Pickerel River 1962

In March 1962 at The Sportsman's Show we bought a prefab cottage from Colonial Homes. The cabin was 18'X22' and cost $850.00, plus $250.00 for erection and $60.00 delivery, to the Marina. We had to be at the Marina when it came in to load it on the barge and tow it down the river with my 10HP Mercury. There were 5 of us to to the job. George , his friend Henry, Orville Emile, and myself. It took us almost all day as it had to be carried up a 50 embankment. When we were finished carrying up to the site, we had our prepared lunch, a few drinks and went home, after returning the barge. The two builders came up the following Monday and had the cabin built on Wednesday. We went back up the following Saturday and were very pleased with the work. We had to find a propane stove, and a propane refrigerator. I went to Superior Propane head office in Maple and bought a used converted Servel gas refrigerator, for $100.00 and a combination wood, 4 burner propane stove, for $40.00. We then had to look around for furniture but that was not a problem because a lot of people when they heard we bought a cottage were coming out of the woodwork offering us furniture not mention that George was a garbage man and picked up lots of stuff we could use that was destined for the dump anyway. The cottage lot about an acre and a half cost us $600.00, so the whole cost was about $1850.00 plus whatever we paid for the accoutrement's.

I decided that I wanted to get a bigger motor because my 10HP never pushed the fibreglass boat very well, and decided on a 25HP Mercury. I bought the 25 HP but was never satisfied the way it pushed the boat, which was a heavy boat. When talking about it George said he would give me what I had paid for it and I could put that toward a 1963, 35 HP Mercury which worked our real well. Later on in 1962 we dragged the old cottage up the hill and re-erected it and would use it as an overflow, if we had to many people for the new one or if someone wanted to come up we thought we would rent it out. When I had bought the new 25 HP motor, the dealer didn't want to give me much for a trade in so I never traded in. I had paid about 400 dollars and they wanted to give me about 50 dollars, but would charge me 25 dollars for an extra tank so I said I would keep it. A friend ad work Martin Sikora one day asked if him and a couple of his friends could use the cottage and I told him what John Warren told me 2 dollars each per day as it cost us 20 dollars for the piece of linoleum we put on the floor. I told him we wouln't rent out the new one, but if he wanted to go with me it wouldn't cost anything as we would be together.

Martin Sikora, Wally Toss who I knew from Bathurst St, and Bren Salvage came up for a weekend. I lent them my ten for a boat they rented and we went fishing all weekend Martin and myself in one boat, Wally and Bren in the other boat, and we caught lots of fish. On our way home Bren asked me if I was interested in selling the 10 and I told him I was but that the dealer had offered me only 50 dollars and that was a none starter, if I couldn't get 200 dollars for it I wouldn't sell it. Bren said that he had just bought a Scott Atwater and would have to see if he could sell it. About a month later Bren called me a said that he had sold his Scott Atwater for a loss to be able to buy my ten which he did. A while after that they again asked me if they could rent the cabin which I said they could for the 2 dollars each per day. They took me up on that and took the little cabin for the weekend. When I saw Martin later he complained about the mosquitoes and said he didn't think they should have to pay the full amount, twelve dollars, I said Martin you don't have to pay anything at all, just don't ask to use it again. A couple days later he gave me a cheque for twelve dollars, and that was it for many years, until I spoke with Wally Toss, and he shook his head and couldn't believe it, I said Wally he was cheap.

After getting the propane stove and fridge we had to have them hooked up so we got Mr. Everingham to send someone down to do it, and he sent Lyman Newton, and although I had met Lyman before, this was the beginning of a long relationship. There wasn't anyone on the river who knew more about it than Lyman. Lyman was born on the river, grew up to guide, and trap with his father at first, and then by himself, and was involved in helping to build, and take care of many of the cottages, and knew the river more than most. Lyman and his wife Doris lived in a house on a property beside the Marina, with their four kids. Rocky being the oldest, Julie, Betty, and Walter. Over the years our family and theirs grew quite close and have remained that way ever since. When we first started driving up there we had to go on a long circuitous route, Highway 400 to Barrie, 11 from Barrie to Bracebridge, 69 Bracebridge to Parry Sound, and 69 to the Pickerel with two, 15 mile gravel washboard sections between Parry Sound and Pickerel River. Was I ever glad to see the end of those two washboard sections. Eventually they connected several roads, making the route much straighter, thereby shortening the journey, and in the few couple of years it will be improved to the extent that it will be four lane all the way.