EVANSVILLE—Having sold out of his first two-volume set of books, and with many requests for a reprinting of ‘Manitoulin Island: Hearsay and Recollections,’ local author George Whyte has released the books in five volumes.
“This book was self-published in 2012 as a two-volume set,” Mr. Whyte told The Expositor. “In 2012 I wrote the book ’Sagas of the Pioneers of Manitoulin Island as a fundraiser.’ One thousand copies were printed as a fundraiser for the Friends of Misery Bay and the Gore Bay Museum.” All copies were sold that summer.
“Since then, people have been asking me how they can get a copy of the books,” said Mr. Whyte. “Many people have asked me for copies or to publish a second edition.”
The five-volume compendium chronicles the first European settlers who came to Manitoulin Island in the latter part of the 19th century. It describes where they came from, their means of transportation, the construction of their shanties and later, their log homes and barns, their farm life, commercial fishing and the myriad logging operations.
Volumes four and five concentrate on Burpee and Mills. They include the original survey notes, census data and the family trees of many of the first settler families. It also tells the history of the conservation efforts to protect the south shore of Burpee Township, which now includes the Misery Bay Provincial Park and the Mac’s Bay Conservation Reserve.
The first volume is titled ‘Sagas of the Pioneers, Volume Two, The Next Four Decades,’ the third volume focusses on timbering, commercial fishing, and the fourth volume ‘The South Shore,’ and volume five, ‘Settler Stock-Conservation.’
“One of the stories in the fifth book is about Willard Witty, of classic settler stock,” said Mr. Whyte. He relayed the first book “has many potential audiences. The first are the people of the Manitoulin, especially the residents of Burpee Township, and the folks who remember those who timbered and fished the south shore between Murphy Harbour and Misery Bay. The second of these audiences are the general readers, the off-Islanders who are curious about the Indigenous people who first lived on the Manitoulin, and about the rugged, hard-working, self-starting settlers who came here not long after Confederation, seeking a new life for themselves and their families.”
“The books should interest people who would like to know how and why the south shore is so special and the steps that were taken to preserve it as a nature reserve and provincial park. The story should also interest the many people who worked at the Murphy Point Resort from 1935-1976, or who came to the resort as a guest, or who are now owners of the cottages. Finally, it should interest my family as I have tried to work our ancestors into the text to show my children and grandchildren how similar our family history was to the folks who came to the Manitoulin,” continued Mr. Whyte.
“My association with the Island started in the summer of 1948,” said Mr. Whyte. Since then, he has been a part-time resident, full-time resident, a principal of an adult education program for Cambrian College, a lecturer of history for Laurentian University, a resort owner and a proud supporter of Manitoulin.
Mr. Whyte explained all five books are available on Amazon.ca. “As Amazon has a 250-page maximum for hardcopy books, the new edition is in five volumes. The price was set at just over the printing cost, to make the books available to as many people as possible.”
The hardcopy editions are just $2 more a copy more than the paperbacks.
