Main photo: Dignitaries celebrating the Tom Thomson Parkway dedication included (from left) District Chair John Klinck, Huntsville Deputy Mayor Karin Terziano, Township of Algonquin Highlands Mayor Carol Moffatt, Colleen Conley, and Township of Lake of Bays Mayor Bob Young (Photo courtesy of the Township of Lake of Bays)
On Tuesday, September 18, a section of Highway 60—from Highway 11 to the west gate of Algonquin Park—was dedicated as the Tom Thomson Parkway by Lake of Bays Mayor Bob Young in a special ceremony.
A media release from Lake of Bays Township noted that with the 100th anniversary of the iconic painter’s death in 2017, the 125th anniversary of Ontario Parks this year, and the 100th anniversary of the formation of the Group of Seven in 2020, the dedication is a fitting tribute to Thomson. (Though Thomson was friends with many of the artists in the Group of Seven, he died before the group was formed. Member Lawren Harris wrote in his essay “The Story of the Group of Seven” that “Thomson had a significant influence on the group… (Thomson was) a part of the movement before we pinned a label on it.”)
Although Thomson didn’t travel the highway, as it hadn’t been constructed yet, he did paint along the nearby Oxtongue River. It has been widely speculated that he painted “Northern River” along the Oxtongue close to where the current highway crosses the river, just west of the Hamlet of Oxtongue Lake, notes the release.
Read Doppler’s previous stories on the dedication at the links below:
Tom Thomson Parkway sign to be unveiled Sept. 18
Would you support the renaming of Hwy 60 to Tom Thomson Parkway?
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What’s with all this hype about Tom Thomson?
His greatness exists only in peoples minds.
Go to your local library and do research on Thomson.
He was really of no importance.
We have local real live people that deserve the praise.
Brian Tapley says it all.
To each their own!
Lets see… we have a Tom Thomson memorial in Algonquin Park that is kind of nice.
Now we have
-pictures all around town.
-Dedicated camera sites around Oxtongue Lake where you can take the same picture that he painted.
-A neat European Canal boat at Deerhurst so tourists can ogle the millions of dollars or cottages along the shoreline.
-And now a highway with a new name.
Can an airport be far behind?
Make a note all aspiring important people, that the way to fame is to die young, right after you get your career started (and preferably by accident). This way nobody has time to realize that you really are not any greater than a lot of other people and you get to become vastly famous for all time.
It worked for John Kennedy as well just for the record.
Anyway, as long as they keep the Highway 60 signs in place so we all know where we really are going in our Tesla, all will be well.
Oh yeah, who pays for the new signs?