Seguin Falls

History

First settled in the 1860s, Seguin Falls started out as a tiny crossroads village on the Nipissing Road. In 1873 the government opened the road to winter traffic. Stagecoaches arrived in 1875. Although the terrain was rough and treacherous it was the main route between Lake Rosseau and Lake Nipissing.

In those early days Seguin Falls, along with other settlements along the road such as Dufferin Bridge and North Seguin, was both a camp and stopover town. It was a place where weary stage travellers could disembark from the bumpy coach ride for a meal and overnight rest at Burk’s Hotel, owned by D.F. and Henrietta Burk. This so described “temperance hotel,” which (as implied by its description) served no alcohol, was known for its excellent food and hospitality.

In addition to the hotel, there was a store on the adjacent property, also owned by Burk. Burk opened a post office in 1871, likely out of the store, and donated land for a school across from the hotel. There was another hotel on Part Lot 13, owned by James Critz. Critz also owned a sawmill on Lot 12, which suggests the “hotel” was possibly a boarding house for mill workers. .

Following Burk’s passing in 1880, Abraham Best and later Adam Fitzer took over postal duties. Fitzer, who operated a store and was also a blacksmith, lasted until 1886. Just north of the hotel, across from Fitzer’s store, was the Guelph Lumber Company. Following Fitzer’s departure, long-term resident William Fry became postmaster for the next 21 years. He moved the post office to his store several lots south. Directories list two churches, Anglican and Methodist, but those were likely the two churches further north in Dufferin Bridge and North Seguin. There were weekly stages to Rosseau, Magnetawan, Nipissing and Bracebridge, home to the nearest bank and shipping services.

The government built the Nipissing Road as part of the infamous Colonization Roads Program. That particular government program began with misguided goal of attracting immigrants to the province purely for farming. It worked fine in southern Ontario where the growing season was long and the soil conditions were rich. That was not the case in the north where government officials were totally unfamiliar with geological conditions in the area. The soil was thin, rocky and completely unsuited to large scale agriculture. People did what they could with limited pockets of arable land until the lumber industry moved in.

By the mid 1800s, the railways were making a major dent in Seguin Falls’ hospitality industry. The Northern Railway of Canada (later Grand Trunk) opened a line between Gravenhurst and Callandar in 1886. Traffic on the Nipissing Road dried up as people switched to the faster and far more comfortable mode of travel, reducing the need for camps and inns.  

Seguin Falls was surviving but its future was less than certain until the arrival of the lumbermen. Around 1888, John Hann opened a sawmill. Later he expanded his operation to planing and shingle mills. Other lumber operators included Edward Hurlbut and William Peter. The lumber mills needed accommodation for all the mill hands, many of whom were seasonal employees. That gave rise to a number of new boarding houses and hotels owned by A. Kerr, A. McKinnon and William Gilpin. Mainstays in the community included Henry Good, a shoe and bootmaker, who also served as Justice of Peace and a blacksmith, Henry Gennell.  

More bad news for Seguin Falls concerned a murder that took place in July 1896. James Mullen, a traveller in search of work, was found murdered in an area identified as “Murder Barn Hill,” so described by a hill where a large barn once stood. Controversy about the murder, documented by writer John Macfie, lasted for over 100 years. Authorities arrested and charged Christian Hanson, a Swedish immigrant travelling with Mullen. He was found guilty and sentenced to life imprisonment. It appears robbery was the motive.  

On a positive note, Seguin Falls’ situation changed radically with the arrival of the Canada Atlantic Railway (CAR) in the late 1890s. The CAR built their railway and station about two kilometres south of the original townsite. In a burst of combined desperation and optimism, the majority of businesses relocated south to be close to the railway. Their gamble paid off and a new Seguin Falls was born. A lumber mill was set up alongside the tracks.

Businesses in the newer townsite included the King George Hotel, owned by the McKinnons, and likely an extension of their earlier boarding house. The King George catered primarily to mill hands and was not a hotel for discreet travellers. There were two general stores, the Empire Store owned by Thomas Vickers and another owned by the Stephensons. Thomas Vickers wore a couple of hats. For a number of years he acted as an agent for a piano seller. As a side note, the Vickers family was extremely musical. He also designed and built a homemade device to assist with clothes washing, most welcome in the days before washing machines.  A community hall and of course the school, still located in the old townsite, completed the picture. As Seguin Falls moved into the 20^th century, its future definitely looked brighter.

The community remained prosperous for many years thanks to the lumber industry. In 1921, an attractive new brick school replaced the school in the old townsite. Across from the school was an Anglican Church. Percy Vigrass from North Seguin opened a new general store in 1929. His nephew Howard later took over the operation. The store, which also had a gas pump, sat between the King George Hotel and the Vigrass home.

Unfortunately, as with all single industry communities, there were limits to Seguin Falls’ days of success. John Campbell & Sons, who owned the last sawmill in Seguin Falls, shut down the mill in the summer of 1926. Such was the nature of the industry after almost 30 years of lumbering. Once resources were depleted, it was time to move on to other areas. The company relocated north, where they set up a new mill near Capreol. Local lumbering on a small scale continued for a few more years.

Lumberman J.R. Booth, built the Canada Atlantic Railway on the premise of having the shortest route from his timber limits to his shipping facilities in Depot Harbor. Although locals still affectionately referred to it as the “Booth Railway,” Booth in fact sold the railway to the Grand Trunk in 1905. Following the Grand Trunk’s bankruptcy, Canadian National took over the railway in 1923. For the next 10 years the railway chugged along without incident.

In 1933, disaster struck in Algonquin Park when serious damage occurred to a bridge trestle following an ice floe and flooding, forcing CN to shut down the line. Although CN, at the time was a government agency, they along with all railways suffered severe financial loss during the depths of the depression. The railway approached the government for a loan to fix the bridge. The government, in the midst of building a road through the park as a relief project during the depression, turned them down flat. They saw little need to repair a railway bridge for a railway that essentially followed the same route as the new roadway. They also reasoned CN had other alternatives for rerouting the line, which in fact they did. Traffic flowed to a trickle after CN rerouted the line through North Bay.

The residents of Seguin Falls, Dufferin Bridge (in earlier days) and North Seguin were all closely knit, primarily by family and friendship. Despite the downturn in Seguin Falls, social events and activities still took place during the 30s and 40s. The old community hall in Seguin Falls was generally home to most of them. The hall also contained an old pump organ. Playing it was apparently a challenge. Community lunches would consist of baskets of sandwiches, followed by desserts and tea. During the war it was customary to sing a number of patriotic songs after lunch.

The dances began around 9 p.m., opening with square dances followed by waltzes, foxtrots, polkas and other variations as determined by the fiddler. Although no alcohol was permitted at the dances, it was readily available outside. No fighting was permitted inside the hall and any physical altercations (along with cheering spectators) had to move outdoors and remain there until the parties settled their dispute. The dances generally lasted until about 2 a.m. and were well attended.

With the decrease in railway service, people began leaving Seguin Falls. Merv Brown remembered how his father and older brother cut firewood and delivered it by horse and sleigh to the remaining residents during the 1930s. The Vigrass store closed in 1941. Thomas and Mary McKinnon, who owned the King George Hotel, installed a gas pump and sold food and fuel staples in a small general store located in the hotel.

During the late 1940s, Merv, his dad, and brother, cut pulpwood which they would haul to the roadside by horse and sleigh. As road conditions permitted, they would hire someone with a 3-ton truck to deliver it to the railway yard. The work was gruelling. It took 22 bush cords to fill a boxcar. Local area farmers faced the same situation after the Georgian Bay Creamery stopped rural pickup of milk and cream. As long as the railway was there, they could still bring their products to the station at Seguin Falls. 

Another tragedy took place in the summer of 1953 with the murder suicide of Parkie Davis who killed his wife Ada McKinnon and then took his own life. Ada was the daughter of Mary and Thomas McKinnon who owned the King George Hotel. Their children were raised by their grandparents. Ada is buried in the Seguin Falls cemetery.  

The end finally came in 1955 when CN abandoned a portion of the line between Falding and Scotia (Junction), thereby shutting down the Seguin Falls station. There was very little reason to remain in the community. The McKinnons sold the hotel in 1957, putting an end to the store and postal service. The new owners converted the hotel to a private residence. Fire destroyed the hotel in 1989 leaving only the chimney and a shell. Today the schoolhouse, the cemetery in the old townsite, and a few former homes, used seasonally, are all that remain of this once vibrant community.

Special thanks to Merv Brown for sharing His memories of growing up near Seguin Falls.