This photo was originally published in Vintage Muskoka.
It’s indicated that the photo depicts Cedar Lane facing south near the current site of the OPP station.
From the Town of Bracebridge:
The first settlers appeared in the early 1860’s and set about establishing the community as a focal point for business and manufacturing. The original industries in the community were focused in the logging and associated wood product businesses such as lumber mills and shingle mills. The first manufacturing business was established in 1872, when Henry Bird established his water-powered woolen mill.
By the mid to late 1870’s, the leather industry was prominent in Bracebridge as a result of access to a ready supply of “tannin” from hemlock bark, used in the manufacturing process. There were several small tanneries in the community along with two large operations, the Beardmore and the Anglo Canadian Leather Company. The Muskoka Leather Company opened in 1877 by the Beardmore family was at one time the largest in Canada. By the 1930’s the majority of these businesses ceased operation in Bracebridge.
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