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History

Origins and Ownership

Big and Little Lake Kennisis lie in the geographical Township of Havelock and the Municipality of Dysart in Haliburton County, Central Ontario, Canada. The Township of Havelock was named after British general Sir Henry Havelock after his success in relieving the city Lucknow during the 1857 Mutiny in India. Lake Kennisis itself was originally named Lake Alexandra by the Canadian Land and Emigration Company (C.L. & E.C.) to honor Alexandra, Princess of Wales. The name was also an attempt by the company directors of London to make the area more appealing to British settlers, but the names didn’t remain for long. In 1859, the Crown Land Department of the Province of Canada offered the ten townships of the area for sale with the hope that private enterprise would be enable them to be open to settlement. Sir Francis Bond Head, former Governor of Upper Canada, had interested potential investors in England, and was expected to be chairman of the C.L. & E.C., which was incorporated in London in 1861. Yet, Thomas Chandler Haliburton, reputable author, lawyer, justice of the Nova Scotia Supreme Court, and Member of the British Parliament, took Head’s place after he turned down the position. After negotiation between the company and the Province of Canada in 1864, the C.L. & E.C. gained ownership of the ten townships. Haliburton’s name was given to the settlement in Dysart Township that same year and to the county in 1874 when three townships from Victoria Country and twenty from Peterborough County were joined to create the Provisional County of Haliburton.

Settlement

The settlement on Lake Kennisis consisted of hard granite that was ill suited for cultivation, causing few to stay as permanent residents. In addition to the agricultural difficulties brought upon by the land was the lack of proper roads for access to the townships in the area. Although the Bobcaygeon Road, which ran near Minden, and Peterson Road, which ran east from the village of Muskoka Falls near Bracebridge, were available for travel, both road were virtually impassable much of year in the early days. By the 1930s, a deal was made by the C.L. & C.E. to have another road constructed from Haliburton Village to Eagle Lake and Redstone. However, it was not until the completion of the road from West Guilford in the 1940s that the area was able to become a vacation property that attracted many people. Later in 1964, the Department of Highways map showed a road along the southern shore of Lake Kennisis and on the northern shore to the Narrow between Big and Little Kennisis. By the first decade of the 21st century, a large number of cottages along the two lakes were built as roads improves and dependable snow clearing made it possible fore retirees to live in comfort and security all year long.

Kennisis Lake Cottage Owner’s Association (KLCOA)

The Kennisis Lake Cottage Owner’s Association (KLCOA) is a non-profit organization that is committed to contribute and provide the best services to its members, cottagers, and its visitors. The organization sponsors and conducts many activities for cottagers of all ages during the summer. KLCOA does not operate on a loan, mortgage or any other kind of debt to run its affairs.

Events conducted by KLCOA

Events and contests that are held by KLOCA every summer include:

• Swimming Lessons
• Fishing Tournament
• Island Clean-up where volunteers and participants spend a couple of hours picking up waste from the Island
• Regatta
• Canoe Lessons

Celebrations are held for holidays such as Halloween, Valentine’s Day, Canada Day. All the members, cottagers, and visitors gather together and participate in various activities, barbecues, and firework shows at night time.

The Association

The Association itself consists of Executive Community members such as a President, Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary and Directors. Each member has a role and duty assigned by the Board that contributes to the Association and the cottagers.

The Board conducts meetings during each season to discuss the Association and the events to be held during the summer or for any other occasions. During these meetings, the Board makes decisions about how to improve or solve any problems at the Kennisis Lake Cottage.

The KLCOA only consists of people who pay an annual fee in order to be a member. The membership fee is $30 before July 1st and $35 after July 1st.

Norah’s Island

Norah's Island is the largest island in Kennisis Lake (22 archers and 1000 meters from the nearest shoreline). The island was named after Norah Carruthers, the late wife of Bruce Carruthers, who owned the island for 32 years. Bruce Carruthers donated the island to the KLCOA in the summer of 2007. Since then, many members have donated money to maintain the cost of preserving the natural habitat of the island through the process of an endowment fund. Norah’s island has been deemed a lasting piece of land representing the true ecosystem of Kennisis Lake. The island ecosystem consists of native trees that surround the lake as well as many rare, native species of orchids. The natural habitat of the island is protected, prohibiting development and allowing access to all of the cottagers to enjoy. The KLCOA is in the process of developing a plaque to acknowledge the members of the KLCOA who support the Island by donating $50,000.

Norah's Island Land Transfer

The land transfer was initiated by Environment Canada labeling the Island as ecologically sensitive.The donation of Norah’s Island from Bruce Carruthers, in memoriam of his late wife, took place in 2007. Ribbons were tied to symbolize the uniting of the Halliburton Highlands Land Trust, and the Kennisis Lake Cottage Association. On the day of the land transfer, members of the KLCOA and their families gathered on the island to celebrate the day.

Activities

Skiing

The Kennisis ski trails are maintained by residents of the lake. Measuring 10 kilometer in length, the ski trails reopened off the west shores of Kennisis Lake (in what is known as the ‘Clear Lake Conservation Area’). With access on West Shore Road, the trails map around west of Kennisis down to the south of Red Pine Lake.

Fishing

There are two public access points to Kennisis Lake. One access point nears the southeast shore of the lake, while the other access point is close to the Kennisis Dam. The availability of access opens the public to the opportunity of fishing on the lake. Kennisis has been stocked with thousands of lake trout since 1925. At all depths, the lake is well oxygenated all year round. This contributed to the optimal conditions for growth and naturalized reproducing of the trout population. Despite a lack of breeding sites being documented, natural reproduction is evident with reported fair catches of unmarked lake trout.

Additionally, the common white sucker, longnose sucker, yellow perch, brown bullhead, smallmouth bass, rock bass, and a wide variety of minnow species stocked the rest of the lake’s fish population.

Tree Planting

The tree and shrub planting program was recently established in 2009. This program offers Kennisis members the chance to rehabilitate open or harvested areas, control erosion, create windbreaks, naturalize shorelines, or create wildlife surroundings. For this program, the KLCOA offers two classifications of trees (coniferous trees and deciduous trees) and two classifications of shrubs (shoreline shrubs and upland shrubs). Kennisis members have the option of ordering the tree or shrub of their choosing.

The coniferous trees the KLCOA include white pine (that grows 30-45cm tall), white spruce (30-45cm tall), and balsam fir (20-35cm tall). The deciduous trees consist of red oak (60-90cm tall), white birch (45-60cm tall), and sugar maple (60-90cm tall). The program also provides shoreline shrubs such as red osier dogwood (60-90cm) and upland shrubs including staghorn sumas (30-45cm tall).

Maintenance of the planted trees and shrubs involve the controlling of weeds or other competing species around the young plants and provide adequate watering in the event of summer drought conditions to help the plants establish.

Sailing

The Ontario Sailing Association (OSA) runs a BOOM Sailing Program at Kennisis Lake during the summer. The program offers Kennisis resident members and non-members five days of lessons. This program includes in-water and in-class sessions teaching Kennisis members how to sail on the lake. The Ontario Sailing Association provides professional instructors tending to a limited class of sixteen students. The OSA also supplies instructional boats, teaching aids and lifejackets for all the participants. Although the summer program targets children ages nine to fifteen, the OSA offers an adult “learn to sail” program with a more limited number of participants.

Swimming

Swimming lessons are held at Kennisis Lake Marina every summer for six weeks. These lessons are available for both members and non-members. To be eligible for a badge, Kennisis’ swimming students must attend at least two weeks of lessons. However this does not imply that the participant will pass the level.

Regatta

The annual Regatta is an all-day event that brings residents together to participate in games and activities. A marathon swim, horseshoe tournament, battleship golf, mini putt, Frisbee, morning swim races, water balloon toss, bubblegum blowing contest, afternoon boat races, egg tosses, log rolling contests, and more activities fill the day. Most of the activities compete for prizes, typically trophies named after generous donors. The major events include:

Marathon swim

All participants must be accompanied by a boat as they swim from the island to the Marina Property.

Morning swim

With the exception of boys six years old and under falling under one category, KLCOA categorizes boys in their own age together. The all the boys compete against other boys approximately their own. Similar to the boys morning swim competition, girls compete against other girls in their same age groups. In the morning swims that include girls and boys as one category have a wider ranged age group (for example, fourteen years and under, twelve and under, twelve and over, thirteen and over). For most of these gender integrated races, the participants are competing individually. The exception for these single races is the T-shirt relay. The relay allows four members per group.

The adults (starting from age seventeen and over) have age groups, but are more extensive than the children’s age groups. Men have two age groups. One age group varies from ages seventeen to twenty-nine; the other, thirty year old and over. Kennisis also has an all-star swim race for the men. Women age groups are similar, but their younger age group starts at age nineteen. The women can also compete in their own all-star swim competition. The time when women can swim against men is in the age group of fifty-five and over for the Remax Cup.

Afternoon boat races

After the midday activities of water balloon tosses and bubble gum blowing contests, boat races load the afternoon with friendly competition. The usual boat races at Kennisis include:

• Pie Plate Race a race consisting of boats and canoes that are propelled by metal pie plates. This race often includes four participants per boat or canoe. They supply their own metal pie plates and create their own propeller.
• Paddle Boat Race
• Open Canoe Race a canoe race that only has one participant in each canoe.
• Kayak Race a race in which Kennisis divides the kayak races into separate age categories. One age group consists of both boys and girls sixteen years old and under. The other age group is made up of both men and women ages seventeen and older.
• Backwards Canoe Race a group race in which each group comprises of two men and two women racing together in one canoe.
• In and Out Canoe Race a race n which each team involves two members racing in one canoe.
• Canoe Race a race that involves teams of four. Each team includes two male and two female participants. Like many of the races, the canoe race divides itself into two age groups. The youth race participants range from ages sixteen and under. The adult race has members starting from ages seventeen and over.

• Family Members Canoe Race a group race that involves members of the same family racing together as one unit.

Water Quality

Kennisis Lake is located within the Canadian Shield, so it is among deep lakes containing few minerals. This is because of the erosion of granite in the lakes doesn’t happen as much as it would elsewhere. There have been observations of a lack in clarity of the water, but this isn`t due to mineral or chemical buildup. The average measurement of phosphorous in the lake water is around 7 µg/L. However, deposits of dissolved organic carbon may affect the clarity of the water due to the lake acting as a watershed to nearby wetlands. Increased rainfall can cause sediment to get into the lake, also decreasing clarity. That being said, though, it is only a slight issue and is not a major problem to the water itself.

Interesting Facts

• The Kennisis Lake got its name from the early settlers who recorded the name of Joe Kennisis, an Indian, whose family had lived by hunting and fishing around the lake.
• By the 1880s, a four-foot dam was built where the Kennisis River flows out of the lake to provide a few weeks longer of sufficient water to float logs down to the mills.
• The First Nation in the Kennisis area gave up all rights to lands, along the Trent-Severn Waterway due to the Williams Treaty signed in 1923, between the federal government and the tribes of the land. Relics of these nations have been found in the areas of Haliburton where villages of the Hurons were established.
• In 1955, Hayward and Jones Ltd. of Peterborough obtained an option to buy the shoreline of Big and Little Kennisis from Hay and Co. Hence, the development of Big and Little Kennisis began in 1957 and 1962 respectively.
• After Hayward and Jones Ltd. sold its lot of land to the Kennisis Lake Development Ltd in 1963, three bridges, a hydro service, and a dam were developed.

External Links

History of Kennisis
Norah's Island
Articles about Norah's Island
Kennisis Lake Cottage Owners' Association
Boom Sailing Program

References

MacKinnon, Gordon. "THE FORGOTTEN HISTORY OF LAKE KENNISIS" (PDF). Highland Park Spring Newsletter 1981. Retrieved 26 March 2012.

Pinkney, Jeff. "NORAH'S ISLAND UPDATE". KLCOA. Retrieved 23 March 2012.

Hendrick, Laura. "Celebrating Norah". ECHO. Retrieved 25 March 2012.

Vandermolen, Tyler. "Water Quality Indicator Trends" (PDF). Trent University. Retrieved 28 March 2012.

"Kennisis Lake Cottage Owners' Association 2011". KLCOA. Retrieved 25 March 2012.