These photos are from Darlene Page. When her aunt, Deloris Agnel, maiden name Julian, passed away she gave Darlene a photo album. Thank you for sharing Darlene.
It began with this..
Good Morning Linda, I was out on Pretties island this week-end and I hear a story about the causeway being built with old cars originally. Have you heard this tale before? is there any truth to it? Thanks Brad Hamilton
Kevin PercyThat’s the story I heard
Rachel McRaeI’ve heard this as well
Lila Leach-JamesThe story I heard, a well known car dealer in Almonte owned a cottage on the island and residents needed a road so he supplied all the old wrecks and the road was built after a few loads of gravel put on top of the old cars….Supplied a good base, I suppose….I will not mention names although I’m sure most of the family have passed on…..
Glen FergusonYes it was a mr hill who put cars in there to make a solid base for the cos way. There was also a floating rd. Logs laid horizontally and like 2×12 wood to drive on. Its still there but grown in now
Laurie LewisYes that is what my father (David Willoughby) always said.
Can anyone help? — This was taken on Pretty Island 1898. Yesterday I found a newspaper clipping from August 11 1898 how a happy crowd was at Pretty Island
Glen FergusonLaurie Lewis my parents Bill and Shirley Ferguson and myself knew John Willoughby well. We were just down the road from him.
Michael LotanIt’s a true story, Almonte car dealer had the idea and did it. It was a good side island with a bay facing west with a sandy patch of beach, lots of blood suckers at that time. Every time we stopped there We had salt available.
Sylvia GilesYes, Orm Remembers when it was done..
Cynthia FordI do believe it was Mr Hill during or before he sold the island to a conglomerate of business men. Who later severed the land and sold as cottage lots.
Cathy DulmageAbsolutely, Gordy Hill owned the GM dealership in Almonte and was part of the development team. He put old cars in for the base. My dad was the Ford dealer and a friend of Gord’s and also supplied him with some junk cars. Paul Dulmage
Trisha AeckerlinMy parents had a home off Otterslide lane at the end of scotch corners that had a cosway out to it that was also built with old cars and buses.
Brad HamiltonSherri Iona I’m pretty sure anything harmful is long gone at this point. This type of thing happened a lot before.
Sherri IonaBrad Hamilton do you know how long metal last in cold water or buried? A long time.
Karen Fleming FergusonMy husband thinks, if he is not mistaken, that A.H. McCoy from Stittsville was involved too. Before the cars were put there, everything else kept sinking, so then someone came up with using the old cars.
Robert McClellanDoes anyone know the precise location? We would like to dive it and document anything we find with images and video. Fascinating.
Robert McClellanLinda Seccaspina If we can find it we think it would make an interesting video project
Karen Fleming Fergusonhttps://www.google.ca/…/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4… The part that is going from left to right would be the causeway.
Karen Fleming FergusonEbbs Bay Road near the water here is where the “causeway” is. It doesn’t look like it here, but there is water on both sides, unless a very dry year. In the spring there can be so much water that you can’t drive across. People on the island will leave a canoe or boat there to get across and leave a car on the mainland.
Robert McClellanKaren Fleming FergusonLinda Seccaspina Great – thank you. We will go out that way soon and see if there are any signs of the cars underwater.
Elisabeth HickRobert McClellan you aren’t going to find any water to swim in… it is swampland lol i know exactly where it is
Robert McClellan no possibility for diving , it has had a couple of thousand loads of rock rough fill and gravel added over the last 50 years and is swamp on both sides
Jane ChamneyThe original road to Pretties island was a floating causeway east of where the road is located now
Robert McClellanDave Hick Too bad – yes it seems lost to the swamp of history…Thanks!
Other islands in the lake
It’s Photo Friday!This photo of Aberdeen Island in Mississippi Lake was taken by Annie E. Duff about 1902. Annie’s eldest brother William H. Duff and his 5 eldest children are in the boat. The following quote by Rev. William Bell, (the first ordained minister to hold services of religion in Carleton Place) was published in his “Hints to Emigrants” in 1823: “The Mississippi Lake …. affords an abundance of fish for the settlers in the neighbourhood, who kill them with spears in great numbers in the spring when ascending the river to spawn. Some of the islands in the lake are still inhabited by “Indians”, whose hunting ground is on the north side, and who are far from being pleased with the encroachments our settlers are making on their territories.”Let us be reminded that the community in which we live, work, and play is situated on traditional, unceded Algonquin First Nation territory.We acknowledge and thank the Anishinaabe people and express our respect and support for their rich history and culture.-Carleton Place and Beckwith Heritage Museum
The Steamboat Picnics on Pretty Island
Tales from Dinky Dooley Island
Family Photos– Mississippi Lake– Darlene Page
A Bear Had Not Been Seen at Mississippi Lake For Years 1887
Tales of the Mississippi Lake- Believe it or Not!
What if Locks Had Been on the Mississippi River?
Feathers in the Dusk of Night-Hughes Island
Don’t Have a Cow Man!– Tales from Squaw Point
lindaseccaspina 