The beauty and romance of Muskoka has drawn people here for more than 130 years. These days, cottagers from around the province pack up their cars for weekend getaways, but a century ago, the train brought visitors to Bracebridge, Huntsville and Gravenhurst.

In fact, the railway has played a major role in the growth of the region, helping develop its still-growing tourism industry. In early days, visitors arrived in the region by rail and caught one of the many steamships to the grand hotels and resorts across the Muskoka Lakes, including Windermere House and Clevelands House, which are still there today.

As the popularity of Muskoka grew, so did development in the province. New highways extended throughout the region and more and more people took advantage of the new mode of travel. Though train use started to decline, it was still important to area industry and remained an affordable way to travel.

In 1971, a chapter of Bracebridge's history ended when the train station was torn down. For more than 20 years - between the early '80s and 2004 - trains continued to travel between Toronto and Cochrane, but they no longer stopped in Bracebridge.

On the eve of Ontario Northland's 100th anniversary of passenger rail service in 2005, the company decided the train should stop again in this historic area. On Aug. 9, 2004, the Northlander stopped at a temporary train station in Bracebridge. The station, built by town council volunteers, sits close to the site of the original stop.

Now a new generation of curious visitors has the chance to experience Muskoka by train. The Northlander runs all week except Saturday dropping travelers within walking distance of the downtown, bustling with unique shops and restaurants.

Plans to build a new and permanent station on Hiram Street - in much the same location as the first station - are underway. The new station will serve passengers travelling to and from Bracebridge and will feature the Muskoka Rails Museum, along with space for town merchants.

Once the most convenient mode of travel, the train is re-emerging as a popular alternative to the traffic of highways. Muskoka area businesses are taking advantage of this new trend by promoting train travel as an excellent way to access their excursion packages which feature accommodations, gourmet meals and special in-season activities like cross-country skiing and golfing. Trips to Santa's Village, voyages on the Lady Muskoka and artist studio tours round out the convenient packages.

-Article by Cathy Thom

For more information about the Northlander, including schedules and pricing, call:
Muskoka Riverside Inn
(800) 461-4474
(705) 646-2239
or
Ontario Northland
1-800-461-8558 for service in English
1-800-461-2621 for service in French