Mossom Boyd was a legendary figure. Coming over to settle on Sturgeon Lake as a poor, eighteen year old orphan, he was a tough, focused man who would allow nothing to stand in his way. Being the son of a captain in the British Army, he startled his gentry peers by clearing land personally, before moving on to manage and eventually own the mills at Bobcaygeon. Starting off as a manager, he soon leased the property from his patron, Thomas Need, and eventually bought him out. He rose to operate one of the most successful Timber companies in the British Empire.
Grace Barker, who was one of the few Bobcaygeon residents who had been to the Big House while the Boyds lived there, tells the remarkable story of Mossom Boyd and his family. Her years of devoted research allow her to chronicle the growth of the business under the proprietor and his sons; labouring lives in the lumber camps, mills and on the rivers; to the tragedy of the First World War. It is a must read for anyone interested in the Kawarthas or lumber industries.
Out of print, but limited stock on sale at the Museum Gift Shop. Also available through City of Kawartha Lakes Public Library.
