Enjoying summer at the Sandbanks of yesteryear

Visitors enjoyed a flashback to the glory days of Lakeshore Lodge, thanks to Friends of Sandbanks Provincial Park.

Staff dressed in period costume led old-fashioned games and served lemonade and fresh cooked corn on the cob. Volunteers from Macaulay House in Picton provided period games and shared a glimpse into the history of the lodge at West Point Park.

Lakeshore Lodge was built in four stages between 1870 and 1893 and operated for 102 years. The large, three-storey building boasted numerous guest rooms and a dining hall that could seat more than 100 diners. Guests could pick up and mail letters, buy stamps, postcards, gum and candy in the reception area. The Lodge appealed to guests as well as local residents who would picnic on the grounds and make use of the facilities – including a shuffleboard pad, change houses, and recreational opportunities that varied from owner to owner, including a merry-go-round, baseball diamond, riding stables, rallies, boating regattas, fishing derbies, special events and dances. The foundation of the original dance hall remains. A swimming pool was available in the 60s and the remains of the diving board base are still visible.

A row of nine cottages was built in the late 1800s. They had no indoor plumbing or electricity until 1904 when a diesel generator was installed for the Lodge. Hydro connections were made in 1939. The Lodge closed in 1972 and was destroyed by fire in 1983.