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Byng Inlet History

We're pleased to present you with a little bit of information about the history of our area.  Click any thumbnail for a full-sized image.

Schooner at Byng Inlet, circa 1900

Byng Inlet today bears little resemblance to the thriving port area of the late 1800s and early 20th century.  It is a testament to the enduring nature of our world; the signs of  mankind on these shores has been erased and the natural beauty of the Magnetawan River and Georgian Bay seem untouched.

 The business section of Byng Inlet, Circa 1895
Piles of lumber await shipment at the Graves Bigwood Mill Byng Inlet is named for British Rear Admiral John Byng, who was executed in 1755 - long before Byng Inlet was populated by early settlers.  Byng's name was bestowed on the region by Admiral Henry Wolsley Bayfield, who first surveyed the area around 1810.  The choice to commemorate the place with Byng's name was a matter of one soldier showing respect for another - Byng's execution was for "neglect of duty"; he was executed for his decision to spare the lives of his men rather than to stage a hopeless attack on the island of Minorca. The Graves-Bigwood Box Factory and sawmill
Bing Inlet village circa 1910

In 1866, a settler named Gibson erected a sawmill on Old Mill Island (just about a kilometre West of the lodge), and a settlement named Byng Inlet North evolved (now that settlement is Britt, across the river from our lodge).    Around 1880, the first mill on the site of the lodge was established and operated until about 1891, when it burned to the ground - very nearly destroying the entire village.

 Rosedale Street, Byng Inlet, circa 1910
The rebuilt sawmill, circa 1913 In 1902, the Graves and Holland lumber company was established on this site, and - aside from a fire in 1913 that levelled the business, and led to a rebuilding - the Graves and Holland, and later Graves-Bigwood mill operated until 1927, when it was closed.  Anson Mill also operated in the region during the time of the lumber boom; during the town's heyday the mills employed over 1200 people and the population reached as much as 4200.  The Graves-Bigwood mill shipped 15-20,000 board-foot of lumber every second day - that's enough wood to fill 15 railway boxcars.  The mill used the railway and boats to feed the hungry timber markets of North America as civilization moved West. The sawmill, and the reason it was rebuilt - circa 1913
Graves-Bigwood mill

The Byng Inlet area has served as a lumber and fuel port for almost a century and a half now.  The CPR coal dock in Britt has now been reestablished as a railway fuel oil depot, and the Britt oil dock is still visited yearly by large Great Lakes tankers, refilling the fuel farm.

 Sawdust burner after the big fire
Sawmill and its tramways Today, Byng Inlet is classified as a "ghost town" in some popular books, and the population is still steadily dwindling.  The fine resources of the Magnetawan and the Inlet are as productive today as they ever were, and the commercial and sport fishing sectors are alive and well on these waters. Another view of the mill

...if this subject matter appeals to you, you should also check out Stories & photos of Ghost Towns in Alberta & Ontario : a very nice and informative site about hidden spots from the past.  Tell them we sent you!

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