MLCA (Manitouwabing Lake Community Association) Manitouwabing Lake History & Stories

Welcome to the MLCA's Lake History and Stories!
Memories and recounts of precious time at the cottage

Memories of cottage life from Jim Szarka, Tait's Island, Oct/08.
Story is circa 1993
Between Christmas and New Year it had been raining and it resulted in about 2 inches of water over all the ice on the lake. On the day before New Years the temperature dropped to about 20 below and the night was absolutely still. We got up and the whole lake was like a hockey rink freshly groomed by a Zamboni.
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Lake Manitouwabing Cottage History
By Barbara Collier Cook with a few asides by Jim
In 1948 Bruce and Amy (Hilliker) Collier and their two children, Barbara and Barry, spent a week at the Lake Manitouwabing cottage of Bill Lacy, Sr. and his wife. The families had become friends through church work. Bill was the director of the Methodist Children's Home and Bruce was President of the Methodist Men of Detroit.
Bill Lacy, Sr., had four sons. The eldest, Ladd, surveyed the McKellar area for his Ph.D. geology dissertation at Harvard. He thought Lake Manitouwabing was beautiful and encouraged his father to buy the property now owned by Laura Ferguson on the west side of Lacy's Narrows. Read More...

ROGER LILLIE - MLCA LAKE HISTORY
Roger Lillie worked very hard in the early seventies to form the Tait's Island Cottagers' Association. He visited every cottager on the Island to ask for a contribution of $300.00 over three years so that the center of the island, approximately 100 acres, could be purchased from the owner. This would preserve the core from subsequent development. The total purchase price was $30,000.00 so 100 cottagers had to agree.   Read More...

Question: where is Birch Island?
Like the one about the Indian buried here and then moved.
From: Roy Hardie
I would like to collaborate on Manitouwabing Lake things as best I can from my family's perspective.

Birch Island lies between our old Hurdville farm and Tait's Island. I'm not sure anymore of the location of the small island "just off Birch Island" where 'John' Manitouwaba was first buried. John Moffat may have a good idea. Read More...

Tidbits of McKellar
(Photo & Story Contributed by Ted Dinniwell)
Photo
This is the road (causeway) leading to Tait's Island (1938)
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These are a few tidbits of McKellar. My wife’s grandfather William Tait and his wife Lydia moved to McKellar to the farmhouse on Spring Hill Road. The barn for the farm is on on Hwy 124 to your right as you enter the village. When we built our cottage in 1966, there were only 5 cottages on Tait’s Island. Arnold and Iva Tait’s cottage was next to ours. Towards the causeway was the cottage owned by Ralph Tait. It was originally Wm Tait’s cabin.   Read More...

Sheila Summerhays
Ken and I first saw Lake Manitouwabing in 1973 or 4 when we visited Ken's aunt and uncle, Rose and John Benson in their newly constructed summer home on Manitou Drive. John had just retired from his dental practice in Cleveland, Ohio. John was an avid fisherman, and came back to his Ontario roots almost every summer to go fishing and visit family. Upon retiring, he & Rose spent 5-6 months in Ontario and winters in Stuart, Florida.   Read More...

History from the O'Carroll Family
John O'Carroll
(part of the Bailey subdivision)
As you know everyone's perspective and recollection can differ quite a bit. I can tell you that all the O'Carroll family memories have been very fond of such a special place in our hearts. We are particularly lucky that Lake Manitouwabing is located just north of some other beautiful lakes but we do not have the crowds and are able to enjoy our lake in a more special way.   John, Garry and Declan arrived from Ireland in '58 as young boys with our parents Brendan and Kathleen and never lost our love of travel.
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More to follow...