillium grandiflorum). Collected June 1, 1971.

16. At the Algonquin Logging Museum you are invited to walk through history! The 1.5 km trail through time takes visitors through recreated buildings and exhibits showing the square timber days up to contemporary forestry techniques. The buildings are brought to life each year through programming at the annual Loggers Day event held on the last Saturday of July.

17. The Friends of Algonquin Park funds APPAC’s online database and digitization efforts to preserve and share its historical resources. Over 17,000 photographs, artifacts, and records are searchable online. More documents and photographs are added each year as work continues to make the collection accessible to researchers far and wide.

18. Who would use a chalkboard in Algonquin Park? Schoolchildren of course! Small communities grew around railroad stations and lumber mills in Algonquin Park. These families often had young children who attended small one-room schools and enjoyed the experiences offered by the Park’s environment when not following along with their teacher’s lessons.

Image: A small chalkboard, 61.2 cm x 45 cm x 4 cm, used at the Cache Lake Schoolhouse, c. 1940s. APPAC, 2015.15.1.

19. Today’s visitors come to Algonquin Park in hopes of spotting a moose, but up until the 1960s, White-tailed Deer were the popular roadside attraction, even advertised on postcards. First fed from scraps at the Highland Inn, deer in the Cache Lake area were later attracted to any slowing car on Highway 60 with hopes of an easy snack. In the 1960s, the moose population would begin to outrank the deer population as the ban on hunting wolves restored the prey-predator relationships in the ecosystem.

Image: A White-tailed Deer being fed from a car along Highway 60, 1957. APPAC, APM 2922, J. Kuiack.

20. Not only do APPAC’s holdings record Algonquin Park’s history, they also show the changes in technology over the decades. Whether it’s film reels to VHS tapes to DVDS or glass negatives to film negatives to digital images, the ways visitors capture and record their experiences in the Park has varied greatly. No matter the method, the desire to capture these memories remains constant. For APPAC staff, this evolution of technology means they need to consider a variety of storage conditions and digitization techniques for each unique object.

21. More visitors means more trash! It’s an inevitable conundrum for backcountry camping. Campers were, and still are, encouraged to handle their garbage respectfully. This litter bag, with its humorous cartoon of an angry moose watching a camper toss a can in its direction, contains a list of instructions on the flip side for the campers. Today’s modern can and bottle ban is a further initiative to help campers follow the “Leave No Trace” philosophy.

Image: A plastic “litter-bag” with a drawstring produced by the Department of Lands and Forests. From the Minister listed, the bag dates to c. 1966 - 1972. APPAC, 2024.27.2.

22. APPAC doesn’t only collect the past! Staff are actively recording and collecting the photographs and stories that will be Algonquin Park’s history in the next 100+ years. Whether it’s photographing changes to Park buildings, making note of updates to invasive species, recording oral history interviews, and more, staff make sure to keep an eye on the history of tomorrow. What part will you play in Algonquin Park’s history?

Learn More

Learn more about the Algonquin Provincial Park Archives & Collections

• Explore the online database of photographs, archival records, and artifacts.
• Contact the Collections Coordinator to schedule a research appointment or discuss a donation.
• Read more by purchasing historical publications in The Friends of Algonquin Park’s bookstore.
• Support the Archives with a financial donation via The Friends of Algonquin Park, a Canadian registered charity, to assist us in protecting Algonquin Park's cultural heritage for future generations.

---

April 4, 2025

Algonquin Park Connections

Our connection to Algonquin Park is often multigenerational. Whether it’s a youth camper following in the footsteps of their alumni parents, a line of leaseholders caring for their family's cottage, or visitors enjoying their annual backcountry or campground traditions, the love and support for Algonquin Park runs deep. Same is true for the generations of families that have worked to produce the Park we know today.

Last time we featured letters and postcards from the collection of Ranger William Hughes in the Algonquin Provincial Park Archives & Collections (APPAC; Archives). This same family’s donation highlights the multigenerational connection through the inclusion of photographs of the construction of Highway 60, from the collection of Norman W. Gurr. But you may wonder, how are the two men related?

Image: Three Highway 60 construction workers posing with rock drilling tools, c. 1934 – 1936. The man in the middle holds a metal drill while Norman W. Gurr hits it with a sledgehammer. The holes would be filled with charges for blasting with dynamite. APPAC, 2021.18.37. Estate of Janet Ivel (Hughes) Gurr.

Among William Hughes’ siblings was James Hughes. Remember last time when I said William Hughes married Charlotte Green? Well, his brother James married Ellen Green. It wasn’t uncommon at this time and in small communities for multiple members of two families to be connected. As such, Charlotte and Ellen were also sisters. Of James and Ellen’s children, their daughter, Janet Jessie Ivel Hughes, married Norman W. Gurr, providing the familial connection we observe in this donation.

Make a charitable donation to assist us in preserving Algonquin Park's cultural heritage for future generations.

The Archives is fortunate to contain a collection of photographs and records related to the construction of Highway 60, c. 1934 – 1936, from the gifts of many donors. Most of the images showcase the construction itself and life at the construction camps, especially the camp that was situated at Lost (now Found) Lake. Although there were 7 camps located along the route, the majority of the images come from this one. You trace the men’s footsteps when using the parking lot at the Algonquin Art Centre today.

Image: Highway 60 construction camp at Lost (Found) Lake, c. 1934 – 1936. APPAC, 2021.18.40. Estate of Janet Ivel (Hughes) Gurr.

Norman W. Gurr’s photograph collection adds to our understanding of the life and work of the road crews. Images from the camps show an elaborate Superintendent’s shack, a dining tent, “spring cleaning”, horse stables, and good old-fashioned entertainment – lively games of horseshoes on the highway itself.

Image (clockwise from top left): Road Crew Superintendent watching a game of horseshoes (note the dog behind him); stables; Superintendent’s shack at Found Lake (note Highway 60 climbing the hill around the lake in the background). c. 1934 – 1936. APPAC, 2021.18.32, 28, 53. Estate of Janet Ivel (Hughes) Gurr.

In Algonquin Park: A Place Like No Other by Rory MacKay, the chapter “Picks and Shovels Was All We Had” provides an excellent summary of the political & Park decision-making for the road’s construction and the toil of its workers. Drawing upon oral history interviews held by the Archives, the worker’s efforts to clear the route of trees, hand-drill holes in rock, blast them with dynamite, pile the debris on sleds, drag them away by horse, and level and fill hills & holes by wheelbarrow (!) are well described. The images bring these stories to life.

Image (clockwise from top left): “The explosion”; the blurred appearance of the image is likely the resulting debris and dust from a dynamite blast; men and horses stand on a road construction project which extends in the distance (note the pile of logs on the left bank in the background created by clearing the route of trees); J. Harrington and team of horse on a road construction project. c. 1934 – 1936. APPAC, 2021.18.52, 36, 54. Estate of Janet Ivel (Hughes) Gurr.

The images with ink captions or identifiable content can be easily described in APPAC’s database as depicting the construction of Highway 60. For others without information, it’s a little more difficult, but from the context of the collection, we can say they appear to be associated with the same event. However, one image is quite odd. In this image “Val. Rose” stands on a large boulder holding a jack hammer. The air hose is seen running out of the frame on our right.

Why is this image odd? The descriptions of the construction of Highway 60 are always that the work was done by hand – wheelbarrow, shovel, sledgehammer … but not with power tools. Was this image (and perhaps then maybe others) taken at a different construction site? Does it show one of the exceptions where Highway 60 work was carried out by a construction company? Or were there some instances of power tools used by men of the Park’s construction camps? The image remains a curiosity.

Image: "Val. Rose and the Jack Hammer." APPAC, 2021.18.55. Estate of Janet Ivel (Hughes) Gurr.

Descendants of the Hughes and Gurr families enjoy a multigeneration connection to Algonquin Park through their relation to both a Park Ranger and a Highway 60 construction worker, but that is likely just the tip of the iceberg. There are many ways each of us finds relation to Algonquin Park. Take a moment to reflect on your own connection, not only the past but also the future. How will you share your passion for Algonquin Park with friends and family? What traditions and stories can you create for them to cherish for years to come?

Learn More

Learn more about the Algonquin Provincial Park Archives & Collections

• Explore the online database of photographs, archival records, and artifacts.
• Contact the Collections Coordinator to schedule a research appointment or discuss a donation.
• Read more by purchasing historical publications in The Friends of Algonquin Park’s bookstore.
• Support the Archives with a financial donation via The Friends of Algonquin Park, a Canadian registered charity, to assist us in protecting Algonquin Park's cultural heritage for future generations.

---

March 20, 2025

Words from the Past

Historical letters from respected figures or celebrities can leave the modern reader with a sense of awe at seeing the handwriting and words of such a notable person. Once the feeling subsides, today’s reader can begin to appreciate the time in which the letter was written and the wealth of historical context it contains.

Take for example a collection of letters and postcards at the Algonquin Provincial Park Archives & Collections (APPAC; Archives) which belonged to William Hughes, Park Ranger from 1910-1920. Most of the letters come from the pen of George W. Bartlett, Superintendent from 1898-1922. It is hard not to get swept up in the Algonquin National Park of Ontario letterhead and the flowing cursive, or the purple-blue ink of the typewriter. But once you sit down to the words, the hints and references to Algonquin Park’s history come to light.

Image: Instructions from Superintendent Bartlett to Ranger Hughes to aid [Ranger] Shields with the search for [Ranger] Becker’s lost canoe, May 24th, 1913. APPAC, 2020.20.1. Estate of Janet Ivel (Hughes) Gurr.

To the original recipient, the letter represented different meanings and emotions. For Hughes, the letters are directives from his boss and provide researchers another glimpse into the work of a Ranger. Often Bartlett is sending instructions to Hughes, notes on shipments of supplies, or even reprimands for spending too much time fishing with Park visitors during peak fire season.

Image: William Hughes, Park Ranger 1910-1920, stands holding a net in the middle of a group of fishermen. Brent, Cedar Lake, c. 1917-1920. APPAC, 2020.20.22. Estate of Janet Ivel (Hughes) Gurr.

We can track where Hughes worked in the Park (his “beats”) through the Superintendent’s letters. At first correspondence is addressed to Hughes at Rock Lake. Later, he is stationed at Basin Depot, and many of the letters around this time reference the financial settlements made to evict “squatters” during the expansion of Algonquin Park’s boundary in 1914. Hughes was instructed to meet with the families and have the settlement documents signed.

Image: Letter from G.A. Bartlett on behalf of Superintendent G.W. Bartlett to Ranger Hughes with instructions to provide a cheque to Mr. Dennis McGuey for settlement on possession of his buildings at Basin Depot, March 18, 1915. The reverse contains a statement written and signed by Dennis McGuey on March 22, 1915. APPAC, 2020.20.13. Estate of Janet Ivel (Hughes) Gurr.

Hughes’ time at Basin Depot ends in 1917 when Bartlett writes to explain the new leases and Park plans at Cedar Lake. He promotes features of the Brent community and asks Hughes if he would consider moving to Cedar Lake as “I have got to have someone there who can write and look after licenses… the [divisional] point is only a half mile down the lake from the depot and there is no doubt this will be an important point so far as Tourists go”. Hughes and his family do move to Cedar Lake, and further letters discuss the arrangements for the move. These letters provide a key role in narrowing down the dates of photographs in this donation, as images from Brent can generally be dated to the later years of Hughes career in Algonquin Park.

Image: Ranger William Hughes standing behind three men, Brent, Cedar Lake, c. 1917-1920. The others are likely Rangers as well; note the badge on the shirt of the man on the left. APPAC, 2021.18.12. Estate of Janet Ivel (Hughes) Gurr.

Image: Repurposed buildings from the Hawkesbury Lumber Company depot used by Algonquin Park staff at Brent, Cedar Lake, c. 1917-1920. The Rangers were likely sitting on the steps of the far building which was used as living quarters. APPAC, 2021.18.20. Estate of Janet Ivel (Hughes) Gurr.

Other letters provide historical hints to the work and life of Superintendent George Bartlett at Park Headquarters on Cache Lake and the general operations of Algonquin Park in this time period. On December 16, 1914, Bartlett writes to Hughes hoping that he will get a lot of wolves this year. At this time, wolves were viewed as a negative presence in the environment and were even referred to as pests. Immense efforts went towards destroying them: deer carcasses filled with poison bait; wire snares; metal traps; and bullets.

Bartlett continues “I want to get a Lynx for my collection see if you can’t get me one they used to be plentiful in that section.” Bartlett is well known for the taxidermy collection he housed in his office, and for his attempts, like other early Superintendents, to populate the Park with various species in hopes of “improving” it. Bartlett introduced animals such as Smallmouth Bass and Wood Grouse. Some species did not survive, while unfortunately others were successful. Smallmouth Bass spread throughout the Park and beyond, with negative impacts on the native Brook Trout populations.

Image: Superintendent Bartlett’s office, Park Headquarters, Cache Lake, featuring a vast collection of taxidermy specimens. APPAC, APM 2992. Photographed by Reuben Sallows, Donated by Ottelyn Addison.

A few months later, on February 16, 1915, Bartlett updates Hughes writing “Nadon sent me a Wolverine or rather a Lynx for my collection it is a very small one though but a nice specimen”. He lets Hughes know that Ranger Wattie recently brought in seven wolves and Ranger Watson, three more, but the other Rangers had been unsuccessful since early in the season when Ranger Callighen had killed two. Hughes is to expect wolf poison bait and snowshoes by mail, and Bartlett remarks off-handedly “It is very quiet here the inn being closed it will not open till June then Miss Lindsay is to run the Inn and the camps.” The reference is made to the Highland Inn and its outpost lodges or “camps”, Nominigan Camp and Minnesing Camp. All were constructed by the Grand Trunk Railway - the Highland Inn in 1908 and the camps in 1913. It’s incredible such brief letters can provide so many hints into how the Park was in the 1910s.

On a more personal note, the collection includes postcards, one of which Hughes mailed to Miss Lottie Green on October 16, 1910, in the first year of his employment as a Park Ranger. On the front we see an image of a man and a woman standing on a rock in front of a Ranger Cabin. The man holds a fish in one hand and a fishing rod in the other. Perhaps these are some of the visitors Hughes was reprimanded for spending too much time fishing with.

Image: Postmarked postcard sent to Miss Lottie Green from Ranger William Hughes; reverse message written October 16, 1910. The image is captioned “Comfort cabin. Boundary Lake”. Boundary Lake is now known as Harness Lake and is located west of Rock Lake. The lake was previously named for its location on the southern boundary of the Park, as it was at that time. APPAC, 2021.18.89. Estate of Janet Ivel (Hughes) Gurr.

Hughes writes a short note from Rock Lake, promising a letter to Lottie soon. He laments the cold weather, saying he is nearly dead with it. I wonder how he felt when true winter set in. He anxiously awaits a letter from her as he wishes she was there. He received an invitation to a dance Thursday evening about “30 miles from here” (perhaps at the Highland Inn or in Whitney, Ontario). He signs off “Will”.

William Hughes and Charlotte would later marry in June 1912. The postcard provides a glimpse of the life and emotions of a new Ranger. Altogether, these letters and postcards show how a few words from the past can provide so much insight to the history and people of Algonquin Park.

Learn More

Learn more about the Algonquin Provincial Park Archives & Collections

• Explore the online database of photographs, archival records, and artifacts.
• Contact the Collections Coordinator to schedule a research appointment or discuss a donation.
• Read more by purchasing historical publications in The Friends of Algonquin Park’s bookstore.
• Support the Archives with a financial donation via The Friends of Algonquin Park, a Canadian registered charity, to assist us in protecting Algonquin Park's cultural heritage for future generations.

---

February 19, 2025

Capture the Flag!

Sixty years have passed since the red and white maple leaf design was officially adopted as the Canadian Flag on February 15, 1965. That same year, Ontario also adopted its official flag, a variation of the Red Ensign.

In 1945, the Red Ensign was the flag authorized for use in Canada until an official flag was adopted. However, the history of Canada’s flags is long and varied, with the British Union Flag and the Canadian Red Ensign being used in various designs, times, and places.

Canadian Flag	Red Ensign Flag	British Flag

Flags are captured in predictable and unexpected ways throughout the Algonquin Provincial Park Archives & Collections (APPAC; Archives). In written records, we find reference in Park rules and regulations. 1920s and 1930s booklets titled "Regulations Respecting Algonquin Provincial Park Ontario, by the Government of Ontario", contain a specific statement on flags:

“If any flag is at any time flown or displayed in the Park, it shall be the British Flag”.

This regulation was upheld by Fred Cook and his comrades when they decided to fly a flag on their camping trip in the early 1910s, as shown in an album held by Library and Archives Canada.

Image: A fishing party stands on a landing by a lake. Fred Cook raises the Union Flag at their campsite. Library and Archives Canada/C-054535.

Park Rangers were responsible for enforcing Algonquin Park’s regulations as part of their duties. They were also required to keep a daily journal. Mark Robinson’s diaries, held at Trent University Archives, are one of the most detailed surviving records of the life and work of a Park Ranger (later Chief Ranger and Superintendent). His diaries provide a glimpse into how the enforcement task included flags.

On Friday, August 19, 1910, he wrote: "Found Mr. Bletcher flying Stars and Stripes. I asked him to take them in. He did so."

American Flag

He writes again on Sunday, August 21, 1910: " Mr. Bletcher hung out Stars and Stripes this morning. I was told many amusing things when I was informed it was with Supt's [Superintendent's] orders. I could only allow it, etc." (Trent University Archives, 97-011, Donated by the Addison Family).

The Bletchers were an American family who had a leasehold on Canoe Lake, and it is understandable why Mr. Bletcher wanted to fly the American flag from his flagpole. Flags are a symbol of identity, pride, and allegiance, and they are respected objects to this very day. However, under Algonquin Park’s regulations, only flags representing the Government’s identity were allowed.

APPAC’s holdings of photographs and postcards show flags flown at various Park buildings including Park Headquarters, Entrance Gates, Smoke Lake Hangar, and some Ranger Cabins. Private individuals such as leaseholders and lodges also flew flags. It seems both the Union Flag and the Red Ensign were acceptable by the Park’s regulations.

Image: Postcard of Park Headquarters at Cache Lake, pre-1913. A flagpole is situated prominently in the grounds near the Superintendent house and staff house. APPAC, 2023.3.69, From the Collection of Don Beauprie.

Image: Aerial photograph of the Highland Inn and Algonquin Park Station, Cache Lake. Note the two flag poles, one at the bottom left on the edge of Park Headquarters. The other, atop the Highland Inn itself. APPAC, APM 753, Yascovitch.

Image: The Red Ensign is visible flying from the flagpole at this cottage on the Pirie leasehold, Gilmour Island, Canoe Lake, c. 1925 – 1930. APPAC, 1977.18.7, Lewis.

In the time when an image was taken, the flag was a symbol for those who flew it. Today, that same flag can play a different role for the Archives.

Take for instance this postcard of the “Entrance to Algonquin Park” by Fry’s Photo Shoppe in Gravenhurst, Ontario. The image shows visitors entering and leaving Algonquin Park’s West Gate, but the image has no date.

Image: Postcard of Algonquin Park’s West Gate, by Henry Fry, Fry’s Photo Shoppe. APPAC, 2024.24.1.

Make a charitable donation to assist us in protecting Algonquin Park's cultural heritage for future generations.

From the vintage of the cars, we can begin to guess when it might have been captured, but other clues help us narrow the range. We know the West Gate complex was opened in 1953, providing us with a potential first date for the image. But when was the latest it could have been taken?

Here we turn to the flagpole. The blue, red, and white of the Union Flag is unmistakeable. Since we know our national and provincial flags were adopted in 1965, the image could be taken no later than this year.

Museum and archives staff often find little ways to help them understand the mysteries in their collections, but what can you do to help your archivist or your descendants?

Take a moment to record what you know or remember about the history of an item. The date, identities of individuals, place, and context are incredibly helpful to future generations. You can write captions on the back of items (press softly) or create notes to accompany them.

Archives and museum staff appreciate all donations, and the thrill of solving a mystery about an unknown image or person can be exciting, but even more so is being able to care for and preserve as much information as we can for years to come.

Today at Algonquin Park’s West Gate, the Ontario and Canadian flags fly high from the flag poles to greet visitors. Perhaps when you see them, you will remember these images and the roles flags play in the representation of our identities. What are the flags that have special meaning in your life? How have you captured them in your photographs and memories to be shared with generations to come?

Learn More

Learn more about the Algonquin Provincial Park Archives & Collections

• Explore the online database of photographs, archival records, and artifacts.
• Contact the Collections Coordinator to schedule a research appointment or discuss a donation.
• Read more by purchasing historical publications in The Friends of Algonquin Park’s bookstore.
• Support the Archives with a financial donation via The Friends of Algonquin Park, a Canadian registered charity, to assist us in protecting Algonquin Park's cultural heritage for future generations.

---

February 12, 2025

A Romantic Winter in Algonquin Park

Winter in Algonquin Park is a magical and romantic season. Fresh snowfall graces the boughs of evergreen trees. Pillars of ice defy gravity. Wind sweeps across frozen lakes and rivers. Snow crunches underfoot. Birds chirp and wings flutter. Snow crystals glitter across the hills. The sentiments we express today about this enchanting season are in many ways similar to those who enjoyed the snow and ice of 100 years ago.

Even honeymooners visited the winter landscape of Algonquin Park. On January 17, 1922, guests attended the wedding of Mr. Alfred William Eustace vanSomeren and Miss Jessie Rogers Crompton at the Brantford Avenue Church in Brantford, Ontario. A newspaper clipping describes the programme of the event, attendees, and the wedding party’s attire. After a reception at the home of the bride’s father, “the bride donned her travelling costume” and “Mr. and Mrs. vanSomeren left to spend a honeymoon at Algonquin Park”.

Image (Left to Right): Portrait of Jessie Rogers Crompton in her wedding attire holding a bouquet; Alfred vanSomeren’s boutonniere made with a rose, now dried to a yellow/orange colour, and green foliage, contained in an envelope with his handwriting “My Wedding Flower Jan. 17th 1922”; portrait of Alfred vanSomeren at age 21, a few years before his wedding day. APPAC, 2022.4.13-15. Donated by Pam Garratt Dunlop on behalf of the vanSomeren Family.

At this time, visitors travelling to Algonquin Park relied on train service on two rail lines which passed through the Park – one in the north and one in the south. The vanSomerens were destined for a stay at the Highland Inn, the largest and perhaps most well-known of Algonquin Park’s lodges. Coming from southern Ontario, the newlyweds travelled from Toronto with the Grand Trunk Railway System, arriving at Algonquin Park Station, Cache Lake on January 18, 1922.

Image: Ticket stubs from the vanSomeren’s travel on the Grand Trunk Railway System from Toronto, Ontario to Algonquin Park, January 17th and return on January 28th, 1922. APPAC, 2022.4.7, 9, 10. Donated by Pam Garratt Dunlop on behalf of the vanSomeren Family.

Built in 1908 by the Grand Trunk Railway System, the Highland Inn was one of only a few that welcomed guests during winter. As part of their marketing to sell Canadians and Americans on a prospective stay at the lodge and travel on their rail cars, The Grand Trunk Railway System produced promotional booklets such as a 1921-1922 issue titled “Enjoy Winter in Ontario Highlands: Algonquin Park Ontario Canada”. This 15-page booklet uses photographs and poetic descriptions to describe the experiences one could expect during their visit and the benefits they could enjoy from the winter destination.

Image: Cover of “Enjoy Winter in Ontario Highlands: Algonquin Park Ontario Canada”, 1921-1922 by the Grand Trunk Railway System. A previous owner has used pen to identify the individuals pictured. APPAC, 1977.9.1.1, From the Collection of Dr. Duncan A. MacLulich, Donated by M.A. Capstick.

At the time of the booklet, the Highland Inn has been recently renovated and could accommodate 150 people with advertised amenities including plumbing, steam heat, and electric light. Rates of stay, with meals for a week, ranged from $30 - $42 per person depending on the style of the room and number of guests. In addition to sleeping rooms, lounging rooms, and the dining room (where “cuisine is a matter of special attention”), guests could enjoy a writing room, billiard room, and music room.

The vanSomerens’ bill for their stay from January 18 to 28, 1922, totaled $115.70. Their receipt shows the rate for their stay, and additional items they purchased including two lunches (perhaps for snowshoe tramps – see below), playing cards, cigarettes, and telegram service. Today, their bill would equal approximately $2,000. At first glance that price does not seem unreasonable for two adults to stay 10 days with meals included. However, we must remember the time period and that the amount of money spent was quite an extravagant purchase.

Image: The Highland Inn bill issued to Mr. and Mrs. vanSomeren for their stay from January 18 to 28, 1922. The paper is stamped Paid. APPAC, 2022.4.11. Donated by Pam Garratt Dunlop on behalf of the vanSomeren Family.

A stay at the Highland Inn was advertised as having all the first-class comforts of hotel service while providing the atmosphere and familiarity of the home. The booklet describes and promotes the benefits of visiting Algonquin Park made possible by staying with their lodge. Emphasis is placed on guests’ enjoyment of a wide range of winter sports for which Canada is well known, and the proposed health benefits of the climate and wilderness. At the time, clean air, thought to be purified by pine and balsam forests, was advised as treatment for tuberculosis patients and widely promoted for encouraging people to experience the outdoors. Promotion for the Highland Inn made sure to state that no cases of tuberculosis would be received, likely hoping to instill a sense of safety in prospective visitors.

Guests interested in wildlife, photography, and social camaraderie found inspiration to visit through descriptions of wildlife encounters, animal tracks, group outings, and social activities. A “testimony” from a Toronto businessman shares how it had been one of his most enjoyable and beneficial holidays, far better in bringing him “back to normal” than travelling to southern destinations: “Not forty-eight hours had passed before I felt the wonderous effect of the air: the scent of the balsam, pine, spruce and hemlock” … I have commenced to show the results of my holiday in ruddy cheeks, sound sleep and increased weight. I could not believe that a week here could possibly work such changes in my health and outlook.”

Image: Guests stand outside the Highland Inn in winter clothing with snowshoes, skis, and poles. “The Return From The Tramp”, in “Enjoy Winter in Ontario Highlands: Algonquin Park Ontario Canada”, 1921-1922. APPAC, 1977.9.1.1, From the Collection of Dr. Duncan A. MacLulich, Donated by M.A. Capstick.

Work in the Algonquin Provincial Park Archives and Collections this summer. Apply today!

What winter experiences did the vanSomerens and other guests enjoy during their stay? Both men and women participated in three hour or longer snowshoe tramps wearing sweaters, wool caps, and stocking-filled moccasins. For prospective guests concerned about the cold temperatures, the booklet claimed that “no matter how cold it is, the man with a sweater never suffers discomfort”. Lunch could be enjoyed back at the Inn, or picnic lunches in the forest could be arranged by the hotel manager. Snowshoe excursions even took place at night, and are romantically described in the booklet:

“But at night, with the moonlight that is found alone in the north, the trails across the lakes and around the island beckon irresistibly. The dead silence, the undimmed glamor of the moon, the crisp crunch of the snow under the raquette, the tingle of the frost in the veins, the merry shouts of the line before and behind, are delights to be dreamt of long after the holiday is over.”

Image: A line of guests on snowshoes and skis making their way back to the Highland Inn across the frozen surface of Cache Lake. “Cache Lake – Highland Inn in distance”, in “Enjoy Winter in Ontario Highlands: Algonquin Park Ontario Canada”, 1921-1922. APPAC, 1977.9.1.1, From the Collection of Dr. Duncan A. MacLulich, Donated by M.A. Capstick.

Back at the hotel, thrill seekers could enjoy a toboggan slide with a grade of nearly 150 metres (500 feet) and a total run of about 400 metres (1/4 mile). Cross-country skiers could enjoy several trails designed for various skill levels, including a trail down the slopes of Skymount, known today as the hilltop visited by the Track and Tower Trail. A ski jump was also available, a mere five minutes’ walk from the hotel grounds.

Image: View of the Highland Inn, Winter 1915. The toboggan slide is visible on the far right. At the bottom of the hill below the hotel is Algonquin Park Station and the railroad tracks. APPAC, 1995.1.9, Collection of Harry and Adele Ebbs.

A section of Cache Lake was cleared for ice skating, and guests were requested to bring their own skates. The outfitting store at the Highland Inn provided snowshoes and skis for rental or purchase. A line of winter clothing, including sweaters, coats, moccasins, and toques, was also available for sale.

Ice-fishing was promoted as a recreational activity, a practice that is prohibited in Algonquin Park today as part of its fisheries management. The businessman’s “testimony” describes his success and the large catches which were once permitted in the Park: “We had excellent luck fishing for lake trout through the ice and our trips resulted in thirty-five beauties. It was a novel experience for me, and how good the fried fish, bacon, etc., tasted on the edge of the lake with a big blazing fire to sit beside!”

Image: A man and woman ice-fishing. “Catching Trout Through the Ice”, in “Enjoy Winter in Ontario Highlands: Algonquin Park Ontario Canada”, 1921-1922. APPAC, 1977.9.1.1, From the Collection of Dr. Duncan A. MacLulich, Donated by M.A. Capstick.

At the end of their honeymoon, the vanSomerens made the return journey, this time to the newlyweds’ home in Hamilton, Ontario. A newspaper piece announces the newcomer, Mrs. A. E. W. vanSomeren, being at home for the first time since her marriage. “A large number of callers bade this young bride welcome to the city”. I’m sure she had many stories to tell from her adventures in Algonquin Park; memories that the Grand Trunk Railway System romantically describes:

“Days spent in snowshoe tramps through primitive forests where every leaf and bough bears its weight of glistening crystals, in the breathless flight of the toboggan or ski, and in the ring of steel against the icy covering of some lake, together with evenings spent in social converse in the cosy warmth of an old-fashioned log fire – these slip away unnoticed; but those who have once experienced them return to their avocations with renewed energies with hardened muscles, and a grateful memory of the Park.”

Documents and photographs are two pieces of the puzzle that help us better understand the Park’s history. As the Algonquin Provincial Park Archives & Collections (APPAC) continues to collect and research these items, the stories become richer and fuller. We are able to understand more about the experiences of the vanSomerens and others who visited Algonquin Park.

Interested in visiting Algonquin Park to make your own winter memories? Learn more about visiting Algonquin Park in winter. Also check out Algonquin Park’s Winter in the Wild Festival on February 15, 2025 to celebrate the winter season.

Learn More

Learn more about the Algonquin Provincial Park Archives & Collections

• Explore the online database of photographs, archival records, and artifacts.
• Contact the Collections Coordinator to schedule a research appointment or discuss a donation.
• Read more by purchasing historical publications in The Friends of Algonquin Park’s bookstore.
• Support the Archives with a financial donation via The Friends of Algonquin Park, a Canadian registered charity, to assist us in protecting Algonquin Park's cultural heritage for future generations.

---

February 3, 2025

Sharing the Collection

When visiting the exhibits at the Algonquin Park Visitor Centre or walking the trail at the Algonquin Logging Museum, you see a selection of the artifacts, photographs and records that are held by the Algonquin Provincial Park Archives & Collections (APPAC; “Archives”). But you may wonder, what happens with the remainder of the collection?

Image: Close up of a two-man chainsaw on display at Station 16 of the Algonquin Logging Museum trail. Historical images from APPAC are used to illustrate the interpretive panels.

The majority of the Archives’ artifacts and archival records are catalogued, labelled, and placed in collection storage. This secured space is carefully monitored to ensure the items are preserved for many generations to come.

With only a small portion on display at any one time, the challenge then becomes, how can the Archives share its collection with the public?

One of APPAC’s main goals is to digitize and share the holdings online. The Friends of Algonquin Park funds and hosts the Archives’ online collection database. Researchers can search the list of holdings and explore resources they can access during scheduled visits. Staff are also working on digitizing as much of the collection as possible so anyone can view photographs, see artifacts, and read archival items from their own homes.

Image: A photograph record (1995.1.9) in APPAC’s online database. Researchers can search the archival, artifact, library, and photograph collections.

Small items are relatively easy for staff and volunteers to digitize in-house. A photo studio on-site is used to photograph three-dimensional objects while flatbed scanners with transparency units can tackle small to medium paper documents, photographic prints, and negatives. To date, the majority of the photographic collection is digitized and viewable online.

Larger items and more unique mediums prove more difficult to digitize and can require out-sourcing. The APPAC is currently exploring options for digitizing its historical motion picture collection and has already begun to digitize portions of its cartographic collection.

In February 2024, The Friends of Algonquin Park funded the digitization of 12 of the Archives’ oldest and most fragile maps. These maps were transported to and from Toronto, Ontario where they were digitized at high resolutions on a large overhead scanner. The scanner hovers over the surface of a document creating a contactless process which is crucial for historical items in quite fragile conditions.

Images: Preparing a large format map from APPAC for high resolution scanning. Digitization funded by The Friends of Algonquin Park.

Images: High-resolution scanning of maps from APPAC. Note the bright lights (see below).

Help us scan more fragile maps and documents. Make a charitable donation to assist us in protecting Algonquin Park's cultural heritage for future generations.

After looking at these images, are you worried about the bright lights shining on the historical documents?

You’re right to be concerned about light damage, but in this case the risk assessment shows us this task is actually beneficial! Exposing the map under bright light for a minimal amount of time then allows us to store that map in dark storage for an even longer amount of time. How so? Researchers and staff are able to view the maps through APPAC’s online database and access the data on the maps without needing to pull them from storage. Fewer hands handling the maps means they’ll last for many more generations to enjoy.

Image: Map of Algonquin National Park of Ontario in the District of Nipissing, dated c. 1905 to 1911 by Minister and Park boundary. APPAC, Q.1.1.4.

.

Image: A close-up shows the fragile condition of the linen-backed paper map, with flaking and missing pieces. Digitizing the map at a high resolution allows the content to be accessed while leaving it in safe storage. APPAC, Q.1.1.4.

Of course, digitization is only one way APPAC shares its collections:

• Researchers are able to request items to view during scheduled in-person visits.
• Researchers, authors, and producers share the results of their archival research and the history of Algonquin Park through the articles, books, and documentaries they create.
• Displays make items viewable to the public. Holdings from APPAC can be viewed in various, far-reaching areas of the Park, including the Outside-In exhibit at Achray.
• Other heritage institutions can request items to loan for their own exhibits and programs.
• Staff present stories and objects from the Archives at programs and special events including Loggers Day and Meet the Researcher Day.

Image: APPAC table at Meet the Researcher Day, August 2024, East Beach Pavilion, Algonquin Park. Staff and volunteers interpret stories and objects from APPAC at interpretive events.

The artifact and archival collections are also only two of the five collections that make up APPAC. A taxidermy collection is used for research and public programming. An educational collection of models and prop objects are used for display and hands-on programming. Finally, the library’s collection of books, articles, and audiovisual materials is fully listed in the online database and available during scheduled research visits.

The APPAC continues to work on preserving and sharing its collection through digitization and other projects. If you would like to make a charitable donation to The Friends of Algonquin Park to support APPAC’s endeavours, please see the information in the resources section. We appreciate your contributions and hope you enjoy exploring our online resources!

Learn More

Learn more about the Algonquin Provincial Park Archives & Collections

• Explore the online database of photographs, archival records, and artifacts.
• Contact the Collections Coordinator to schedule a research appointment or discuss a donation.
• Read more by purchasing historical publications in The Friends of Algonquin Park’s bookstore.
• Support the Archives with a financial donation via The Friends of Algonquin Park, a Canadian registered charity, to assist us in protecting Algonquin Park's cultural heritage for future generations.

To explore high resolution copies of the digitized maps mentioned in this article, see:

• Q.11.13.2, Plan of the Township of Canisbay, 1882.
• 2018.9.1, Map of Algonquin National Park of Ontario, 1893.
• Q.2.1.1, Map of Algonquin National Park of Ontario, 1900.
• Q.1.1.4, Map of Algonquin National Park of Ontario in the District of Nipissing, c. 1905-1911.
• Q.1.3.5, Map of Algonquin National Park of Ontario in the District of Nipissing, 1914.
• Q.1.3.6, Map of Algonquin National Park of Ontario, 1917.
• Q.1.3.7, Map of The Algonquin National Park of Ontario in the District of Nipissing, 1919.
• Q.1.4.2, Map of Algonquin National Park in the District of Nipissing, 1921.
• Q.7.4.1, Algonquin Provincial (Ontario) Park, brochure and map, 1926.
• Q.1.4.7, 19B Map of the Algonquin National Park of Ontario in the District Nipissing, 1928.
• 2010.1.3, Map of Part of Algonquin Provincial Park of Ontario, 1937.
• Q.10.1.7, Map of Algonquin Provincial Park Showing Canoe Routes in Colour and Hotel Leases, c. late 1930s.

---

January 21, 2025

Greetings from the Collections Coordinator  

Welcome to the inaugural post of the Algonquin Provincial Park Archives & Collections’ (APPAC) Blog. We hope to use this series to highlight on-going archival work, share stories represented in the collections, and encourage readers to reflect on Algonquin Park’s cultural history.

Among the more than 25,000 holdings, APPAC cares for physical objects, journals, reports, maps, photographs, negatives and more! The collection grows each year with donations generously offered by descendants, leaseholders, visitors, and historians.

Image: APPAC cares for an assortment of media types including artifacts, photographs, and paper records. These items are shared with the public and preserved for future generations so all can enjoy and learn from Algonquin Park’s cultural heritage.

Donation offers are carefully reviewed against our collecting policy to ensure the donation is a match with our mandate and that we can properly care for the items. Like most heritage institutions, we are grateful for the time of our Collections Committee members who meet regularly for this task. The decision on which items should be accepted or denied to a museum or archival collection must never be made by one individual. The discussion arising from multiple perspectives highlights how a donation may or may not support our collection, as well as sheds new light on the history behind these objects.

In 2024, we continued to receive generous offers to strengthen and develop our collection, including a series of original c. 1890s photographic prints of the Gilmour Lumber Company’s tramway in Dorset, Ontario.

Image: Section of the flume of the Gilmour Tramway, c. 1894 - 1896. A phone line is visible running along the Gilmour Tramway. Workers would need to communicate along the line if there was a jam. APPAC, 2024.33.3, In memory of Patrick O'Neill and Michael Joseph O'Neill.

When the Gilmour Lumber Co. expanded their logging operations to Algonquin Park, they needed a way to transport logs from their timber limits on Canoe Lake to their mill in Trenton, Ontario. To do so meant moving Algonquin pine from the Muskoka River Watershed over a great height of land (30 metres or 100 feet!) to the Gull River Watershed. Their solution? The Gilmour Tramway, a series of jackladders, chutes, and dams, which carried logs up and then down to be floated to St. Nora Lake. From that point the typical river drive could continue.

Image: Gilmour Lumber Co. men on Tramway Pond, transporting logs to Raven Lake and eventually St. Nora Lake, c. 1894 - 1896. Note the spotlight on top! Work continued day and night to move as many logs as possible. APPAC, 2024.33.2, In memory of Patrick O'Neill and Michael Joseph O'Neill.

Did it work? Yes. Was it a success? No… for many reasons. The number of logs cut far outweighed the capacity and desired time for them to run the tramway and be transported down to Trenton. Many logs were lost or stolen along the way, and for those that made it, the quality was greatly reduced from sitting in the water (up to 14 months!). Finally, we can imagine the immense cost of labour and resources needed to run such an endeavour.

Image: Men sit at the base of the first jackladder with the powerhouse visible in the background, c. 1894 - 1896. APPAC, 2024.33.5, In memory of Patrick O'Neill and Michael Joseph O'Neill.

The tramway operated from 1894 - 1896 to ship the logs cut in two seasons. The system was abandoned in favour of building a sawmill along the newly constructed Ottawa Arnprior & Parry Sound (OA&PS) railway. The railway’s route through Algonquin Park included proximity to the Gilmour Lumber Co.’s limits on Canoe Lake. The result was the creation of the Gilmour Mill and the resulting town of Mowat. You can read more about the town of Mowat in “Algonquin Park's Mowat: Little Town of Big Dreams” by Mary I. Garland.

Image: White-tailed Deer in the remains of the chip yard left from the operations of the Gilmour Lumber Co. mill at Mowat, Canoe Lake, Algonquin Park. The deer is licking salt that has absorbed into the soil from a storage shed where the lumber company stored supplies including barrels of salt pork. APPAC, 1972.3.72 (edited), Thomas & Wilkinson.

This story highlights an important section of the APPAC’s collecting policy. Although our scope focuses on objects, photographs, and archival records which originate from inside Algonquin Park, we also make sure to consider donations that might come from outside of the Park’s boundary when they directly show or reflect upon how the Park came to be. Although located west of the Park, these images depict the efforts and struggles of the Gilmour Tramway which resulted in significant changes to the Park itself.

Buy Algonquin Park's Mowat: Little Town of Big Dreams

The Archives’ staff and volunteers care for a vast array of photographs, artifacts, and records which share the stories of the people who paddled these waters, lived among these forests, and worked days and nights to create the Park we know today.

Although established in 1893, Algonquin Park’s history extends well before this origin through its link to the history of this land. For thousands of years, Indigenous Peoples travelled and lived throughout this region, and their descendants continue to use these lands for their traditional values. With the arrival of the lumbermen in the 1800s, the landscape was forever altered.

Algonquin Park’s history continues to be made each and every day. We hope you will continue to explore the Park’s cultural history, both past and present, through this blog series and extend the conversation through resources suggested below!

Learn More

Learn more about the Algonquin Provincial Park Archives & Collections.

• Explore the online database of photographs, archival records, and artifacts.
• Contact the Collections Coordinator to schedule a research appointment or discuss a donation.
• Read more by purchasing historical publications in The Friends of Algonquin Park’s bookstore.
• Support the Archives with a financial donation via The Friends of Algonquin Park, a Canadian registered charity, to assist us in protecting Algonquin Park's cultural heritage for future generations.

Interested in Donating an Artifact, Photograph, or Archival Record?

APPAC’s Collections Committee meets four times a year to review donation offers. This review ensures the item supports the mandate of the APPAC and that the APPAC has the resources to properly care for the donation. Each donation is carefully considered against a set of conditions of acquisition.

The Archives only collects items from within the geographical boundaries of Algonquin Park, or those items which help to show the growth and development of the Park. If accepted, donations are catalogued and stored in archival storage and made available to the public through the online database and during in-person research appointments. Donated items may be considered for display in future exhibits if they support the interpretation of the stories being told.

If you think your donation qualifies, please contact the Collections Coordinator to discuss your item. We are grateful for your support in preserving the Park’s history!

---

Contact the Algonquin Park Archives and Collections

Collections Coordinator The Friends of Algonquin Park Box 248 Whitney, Ontario K0J 2M0 Phone: (613) 637-2828 ext. 227 E-mail

---

Related Information

• Archives and Collection Online
• Algonquin Park Visitor Centre