The Peterson Road was named after Joseph S. Peterson, the surveyor who determined its route in this region. Constructed 1858-63 at a cost of some $39,000, it stretched about 114 miles between the Muskoka and Opeongo roads and formed part of a system of government colonization routes built to open up the southern region of the Precambrian Shield. Poor soil disappointed hopes of a large-scale agricultural settlement along this road both on government "free-grant" lots and on the lands of the Canadian Land and Emigration Company. Though portions of the route were overgrown by the 1870s, the Maynooth-Combermere section aided lumbering and now contributes to the development of an important Ontario vacation area.

Location

On the grounds of Muskoka Falls Community Church, Vankoughnet Road, just east of Highway 11, Muskoka Falls

Themes

• Agriculture
• Communities
• Transportation systems and communications