Wednesday, December 03, 2008
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Ontario Abandoned Places

Documenting forgotten places before they become lost in time

Locations marked as [L] should be local to you.
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SEGUIN FALLS




The Nipissing Colonization Road travelled from Lake Rosseau to Lake Nipissing. Seguin Falls was another stop along the way for tired travellers to stop, eat and sleep before continuing their journey.

Seguin Falls was one of many towns set up at 10km intervals along the Nipissing Road to provide rest and food for travellers. There were actually two Seguin Falls. The original town was at the crossroads with the Christie Side Road.

When the railway pushed through in 1897, 2km to the South of Seguin Falls, The Spence Lumber Company built a mill at the location where the railway met the Nipissing Road. From there the other businesses followed and moved south.

A sawmill and train station were set up by the tracks when the railway passed through in 1897. It also featured a school and church. A sawmill and shingle mill were established to provide lumber, and Anglican and Methodist churches built for parishoners.

David Burk ran the Burk's Hotel and was postmaster until 1879 when he died. His wife, Henrietta, took over for a few more years. David's son would be the one to travel up the Magnetewan River and find the falls, which would be known as Burk's Falls. Percy Vigrass built a store and was postmaster from 1912 until 1930. Howard Vigrass would take over until 1941.

The King George Hotel owned by Mr. and Mrs. McKinnon provided good food and rest for tired travellers. The remains of the fireplace can be found where the railway meets the road.

In October of 1921 a new brick school house was built, which still stands to this day. It closed in 1944. Please remember this is private property.

The town began to die when the mill closed and, in 1933, an ice floe destroyed the railway trestle in Algonquin Park. By 1955 the railway had lifted the rails and the store was closed. The population dropped to less than fifty. By 1960 only two buildings remained occupied.

The railway bed is now used as the Seguin Trail.ÿ

Database entry:193
Latitude: 45 25 00
Longitude: 79 40 00
SHOW ME A GOOGLE MAP HERE


Extra Directions
Take Highway 518 east from Highway 400, exit 220 near Parry Sound about 30 kms. You can turn left or right on to Nipissing Road, Seguin Falls is on the right. Dufferin Bridge is to your left. Seguin Falls current population is said to be 6. There are a handful of new homes in Seguin Falls as you drive past the school bus in the field. If you take the other way, be sure to head to The Cornball Store in Magnetawan and have a chat with the sweet lady who runs it.


While you're in the area, you can't miss seeing the Screaming Heads.


An old settler cabin (side)

Old cabin (front)

Remains of a home, unknown era. Found off the highway beside barn

Barn sitting in a field just off of highway 518. Inside sits a motorcycle in a state of disassembly.

Inside the barn

The old school, minus the bell.

The old school, May 2000, with an approaching storm gives it an erry look.


The original King George hotel

The King George Hotel
courtesy Shayne McKinnon


As of 2008, the settler's cabin and abandoned bus appear to have been removed.
These photos were taken in July of 2008.

What remains of the King George Hotel



Seguin Falls Cemetery