Wayback Wednesday, sponsored by Jamie Lockwood, broker/owner of Sutton Group Muskoka Realty!
This photo was taken sometime between 1941-1945 and can be found in the book Huntsville Lake of Bays, Pictures From the Past.
Vesle Skaugum is located in Finlayson Township on Limberlost Road in Lake of Bays. The property known as Interlaken is located on the isthmus between Oxbow (originally Fatty) and Long (originally Dotty) lakes northeast of Huntsville.
From Huntsville Lake of Bays, Pictures From the Past, by the Muskoka Pioneer Village Research Committee, c1986: Available records show that Frank Peelar was the first settler on this land, and at least one of his original buildings still stands. Peelar carved out his farm on thirty-three acres, having received his patent on August 30, 1912.
Gordon Hill, the proprietor of the Limberlost Lodge, was the next owner, acquiring the property in the late 1920s or early 30s. He built several log buildings, which he used as an outpost camp for his riding guests, many of whom were convinced that an overnight stay at Interlaken was the highlight of their vacation. It was Hill who gave it the name Interlaken.
In 1941, the Royal Norwegian Air Force took over the property and renamed it “Vesle Skaugum” (“a home or clearing in the woods”), which was named in honour of Crown Prince Olav’s summer home in Norway. A new log building was erected patterned on the same plan as Olav’s summer home. The Norwegians used Vesle Skaugum as a rest and training camp for their young pilots who had escaped from their war-torn country. The setting was ideal. A level field served admirably for standard drills and sports, while the surrounding wooded country was perfect for hiking, survival training, and cross-country skiing in winter. Part of the training included a 37-kilometre cross-country ski race with full packs.
Following the end of World War II, in September 1945, the Kiwanis Club of Toronto purchased the property and operated it for many years as a summer camp for underprivileged children.
In 1979, the property was purchased and turned into the Olympia Sports Camp. Over the fireplace in the main building is the inscription “MERKJE-DET-STEND-UM-MANNE-HAN-STUPE,” which translates into English as “The mark of men will stand though man may fall.”
Prince Olav and Princess Martha visited the camp in January 1942 and invited the Mayor of Huntsville, R. Arthur Hutcheson, to dinner. The Muskoka atmosphere apparently appealed to the Norwegians, who moved their air base from Toronto to Muskoka. Crown Prince Olav officially opened the base at the Muskoka Airport on May 4, 1942.
See more Wayback Wednesday photos HERE.
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I presented flowers to Princess Martha at the railway station that day. I still treasure the picture I have.