People

In November 1818, in the “spirit of sharing the land”, the Mississauga First Nation and the British Crown signed Treaty 19 encompassing a large swath of territory that included Haliburton County. The treaty was signed by four Chiefs, one being Chief Yellowhead who helped early settlers survive in Haliburton, and who was also a warrior in the Mackenzie rebellion of 1837. 

It is said that within ten days of signing the treaty, the Chiefs realized their error as they noted: “the settlers were abusing its terms by disrespecting the natural resources, raping Native women and children, rampantly killing animals, and restricting or prohibiting outright the Natives’ use of land.”   

In response to these complaints, the Queen’s representatives rounded up local Indigenous peoples moving them to reserve lands.  Another round-up occurred in 1923 under the terms of the Williams Treaty which not only relocated any remaining Indigenous peoples but also effectively removed their hunting and fishing rights in the area.

Whereas the first settlers to Haliburton in 1864-65 noted Indigenous peoples camping on the shores of Head Lake, by the late 1920s only a few local Indigenous canoes were seen travelling the Lake Kashagawigamog waters. (In Quest of Yesterday, Lila Reynolds, Pub. The Provisional County of Haliburton, Minden, Ontario, 1973) 

According to a local expert, Tom Ballentine, rich ancient and prehistoric archaeological sites on Lake Kashagawigamog tend to be clustered around narrows and peninsulas. Because of the early wars between First Nations, the shores of Lake Kashagawigamog have many sites where arrowheads and artifacts have been found. The locations of these sites are considered sensitive information by archaeologists and the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, so specific details and mapping are not readily available to the general public.  (A Brief Survey of Archeology in Haliburton County and Vicinity: Observations and Comment, Tom Ballentine, Haliburton Museum)

The company initiated winding-up proceedings in 1888, and was reincorporated by letters patent in Ontario as the Canadian Land and Immigration Company of Haliburton Limited in 1889. From 1890 to 1897 little activity took place. Sales of land and timber cutting rights had practically ceased. In 1895, Irwin declared bankruptcy and the bank (most likely the Canadian Bank of Commerce) took possession of his rights and interests in Haliburton, which included his shares in the new Company. 

In 1922, the company sold Bruton Township to the Hydro-Electric Power Commission of Ontario for $225,000, and proceeds from the sale allowed the company to buy back from the bank the timber cutting rights previously licensed to Irwin. In 1933, the company sold Clyde Township back to the Province for $25,000. 

During the Great Depression, lumbering activities ceased once again, and financial difficulties resulted in liens being placed against the company’s lands in Dysart. Lumbering enjoyed a revival in the Second World War years but, by the end of 1946, all of the land originally purchased by the company had been sold, the company wound up its affairs, surrendered its charter and ceased to exist.

The hundred years or so of early settlement in Haliburton did not result in large-scale agricultural or industrial development. However, as more roads were constructed to serve the few industries that were established and the settlements that had flourished, the region began to develop as a tourist and vacation area, and land sales began to increase. 

Source: Various sources as referenced in Wikipedia

For More Information:

Haliburton Highlands Museum

Alexander Niven: The Biography of an Early Haliburton County Surveyor, Kim Emmerson, Frieson Press, 2015