Free Hidden Ontario by Terry Boyle

Residents opted for concrete foundations to beat the muskeg, and the streets in town were widened. By 1920 Cochrane had evolved from a frontier town into a prosperous centre. Although it was primarily a railway settlement, farming and lumbering had assumed important roles in the economics of the area. When prospectors discovered the minerals in the district, Cochrane quickly became a major supply and shipping point.
    The town of Cochrane, located in the heart of excellent fishing and hunting country, is well-known to tourists. The popular Polar Bear Express conveys visitors on one-day train excursions in the summer, from Cochrane to the James Bay lowlands and the otherwise isolated communities of Moose Factory and Moosonee. The train operates from the end of June until Labour Day and offers the traveller a unique experience in northern sightseeing. Small planes, boats, and ski-doos can take you farther if you are keen to see more. A unique aspect to the train ride is that part of the track runs over bog land and involves a kind of “floating rail bed,” which you can actually feel in the way it rides. You can also see first-hand the way folks who live in remote areas have to travel. Tiny, isolated settlements exist along the route, where people wait beside the track; the train simply stops for them if needed.
    Looking at Cochrane another way, you could say, “It’s at the end of the road!” It is well worth visiting, because that kind of existence creates quite a different town.

Creemore
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    Once you have experienced this picturesque town, you will understand why it draws visitors from all directions. It’s a place where neighbours say hello and no one needs to honk. You feel as though you’ve stepped outside of time — the pace of life is from a bygone era. There are no high-rise buildings, no strip plazas, and no malls; Creemore has a deep kind of quiet peace.
    Creemore, in Nottawasaga Township in the County of Simcoe, is situated on the Mad River, on County Road 9, just 24 kilometres (15 miles) southeast of Collingwood. It was Senator J.R. Gowan of Barrie, at the request of a village resident, who selected a name for the village. He suggested Creemore, from the compound Gaelic word cree mohr , meaning “big heart.” He certainly got the name right. It seems that everyone in Creemore is known by their first name.
    The village itself was originally founded in the 1840s. By 1845 two early settlers, Nulty and Webster, formed a partnership and built a lumber mill and a gristmill on the Mad River. This certainly helped to promote settlement, and by 1849 Edward Webster opened the first post office. Webster had already operated a store in the settlement. G.I. Bolster worked as Webster’s clerk before eventually opening his own business and becoming the postmaster. Other early pioneer settlers included T. Tupper, J.A. McDonald, the Bowermans, and Sam Wilcox.
    It was the water power on the Mad River that attracted industries. The first carding mill in the township was operated at Creemore, and by the 1880s there were three hotels and four churches as well. The population of Creemore, by 1889, was nearing 800 residents. On November 20th of that year, a bylaw was passed to make Creemore a village.
    Creemore is quite a magical place in the spring, when area rivers rise and beckon the trout from the bay. Some say the Mad River offers the best trout fishing in this part of Ontario. Summer breezes off the spring-fed hillsides of Creemore keep the residents cool. A walking tour of the community reveals beautiful Victorian architecture and numerous shops featuring antiques, clocks, specialty tea pots, interior decorating, original artwork, trendy clothes, Victorian lingerie, eco-friendly children’s wear, hand-carved signs, a butcher, a barber, an excellent bookstore, and even a candlestick maker. There surely must be a baker here, too.
    The Hughes homestead near Creemore is well-known to