They came by rail and by steamer, from Rochester, from Cleveland, from Pittsburgh, from Hamilton and Toronto. They came to an island retreat on the windswept shores of Georgian Bay to escape the summer heat and to enjoy “beautiful scenery and bracing air.” And, of course, to fish. There, to meet them on the stone stairs leading to the gracious veranda, was Hamilton Davis, the enterprising American who built the Ojibway Hotel in 1906.
      One hundred years later, with its weathered shingles, its expansive dock, its stately tower, the Ojibway is still there – the hub of a remarkable summer community. It’s the kind of place that elsewhere, often, has been allowed to disappear. Of the 110 such lodges built at the turn of the century in the Georgian Bay–Muskoka region, fewer than 10 remain. Its survival is miraculous, and now it stands – as witness to what has gone and to what, like a treasured regatta ribbon pinned to an old cottage rafter, has been saved from the passage of time.
      David Macfarlane chronicles the story of this beloved hotel in At the Ojibway: 100 Summers on Georgian Bay. Recapturing summers past, unearthing treasured stories from guests, staff and cottagers, he relates them with wit and immediacy. Macfarlane creates more than just a history of this hotel. He offers a glimpse into a way of life that is disappearing and tells the story of a community committed to preserving the focal point of its past.
      For all those who understand the beauty and bittersweet brevity of a northern summer, At the Ojibway: 100 Summers on Georgian Bay is a book to be treasured.