My own photograph from atop of the hills nearby
Ferndale (near Port Carling), Ontario
This vacation spot no longer exists. I’m not sure why. I tried finding the exact location a couple of years ago, but I believe the spot is now private property.
CKC, as our Mom noted on photographs, was a Christian meeting place in the heart of Muskoka. We went there every summer, for a week or so. between 1958 and 1964.
Here’s a postcard (courtesy of eBay.com) from that period:
I have plenty of memories of the place, including the wonderful dining, the many sports (especially shuffleboard), and taking care of my younger sister, Anne, while our parents attended meetings.
I have a version of this scene from 1964, featuring my sister, front and centre.
I also remember that it was a time of experimenting with trying to make pictures blur by opening and shutting my mouth quickly when one was taken.
CKC August 1958
But my most enduring memory is sleeping in a log cabin (not exactly a log cabin, but a wooden hut to accommodate our family). To allow us enough beds, they put me in the porch, which was screened in to keep out the mosquitoes. As there wasn’t any glass, by morning, I was chilled to the bone. I’m still susceptible to colds when I get a chill…
For more great photos, some of which echoed our own from those years, click here.
And here’s the iconic image that I took of the entrance to the property in 1964.
cdsmiller17 
Thanks for posting. Saw my old photos on the other page. Spent most of my childhood here.
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I couldn’t believe how many great photos you had. I spent a lot of my summers there, especially when we lived across the lake at Windermere.
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58/59 I worked there with about 15 other guys. Moving beds, cutting grass, helping guests move in and out, and any joe job. working in the kitchen on weekends. .10 cents an hr with great meals and a super fun summer Jack D
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I would have seen you there. I was eight in 1958. We lived in Windermere, across the lake.
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My sister and I worked here the summer of 1965. She was a waitress and I was a housekeeper in some of the farthest cabins. Thank you for posting the pics.
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I had anticipated working there as a waiter when I turned sixteen, but life has a way of getting in the way. Thanks for commenting.
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Thank you posting your photos. As a family we went there many years in the campground area. Best years with family.
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We stayed in the trailer park in the mid 70’s with my two younger brothers and my parents. My late father was a Presbyterian Minister and we went up during his holidays for camp meeting. Stan.
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I hope to hear from some of you. Stan.
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Thanks for commenting. It’s a shared reality that most would not understand.
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Yes that is true and then years later when living in Stouffville I discovered that your church secretary used to stay there too in the 60’s and 70’s and enjoyed the services. She is I think 77 yrs old or so. I still have memories of that awesome place and also found out that the founder of Christian Horizons Group Homes for adults Noel Churchmen used to stay in the trailer park too with his family which when I met him when I worked for them and he recognized me all those years later.
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