Canoe Lake

The village of Mowat, on the lake's west side, was established in 1893 as a logging camp, the same year the park was created. The lake was reachable by rail, and Tom Thomson arrived at Canoe Lake Station when he first visited the park in May 1912. Lodges and camps served logging crews, anglers and tourists. Thomson stayed at Mowat Lodge in 1915 and 1917.

Thomson, then working as a commercial artist at Grip Ltd in Toronto alongside future Group of Seven members, made his first Algonquin canoe trip in May 1912, aged 34, with Grip colleague Ben Jackson, and kept returning, sometimes working as a guide. Among his best-known paintings are The Jack Pine and The West Wind. Wikipedia notes his favourite campsite was reportedly behind Hayhurst Point.

On 8 July 1917 he set out on the lake and did not return. His upturned canoe was seen that afternoon, and his body was found on 16 July with a cut on the right temple. His death was recorded as accidental drowning, but the circumstances remain debated and several theories exist, none confirmed. He was first buried in Mowat Cemetery on 17 July; his brother had the body exhumed and moved to the family plot in Leith, Ontario, where it was reburied on 21 July. Persistent legend says he remains at Canoe Lake, but that is local lore, not established fact.

Thomson died before the Group of Seven formally began in 1920, so he is usually called an unofficial member. In September 1917 J.E.H. MacDonald and John William Beatty erected a memorial cairn at Hayhurst Point. Park material also mentions a totem pole at the point and a plaque at the Visitor Centre dock.

Because the cause of death was never established, Canoe Lake has accumulated stories: foul play, an accident while standing in the canoe, and a secret burial. None of these has been proven. What the record does show is the sequence above: the disappearance, the upturned canoe, the discovery eight days later, the recorded cause, and the two burials. The cairn, totem pole and plaque give visitors a fixed place to pause. Thomson's work also inspired the artists who formed the Group of Seven in 1920.

Canoe Lake has a public access point off Highway 60 and nearby outfitters, and is used both for day paddles and for longer routes into the interior. Check Ontario Parks and Algonquin Park for current permits, access and conditions. With a private driver you can combine a paddle here with a stop at the Visitor Centre and a short walk, without worrying about parking.