Largely the land of the Ojibwa people, European inhabitants ignored it while settling the more promising area south of the Severn River.

Canadian government interest increased following the American Revolution when, fearing invasion from its new neighbor to the south the government began exploring the region in hopes of finding travel lanes between Lake Ontario and Georgian Bay[2] In 1826 Lieutenant Henry Briscoe became the first white man known to have crossed the middle of Muskoka.

As the land south of the Severn was settled, the government planned to open the Muskoka region further north to settlement.

The lumber industry expanded rapidly denuding huge tracts of the area, but also prompting the development of road and water transportation.

The road was roughly hewn from the woods and was of corduroy construction, meaning logs were placed perpendicular to the route of travel to keep carriages from sinking in the mud and swamps.

The passages of the Free Grants and Homestead Act of 1868 brought opened the era of widespread settlement to Muskoka.

This was the year an Irish immigrant from Enniskillen named Paul Dane purchased Tondern Island for $101 from the crown.

They cleared part of the land for pasture, built a dock for the newly arrived steamships and connected the island to the mainland by a small log bridge.

As word of the excellent fishing, natural beauty, and an air completely free of ragweed providing relief for hay fever sufferers spread, tourists came to the area.

Trains regularly made the run from Toronto to Gravenhurst where travelers and their luggage were transferred to the great steamers of the Muskoka Navigation Co such as the Sagamo.

Meanwhile, Willmott and Prowse mapped out lots which they intended to sell to vacationers seeking more permanent residence than the hotel.

As families became seasonally established, they began building cottages near the hotels; at first simple affairs replicating the rustic environment of the early camps, but later grander including in some cases housing for significant staff.

The hotel offered a full program of entertainment, including live music and dances, and had a large restaurant.

[4] The Beaumaris Yacht Club was started in 1912 by James Francis Burke and American congressman to foster sailing in the area and to provide what was considered to be a more wholesome environment for children than the hotel's activities offer.

Edward John Van Buren, an employee of the hotel, pleaded guilty to arson and was sentenced to 2 years for the crime.

Through the years, Beaumaris has hosted a number of prominent cottagers and seasonal residents, including: Ahlbrandt, Patricia (1989).