DEEP BAY ORIGINS

In the early 1920s, a group from Windsor started traveling north to hunt deer. Some of the hunters were employees of Hiram Walkers but there were others, like plumbers, merchants, realtors, a painter, a builder, a manager, etc. They went by train for a two-week period. A passenger railway coach car was put on a siding at the Walkerville Station on a Friday. All those going would throw their gear on, then climb aboard in the evening, and by the next morning that car would be on a siding in Ardbeg. Everyone who went was given a case of liquor by Hiram Walker.

On the Saturday morning, the local kids from Ardbeg would go to the rail car, knock and one of the hunters would stagger to the door, to throw candy to the gathered children.

Wagons and teams of horses would haul the hunters and their belonging to Goose Neck Lake where a small steamboat would take them into Wah-Wash-Kesh Lake and down the Magnetawan River to Deep Bay. Another set of horses and wagon would haul the gang to the camp at Boundry Lake. This camp was owned by Mr. Bennett, Ed Bennett’s grandfather and most of the transportation from Ardbeg siding to this camp was also provided by this Mr. Bennett. This group of hunters hunted out of the cabin at Boundry Lake for a few years. 

At Deep Bay there was a lumber camp, but because of a big forest fire on the south side of the river and a little on the north side, the camp had been closed and eventually came up for sale. These hunters decided to buy the lumber camp and did so in 1926, finalizing the purchase in 1927. Jack Slote put up the $500.00 purchase price which was eventually paid back to him. When the lumber camp was purchased, the bill of sale was written on the back of a calendar. The first President of the Walkerville Deep Bay Club was C.A. Bennett (not a relative of the Bennett’s from Wah Wash Kesh Lodge) and the first Secretary was Nate Cornwall. Jack Slote was the last living original member of the club.

During logging time, there was a railway in the area and one spur ran into the south Lake. There is still a rail car upside down in the water behind the girl’s camp on Birch Island. It got away and ran off the end of the spur. 

There were 25 members of the hunt at the time of the purchase of the lumber camp, but only 13 signed the charter, thus 18 new members were added over the next four years between 1928 and 1931. These were depression years and money was tight, so it was hard to keep members. 

The Club became official through letters patent #5611, Province of Ontario on July 23, 1928 and the head office was in the Town of Walkerville. The land of The Club is five acres and is on part of lot number 2 in the Twelfth Concession of Burton Township, now the Municipality of Whitestone. A road allowance between Concession XII and XIII runs on top of the hill behind the camp. 

The railway coach continued until the mid 40’s, but the horses and wagon were replaced by truck. Hunters made their way down what is now Highway 520, to Harrison’s Landing which is on the south shore of the big Lake. The camp was used in the summer and often two railway coaches were used to bring the summer visitors. 

The first meeting to organize a club for this lumber camp purchase was held in the offices of the Walkerville Brewery. The Club name was decided on, along with 7 directors who had the power to elect their officers. The membership fee was $50.00 for three years and it was decided to have six dogs and a fee of $100.00 a year for their keep. At this meeting a committee was appointed to look after the charter. 

In 1927 a steel lifeboat with a model “T” engine was purchased for $138.95 and plans were made to rebuild the camp to its present shape, less the front porch and washrooms. At the time of purchase the living part of the lumber camp was where it now stands and in the exact same set up, kitchen, dining room, and living room. The sleeping quarters were in two bunk houses, one on each side of the road to Island Lake at the edge of the hill. These were even- tually moved and added together to form what is now the sleeping quarters. Before the open concept of the bedroom area there were partitioned off rooms and the walls were covered with 2’ by 2’ plywood. That plywood came from liquor packing cases from Hiram Walkers.  The building directly behind the kitchen was the icehouse and there was a barn for horses where the road heads to the eddy. As the barn got older and in a run-down condition, a camp hunter who supplied the deerhounds to the camp stated his dogs got fleas from staying in the barn, so he burnt it down. The mens “John” is now a fire shed and the lady’s “John” is now the generator shed.  The generator shed was a good fifty feet back up a little trail behind the camp. 

The first annual meeting was held on November 7, apparently at the Deep Bay Camp and a motion was passed to hold a dance on November 9 to which neighbouring settlers and Indians were invited. Some stayed all night. 

In 1928 Mr. & Mrs. Arthur Brownell ran the camp during the summer and hunt season. 

On September 15, 1928, a meeting was held in the town of Walkerville at which time the Charter was presented and the Letters of Patent incorporating The Club, were read and adopted. It was declared and agreed that thirteen members who had originally signed the petition for incorporation of The Club were in good standing, so it appears that twelve of the original 25 dropped out. 

In January 1933 The Club was in financial difficulties and only had ten members. They asked Mr. Brownell to leave and the keys were given to Guy Hayward (Ken, Jean & Donnie’s father) to look after the camp. 

About a year or two later Wes Aulbrook took over the summer operations of the camp and continued in that capacity until the 1950’s. 

The annual meeting in 1935 showed The Club with a net operation profit of $22.20 for the year of 1934. In 1936 the Club had eight members and by 1941 there were only seven. 

In 1942 repairs were made to the sills on the north side of The Club house and work was started on the cabin (Cook’s Shack) which was completed the following year. The Club membership in 1942 was limited to twelve but increased to fifteen in 1944. In 1948, because of increased camp interest, the membership increased to twenty-four. 

In 1957 the screened front porch was added along with the washrooms and plumbing. In 1958 the north side of the sleeping quarters was renovated. 

In early 1959 the roof of the living room caved in from the snow load and in came the porcupines. They ate everything with salt on it, including the arms of the captain chairs. Porcupines used to be abundant in the camp area and it was quite common that when the hunters arrived at the camp, they would shoot half a dozen out of the trees. Camp hunting dogs would get quills in their mouths, and it was a painful job extracting those barbed quills. The collapsed roof mess was cleaned up during the spring fish and Mr. Hayward put a new roof on in the summer of 1959. At that time it was decided to put on a membership drive. 

In the mid 1940’s following the Second World War, the hunters started driving to the hunts. It was always that if it rained, don’t take the bunny trail, one could not get through. In 1959 the hunters tried to revive the train trip but the railway would no longer drop a rail coach car off at the Ardbeg siding. As a result of the logging, there were bush roads all over the place and the club had old, after the war, jeeps to get around with. A person used to be able to drive almost to Crane Lake to fish. 

The first ladies night was held in the spring of 1963 at the Windsor Yacht Club with Joe Campeau as Master of Ceremonies. 

Eventually some of The Club hunters tired of hunting and went out to where the river meets the Lake and started Morton’s as a fishing camp. 

The area of the hunt known as the ‘burns’ got its name from all the rock outcropping after the forest fire. The hunters would go up on the high spots and look around and pick out the deer they wanted to shoot. They say you could see 30 at a time. Hunters were allowed 2 deer each year. 

In 1964 member Joe Campeau shot a huge black bear that dressed out at 680 pounds. He hit it with one shot 9 yards away. It was put on a pole and it took 13 men to carry it out. Dr. Hinsperger shot thirteen times at a deer in the river and never got it. George Meisner shot a deer one time, laid his gun down and walked over to the deer, The deer got up and ran away and he never got it. A couple of years later when he got his next one he tied a rope around its leg and tied it to a tree. There are many more tales. 

At one time there was a piano in the living room of the camp and people from around the Lake would come to Deep Bay for some ‘right old hoe downs’. 

The bar was built by member Frank Eisenbiel in the mid 60’s and there has been more than one bottle emptied over it’s top. 

There has been one member expelled from The Club membership for excessive drinking during a hunt which included stealing liquor from fellow hunters. 

An important part of the history of the Deep Bay Club has been played by the Hayward family of Ardbeg and their Pine Point Store. Guy Hayward for many years held keys to The Club buildings and was followed by his children. And who can forget the famous and leaky old “Queen Mary” that hauled the hunters in and out of camp. 

The tales of the camp are many and some should be left unpublished. 

Some years ago, if mention were made of the Walkerville Club, certain confusion might have resulted.  There would have been good reason for this as there actually were two Walkerville Clubs to say nothing of Morton’s Point, also a club of Walkerville people. The one which now is part of the past was the Walkerville Hunt Club.  Not very much of the story pertaining to this Club and its members is now available.  Obviously, the hunters who compromised its small membership were from the Windsor-Walkerville area. Its club property was that now owned by the late Bill Gardner’s family at the south of Deadman’s Narrows and its camp building stood on the site of the present Gardner place.  The camp was tended for many years during its active period by Mr. John Broderick, a very capable and personable gentleman, well known and respected around the local area. The other Club, still active today is, of course, the Walkerville Deep Bay and this is part of its story.

About 1920 a group of Walkerville, Ontario businessmen arranged with Mr. Edward Bennett of the Royal Wah Wash Kesh Summer Resort for deer hunting, accommodation and guiding.  While staying at the Hotel, these men hunted in various locations from the lake but developed a preference for the area back of Deep Bay of toward little Bass and Boundary Lakes.  This led Mr. Bennett, in 1926, to dismantle the old Truax summer house referred to in the Wah Wash Kesh Lodge chapter.  The building was moved in sections, re-erected and equipped at Boundary Lake by Mr. Bennett as the Walkerville group’s hunt camp that year.  Thinking of the future, however, the group did not wish to leave Wah Wash Kesh as a base and since a logging contractor’s camp at the head of Deep Bay was being vacated, the men decided to purchase the rough buildings on the site.  It is said that the bill of sale for the shanties was written on the back of a calendar. 

The Walkerville group was now in a position where formal organization as a Club was a logical development. To this end the spokesman, Mr. Chauncey Bennett, applied to the Crown for five acres of the land to be the Deep Bay campsite.  It was part of Lot 2, Concession XII, Burton township.  The organizational meeting was held in the offices of the Wakerville Brewery May 4, 1927.  The meeting provided the first recorded minutes of the Club which reported business as follows: “Twenty-three members present.  A board of seven directors was elected, they to elect their own officers.  Mr. Chauncey Bennett was elected first President.  The Club name was decided on.  A committee was appointed to seek a Charter. Plans were made to modify the camp building for immediate use that fall.  Membership fees were set.  A used steel lifeboat with a Model T engine was purchased as Club boat.”

The next meeting November 7, 1927 was held at Deep Bay, the first time in the new location and the first hunt from there.  A housewarming dance was planned for November 9 with the Whitestone and Ardbeg folks to be invited.  This was the start of a tradition during the early years of the Club and the annual Deep Bay summer square dance became a “shindig” not be missed and to which all were welcome.

On September 15, 1928 a Club meeting took place in Walkerville at which the president produced the Letters Patent incorporating the Club, which were read and accepted by the directors.  Mr. Chauncey Bennett, having obtained registration of Patent for the Deep Bay property in October 1927, turned the registration over to the Club for the sum of $1.00.

Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Brownell were engaged in 1928 to run the increasingly popular summer camp and the fall hunt, with Arthur’s stepson Horace sometimes filling in.  The arrangement continued until 1933 when the camp closed in July and Guy Hayward was asked to keep his eye on the place.  A couple of years later, Mr. Wes Aulbrook took over operation of the camp.  We and his wife, Thelma provided excellent service for the Club members and guests into the 1950s.  Thereafter only occasional help was hired for the camp.

Over the years various changes, additions and refinements to the buildings and facilities have been completed.  Once recorded item of 1946 refers to 4 round oak tables, 12 armchairs and 24 dining chairs being acquired at Tilbury for the sum of $69.00.  The Spring of 1959 brought serious trouble when a heavy snow load collapsed the roof of the living room section.  There was very little fishing done that May 24th weekend – just a lot of hard work as members cleaned up the mess.  Guy Hayward then put on the new roof. 

Club membership has had its ups and downs through the course of time from start of 23 to a low of 7 in 1941, to a waiting list situation since 1959.  A significant trend developed in more recent years as wives and families of members began to attend the summer camp on a time share basis. By 1963 the membership personnel had changed, and it was decided a Spring season ladies’ night should be held to permit wives to become better acquainted.  It was staged at the Windsor Yacht Club and Joe Campeau acted as Master of Ceremonies.  The success of the evening was such that it became an annual event.

One interesting activity which was a yearly affair until the late 50’s was the trip to the hunt.  The Club chartered a railway coach in which all members left Windsor and returned at the same time.  The coach would be dropped off at the Ardbeg siding and retuned for the trip back when the hunt was over.  Later an attempt was made to revive this type of excursion but the C.N.R. could no longer provide.

The passing years have been brought their changes to the life of the Walkerville Deep Bay Club.  Recreational returns may not be the same, the deer may be scarcer and the bass not quite so easy to find.  But not withstanding changing faces and names, a good number of people continue to derive vacation enjoyment from the Club to which those enterprising business friends gave root some 65 years ago.

This article was written and published in Lake Wah Wash Kesh – The Early Years, published by the Wah Wash Kesh Conservation Association.  Authorship, Glenn Mundy