The Ice Age
The first great influence on the lakes as we know them today was the last Ice Age that dug the footprints of the lakes from north to south and brought about many physical changes. The glacier ploughed and transported away the surface soil and soil producing rock to a depth of several metres. Because of [...]
The First Peoples
As the glacial ice receded from the lakes region, nomadic peoples arrived in small family groups from the south to hunt. They came to hunt several species of large animals such as the mastodon and caribou, which traveled near the receding glacier and the Champlain Sea. We know from one artifact that hunters were on [...]
European Settlement
With the completion of the Rideau Canal in 1832, some Scots and Irish canal workmen migrated from Westport to settle south of Bobs Lake as farmers and loggers. Over the next three decades they were joined by immigrants from the direction of Kingston, Westport and Perth until every Bedford Township lot had at least one [...]
The Flooding of Bobs Lake
In 1870, the construction of a dam at Bolingbroke raised water levels by 15 to18 feet. The new water level made one lake out of four, in addition to several adjoining bodies of water. All the lowlands and back bays were flooded, including Long Bay, Green Bay, Buck Bay, Mill Bay and Mud Bay. This [...]
Early Tourism and Subsequent Changes
The first known tourists attracted to the lakes came not long after Bobs Lake was flooded. In 1872, the K&P railroad was completed along the western shore of Bobs Lake to Tichborne, providing travelers with easier access to the lakes. Well into the 1920s the roads to the lakes, which were intended for horse-drawn vehicles, [...]
General Characteristics
Bobs and Crow Lakes are part of the Tay River system and the Rideau River watershed and an integral part of the Rideau Canal waterway. The Bobs and Crow Lakes watershed comprises about 5% of the total Rideau watershed. Much of what we now know as Bobs Lake did not exist prior to the construction [...]
The Landscape
Bobs and Crow Lakes sit atop a finger of Canadian Shield called the Frontenac Axis that extends south from Algonquin Park. The watershed is located within the eastern Great Lakes lowland forests of the Great Lakes – St. Lawrence Forest Region, which is a transitional area containing both boreal and broadleaf forests. The area contains [...]
Administrative Setting
Municipal jurisdiction across the lakes is split between three local municipalities: the Township of Central Frontenac, the Township of South Frontenac (Bedford District) in the County of Frontenac and the Township of Tay Valley in the County of Lanark. Over 80% of the area is in South Frontenac. The administration of development bylaws and regulations [...]