Gravenhurst, Ontario

Gravenhurst is a town in the Muskoka Region of Ontario, Canada. It is located approximately south of Bracebridge, Ontario. The Town of Gravenhurst includes a large area of the District of Muskoka. The town centre borders Lake Muskoka and Gull Lake. Kahshe Lake is situated south of the town.

History

thumb|upright|left|Opera House in Gravenhurst

Gravenhurst was first known as McCabes Landing, named for its first settler James McCabe and his wife Letitia Simington, and later as Sawdust City. Gravenhurst was named by a postal official who was reading Gravenhurst or Thoughts on Good and Evil, a treatise by William Smith. It was incorporated in 1887.

The nearby Muldrew Lake was named after the lake's next settler, William Hawthorne Muldrew. He was the principal of Gravenhurst's first high school in 1894. In 1901 he published a book called Sylvan Ontario, A Guide to Our Native Trees and Shrubs. It was the first book published on this subject in Ontario, and the drawings were his own. All the different types of trees and shrubs of Muskoka could be seen at the school, as he transplanted many of the specimens from Muldrew Lake.

In 1942 the Royal Norwegian Air Force moved their training camp (Little Norway) from Toronto Islands Airport to a Muskoka airfield near Gravenhurst. They remained in Gravenhurst almost to the end of World War II in 1945.

Effective January 1, 1971, the Town of Gravenhurst was amalgamated with the Townships of Morrison and Ryde, as well as parts of the townships of Medora, Wood, and Muskoka, as part of the district's restructuring.

Demographics

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Gravenhurst had a population of living in of its total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of . With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021.

|1871|400

|1881|1015

|1891|1848

|1901|2146

|1911|1624

|1921|1478

|1931|1864

|1941|2122

|1951|3005

|1961|3077

|1971|7133

|1981|8532

|1991|9988

|2001|10899

|2006|11046

|2011|12055

|2016|12311

|2021|13157

Age Structure (2021): It was also the entry point to the lakes.

The wharf hosts a number of events in the summer, including Pirate Fest and the Gravenhurst farmers' market.

Transportation

Gravenhurst is called the "Gateway to the Muskoka Lakes" and has a large gate bearing this message hanging over Muskoka District Road 169, the main road leading into town from Highway 11. The gate was removed but then rebuilt in 2009 and stands at the south end of town. It is the home port of the RMS Segwun, the oldest vessel powered by a working steam engine in North America.

Ontario Northland Motor Coach Services provides inter-city bus service to Gravenhurst along its Toronto to North Bay routes. The nearby Muskoka Airport has scheduled flights to Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport and also serves general aviation.

The former Gravenhurst railway station was served by Ontario Northland Railway's Northlander passenger train until the train was discontinued in 2012; it is currently vacant.

Education

Starting in 1958, Gravenhurst was home to the Ontario Fire College. The college was run by the Province of Ontario, under the Fire Marshall's Office, and offered training and education programs based on the Ontario Fire Service Standards. Courses were available to members of any Ontario municipal fire department. The Ontario Fire College was closed in 2021.

Public education consists of Gravenhurst High School and two elementary schools administered by the Trillium Lakelands District School Board.

Notable residents

alt=|thumb|[[Bethune Memorial House]]

Norman Bethune, a physician who was born in Gravenhurst. His family home, known as the Bethune Memorial House, has been preserved as a Canadian National Historic Site.
Steve Barnes, a former professional ice hockey player who played in the British Hockey League as a member of the Manchester Storm.
Graeme Murray, a Paralympic Games medalist and member of the Men's National Para-Ice Hockey Team.

References

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