This photo was posted by Muskoka Steamships & Discovery Centre
Thomas Currie, a Scotsman,opened Bala Falls Hotel in 1889. The hotel was initially called “Currie’s Hotel” but later (and more famously) called Bala Falls Hotel. It was initially modest in size with a capacity of 35 guests.
The hotel was an instant success, due partly to its enviable location just above the picturesque falls and with its easy access to the picturesque Moon and Musquash Rivers, but also in no small part to Currie’s hospitality. He was considered “a popular host, always available to guests who needed a guide to the best fishing spots,” and so guests flocked to the hotel every summer. Driven by surging demand, Currie would continue to expand the property over the years until it reached a peak capacity of 135 people. Sadly, the landmark hotel never really enjoyed the full benefit of the railway’s arrival in Bala because on the evening of March 13, 1913 it burned to the ground.
Though it was short-lived, the Bala Falls Hotel was largely responsible for putting Bala on the map as a tourist destination.
(Article thanks to Andrew Hind)
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