Leaseholding Timeline

1893 - Park Act establishes Algonquin Park as a recreation and nature reserve.

1895 - Park HQ established at Cache Lake

1896 - Ottawa, Arnprior & Parry Sound Railway opens

1900 - Dr. Bell builds on Cache Lake and Men-Wah-Tay completed on Rock Lake

1905 - Dr. Pirie Buys Gilmour houses on Canoe Lake and become the Park's first cottage leasehold

1908 - Highland Inn and Hotel Algonquin built and Northway Lodge Girls Camp established

1913 - Nominigan and Minnesing Camps open

1923 - Bartlett Lodge opens on Cache Lake

1927 - Kish Kaduk Lodge opens on Cedar Lake

1931 - Gar Northway acquires Nominigan lease

1933 - Cache Lake main trestle condemned, CNR closes the Highland Inn, and Lake Traverse's Turtle Club built by a Booth grandson

1936 - Highway 60, Portage Store & Killarney Lodge open

1938 - Whitefish Lodge opens on Whitefish Lake

1940 - Highland Inn reopens on Cache Lake under lease

1941 - Arowhon Pines Resort opens on Baby Joe Lake

1946 - J. R. Dymond establishes first Park Interpretive program from a tent on Cache Lake

1947 - Manley Sessions acquires Minnesing lease

1949 - Glen Donald Lodge opens on Source Lake

1953 - Crown acquires and dismantles Minnesing and Glen Donald Lodge

1954 - New Park Policy bans all new leasing

1955 - Highland Inn and Men-Wah-Tay acquired by the Crown and dismantled

1958 - Glen Donald Lodge acquired by the Crown with main lodge struck by lightening in 1960 and destroyed

1965 - Whitefish Lodge acquired by Crown and dismantled

1975 - First leases expire and Kish Kaduk Lodge closes

1977 - Nominigan Camp acquired by the Crown and dismantled

1978 - Youth Camps and commercial lodges granted lease extensions to 2017 and cottage leases offered common 1996 end dates

1986 - Cottages offered lease extensions to 2017

1993 - Park Centennial Year

2004 - Commercial and Children's Camps leases extended for 60 years

2005 - Leasehold Centennial Year