Norfolk's first settlers carved their homes out of a wildness of Carolinan forests. Their first challenge was simply to clear the land by falling the trees, which became logs for pioneer cabins.

Almost immediately a local timber industry evolved, and it wasn't long before Norfolk timber was being exported, most notably to Britain and the United States. Back in those days, virtually everything from sailing ships to homes was made of wood

In the mid-1800s (approximately 1830 to 1870) the local timber industry flourished. It, and spin-off businesses such as shipping the timber abroad, were backbones of the local economy.

By the 1870s, however,  easily accessible timber near southern Ontario waterways had become unprofitably scarce. The really valuable timber stood further north, along the chains of rivers and lakes of comparably unsettled Northern Ontario. And that's where our tale begins.

Also see:
The Last Alligator
video

Also see:
Alligators of the North

Also see:
Simcoe Alligator

Problem >