Photo: Young Cottage 1937 – North shore of West Bay Narrows
Periods of Land Use
Although the Kawartha Lakes region and Chandos Lake have been occupied by people for thousands of years, human impacts in the last 200 years resulted in three main periods of land use:
Period 1: Land clearance (1860-1910)
- 1860 — European setters arrive in Chandos Township
- 1874-1877 — Major lumbering activities occur within Chandos Township
- 1913 — 68% of the forested area surveyed in Chandos Township has been logged
Period 2: Reduction in settlement and land clearance (1910-1950)
- 1910-1930 — As lumbering potential declines, farms are abandoned and populations decrease
- 1930 — End of the logging era
- 1945-1949 — Cottage settlements begin, 150 cottages
Period 3: Cottagers and homes increase (1945-Present)
- 1961 — 635 cottages
- 1972 — 820 cottages
- 2019 — 1,200+ cottages