LUCAR POINT – A suggestion from a Northeast Town resident to change the name of Lucar Point Road to Looker Point Road, on the shores of Lake Manitou, was vehemently opposed by members of that community.
In early June, Northeast Town council received a letter from Chris King, great great grandson of the late Herbert Harry Looker who was a resident of Bidwell Township and “head of the family who ‘Looker Point’ was named for.”
Mr. King attached a census from Bidwell Township that contained the Looker family, a picture of the original farmhouse and an explanatory note from the publication ‘Manitoulin Island Through the Years’ about the Looker family and their history in the area.
Mr. King asked that council change the spelling to reflect the family history from Lucar to Looker.
Council agreed to post a notice about a prospective name change in its weekly Expositor ad and to solicit the residents by phone for their thoughts.
At the July 7 meeting, council received letters from some of the residents of Lucar Point which indicated strong opposition to a name change. A petition with 21 signatures was also presented to council, opposing the name change.
“I spoke to one of the residents who feels very strongly on this,” said Councillor Dawn Orr, who said the resident explained that the Lookers were not the original inhabitants of that land. Councillor Orr said concerns were also raised about the notice to residents.
“The request was put on the table, it was put out for comment and it worked,” Councillor Jim Ferguson replied. “The process has proven that it actually works.”
Council opted not to proceed with a name change to Looker Point.
In the book ‘Lake Manitou Historical Tidbits’ produced by the Lake Manitou Area Association (and available at this newspaper’s bookstore Print Shop Books) the section on Lucar Point reads: “Lucar Point and Lucar Road are named after the Looker family, so it really should be Looker Point and Looker Road. The spelling mistake was made when the municipality put in the new 911 road signs. Herbert Looker (1876-1949) and his wife Jane Hinch came from Sunderland, England in the late 1890s. Mr. Looker’s family had died from tuberculosis and he came to this country seeking a drier climate. He intended to go west to the prairies. When he got off the boat in Little Current, he was immediately offered the job of painting Albert Ashley’s new house on (what would come to be called) Looker’s Point.” Mr. Looker and his family eventually purchased the Looker Point home and lived there until 1940.
