Unique Muskoka August
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y fire in January 1969. Thanks to local<br />
steamboat enthusiasts who campaigned to<br />
save it, the Segwun became a dockside<br />
museum in the early 1960s.<br />
The Ontario Road Builders’ Association<br />
came to the rescue and the Segwun was slowly<br />
restored with the help of hundreds of<br />
volunteers. It has been cruising since 1982<br />
and was later joined by the Wanda III in 1996<br />
and Wenonah II in 2002.<br />
To celebrate the 150 th anniversary of<br />
steamboating in <strong>Muskoka</strong>, on Aug. 20 both<br />
the RMS Segwun and Wenonah II will recreate<br />
the nostalgic 100-mile cruise featuring all<br />
three of the <strong>Muskoka</strong> lakes and will be<br />
escorted by over 100 antique and classic<br />
boats.<br />
The <strong>Muskoka</strong> Discovery Centre (formerly<br />
the <strong>Muskoka</strong> Boat & Heritage Centre) also<br />
has a new exhibit with a spectacular side view<br />
of what the Wenonah looked like in 1866.<br />
As for the man responsible for <strong>Muskoka</strong>’s<br />
steamboating legacy, the Town of<br />
Gravenhurst agreed to change the name of<br />
Central Square at the Gravenhurst Wharf,<br />
which overlooks where passengers board the<br />
RMS Segwun and Wenonah II, to A.P.<br />
Cockburn Square. The request was made by<br />
the A.P Cockburn Initiative Committee,<br />
which is made up of history-minded<br />
citizens.<br />
The dedication ceremony took place on<br />
June 1 and there is already discussion of a<br />
municipal holiday in his name, similar to<br />
John Graves Simcoe Day in Toronto. Years<br />
from now, we may see a statue of Cockburn<br />
staring out at Gravenhurst Bay where he<br />
launched the Wenonah on a beautiful June<br />
day.<br />
Cockburn died believing he was a<br />
failure. We’re finally setting the record<br />
straight that he got that wrong.<br />
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AUG. 20 2016<br />
The Segwun and<br />
Wenonah II will<br />
recreate the<br />
nostalgic 100-mile<br />
cruise featuring all<br />
three of the<br />
<strong>Muskoka</strong> lakes.<br />
<strong>August</strong> 2016 UNIQUE MUSKOKA 35
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