Postcard Memories is a series of historic views, stories, and photos of Innisfil and the area, a trip down memory lane on a Saturday morning.
Last month we met Lorne Jack, who left his native Innisfil for a career on stage. This month, we complete his story.
In 1914 and approaching middle-age, Jack decided to focus on the next chapter of his life by opening a tent camp on the shores of Lake Simcoe at the end of the Sixth Line in Innisfil. Tent City, as he called it, consisted of six accommodation tents and a large tent that served as kitchen and dining room.
A lot of people scoffed.
Those who dismissively turned their noses up at Jack’s endeavour shouldn’t have been so quick to laugh. It wasn’t exactly unheard of to put guests up in tents, after all; summer resorts in Muskoka had long accommodated overflow in canvas tents. Consequently, Tent City was hardly the gamble many thought it was. Indeed, it was a near-immediate hit, and additional tents had to be added for the second season.
Eventually, Jack replaced many of the tents with a sizable hotel that could accommodate more than 50 guests at a time. he also added a dance pavilion that attracted young people from as far away as Toronto. Every Wednesday and Saturday was dance-night, and at five cents a dance a person could have a joyful evening for less than a dollar.
Lorne Jack died on June 6, 1945, while the hotel was still thriving. Under new ownership, Tent City continued until a fire gutted much of the hotel in 1953. It wasn’t rebuilt, and in the following year, the fire-blackened hotel was demolished.
Much of the property was sold to Arrowhead Camp.
Lorne Jack was a visionary. Though many scoffed, Tent City was a surprising success that created fond summer memories of four decades.
