Postcard Memories is a weekly series of historic postcard views and photos submitted by Marcel Rousseau.
Some were previously published by the Orillia Museum of Art and History and in the book Postcard Memories Orillia.
This unusual foot-propelled boat was named the Cuba and was owned by the Butler family who owned a cottage on Helen’s Island, Sparrow Lake. The family dog preferred to ride on the canvas top away from any whitecaps splashing over the low pontoons.
Helen’s Island was also the location of Wild Echo Lodge. In the 1940s Tommy Dawson owned this lodge and changed the name to Sundown Lodge.
In 1951 Tommy sold to Walter Stanton, who changed the name back to Wild Echo. Today it is part of the Bayview-Wildwood Resort.
Dawson went on to manufacture boats for several years leasing a barn on the Bennett property near Hamlet.
