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Book Review

Nov 12/99

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Book Review - David BrisonThe Dammed Lakes - an Environmental History of Crow and Bobs Lake by Lloyd B. Jonesself published, 278 pagesThis book was written by Lloyd Jones after he retired as a Superintendent of Education in 1992. Lloyd was described to me by a long time area resident as, ... one of those Crow Lake Joneses. A Crow Lake Jones he is -- his grandfather, William Charles Jones, was a foreman at the Bobs Lake mica mines in the early 1900s and his mother, Edith, came to Crow Lake as an 18 year old. Lloyd himself attended elementary school in Crow Lake and high school in Sharbot Lake. He has a Doctorate in education from the University of Toronto. He continues to come to Crow Lake as a cottager. Lloyd almost certainly could have written an interesting history of the lakes solely from accounts told to him by his relatives and many friends he has in the area. Instead he chose the tradition of an environmental history which he describes as: ... a study of a small area of Ontario over time where the activities of people have been, and continue to be, closely associated with the physical nature of the land, its plants, natural resources, and natural forces. The task he undertook is formidable. Not only does he describe the activities of people as they evolved over time ( he uses archaeological evidence to identify ancient Natives who lived in the area as early as 11,500 years ago) but shows how these activities were associated with environmental changes that took place over many years. Further, he decided not to narrow his treatment of environmental factors --one obvious way to have done that would have been to focus on the damming of the lakes, which has had a major impact on the lives of the people living around Crow and Bobs Lakes. Instead of a narrow focus, he comprehensively accounts for many of the physical aspects of the land: for example, geological changes over time, trees, animals and birds, wildflowers, and reptiles. Likewise, instead of looking at a limited range of human activities and their relation to the environment, such as the timber and mining industries, he chooses instead to include agriculture, social history, political structure, the history of cottagers over the years, and life during the war years (WWI & WWII). The methods he uses to compile his environmental history are comprehensive and exhaustive. Using what he describes as triangulation (the use of different sources and methods and extensive cross checking of references), he very rigorously advances as historical record only what he substantiates after finding some agreement from several sources. His sources include: interviews with selected knowledgeable people; information from people with specialized knowledge (geology, archeology); map, photograph, artifact, and site analyses; local histories, deeds and other legal documents; township surveys, minutes and records; private accounts and records genealogies, census data, and other primary and secondary sources ...

The rigour of his analysis appeals to this reviewer -- for a particular reason. I have been coming to Bobs Lake since 1954. Over the years, I have listened to local folklore on a number of subjects, such as the naming of the lake, the changing water levels in the summer (5 - 7 feet), the mining of mica, and the channel from Crow Lake into Crow Bay. Murton Badour, a farmer living in the East Basin of Bobs Lake, was one of the main sources for interviews for the book. Murton is an historian at heart and by disposition and my appreciation of the area has benefited from talking to him. I can't say the same about much of the lore repeated by other locals and cottagers alike. It never seemed to make sense to what is admittedly a sceptical mind, and much of it has been shown to be inaccurate through Lloyd's analyses. Lloyd is convincing on a number of points that have been of special interest to me over the years. This review then is not so much a review of the book as an environmental history but rather a consumer's review of the book as a reference for questions that have interested me first as a cottager and subsequently as a cottager/resident in the area. In terms of an environmental history, I think he has probably tried to do too much, but has come admirably close to achieving it. Some sections, such as the chapters (18, 19, 20) on flora and fauna, don't seem to me to be much of an advance over commonly known local accounts. Others, such as the history of ancient life on the lakes, are very impressive, and although they seem to reflect sound scholarship, I am in no position to judge. One phenomenon that is of great interest to everyone on the lakes is the fluctuation of water levels. I have always wondered when they were dammed, and why, and what the area looked like before the dams were built. Specifically whether Pine Island (which my brother and I and our families bought in 1958) was an island before the lake was dammed. Lloyd answers all of these questions and more in an interesting and informative fashion. Bobs Lake was dammed at Bolingbroke in 1821 by Alexander Thom, and added to by John Korry, which raised the water level 5-6 feet. The present dam was built by the federal Department of Public Works in 1871, raising the levels by another 8 feet. The dam was built in 1871 because of low water in the Rideau Canal, and because millers were complaining that John Korry was holding back water. The heightened dam produced major flooding in the 1870s. Lloyd's account of the influence of the Korrys on the life and economy of the region is fascinating, as is the history of the dam at Crow Lake. In 1871, an existing dam on Crow Lake was raised to a height of 25 feet, flooding much of the land around the lake. Lloyd estimates that the water rose to 30 feet above the present level! There is a map on page 91 which shows what the lakes looked like in 1820, before the first flooding. Of special interest to me is that it shows clearly that Pine Island was an island before the flooding -- although much closer to the mainland. I can remember Murton Badour's father, William, telling stories about the mining engineer for the Mica Mines in Mud Bay -- embellished by his biting wit (I suspect that humour won out over historical authenticity). The mine was in operation sporadically even after I began coming up in the early 50s. We often took trips over to view the open pits but it was hard to glean any idea of the scope of the operation. Lloyd in 3 pages tells most of what anyone could want to know about mica mining on Bobs Lake. The origin of the names of the lakes is of interest to summer residents. Local legend has it that they were both named after reclusive aboriginal trappers. Lloyd states that more is known about who didn't name the lakes than about who did. Through careful search of survey party journals and maps, he establishes that both lakes were already named in 1841. He can find no indication of who they were named for -- in fact claims that they were named for reclusive aboriginal trappers can't , he says, be supported with any certainty. The Dammed Lakes has enriched my life on the lake in a number of ways. One significant contribution has been Lloyd's treatment of the history of cottagers on the lake. The earliest cottager was Dr. Edward Renouf, a professor from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland. Dr. Renouf camped around the lake and eventually bought property. . One of Renouf's friends from Baltimore was Laura Lee Davidson, a school teacher, who eventually bought a place on an inaccessible part of the shoreline in the east basin. She wintered one year (1914) on the lake by herself, a very brave and probably foolish thing for her to do -- she didn't even know that the lake froze. She wrote a novel based on that experience, A Winter of Content and subsequently wrote two other books, The Isles of Eden, an account of her summer months in 1918, and We Build, her documentation of the building of the Anglican Church next to the Badour farm. Laura Davidson antagonized many of the local residents. Some of them appeared, thinly disguised, in her first two books and they didn't respond favourably to what they considered ill informed and condescending characterizations. She wrote about nature, with great feeling, in the stylish, somewhat stilted prose of the period. Lloyd Jones quotes extensively from her books, and very sympathetically. He conveys a sense, through her writing, of a remarkable woman who loved the lake and, over time, came to know the people who lived there well and appreciate them. The portrayal of Laura Lee Davidson in The Dammed Lakes has revived an interest in her books. A cottager has located 6 original editions of her books. Many people, including this author, intend to get copies and read them. Lots of people say they are going to write books when they retire. Few do, but a Crow Lake Jones has, and it is a good one. It is handsomely produced, well written, and immensely readable. The photographs are good -- lots of old ones from people's collections and additional ones taken by Lloyd's daughter, Laurien Jones. Books can be ordered by contacting: Lloyd Jones Box 194, Stirling, On K0K 3E0 (613) 395-2198 or (613) 279-3163

With the participation of the Government of Canada