Bigwin Island

Bigwin Island is the largest island on Lake of Bays, in the Muskoka District of Ontario, Canada. In 2001 it became the site of a major resort development, in the form of a golf course and a planned community of luxury cottages, condominiums, and a hotel. It is the second development to be built on the island, and has been controversial due to its impact on neighbouring communities.

There is also a native burial ground on the Island. The original owners consented to preserve and protect all the ancient burial sites on the island from desecration and to allow Chief John Bigwin, who was still alive at the time, to be buried there with his ancestors when he died.

Bigwin Inn

The first development on Bigwin Island was known as the Bigwin Inn, which opened in 1920. It was an exclusive summer destination for tourists from Toronto and the US eastern seaboard, and was developed by Charles Orlando Shaw, a Huntsville businessman. He founded the "Bigwin Inn Company Ltd." in 1915 and hired architect John Wilson of Collingwood to design the resort. With 350 guest rooms, it was one of the biggest and most beautiful resorts in Muskoka at the time. Wilson employed classical, Mediterranean, dodecagon, craftsman, Tudor and Victorian design elements, placed the buildings using the natural shoreline and landscape, used natural sunlight as much as possible, and connected the buildings with covered, lit walkways. Most construction took place during the winter, as the ice made it easier to transport supplies to the island, usually by horses and sleigh. Key buildings were the Indian Head Dining Room, which could seat up to 750 guests at one time, the Dance Pavilion and the Rotunda.

At its height during the 1930s many renowned musicians played at the Dance Pavilion. By then, the smaller Marine Dining Room and the less elaborate Tea House were built, along with the ferry house to store the many boats that serviced Bigwin.

C.O.Shaw died of a heart attack in 1942, and although the Inn appeared highly successful while he managed it, the following years were clearly not as profitable. Ownership passed through several hands until Frank Leslie purchased the property in 1949. Leslie operated on a non-profit basis and was successful in attracting entertainers to Bigwin, it was popular as a result, but due to illness he had to sell the hotel in the 1960s. Bigwin Inn closed in 1966.

Attempts to reopen the resort were made but for many years the Inn's buildings remained unused. The east lodge, dance pavilion, ferry house, kitchens, golf clubhouse, staff bungalows, stables and Mohawk Belle hull have been demolished with the rotunda slated for demolition in the winter of 2008. Plans for a boutique hotel and condominiums are said to have been abandoned. The recently revamped golfcourse will go private in 2008.

References

* [http://www.geocities.com/scotcanuck/ Bigwin Historical Society]
* [http://maps.google.ca/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&time=&date=&ttype=&q=bigwin+island&sll=49.891235,-97.15369&sspn=49.179605,107.578125&ie=UTF8&ll=45.244316,-79.025517&spn=0.208369,0.420227&t=h&z=11&om=0 Satellite image of Bigwin Island]