Barrie in Simcoe County, Ontario — Central Canada (North America)

Boats on the Bay

— Barrie Waterfront Heritage Trail —

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, June 5, 2024

1. Boats on the Bay Marker

Inscription.
Birch Bark Canoes
About 3,000 years ago, transportation was revolutionized when stone tools evolved to make birchbark canoes. More easily made, lighter and more portable than dugouts, indigenous people navigated Lake Simcoe for thousands of years in bark canoes. This efficient form is still in use today.

Bateau
From the French word for “boat”. A bateau provided more cargo capacity than a canoe. Its flat-bottomed design allowed it to be rowed with oars, poled along a river or even be rigged with sails in open water. During and following the War of 1812, it was used by the British to move troops, supplies and provisions.

Many Families, Many Canoes
”I have often counted between twenty and thirty canoes coming stealthily up the north shore of the Bay — each canoe bearing a ... family...”
Recalling the regular migrations of indigenous people across the Nine Mile Portage in 1824. Williams, Thomas (Reverend). Memoirs of a Pioneer. Pioneer Papers No.2, Simcoe County Pioneer and Historical Society. 1908, p20.

Barrie Regatta Club
The first organization dedicated to pleasure boating and racing on the bay was the Barrie Regatta Club founded

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about 1846. The Club had a strict rule: "No political subject shall be discussed at a Club meeting." Ice boating was also popular.

[photo & image captions]
• Indians and Canoe, Coldwater River, Coldwater, Ontario, September, 1844 by Titus Hibbert Ware
• Replica bateau at nearby Historic Fort Willow
• Water Sports at Minet’s Point

Erected by Barrie Waterfront Heritage Trail.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Indigenous Peoples and Communities • Parks & Recreational Areas • War of 1812 • Waterways & Vessels.

Location. 44° 22.567′ N, 79° 41.263′ W. Marker is in Barrie, Ontario, in Simcoe County. It can be reached from Lakeshore Drive just north of Tiffin Street, on the right when traveling north. The marker is on the Barrie Waterfront Heritage Trail at Station #6 (Boats, Legends & Shipwrecks), on the north side of Tiffin Boat Launch Park. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 105 Lakeshore Drive, Barrie ON L4N 7R6, Canada. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Central Ontario Cottage Country

and specifically

Marker detail: Sailing boat Wind Will coming down Kempenfelt Bay, August 1896 image. Click for full size.

Simcoe County Archives & “Beautiful Barrie; The City and Its People”

2. Marker detail: Sailing boat Wind Will coming down Kempenfelt Bay, August 1896

in Georgian Bay Country.

It is also in Central Canada.

Globally, it is in North America,

on the Great Lakes,

in the Western Hemisphere,

in the Western World,

and in the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once a British colony,

the Viceroyalty of New France,

the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy,

and Rupert’s Land.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Kempenfelt Kelly (here, next to this marker); Steamboat J.C. Morrison (here, next to this marker); Steamboating on Lake Simcoe / La navigation à vapeur sur le lac Simcoe (here, next to this marker); Allandale Railway Station (about 240 meters away, measured in a direct line); An Independent Village (approx. 0.3 kilometers away); Train Town Kids (approx. 0.3 kilometers away); Living in a Company Town (approx. 0.3 kilometers away); Housing Shortages (approx. 0.3 kilometers away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Barrie.

Marker detail: Steamer Sir John Colbourne image. Click for full size.

Simcoe County Archives & “Beautiful Barrie; The City and Its People”

3. Marker detail: Steamer Sir John Colbourne

Launched in 1832 and was the first steamship on Lake Simcoe.

Marker detail: Steamer Emily May docked at Barrie image. Click for full size.

Simcoe County Archives & “Beautiful Barrie; The City and Its People”

4. Marker detail: Steamer Emily May docked at Barrie

Renamed Lady of the Lakes in 1874.

Marker detail: Steamer Islay on Kempenfelt Bay,<br>circa 1908 image. Click for full size.

Simcoe County Archives & “Beautiful Barrie; The City and Its People”

5. Marker detail: Steamer Islay on Kempenfelt Bay,
circa 1908

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, June 5, 2024

6. Boats on the Bay Marker

Looking north from the Barrie Waterfront Heritage Trail. Kempenfelt Bay (Lake Simcoe) is in the background.

Credits. This page was last revised on May 29, 2025. It was originally submitted on May 28, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 94 times since then and 13 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on May 29, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.