Old Moodie Farm Site

Lake Katchawanook

Excerpt of Letter from Susanna Moodie to (her son-in-law), John Vickers in Toronto:

Lakefield, North Douro
June 13 [1872]

My dear Mr Vickers,

… And now I must tell you about our trip on Tuesday up to Stoney Lake in the steamer, The Cheppewa. Robert ran in about 10 on Tuesday morning and asked us if we could be ready in an hour and he would send his buggy to take us to the landing. It was not a picnic, only a small family party and he would bring all that was necessary. Aunt was quite delighted and little wee Kate was sent to Mrs Percy’s who could not go, the house shut up and we were soon ready for the cart. Percy called in, and advised me to walk with him, as he thought that that the Buggy would scarcely hold two fairies like Aunt and me. I was of his opinion and off we went. The walk was rather long, and the day, the hottest of the season so far…

Well, we had a delicious sail up the lakes to Julians landing on Stoney lake, but though the waters remained the same as of yore, all the scenery I once knew along the shores was quite changed. Our old place I should never have recognized. The woods about it are all gone, and a new growth of small cedars fringes the shore in front. There is a tolerable modern cottage on the spot, that the old log house once occcupied, and the old barn survives on the same spot on which it was built more than 30 years ago, but the woods that framed it in, are all down, and it has a bare desolate look, and is used as a place for feeding young cattle. The back waters from the mill dams have drowned all the trees on Moodie’s Island which still bears the name, and it has become a very ugly place to what it was in the hand of Nature.