"Here is what we found on the
history of Bobcaygeon."

The history of Bobcaygeon turns out to be a fascinating tale. The name Bobcaygeon can be traced back to as early as 1615. Champlain and his men traveled through this neck of the woods and noted in his diary, that the forests around Bobcaygeon were the finest he had ever seen in all his travels. He described this area as 'beaubocage' (beaubeautiful, bocage=hedged farmland).

Bobcaygeon Locks in the summer time

The history of Bobcaygeon continues two centuries later, when the first white settlers arrived, they heared the Mississauga Indians calling Bobcaygeon 'Bobcajewonunk'. It was their version of the name Champlain created.

'Bobcajewonunk' evolved into meaning "narrow place between two rocks, where water rushes through". This was before a wooden dam and lock were built, altering though not removong its beauty.

The Bobcaygeon of today, is dissected by three islands where Sturgeon Lake flows into Pigeon Lake. Bobcaygeon is divided by the Trent Canal, and borderd on either side by the Big Bob and Little Bob rivers. There are a toal of 7 bridges joining Bobcageon together. The original lock at Bobcaygeon was the first lock to be built on the Trent-Severn Waterway. The wooden lock was initiated by Lieutenant Governor Sir John Colborne in 1832, and financed by the provincial government. In 1833, shortly after the settlement of the region began.

Thomas Need (Author of Six Years in the Bush, or Extracts from the Journal of a Settler in Upper Canada 1832-1838) settled here in Bobcaygeon. He later opened a store and built a sawmill and a gristmill in the narrows between Sturgeon and Pigeon Lake. The sawmill and lumberyard were situated on the lower end of Centre Island.

In 1849, Thomas Need sold his mills to Mossum Boyd. This was at the time the history of Bobcaygeon's village is said to have been founded. Mr. Boyd later became known as the 'Lumber King of the Trent Valley' and the founding father of Bobcaygeon. In addition to his lumber empire, Mossum Boyd found the Trent Valley Navigation Company (1883 - 1915), which operated freight and passenger steamers between Lindsay, Coboconk, Sturgeon Point, Fenelon Falls, and Bobcaygeon.

A large booming tourist business came to the Kawartha Lakes region as a result of Mr. Boyd's ambitiouse enterprize. The Boyd's extensive family home and gardens still stands today.

In 1876, with a population of about 1000, Bobcaygeon was incorporated as a village by a Victoria County By-law .

The history of Bobcaygeon lives on with the opening of Kawartha Dairy in 1933. Kawartha Dairy began with incorporating the new pasteurization plant technology. Over time other smaller dairy companies sold their licences to Kawartha Dairy as they went out of business.

Kawartha Dairy is still growing, and their trucks can be seen all over Ontario. We have seen the stores in Lindsay, Bancroft, Minden, Peterboroug and we just saw one in Newmarket.

And yes they make the best ice cream on the planet.

Bobcaygeon is one of our favourite villages. Click here to see why we like Bobcaygeon