Camp Seven

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July 16, 2006

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CAMP SEVEN ET ALL (1903-1928)
By F. Bruce Ryans (53-55, 56)

The Seanchai
The J.C. Moore (47-70) I knew in the 50’s much enjoyed mealtimes; desserts in general, and gooey ones in particular. He loved ‘Tale Telling Time’, which he managed to make an integral part of most mealtimes. J.C. liked to narrate stories – long or short – about staff, campers and the camp itself. He was both storyteller and historian. J.C. was most definitely a Seanchai (pronounced – in the Irish Gaelic – as ‘Shawn-a-key’). Now the Camp Seven account is one that I would have passed to him as I made each new discovery. The complete Camp Seven tale is one that J.C. would have wished to tell – could have spun so well – should have had the opportunity to relate – back in ‘The Good Olde Days’.

Sadly my findings come too late – much too late – for a mentor’s ear. I wish to pass my account to interested HSR Alumni, and especially to a very old friend Al Moore (47-57). Of course I dedicate this story to J.C. – ‘The Camp Kennabi Seanchai’.

Tracking That Troublesome Trail
It was late June of ’53, my first year on Kennabi H.Q. Staff. Gathered on the road between the hospital (now Bayview) and Mill Valley Manor (original Staff cabin), were some volunteers and a few regular staff. I recall clearly the veteran Al Moore – temporarily on crutches – introducing the new staff to Bill Henderson (59-61,80) and Howard (Beans) Harper (50?-60?) of the Fort Rouillé Rover Crew. There were others but their names now elude me. Since most of us were Rovers, the topic of discussion was the camp at Hurst Lake and the cabin recently built there by the 194th Rover Scout Crew. As we talked – and walked – towards Kennabi Lodge, the conversation swung to the long lost lodge depot then known as Mill Valley Lumber’s “Camp Seven’ – or just simply – ‘Camp Seven’.

Some years earlier these rovers had been told that this depot was locates in the northeast section of HSR property, its exact location - a mystery. I believe that some hunting had been done but to no avail. Those hunters were working with misleading facts. Misinformation led to misdirection. Those trackers had taken one truly, troublesome trail.

When I read Warner Clarke’s ‘Back Page’ in Issue 19 – spring 2000, I realized that the depot had not yet been found and that this made the hunt – about a half-century old. I had to smile, as I too had heard J.C. speak often of Mill Valley Lumber’s ‘Camp Seven’ up in the north part of the reserve. I would have been much more interested in the hunt, if the trail had not been so old and so cold. In truth it was even colder than any of us had been led to believe. J.C. was of the opinion that Camp Seven had been deserted in 1945 when Mill Valley ceased their 10 years of operation in the area. We all accepted his opinion as fact. The camp or depot had actually been abandoned in 1928. J.C. had been fed incorrect information! Camp Seven had been left abandoned 17 years earlier than we had all thought – 7 years before Mill Valley began operations. Those rover hunters were certainly working on the wrong premise and tracking on the wrong trail!

The Mill Valley Lumber Company
The Mill Valley Lumber Company operated from 1935 to 1945 (end of W.W. II) on what became in ’46, HSR property. As timber operations went, Mill Valley was rather small. They cut hardwoods such as maple, oak, beech, birch, and other broad-leaved trees, and dragged the logs out to the Kennaway Road. The logs were then toted to their small mill – west of Lake Kennabi. This was the same location used by the Wm. Laking Lumber Company, years earlier, as a depot, camp and farm site (not then a mill site). To-day this location is known as ‘The Mill Site’. Lumber produced there was trucked westward, on the Kennaway Rd., all the way to the Village of Haliburton, and perhaps beyond.

Since hardwood logs tend to sink (even softwoods do so, on occasion), Mill Valley did not float logs to their small – steam-powered mill – using the waters of the Holland’s Creek Valley. Waterways were not a major part of their transportation system. Horses were still used to skid logs out to the Kennaway Rd. due to the shortage of petroleum products during W.W. II. In the 50’s, stables still remained on the south side of the Kennaway Rd. at ‘The Mill Site’. These stables may have been built by Laking’s or Mill Valley. In the early 1950’s several ‘Mill Site’ buildings were moved down to the Kennabi H.Q. area. The old Staff Cabin, ‘Mill Valley Manor’, was one such structure. Its neighbour, ‘Bunky’, was definitely not. George Kerr (51-6, 58-9, 60,64) has stated correctly, that ‘Bunky” was built as his own personal quarters. I will always remember George’s cabin in its original location, across the road from Cooky, nearer the lake, and facing the office door to Kennabi Lodge (H.Q.).

When I worked for George in ’53, I cannot recall him saying much about Camp Seven. Almost all talk on the subject that year seemed to originate with those Fort Rouillé Rovers.

The Record Hunt
Recently, more by accident than by design, I joined the hunt for the elusive Camp Seven. With several maps, four books, and two booklets, I began. I did not once find a reference to a Mill Valley camp or depot with a numerical designation. I began to hear a faint alarm bell ringing, somewhere in the back of my mind. I found the camps with numerical designation, but they were not assigned to Mill Valley. That alarm bell increased in volume! I joined the hunt in earnest.

I have an informative booklet that is titled ‘Trail Routes and Points of Interest’. It has a round Camp Kennabi crest on the cover and it was printed by ‘The Boy Scouts Association Toronto Metropolitan Area’. Unfortunately it is not dated, but it’s circa ’50 for sure. I was truly surprised to find in this rather archaic booklet, information on ‘numbered’ lumber camps. Under ‘Points of Interest’ there were four entries that really grabbed my attention. I’ve copied then – verbatim:

1) “Dams and Log Chutes - - At the gorge there is a series of log chutes, similar chutes and dams are to be found throughout this water course from Drag Lake to Camp 7. A large wooden dam is located up river towards Minnie Lake from the Gorge.” (N.B. “Camp 7”)

2) “Camp 5A - - Continue on the road around the West and North shore of Hollen (sic) Lake to a creek and open gravelly spot. Camp 5A of the Laking Lumber Company was on this level area.” (N.B. “Camp 5A, Laking”)

3) “Beaver Lake - - Can be reached by following West shore of Hurst Lake to Beaver Meadow and Beaver Lake. An alternate route is North on the trail to the left at camp 5A to the top of hill, and at first left turn in the road (approximately 1/4 mile) take the blazed trail to the right, which follows the ridge to Beaver Lake.” (N.B. Camp 5A)

4) “Burleigh Road - - The old Burleigh Road (1860) – now just a lumber trail – runs north and south between Yankton and Grace Lakes, and can be followed to abandoned camp (sic) 7A of the Laking Lumber Company, Situated approximately 2 miles N.N.E. of Camp H.Q. Followed in a southerly direction, it leads to the town of Wilberforce.” (N.B. Camp 7A Laking)

These four entries were among a total list of forty-four in all. Not one of the three camps was assigned to Mill Valley Lumber. That alarm bell rang loud and clear at this point! Both Camps 5A and 7A were assigned to the Laking Lumber Company! Camp 7 was not assigned to a firm. Even so it would seem reasonable that it was also a Laking camp. J.C. could not have helped write these entries. J.C. could not have read these entries. J.C. must have filed the booklet much as I did. Why didn’t ‘I’ read the booklet? Booklet in hand, and alarm bell ringing much louder now – I felt – just a little foolish. The booklet was strong proof for a ‘Laking Camp 7’ over a ‘Mill Valley Camp 7’ – albeit far from conclusive at this point. I trudged on through the records.

The Wm. Laking Lumber Company
The Wm. Laking Lumber Co. built a new water-power mill in the centre of Haliburton Village in 1903. It was destroyed by fire several years later but rebuilt as a bigger mill. Laking had a much larger operation than Mill Valley, and finished in 1928, seven years before Mill Valley began. Laking were cutting timber as far north as the northeast corner of Dudley Township, well beyond HSR. property. Briefly I had thought 7A and 7 might be the same location! The booklet placed 7A at 2 miles north northeast of Kennabi Lodge. Further research place Camp 7 about 3 3/8 miles (as the crow flies) northeast of Kennabi Lodge and designated it as a Wm. Laking Lumber Company depot, absolutely without question. I still can’t believe that I didn’t read that booklet!

Laking cut eastern white pine almost exclusively. Softwoods like pine could be floated from the far reaches of the valley drained by Holland’s Creek, with the aid of a series of dams and chutes, all the way to the final dam at their mill in Haliburton. The dam and chute in the gorge below Minnie Lake were part of Laking’s system. They built a depot and farm complex just south of the gorge. (Mill Valley would use that same location to build their mill – thus the birth of the term The Mill Site.) Laking, unlike Mill Valley, used the waterways. One could say that their operation in Dudley Township was the waterways. Roads such as the Kennaway were used to move men, equipment and supplies. Roads were important, but secondary.

Timber firms such as Laking Lumber often assigned numbers to designate depots, camps, dams and chutes, farms, and special work sites (possibly a mill). The term ‘camp’ prevailed. A so-called ‘camp’ might have housed and feed either men or the work animals. Neither tents nor buildings were required at a designated ‘camp’. A single dam, such as the one at Minnie Lake, would have been designated a ‘camp’ and numbered. Although useful as an operational convenience, these numbers were as temporary as most of the structures and locations they represented. When the timber cutting operation terminated, the ‘camps’ were abandoned and most often – totally forgotten.

The Map Location
In order to locate Camp 7 you will need a good topographical map of Haliburton County. I have been working with a map dated 1964, printed in 1965. A pencil, ruler and mathematical dividers are useful. Locate the boundary line between Dudley Township and Harcourt Twp. (north/south line). Now using the map scale, draw a parallel line 1 7/8 miles west of it. Next, locate the boundary line between Dudley Twp. and Harburn Twp. (east/west line). Again using the map scale, draw a parallel line 1 1/8 miles south of it. Camp 7 is located at the ‘point of intersection’ of these two lines. Set the dividers to scale for 3 3/8 mi. and place one point on the point of intersection (Camp 7). The other divider point should reach Kennabi Lodge (the west end of Kennabi Lake). Set the dividers to scale for 2 1/8 mles and place one point on the point of intersection (Camp 7). The other divider point should reach the northeast corner of Dudley Twp. (in the middle of Buck, also know as Fourcorner Lake) which also just happens to be the southwest corner of Algonquin Provincial Park to-day (not so, circa 1950).

If all of this works out perfectly on your map, you are indeed most fortunate. Maps often vary! In any event I hope you have either pinpointed Camp 7, or have a very good idea of its location. You have found the Wm. Laking Lumber Company’s (not Mill Valley’s) ‘Camp Seven’ up in the northeast part of Dudley Twp. (not the HSR). Darn that misinformation!

Holland’s Creek flows southward and just east of Camp 7. The creek suddenly takes a sharp turn westward (90 degree angle)! The depot (Camp 7) is in the area just northwest of that right angle bend in the creek. Less than 1/2 mile west of this bend, and on the north side of the creek, there was and may still be a trapper’s cabin. That cabin is on a small pond or widening of the creek and just south southwest of Camp Seven. It is somewhat hidden.

How does your armchair guide know the exact location of Camp 7? How does he know that it was part of Wm. Laking Lumber’s operation? Richard Pope’s book “Me n Len…” holds the answers. There are eleven references to Laking’s (sic) Lumber. They are on pages: 10, 11, 27, 50, 62, 74, 75, 78, 99, 100 and 105 (no index – sorry) ‘Laking’s no. 7’ itself is mentioned on pages: 10, 27, 50, 75 and 99. The map on page 10 is the single most important reference by far! In the Keyed Locations (Legend), 13 is listed as ‘Laking’s No 7. (Logging)’. Why did nobody (including myself) pick up on this trail long before now? I have read the text at least three times and some sections four or five times. My best reason would be that I sought other information – concentrated on it – only on it. This may have been the real reason but I can offer no good excuse. When I finally took close notice of the 13 on the map, the bell ringing was deafening! The unlucky No. 13 had led to a lucky No.7 – ‘Eureka!’ perhaps it was simply – ‘The Luck of The Irish’? I had found Camp Seven.

The cabin on Holland’s Creek, so near ‘Laking’s No.7’ is 3 in the keyed locations and is listed as ‘For Camp (Trapping)’. This camp or cabin most definitely belonged to Len Holmes who lived in Wilberforce. Now the author, Richard Pope, accompanied Len to that very cabin. Len told Richard that the boards for the cabin’s roof and floor had been “…salvaged… from the abandoned Laking’s Number Seven camp, which was right close at hand,” (p.75). Len also said, “just picked the best of the lumber… and carried it on my shoulder down to where my campsite was there” (p.75). This took place after 1928 of course (thus circa 1930). I believe the distance between Len’s cabin and ‘Camp Seven’ was at most a 1/4 mile.

If you have a map showing concessions and lots, the following information might interest you. I estimate that Camp 7 was (is) located on Concession XI of Dudley TWP. and could be either Lot 28 or 29 (or both). Len’s cabin or ‘Far Camp’ was probably built on Lot 17 or 28 of the same concession. The distance from the Town of Wilberforce to Camp 7 is about 7 3/4 miles (as the crow flies) but close to 9 miles by way of the Burleigh Road. From East Bay (Drag Lake) the distance is about 5 1/4 miles (a.t.c.f.).

If only I could have said, “J.C. – I’ve found it – I’ve found ‘Camp Seven’! Now I’ve got to find Harper and tell him. Beans and I…”. If Only…!

I find it ironical that having finally located one camp (Camp 7), we have only discovered another ‘missing’ camp (Camp 7A). Now I already have a lead on this other tale. I will forward that story to Warner (a.s.a.p.). We can’t wait another 50 years.

The Challenge
Back in ‘The Good Olde Days’ (ca. 1950) I believe that a ‘King Scout’ holding a ‘Bushman’s Thong’ – and worth his salt – could have visited ‘Camp Seven’ using the information provided. Are there alumni willing and able to do so, in the twenty-first century? I hope that someone will take up the challenge – soon! We seniors are all to aware that – ‘Tempus Fugit’.

The Warning
‘Be Prepared’! Those first to reach ‘Camp Seven’ must be ready to share their campfire with ‘shades of the past’. Irish, Beans, J.C. and others no doubt, will make very good, no, the best of company.