Georgian Bay

Province: Ontario

Highways 400 and 93 from Toronto.

A large bay, so cut off it is almost a lake, Georgian Bay is part of Lake Huron, and was named after George IV. In the north, with its wild, rocky shoreline, it has an atmosphere all its own, dotted with small islands, some no more than a big, bare rock, others with a couple of crooked pine trees. The bay shore in the west and in parts of the south has the high limestone cliffs of the Niagara Escarpment, which, together with the long, sandy beaches on the southern shore and the Midland Peninsula, help to make Georgian Bay the ideal place for anyone who enjoys spending time on, in, or around the water. Owen Sound, Penetanguishene, Washaga Beach, Midland, Parry Sound and Collingwood are all popular holiday resorts on the bay's shores, rich in history and atmosphere.

In the early 17th c., Georgian Bay, home to the Huron Indians, was where the Jesuit missions first set out to convert the Indians, starting with Etienne Brulé in 1610. He was followed by trappers and Jesuit missionaries from Québec, who established their first station here in 1639. Weakened by disease introduced by the new settlers, and under constant threat of attack from the Iroquois to the south, the Huron eventually succumbed, but when several of the Jesuits were tortured to death in 1649, the Ste-Marie mission station was abandoned.

The resorts on the southern shores of Georgian Bay are very popular at weekends and in the summer, and can become just as crowded as any European holiday playground.