Top 3 Abandoned Places In Nipissing Colonization Road

There are so many abandoned places in Nipissing Colonization Road! This is a list of the top three abandoned places in Nipissing Colonization Road. Browse through all abandoned places in Nipissing Colonization Road

1. Rye (ghost town)

As you venture Northwards along the Nipissing Colonization Road, you will eventually come to the one time town of Rye. In 1876 the White Pine Lumber Company built a road through Lount Township, from Bummer(a)s Roost to the Eagle Lake Road.

This town once had a post office, four hotels, church, store, blacksmith shop and school. A rare windmill also stands to this day.

Most of the settlers to Rye were of German descent and spoke no English. In time they picked up English from their surrounding communities.

The school (SS #1 Lount), built in 1884 out of logs was replaced in 1914 and still stands today. There is no floor to it, only earth. It is believed that the Maw family wanted one built and Alfred Russell (see Bummer(a)s Roost) helped construct it. A dozen double desks as well as a teacher(a)s desk were donated by Mrs. Rye from Strong Township. For this reason the school was named Rye School and in time, the town took the same name. Students came from nearby Mecunoma (Bummer(a)s Roost). By 1893 there were 26 students.

Behind the school was a meca mine however there was not enough meca to use in the construction of glass.

The post office was operated by William Parks from 1878 to 1892, William Haufschield from his house until 1942 and finally it moved to the Brunner home until 1959 . From there Bernice Dahns operated it until its closing in 1964.

Rye contained an Evangelical Church built in 1894. Mass was given by a Reverand James Geddes. It was situated next to Mr. Haufschild(a)s store and post office.

Location: The Northern end of the Nipissing Road/Alsace Road. Take Eagle Lake Road to get to the Rye Road and the settlement.

2. Bummer's Roost (ghost town)

As the Nipissing Colonization Road moves north from Magnetewan, you will reach the small village of Mecunoma. There(a)s not much to see here. It has been said that in the early 1800(a)s, Robert Galbraith, an early settler to the area, while cutting a road to his cabin, heard nearby Natives yelling "Mecunoma". When asked what it meant, they replied, "We have found a road." The Rousseau-Nipissing Road.

Alfred Russell and a friend, Richard Mannering, moved to Mecunoma from England. Alfred had been a carpenter in Toronto and then a railway bridge construction worker. As a result of the depression, he was unemployed and thought trapping might be more successful. The first year the two men lived in a tent. Richard (Dick) had little else going for him other than trapping and living in a tent, and thus earned the nickname of "Dick the Bummer". Dick wrote "Bummer(a)s Roost" on a shingle, with a piece of charcoal from the fire. A passing hunter, also a journalist, made the name of this place well known.

Alfred, seeing the flow of overnight travellers, thought a hotel would be a good investment. In 1865 he opened the "Russell House" which couldn(a)t lose the nickname of "Bummer(a)s Roost".

Galbraith, the man who had overheard the natives yelling "Mecunoma", became postmaster of the post office in the hotel in 1877. He would retain this position until 1881. During his time as postmaster he changed the name to Mecunoma.

George Archer became a partner with Alfred Russell in the hotel and in April of 1887, 22 years after opening the hotel, they were granted a license to sell alcohol. The hotel also offered tobacco, lanterns and cooking ingredients. George also took over as postmaster when Galbraith left, until 1916 when mail delivery service changed.

Alfred returned to his homeland in England to bring back Maria Henley. It has been said on December 30th of 1886 the couple walked 12 miles to Magnetawan to be married, and then walked home again. Tragically, Maria died when the hotel burned in 1926. A small replacement was built until another hotel could be built. The property currently has the house built by T. Russell who was the son of Alfred. Maria is buried in the Rye Cemetery.

Alfred(a)s partner in trapping, Richard, who is credited with the namesake of this area, married Mary Wood in 1883.

For more information visit the Rye write-up, also on this webpage.

Bummer(a)s Roost is north of Magnetewan, east on Eagle Lake Road. Bummer(a)s Roost main home burned down early in May 2007.

• There used to be an Ontario Lands and Forests fire tower right in Bummer(a)s Roost until 1970 on the SE side. In the middle of the 1900(a)s other ghost towns listed on this site also had a Department of Lands and Forests(a) fire tower lookout located on a nearby hill. These include: Pakesley, Key Junction, Key Harbour, Dufferin Bridge, Bummer(a)s Roost, Pickerel Landing, Lost Channel, Byng Inlet, Moon River, Cheddar, Germania, Ormsby, Uphill, Biscostasing, Renabie Mine, Milnet, Armstrong, Metagama, Cheminis, Wavell and Pineal Lake . For more info. on Ontario(a)s Fire Tower Lookouts go to this link: Ontario(a)s Fire Tower Lookouts.

3. Seguin Falls Ghost Town

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 flow 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.