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Gravenhurst, Ontario, incorporated as a town in 1887, population 13,157 (2021 census), 12,311 (2016 census). The Town of Gravenhurst is located at the south end of Lake Muskoka, 170 km north of Toronto. The name of Gravenhurst was inspired by the book “Gravenhurst: Or Thoughts on Good & Evil.”
History
On 21 September 1887, a fire destroyed nearly 100 buildings in Gravenhurst.
In the 19th century, Gravenhurst was primarily a sawmilling centre, but as logging declined, tourism became the most important economic activity.
The Muskoka district, with its many wooded islands set among the crystal waters of a series of interconnected lakes, developed into a popular cottage and tourist resort area, earning Gravenhurst its nickname "Gateway to the Muskoka Lakes." In 1865, A.P. Cockburn built the first steamship in Muskoka, which was launched in 1866. Gravenhurst continues to be the home port of the paddle steamer RMS Segwun (1887), the oldest operating steamship in North America.
Gravenhurst is the birthplace of Dr. Norman Bethune, who helped create the Mobile Army Surgical Hospital and critical blood transfusion technology. The Bethune Memorial House is a museum and national historic site that commemorates his story.
Canada’s first tuberculosis sanatorium, the Muskoka Cottage Sanatorium, opened in 1897 in Gravenhurst. This sanatorium was also the world’s third tuberculosis sanatorium. Over the years, Gravenhurst became the home of four other tuberculosis sanatoria, some dedicated to the wealthier, while others provided some services free of charge.
