Episode  23: Caretaking in the Bush - the Hamilton-Haskin Family Experience

In this final episode on the lives of full time Algonquin Park residents, I wanted to share with you stories that I’ve collected from the Hamilton-Haskin family from Madawaska. The family’s original matriarch and patriarch, Wilmot and Victoria Hamilton lived just outside the eastern boundary of Algonquin Park from 1897 to 1954 on the north shore of Victoria  Lake,14 kilometers from anything close to civilization. Not only did they survive, caretaking a hunting lodge owned by Edward Curtis Smith, a former governor of Vermont, but also raised a dozen children to adulthood. Though not technically part of Algonquin Park, and therefore, I suppose, not really a Algonquin Defining Moment, it’s close enough and their story is one of the best I’ve collected with incredible insight into what life was like in the early 20th Century for these hearty Canadians.

Also joining me again are the Wakami Wailers with a song called ‘Take This Land”, from their 1993 album Waltz With the Woods. Their music can be found on www.wakamiwailers.com.

There  are also a great collection of photographs on my website www.algonquinparkheritage.com  and if you are interested in reading the full story of  Governor Smith  and his Ontario Retreat, you can find it at the Friends of Algonquin Park bookstores or online at www.amazon.ca or www.amazon.com.