In 1856, Englishman William Mortimer was given a substantial grant from Queen Victoria to work the land in Muskoka, Ontario, in return for ownership.After arriving in Muskoka and clearing the property, Mortimer soon realized that the land would not be easily farmed. He decided that logging and building would be better options to provide the financial means to thrive in Muskoka.
Naturally enough, the property—which lay directly between Port Carling and Bala—was given the name “Mortimer’s Point.” William and his wife had 13 children and built a successful life for their family in the logging and building trades in the late 1800s. Of their 13 children, all except three sons moved away from Muskoka. Elmer, Alf and Eddie Mortimer decided to stay.
Elmer continued his father’s legacy in the building industry as a skilled carpenter. Alf became a captain of the Florence Main Steamship, and Eddie stayed in Mortimer’s Point to start a boat livery, delivering various goods, including mail, ice blocks, groceries, and packages from Eaton’s Canada. This business became Mortimer’s Point Marina (later Mortimer Marine Ltd.).”
Eddie and his wife Carrie had four children together: Alf (the Second), Fred, Florence, and Don.
As an adult, Alf Mortimer had the opportunity to purchase land between Lake Rossseau and Lake Joe, where he started his own marina, still known today (more than 60 years later) as Port Sandfield Marina.
As for Eddie and Carrie’s other children, Fred married and moved out of Muskoka. Florence married Leo Watters and later in life helped with the bookkeeping at Mortimer’s Marine Ltd. Don married Elizabeth Bamford, a Toronto cottager who had only planned to stay in Muskoka for one summer. Don and Liz continued to run Mortimer’s Marine Ltd., while they grew their family of six children: Dean, Dan, Drew, Debbie, Donna, and Scotty.
With six generations and over 162 years rooted in the land, the Mortimers’ heritage resides deep in the bedrock of Muskoka’s history landscape.
Mortimer’s Marine Ltd. has now changed hands to Dan Mortimer and son Jason Mortimer. Opening this summer as Mortimer’s Marina.
