The Development of Bigwin Island
The largest island on Lake of Bays, Bigwin has always had a prominent role in the community.
For hundreds of years prior to European settlement, members from Anishinaabeg First Nations
used the island for summer hunting and also as a burial ground. With colonial rule, these First
Nations were moved to communities at Rama on Lake Couchiching and Christian Island on
Georgian Bay, but continued to visit the lake. The Hudson Bay Company maintained a small
trading post outlet on the island in the 19th century to trade with trappers. Because of the need for
boat access, Bigwin Island was not developed into farmland during the land grant era, although
logging did occur. In 1910, Charles Orlando (C.O.) Shaw bought Bigwin Island and began
planning the construction of Muskoka’s most opulent summer resort hotel. Just three years
earlier, in 1907, the Lake of Bays’ finest hotel, the Wawa Hotel, had opened. Shaw had been
involved with the planning and management of the Wawa Hotel, but had a parted ways with the
owners after some disagreements. Shaw was eager to not only build a bigger hotel, but also one
that would not burn down. Most of Bigwin Inn was therefore built of concrete. The First World
War interrupted construction, but was rushed to completion by 1920. During the 1920s an
increasing number of guests arrived by automobile, but could not reach Bigwin Island. In 1923,
the Wawa Hotel had burned down, with the tragic deaths of 11 people. To accommodate Bigwin
Inn’s success, Shaw purchased the site of the Wawa Hotel property and turned it into a parking
lot where a small steamer met guests to ferry them over to the island. Located in the centre of the
lake, Bigwin Inn became an important focal point for summer society on the water. Dances,
regattas and other events attracted hotel guests and cottagers alike. The postwar cottaging boom
placed even great emphasis on Bigwin, since many more people had access to a motorboat and
congregated at the hotel. After Shaw died in 1942, the hotel was bought by Frank Leslie in 1959.
Leslie ran the hotel fairly successfully until financial troubles forced him to sell. Various
attempts were made by different combinations of investors to revive the property for the next
few decades. A small condominium project was developed and remains today. By the late 1980s,
with deteriorating buildings, the resort property was listed for sale for less than $500,000.
Finally, after new and visionary ownership, a plan for an expanded golf course and private club
was developed and opened in 2001. The magnificent dining room building was restored as the
centrepiece of the club. Sadly, the large boat house with overhead dance hall and the grand
rotunda building had deteriorated beyond repair and no longer exist. The massive fireplaces and
chimneys of the rotunda stand as monuments to the glamorous past of the Bigwin Inn. The
former Bigwin ferry was secured by the Lake of Bays Heritage Foundation in the 1980s and a
plan was developed for its eventual restoration. That boat now operates on the lake. In 2012, the
charming Bigwin Inn Tea House was also restored for the enjoyment of club members. C.O.
Shaw would be pleased and proud to know that his carefully planned structure is still a grand
gathering place almost 100 years later.
This information was researched and written by Andrew Watson and Bruce MacLellan.