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Burgess, settled in the district and eventually built the Swastika Hotel (now called the Bala Bay Hotel).
    The Sutton family moved to the community of Bala in 1899 and opened a general store. In December 1901, E.B. Sutton established contracts for the first telephone line to connect with one operated by the Great North Western Telegraph Company from Bracebridge to Port Sandfield. Sutton also worked as a correspondent to Bracebridge, Gravenhurst, and Orillia weekly newspapers. He was adamant about environmental issues and especially protested against farmers who built barns on slopes that went down to the water, and warned tourists not to use the lakes for bathing.
    Fred Sutton, his son, shared some of his memories: “Many were the hardships of which my parents told me. Dad spent much of his time working for Mr. Burgess at Bala. Pioneering was hard on men but harder still on women left so much alone in the bush. Early reading had filled their minds with dread of wild animals and even wilder ‘savage’ Indians. I can just imagine my Mother’s perturbation when, while all alone, a Native called and asked to see the Boss. Mother, of course, said he would soon be in; the man seated himself just inside and said he would wait. Hours later, when Dad returned, it transpired the Indian wanted to borrow a gun. What a quandary! Not wishing to make a bad start by offending a Native, the gun was lent and the folks went to bed thinking they had seen the last of their gun. Morning came, and, lo and behold, the gun and a hindquarter of venison were hanging in the porch.”

    Bala Railway Station in August of 1916. A sultry summer eve sees a group in their whites relax while waiting for trip back to Hogtown. As better highways were built to service cottage country north of Toronto, weekend passenger service by both the CPR and CNR was phased out after the Second World War. This particular station was dismantled in the 1970s.
    Archives of Ontario
    In 1910 E.B. and Fred built the first three-storey brick hotel in Bala. They named their establishment the Swastika Hotel after the ancient swastika symbol — a symbol for well-being and benediction in the form of a Greek cross with each arm bent at a right angle. The Suttons had purchased the property from Thomas Burgess, who sold it to them on the condition that alcohol would never be sold on the property. They had agreed. Hotel guests were able to stroll the 23-acre site, go horseback riding on the trails located behind the building, go boating, and indulge in the fabulous meals and warm hospitality.
    It wasn’t long before the district of Bala supported a number of small farms with cattle and sheep. Bala also had the unique distinction of becoming incorporated as a town in 1914, without ever having had the status of a village. The first mayor was one of Thomas Burgess’s sons, Dr. A.M. Burgess.
    Fred Sutton once shared this about Bala: “Tourists and sportsmen had discovered the beauties of this area and created a demand for accommodation. Hotels and boarding houses sprang into being. Muskoka lamb supplied to the resort hotels became so famous for its special appeal to the palate that posh hotels and restaurants in New York City made a feature of Muskoka Lamb on their menus.”

    Tourists enjoy a horseback ride at the Swastika Hotel in Bala. This three-storey brick hotel was built in 1910 by E.B. Sutton and his son Fred. The hotel name changed during the Second World War. Today, we know it as the Bala Bay Hotel.
    Courtesy of Bob Sutton
    Fred also recalled an eccentric character who came to the Swastika Hotel: “In August, 1926, a guest arrived in a Ford Coupe and registered as Captain Venus. He was wearing a Mountie’s hat and claimed to be a member of the Force. He explained the absence of his tunic by saying it was at the cleaners. His personality was likable and conversation interesting. We seated him at my own table and we enjoyed his