The first mention of Muskoka in any records was in 1615, when territory was occupied by indigenous peoples, mainly consisting of the Algonquin and Huron tribes.

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

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 prompted the development of road and water transportation.

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

The government was eager to reinforce development in light of the faltering agricultural plan, and built the locks in Port Carling in 1871.

The first stop for the semi-weekly steamer, Wenonah, was Walker's Point eight miles from Gravenhurst where fisherman could access good bass fishing at Shanty Bay.

[5] Through the years he added more ships and when he died in 1905, his Muskoka Navigation Company was the largest of its kind in Canada.

[6] In 1860, two young men, John Campbell and James Bain Jr, made a journey that marked them as perhaps the first tourists in the region.

The early tourist pioneers increased demand for transport services in the region, drawn by excellent fishing, natural beauty, and an air completely free of ragweed providing relief for hay fever sufferers [citation needed].

Farmers who were barely scratching a living from the rocky soil soon found demand for overnight accommodation, resulting in the first boarding houses and hotels.

The steamship era gave rise to the area's great hotels: Rosseau, Royal Muskoka, Windemere, and Beaumaris.

At first simple affairs replicating the rustic environment of the early camps, but later grander including in some cases housing for significant staff.

With the boats came the boathouses, often elaborate structures in their own right mimicking in many cases the look and feel of the main cottage.

The other plane's two dead crew members were brought to the surface in 1941, leaving Campbell and Bates' bodies on the lake's 140-foot bottom.

The aircraft was accidentally recovered by a cable crew snagging the plane in 1960 and the pilot was found inside.

The RNAF's first fatal accident in Muskoka and the last one recorded by the FTL in Canada took place in August 1944 when a Fairchild PT-19 Cornell trainer with pilot and student aboard lost its wing and crashed into the ground south of Gravenhurst; both on board died.

[14] These samples are used to analyze various bacteria counts in the water, the amount of dissolved organic carbon, phosphorus, temperature trends, and calcium.

[16] The seminars act as " a vehicle to inform shoreline owners on manageable ways to protect the quality of our lakes and rivers and encourage the preservation of natural water’s edge habitats.

"[17] The MLA also holds an annual Seedling Day in mid-late spring in which waterfront residents can preorder and purchase native plants to help prevent erosion of their shoreline.

Almost 100 years ago, the MLA campaigned for the federal government to require all pleasure crafts to have working lights.

[22] Lake Muskoka was referenced by cartoon character Chris McLean in the fictional Fresh TV hit show, "Total Drama Island", in which teenage contestants complete challenges in order to win US$100,000.