Wayback Wednesday, sponsored by Jamie Lockwood, broker/owner of Sutton Group Muskoka Realty!
This photo of the Botting family was taken in 1900 on Walker’s Road in Stephenson Township, Muskoka, Ontario, and was donated by David Johns to the Huntsville Public Library.
From left, Henry Crowder, Jane Botting Crowder, Jenny Botting, Jack Botting, Caroline Botting, Margaret Botting, William Isaac Botting. The Botting family is all dressed up and ready to walk to Utterson for the Orangeman Parade. William has the full uniform on and even three year old little Jack has a hat. This location is near Skeleton Lake not far from the town of Raymond. The Botting’s came to the area in 1881.
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Right here on the edge of the frontier, and we have a stylish A-frame. Just a couple of rounds of big timber for a base. Likely a lot easier to build than the settlers log house we all imagine. Obviously there was a saw mill close and flat sawn lumber was available. And plenty of square nails. The gables and roof show the use of both. The roof also has an overlay of dressed poles, likely over a canvas cover. The canvas to shed the water and the poles to help carry any load. Like snow. The big cauldron near the corner of the building was likely used to make maple syrup earlier in the year.
The commemoration of the ‘Battle of the Boyne’ on July 12, 1690 may have been reason to walk to Utterson which was a thriving community in 1900, but I bet the family had their own battle going. July in Muskoka and they would have mosquitoes and blackflies! A more local battle to be sure.
As for the family, pioneer families were well aware of each other. I for sure never knew the people in the photo, but I knew the Bottings. I went to school with Winston. Worked at Wiik and Hoeglund with Earl. As a student, I worked for Ontario Hydro and Bill Botting filed saws for our tree removal crew. A character for sure. If you can find a description of ‘curmudgeon’, it should include a picture of Bill. And I know Tina and Dave Johns.
Until she became a Jackson, one of my wife’s good friends was a Botting. !25 years down the road, but Muskoka is still home for many of us. We still have the blackflies too!
This is so interesting as I use to own a farm on hwy 141 with 50 acres that ran right along Walkers Road. Its not a year round road losts of rocks and uneven dirt path that goes all the way back to Skeleton Lake.
We always went for walks up Walkers Rd in the spring for black berries, did have to watch for Bears.
Theres one homestead up there and this must be the original.
Theres a big cliff on the one side of the homestead where if you looked over, was all their old machinery, garbage and such.
Such fond memories of life back in Utterson, at the bottom of Walkers Rd. is the original one room school house which belonged to a wonderful family , Ray & Becky.
I saw on FB that this winter our old barn fell down from the snow load. Jame Lockwood thanks for the memories.