DOUBLE DOUBLE

With the Segwun undergoing inspection and maintenance in the dry lock, it allowed me a better view of the phoenix that adorns the top of its pilothouse. It's a replica of the one carved for the Nipissing, a replacement for its namesake that burned the previous year in 1886, the original phoenix lost in the fire that gutted the Sagamo in 1969.

FIERY ENDS

A fiery sunset brings the evening to a close over the boats and the row of boathouses behind the Residence Inn. It is also the resting place of the Sagamo, Muskoka's largest steamship whose years of service came to a fiery end in 1969, its twisted steel hull partially exposed among the concrete debris and foliage in the foreground.

MUSEUM DAY

Today is International Museum Day and opening day of the Muskoka Lakes Museum, where new for this year they have introduced a self-guided audio tour using your cellular, with five stations set up so far and limitless potential. This service is provided by Tour-Mate and is sponsored by the Bean family, who have summered here since 1885.
[Photo and audio c/o Doug Smith, Director/Curator of the museum.]

PAYING TRIBUTE

On this occasion I was fortunate to arrive in time to witness the Wenonah II locking through, with the bridge raised and her mast lowered. I like to think that as she is passing the Wall she is paying tribute to the Sagamo, the former patriarch of the steamship line, its picture eclipsed by this newest ship, who carries on the legacy.

THE WALL

One of the first attractions I found in my new home of Port Carling was what locals refer to as The Wall. From a distance the mural features the Sagamo, the flagship of the Muskoka steamships; a closer inspection reveals a mosaic composed of 9,028 individual historic photographs depicting 100 years of Muskoka history.