File:Controlled Access (30517109117).jpg

Controlled Access

« The Magnetawan River flows almost 175 km from its headwater in Magnetawan Lake in Algonquin Park through the Almaguin Highlands and all the way to Georgian Bay. There are five lakes accessible from the river, including Ahmic Lake and Lake Cecebe, and it is possible to boat more than 60 km of river between the towns of Burk’s Falls and Ahmic Harbour. In the late 1800s the river was used to transport people and freight westward, forming the backbone of a land and water route between Burk’s Falls and Parry Sound. Prior to the dawn of the 20th century, the addition of the locks at the town of Magnetawan and several dams along the river, including the dam at Knoepfli Falls, made this passage easier and served to draw an increasing number of tourists to the region. » (1)

« The lock at Magnetawan, built by the Ontario Government, 1883-6, was replaced in 1911 by the present concrete structure. The original stone-filled timber cribwork measured 34 by 8.5 metres. The lock raised or lowered steamers about 3 metres, enabling them to run between Ahmic Harbour, 16 km below Magnetawan, and Burk's Falls, 32 km above it. In the quarter-century following its completion, an average of 704 passages were made through the locks by steamships each season. Notable among these ships were the "Wenonah" (1886), "Glenrosa" (1891), "Wanita" (1896), "Glenada" (1904) and "Armour" (1906). The "Mike", the last steamship to ply these waters, was removed from the river about 1934. » (2)

Sources: (1) <a href="https://explorersedge.ca/paddling-the-magnetawan-river/" rel="nofollow">explorersedge.ca/paddling-the-magnetawan-river/</a>