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Ranger Gord's Fire Tower
Unknown Other in Muskoka Lakes, Ontario, Canada
Nov 07 2009
| Recent status | Unknown |
| Location # | 941 |
This old lookout tower (Ferndale Tower) was built in the middle of the 20th century as a lookout for the Ferndale Resort just north of Port Carling on the Ferndale Rd. Many nowadays have specualted that it was an actually fire tower used by the former Department of Lands and Forests. It was not. However, it is famous for being used as a fire tower on the "Red Green Show" where Ranger Gord took his lookouts from.
Ranger Gord
PETER KELEGHAN
Ranger Gord is fire tower watchman who has been manning his tower for 16 years without a vacation, a professional development day, or more than five minutes sleep. Naturally this lack of rest has somewhat lowered Ranger Gord(a)s efficiency--he once mistook a log for a naked woman. He(a)s also had no pay cheque for the last 15 years, but when Red suggests head office may have forgotten him he poo-poos the idea with a kind of desperate look in his eyes. Gord has had no visitors, male or especially female, so he(a)s somewhat needy and desperate when anyone shows up. So no one does. Except Red. Ranger Gord is eager to please, "Look Red I opened five cans of creamed corn in honour of your visit." Red never stays long, and Gord tries not to cry or scream when Red goes...."Come back soon. Good to see you... See you soon. Tomorrow maybe?" Gords only friends are the animals. And the bugs. And the plants. And many rocks. Well, actually the rocks think he(a)s a bit wearing and annoying.
Today the wooden tower still stands alone, but has been boarded up at the bottom so that nobody can climb and injure themselves..
For more info. on fire towers in Ontario go here: Ontario(a)s Fire Tower Lookouts.
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[deleted]
•2 years ago
[deleted]
Couldn’t find it, maybe demolished?
It is still visible on Google Earth in an image dated 6/22/21. Coordinates are 45° 7'46.54"N, 79°35'44.99"W
2 weeks ago
I wonder if someone here could help me out. Starting around 1971, my family started vacationing in the Muskoka area at a resort on a lake. The resort had an ornate 'mess hall' right on the lake. The mess hall had floor to ceiling windows facing the water, and the dining area was probably about 75 feet long, but less than 100 feet. There were cabins up the hill, further away from the water. Probably a 40 foot elevation from the mess hall. These cabins had about 4 rooms on each side of the hallway, which opened at each end. The only landmark I can think of to help me locate this resort is the look-out tower we would hike to. At 5 or 6 years old, I was part of a 'day school' group, led by young people, and we would trek up to the look-out tower, up a small mountain, which was about a 30 minute hike. The day school leaders would make us all a lunch, and we would eat it at the top of the tower. I remember the tower being on barren rock. The tower looked exactly like 'Ranger Gord's Fire Tower.' I've been looking at Muskoka look-out towers on Google, and 'Ranger Gord's' tower is the only one that looks like what I remember. I have been trying to figure out how to find this resort for several years now. Because of these family vacations, this has a lot of nostalgia for me. These were precious memories for me. In the '70s, our family was part of Oakwood Bible Chapel in Windsor, Ontario, and this vacation was something many families in the church did every year. I probably vacationed there with my family about five times. I just wish I could see it again. It wouldn't surprise me if the mess hall was demolished, but I hope not. I'd like to see pictures again. Also, regarding the lake, there were many small islands close to the resort. While boating away from the resort, it would be easy to get lost, not being able to tell the difference between an island and the mainland. When I was 6, my dad and I set off from the resort, because I could see people on the other side of the lake, and I wanted to go there. So my dad taught me how to sail on the way there. When we got to the other shore, we beached, and found out it was a youth camp. We walked around and talked to people, and my dad bought me a chocolate bar at the tuck shop. Then we launched the boat back into the lake, and my dad laid down in the bottom of the 9' sailboat, and said, "Wake me up when we get home." I sailed us back to the resort on my own, and told my dad he had to dock the boat. Tacking across the lake was fun. The distance to the other side was probably between 2,000' and 2,500' If anyone can help me locate this resort, I would really appreciate it. Thank you.