Farmers, Fishers, Hunters and Trades — Indigenous Communities on Georgian Bay

Winner of the 2017 Chalmers Award for Ontario History

“‘Impressive’ . . . ‘Compelling’. . . ‘Seductive’. . . With such comments, the Champlain Society’s Chalmers Award Committee gave unanimous approval to a beautifully illustrated compendium of essays on Georgian Bay.

Georgian Bay: Discovering A Unique North American Ecosystem, edited by Nick Eyles, takes the reader on a two billion year journey through geological time to reveal the complex and singular ecosystem that is often called the Sixth Great Lake. The book tells the story of the clash between water and rocks and the myriad ways that flora and fauna have adapted and flourished along the Bay?s windswept shores and its many thousands of offshore islands. Individual chapters focus on life on the land, in the air above and in the water beneath the wide-mouthed bay. Maps, charts, stunning photographs old and new, complement the clear-eyed prose. And then there are the stories of the peoples of the Bay with their varying histories, triumphs and failures. First Nations, traders and settlers all receive appropriate attention. Special regard is given to the colourful history of Collingwood, and the art of Georgian Bay before and after the Group of Seven’s iconic work.

In short, the book enriches our appreciation of the constantly interacting aquatic and terrestrial spaces that characterize this massive and monumental region of Ontario. Congratulations to the Georgian Bay Land Trust who sponsored it and to editor Nick Eyles and all the contributors for a book which will delight scholars, general readers, and visitors as well as all those fortunate enough to live along the shores of the Bay.”
— Chalmers Award jury