Trent-Severn Waterway: Then and Now by Elizabeth Bower
The Trent-Severn Waterway has been called one of the finest interconnected systems of navigation in the world. If you’re a boater, the bad news is that the canal system is closed for the season and won’t reopen until next May. But the good news is that it is still possible to take a imaginative journey along its 386 kilometers by checking out Elizabeth Bower’s “Trent-Severn Waterway: Then and Now”
The waterway has a long and ancient history. Native peoples traveled along it for thousands of years before Europeans arrived in North America. In the 17th century it became a significant transportation route for fur traders. The first lock built on the waterway was constructed here in Bobcaygeon in 1833 to help speed the transportation of lumber and the lock itself was made out of wood. By the mid 1800’s the waterway acted as a highway for lumber. Awareness of its recreational possibilities coincided with a proliferation of steamboats in the late 1800’s.
Bower, who lives in Peterborough and works as a journalist for the Peterborough Examiner, has authored a fascinating book that follows the waterway geographically in a northerly direction from Belleville to Georgian Bay. During the course of its travels, the canal system runs through a number of rivers, lakes, and small communities. It wends its way through the City of Kawartha Lakes where it touches Bobcaygeon, Lindsay, Fenelon Falls, and Kirkfield (which is the waterway’s highest point). All of those locations appear as brief chapters in the book.
It’s as much about people as it is about history and geography. While researching the book, Bowen interviewed business owners, lock keepers, residents and tourists who live, work, and play near the river. Their observations and experiences are faithfully recorded, often in their own words.
Lavishly illustrated with colour photographs taken by John McQuarrie, the book is a visual feast for the eyes. In addition to contemporary pictures, the book includes historic black and white photos that depict the canal under construction and streetscapes from many of the towns and villages that prospered as a result of their proximity to its shores. Residents of the area will find it interesting to peer at the old photos and seek out familiar landmarks. “Trent-Severn Waterway: Then and Now” is an ideal book with which to while away the hours and dream of the boating season to come.
The Library’s online catalogue is available on the internet at www.city.kawarthalakes.on.ca/library and allows you to place a hold on any item in the system.
Linda Kent is the Chief Librarian at the City of Kawartha Lakes Public Library
