The Forgotten Jewel of Lake of the Woods: Devil’s Gap Lodge

1919 was the year Mayor George A. Toole of Kenora along with J. E. Currie met with Mr. George A. Walton, General Passenger Agent of the C.P.R. in Winnipeg. They discussed further steps to improve transportation on the lake as there were not many options at the time. The goal was to populate tourism in places only reachable by boat.

With talk starting in 1922, it was decided around March of 1923 a piece of land was wanted; the far east end of Devil’s Gap channel located on Rat Portage Reserve (38B). Luckily, a previous consensus had been met between Indian Affairs and the Local Board of Trade and Town Council to gain 22 acres of land for a 99 year lease to preserve the shoreline from Lumbermen.

The plan included smaller bungalows surrounding one large lodge all to be accessible only by boat on a section of the leased land. To the delight of Kenora and C.P.R., an agreement was made for the camp to be built on Rat Portage Reserve on its preferred site.

After that, it did not take long for Mr. Gardam, Superintendent of Construction of C.P.R. camps and assistant Mr. Gibbons to arrive in Kenora from Montreal to determine the locations of the bungalows and main lodge. Arriving early May, they got to work on what would most commonly be known as the Devil’s Gap Bungalow Camp. Like many C.P.R camps, it was determined it would be in the name of the C.P.R. company, but would be leased to a manager, which would be Mrs. Olive Betts.

With an approved design in 1923, construction did not take long. The date set for the opening was July 1st of the same year! Many reservations were already made by June, making it a promising unveiling. Its grand opening was July 1st, 1923 with 60-70 Kenora residents making the trip for the dinner and dance starting off the summer season.

With Kenora on the main route of the C.P.R, it was more convenient to choose as a holiday getaway. Many guests came from the United States, specifically Chicago, Kansas City, and St. Louis meaning they had to get a connecting train from the Soo Line (American railroad) to Winnipeg, then to Kenora. Guests would disembark the train and take either a short 1/2 mile taxi-cab or bus ride to the Kenora Fish Market dock. There, guests were met with two motor boats of the camp named the Canadiana and the Nipigon which held about thirty passengers each, taking around a twenty minute boat ride to the final destination. The route started in Kenora Bay, then Cameron Narrows and finally Devil’s Gap Channel.

The camp began with 22 bungalow cabins. The two options included a single which had one room and two beds or a double which had two rooms and four beds all including running water and electric lighting. Starting rates were $5.00 a person per day or $30.00 a person per week. The total accommodation of the camp was 61 guests. Even before opening, high interest prompted the camp to be prepared to build more bungalows. As a result, five new bungalows were built in the year 1925, bringing the accommodation up to 80 guests.

The main lodge was where people would gather for social activities. It included a large dinning room fitting 100 guests, a lounge with a stone fireplace, a large verandah most commonly used for events such as dances, and a culinary space. With trails leading from the bungalows to the main lodge, it was the centrepiece and life of the camp.

Fact: The summer camp of D.L. Mather, relation to John Mather of the Keewatin Milling Company, sat opposite of the Devil’s Gap Lodge Bungalow Camp.

Although booming in these years, as time went on, many people had their own personal vehicles and did not have the need to travel by rail. In addition, the camp was only accessible by water although on mainland, making it a more difficult trip compared to other camps and was strictly open only a couple months of the year.

Unfortunately, after 37 years of operation by the C.P.R., the camp was set to be sold. The camp was meant to promote railway travel, and with the decline in its popularity, it became clear to the C.P.R. they were not benefiting from running the camp any longer according to the General Manager of C.P.R. Hotels, R.A Mackie.

Quickly during that same year, the sale went to Doug Ford and his brother. With new owners, the Fords made the decision the only way to keep customers was to build a road to the resort so people with their personal vehicles could drive directly there. In 1965, a road was built going through Rat Portage Reserve with the help of counsellor Alex Skead. Although much work went into keeping the camp open, things such as Anicinabe Park and its distance from town scared people away, ultimately closing the camp for good the summer of 1975. The Fords lost around $40 000 in cancelled reservations meaning they were forced to close.

The cabins were sold individually, while still pertaining the lease with the Rat Portage Reserve. Many were yearly campers of the site. Later, this lease became an issue.