CBC Lite
Sections

Take a trip to cottage country, without leaving the city

CBC News | Posted: May 16, 2020 8:00 AM | Last Updated: May 16, 2020

Image | ottawa cottage archives

Caption: Ottawa's Billings Bridge isn't exactly cottage country anymore, but in 1900 you didn't have to go too far out of town to get away from it all. (James Ballantyne/Library and Archives Canada)

For many, COVID-19 restrictions are putting a serious damper on the traditional start of cottage season this year.

If you're suddenly town-bound when you'd rather be on the dock, the beach or the boat, here's a look back at cottage life through the decades.

On the Rideau River

Image | ottawa cottage archives

Caption: This spot along the Rideau River looked like the perfect place for a cool dip in the 1920s. (Library and Archives Canada)

Image | ottawa cottage archives

Caption: 'Ethel Kerr in a rowboat on the Rideau at Osgoode at Elizabeth Stuart's cottage' is the caption on this sepia-toned photo from the Osgoode Historical Society. (Osgoode Township Historical Society and Museum)

Algonquin Park

Image | ottawa cottage archives

Caption: Guests enjoy a visit to Killarney Lodge on Lake of Two Rivers in Algonquin Park in 1949. (Chris Lund/Library and Archives Canada)

Image | ottawa cottage archives

Caption: Measuring a catch on Algonquin Park's Grand Lake, likely around the 1930s. (Library and Archives Canada)

Image | ottawa cottage archives

Caption: The Bartlett family poses by the water at Algonquin Park in 1913. (William James Topley/Library and Archives Canada)

Golden Lake

Image | ottawa cottage archives

Caption: A scene from the Gilwinkee Lodge resort on Golden Lake in 1951. (National Film Board of Canada/Library and Archives Canada)

Image | ottawa cottage archives

Caption: Marilyn Bell, the champion long-distance swimmer who in 1954 became the first person to swim across Lake Ontario, makes a splash at Golden Lake in this undated photo. (City of Ottawa Archives | CA033691)

Western Quebec

Image | ottawa archives cottage

Caption: Cottagers enjoy the fall foliage along the Gatineau River in October 1950. (Gar Lunney/Library and Archives Canada)

Image | william lyon mackenzie king ottawa cottage archives

Caption: Former prime minister William Lyon Mackenzie King at Kingswood Cottage in Gatineau Park in the 1920s, now part of the Mackenzie King Estate. (Library and Archives Canada)

Image | ottawa cottage archive

Caption: It's all downhill from here: In this undated photo, a cottage teeters on the edge after a landslide near the Gatineau River. (City of Ottawa Archives | CA032011)

2 for the road

Image | ottawa cottage archives

Caption: In our oldest photo, two men enjoy a picnic in the Thousand Islands region in 1882. That's U.S. president Chester A. Arthur on the right. (A.C. McIntyre/Library and Archives Canada)

Image | rideau cottage ottawa archives

Caption: This Ottawa cottage, seen here in 1892, is a familiar sight to anyone who's been paying attention to our pandemic coverage. It's Rideau Cottage, currently home to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his family, and the backdrop to his daily news conferences. (William James Topley/Library and Archives Canada)

More Stories Like This

The related links below are generated automatically based on the story you’ve just read.

Loading...