Navigation on the lakes of Muskoka is generally a predictable experience. Boaters are advised: Don’t get too close to shore and stay on the correct side of markers. The buoys and markers on the lake aren’t overly complicated to figure out, even without charts. There are a few head scratching channels, however. Driving through the markers near the Muskoka Lakes Golf and Country Club, the Kettles area and the buoys coming out of the Indian River in to lake Rosseau can be a bit confusing.
Once upon a time, when the steamships were plentiful, beacons and markers were critical aids to navigation. On the great lakes, they were especially important when fog rolled in and the weather turned nasty. Their value as a symbol to point the way was significant enough to merit naming a newspaper with this icon.
The beacon near Rosseau and the light house at the narrows leading to Gravenhurst are Muskoka’s most prominent navigation markers. The light house or beacon at Rosseau is a well-known site on the lake. While the village of Rosseau was incorporated into the township of Seguin in 1998, part of Rosseau is also in the Township of Muskoka Lakes. When arriving by steamboat, passengers would sing a little song…
Oh we’ll sing a little song of Rosseau,
It’s the best old town that I know
Oh you Rosseau, where the summer breezes blow,
Where the skies are the clearest and the girls that you meet are the fairest,
Oh you Rosseau, you’re the best old town that I know.
Who knew that the little village would command such passion from the water.
By Tim Du Vernet
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