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[[File:Delawana.JPG|right|thumb|The Delawana between 1910 and 1930]] |
[[File:Delawana.JPG|right|thumb|The Delawana between 1910 and 1930]] |
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The '''Delawana Resort''' is a Canadian hotel and resort in Honey Harbour in [[Georgian Bay, Ontario]].<ref name="Toronto1998-06-27">{{cite news |date=1998-06-27 |title=Resort of the Week: Delawana Inn |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-toronto-star/146519559/ |newspaper=[[Toronto Star]] |via=[[Newspapers.com]] |accessdate=2024-05-03 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20240503061059/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-toronto-star/146519559/ |archivedate=2024-05-03 }}</ref> It was formerly called '''Delawana Inn'''. |
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The '''Delawana Inn''' was a family hotel/resort in Honey Harbour on [[Georgian Bay, Ontario]] and now called '''Delawana Resort'''. |
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==History== |
==History== |
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{{More citations needed section|date=May 2024}} |
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| ⚫ | Honey Harbour and the site of the Delawana Inn had a beach area for bathing. |
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| ⚫ | Nathan Nickerson identified the site as a suitable location for a hotel. Nickerson and his wife Anne, had operated a store in Midland for twelve years, a sawmill, Nickerson Brothers' Mills in Hogg's Bay, (Victoria Harbour) and with his sons Albert and Charles, established the hotel known as the Victoria House on the present site of The Delawana Inn & Resort. When the hotel opened its doors in 1897, Nickerson was approximately seventy years old. |
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The evolution of the tourism industry in [[Simcoe County]] and Muskoka followed the great water routes of the trappers, loggers, and voyageurs. |
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| ⚫ | For fifteen cents, according to the ad in the [[Midland Free Press]], the steamer "Odessa" would take guests from Victoria Harbour to Honey Harbour. All guests and supplies had to be transported by boat since there were no roads. Accommodations were available for the night or the week. Guests had the use of boats, meals were supplied, picnic lunches created, and ice cream and confectioneries were available. The hotel was a two-story wooden structure with extensive verandahs. During the early years, Victoria House was a fishing camp without electricity or telephones. |
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| ⚫ |
Honey Harbour and the site of the Delawana Inn had |
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| ⚫ | In the 1920s, Charles Nickerson, Nathan's son, sold Victoria House to the Grisé brothers; they had operated [[Royal Hotel (Honey Harbour)|The Royal Hotel]] (a four storey building with a dock c. 1903 and closed mid 1970s then demolished) across the channel on Royal Island. Fred Grisé, who had managed a liquor store in Penetanguishene until prohibition ended that venture, took over the operation of the mainland hotel. Fred's son, Didace, along with Fred's daughter-in-law, Mary, became the managers. |
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| ⚫ |
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Under the Grisé family, the hotel became The Delawana Inn after a merger of the Victoria Hotel and the Georgian Hotel.<ref name="Boyer1987">{{cite book |last=Boyer |first=Barbaranne |editor-last=Tatley |editor-first=Richard |date=1987 |title=Muskoka's Grand Hotels |url=https://archive.org/details/muskokasgrandhot0000boye/page/174/ |location=Erin, Ontario |publisher=Boston Mills Press |via=[[Internet Archive]] |page=174 |isbn=0-919783-74-0 |accessdate=2024-05-03 }}</ref> The name was inspired by a local Chief named Delawana.<ref name="Tice2006">{{cite book |last1=Tice |first1=Janet |last2=Wilford |first2=Jane |orig-date=1986 |date=2008 |title=100 Best Family Resorts in North America: 100 Quality Resorts with Leisure Activities for Children and Adults |url=https://archive.org/details/100bestfamilyres0000tice/page/244/mode/2up |edition=9 |location=Guilford, Connecticut |publisher=[[Insiders' Guide]] |via=[[Internet Archive]] |pages=244–247 |isbn=978-0-7627-4529-6 |issn=1536-6170 |accessdate=2024-05-03 }}</ref> His daughter, Wah-Soo-na, and her two dogs, were killed by a falling rock. |
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When the hotel opened its doors in 1897, Mr. Nickerson was approximately seventy years old. People thought he "lost his mind", to leave such a lucrative business as the lumber trade, but Nathan was convinced that the Honey Harbour district would become more popular for tourism than the famed Thousand Islands of the St. Lawrence. |
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| ⚫ | In the 1920s, more cabins were built to increase capacity. Lighting was by acetylene, water was heated by wood, laundry was done by hand and huge icehouses provided refrigeration. |
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| ⚫ |
For fifteen cents, according to the ad in the [[Midland Free Press]], the steamer "Odessa" would take guests from Victoria Harbour to Honey Harbour. All guests and supplies had to be transported by boat since there were no roads. Accommodations were available for the night or the week. Guests had the use of boats, meals were supplied, picnic lunches created, and ice cream and confectioneries were available. The hotel was a two-story wooden structure with extensive verandahs. During the early years, Victoria House was a |
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| ⚫ |
In the 1920s, Charles Nickerson, Nathan's son, sold Victoria House to the Grisé brothers; they had operated [[Royal Hotel (Honey Harbour)|The Royal Hotel]] (a four storey building with a dock c. 1903 and closed mid 1970s then demolished) across the channel on Royal Island. Fred Grisé, who had managed a liquor store in Penetanguishene until prohibition ended that venture, took over the operation of the mainland hotel. Fred's son, Didace, along with Fred's daughter-in-law, Mary, became the managers. |
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It was under the Grisé family that the hotel became The Delawana Inn. Legend has it that a local Chief named Delawana suffered a great tragedy when a rock-fall killed his daughter, Wah-Soo-na, and her two dogs. The Great Spirit gave the area its beautiful birch trees in her memory and the people named Big Dog and Little Dog Channels for her companion pets. |
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| ⚫ |
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By 1935, the Marine Wing was added, providing twenty more rooms, two of which had private baths. Four rooms in the main building contained a bath, eleven had running water, and the remaining seventeen had "still water service". The new kitchen had a dishwasher and oil-fired stoves. Capacity at The Delawana was one hundred guests, most of them fishermen. |
By 1935, the Marine Wing was added, providing twenty more rooms, two of which had private baths. Four rooms in the main building contained a bath, eleven had running water, and the remaining seventeen had "still water service". The new kitchen had a dishwasher and oil-fired stoves. Capacity at The Delawana was one hundred guests, most of them fishermen. |
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Didace Grisé |
Didace Grisé tried to make his hotel competitive and up–to-date. He hired dietitians to work in the kitchen; telephones were available twenty-four hours a day, [[Canadian National Railway#CN Telegraph|CNR telegrams]] were sent and received, and running water was installed during the war years. |
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A fire happened in August 1952, which burned the main building to the ground.<ref name="Tice2006"/><ref name="Architect1956-09-01">{{cite magazine |date=1956-09-01 |title=A Summer Hotel |magazine=The Canadian Architect |issn=0008-2872 |issue=9 |pages=37–42 |id={{ProQuest|1617887997}} }}</ref> The Grisés did not have insurance, so they turned to private financing and reopened in the following spring. The new main building contained ten rooms, which qualified The Delawana for a beer and wine license. More units with private baths were built and the increased prices were met with some resistance. An aggressive advertising campaign soon attracted conference groups. In July 1973, a second fire destroyed the building and again the family rebuilt.<ref name="Tice2006"/> Didace Grise died in 1974, leaving ownership to Mary Grise and two of her sons. |
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In the 1970s the bar of the Delawana Inn was the site of violent confrontations between the [[Hells Angels]] and local [[Ojibwa]] families.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gfL3uuJTPygC&dq=The+Delawana+Inn&pg=PA154 |title=The Rough Guide to Canada |last1=Jepson |first1=Tim |last2=Lee |first2=Phil |last3=Smith |first3=Tania |last4=Williams |first4=Christian |date=2004 |location=New York |publisher=[[Rough Guides]] |page=154 |isbn=978-1-84353-266-8 |accessdate=2010-05-26 }}</ref> |
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Helga Loverseed of ''[[The Globe and Mail]]'' in 1993 called the "plainly decorated, turn-of-the-century" hotel "an anachronism in today's modern world", writing that unlike most of Ontario's hotels, it had not been renovated. She wrote, "Self-respecting yuppies probably wouldn't set foot in the place it isn't nearly glitzy enoughbut it's a favourite vacation venue for seniors, older 'singles' and grandparents".<Ref name="Loverseed1993-10-06">{{cite news |last=Loverseed |first=Helga |date=1993-10-06 |title=Delawana Inn's hominess popular with older travellers |newspaper=[[The Globe and Mail]] |id={{ProQuest|1143805881}} }}</ref> |
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The changing nature of travel and tourism saw many Canadians venture off to new foreign destinations, and many Americans just stopped traveling north. In 1996 the resort changed hands, was purchased by a development company from Toronto and went into receivership in 2013. |
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Under new ownership, the resort reopened in 2014. |
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{{Unreferenced section|date=May 2024}} |
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In 1996 the resort was purchased by a development company from Toronto and went into receivership in 2013. Under new ownership, the resort reopened in 2014. |
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The resort |
The resort has suite units, rooms and individual cottages. |
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In 2015 the Delawana Inn changed its name to Delawana Resort (dropping the word 'inn' while still keeping the historical 'Delawana'). This was to prevent confusion due to the lack of an actual inn being on the property anymore. |
In 2015 the Delawana Inn changed its name to Delawana Resort (dropping the word 'inn' while still keeping the historical 'Delawana'). This was to prevent confusion due to the lack of an actual inn being on the property anymore. |
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==External links== |
==External links== |
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* [https://delawanaresort.ca/ Official website] |
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{{Coord|44.8707|-79.8226|display=title|region:CA-ON_type:landmark}} |
{{Coord|44.8707|-79.8226|display=title|region:CA-ON_type:landmark}} |
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A major contributor to this article appears to have a close connection with its subject. It may require cleanup to comply with Wikipedia's content policies, particularly neutral point of view. Please discuss further on the talk page. (May 2024) (Learn how and when to remove this message)
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The Delawana Resort is a Canadian hotel and resort in Honey Harbour in Georgian Bay, Ontario.[1] It was formerly called Delawana Inn.
 |
This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this articlebyadding citations to reliable sources in this section. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (May 2024) (Learn how and when to remove this message)
|
Honey Harbour and the site of the Delawana Inn had a beach area for bathing.
Nathan Nickerson identified the site as a suitable location for a hotel. Nickerson and his wife Anne, had operated a store in Midland for twelve years, a sawmill, Nickerson Brothers' Mills in Hogg's Bay, (Victoria Harbour) and with his sons Albert and Charles, established the hotel known as the Victoria House on the present site of The Delawana Inn & Resort. When the hotel opened its doors in 1897, Nickerson was approximately seventy years old.
For fifteen cents, according to the ad in the Midland Free Press, the steamer "Odessa" would take guests from Victoria Harbour to Honey Harbour. All guests and supplies had to be transported by boat since there were no roads. Accommodations were available for the night or the week. Guests had the use of boats, meals were supplied, picnic lunches created, and ice cream and confectioneries were available. The hotel was a two-story wooden structure with extensive verandahs. During the early years, Victoria House was a fishing camp without electricity or telephones.
In the 1920s, Charles Nickerson, Nathan's son, sold Victoria House to the Grisé brothers; they had operated The Royal Hotel (a four storey building with a dock c. 1903 and closed mid 1970s then demolished) across the channel on Royal Island. Fred Grisé, who had managed a liquor store in Penetanguishene until prohibition ended that venture, took over the operation of the mainland hotel. Fred's son, Didace, along with Fred's daughter-in-law, Mary, became the managers.
Under the Grisé family, the hotel became The Delawana Inn after a merger of the Victoria Hotel and the Georgian Hotel.[2] The name was inspired by a local Chief named Delawana.[3] His daughter, Wah-Soo-na, and her two dogs, were killed by a falling rock.
In the 1920s, more cabins were built to increase capacity. Lighting was by acetylene, water was heated by wood, laundry was done by hand and huge icehouses provided refrigeration.
By 1935, the Marine Wing was added, providing twenty more rooms, two of which had private baths. Four rooms in the main building contained a bath, eleven had running water, and the remaining seventeen had "still water service". The new kitchen had a dishwasher and oil-fired stoves. Capacity at The Delawana was one hundred guests, most of them fishermen.
Didace Grisé tried to make his hotel competitive and up–to-date. He hired dietitians to work in the kitchen; telephones were available twenty-four hours a day, CNR telegrams were sent and received, and running water was installed during the war years.
A fire happened in August 1952, which burned the main building to the ground.[3][4] The Grisés did not have insurance, so they turned to private financing and reopened in the following spring. The new main building contained ten rooms, which qualified The Delawana for a beer and wine license. More units with private baths were built and the increased prices were met with some resistance. An aggressive advertising campaign soon attracted conference groups. In July 1973, a second fire destroyed the building and again the family rebuilt.[3] Didace Grise died in 1974, leaving ownership to Mary Grise and two of her sons.
In the 1970s the bar of the Delawana Inn was the site of violent confrontations between the Hells Angels and local Ojibwa families.[5]
Helga Loverseed of The Globe and Mail in 1993 called the "plainly decorated, turn-of-the-century" hotel "an anachronism in today's modern world", writing that unlike most of Ontario's hotels, it had not been renovated. She wrote, "Self-respecting yuppies probably wouldn't set foot in the place it isn't nearly glitzy enoughbut it's a favourite vacation venue for seniors, older 'singles' and grandparents".[6]
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This section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this sectionbyadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (May 2024) (Learn how and when to remove this message)
|
In 1996 the resort was purchased by a development company from Toronto and went into receivership in 2013. Under new ownership, the resort reopened in 2014.
The resort has suite units, rooms and individual cottages.
In 2015 the Delawana Inn changed its name to Delawana Resort (dropping the word 'inn' while still keeping the historical 'Delawana'). This was to prevent confusion due to the lack of an actual inn being on the property anymore.
44°52′15″N 79°49′21″W / 44.8707°N 79.8226°W / 44.8707; -79.8226
