The Dorset Tower: a Chronicled History

The paper outlines the history of the Dorset Tower from its conception in 1922 through its 1997 season. Beginning with a look at the causes of forest fires and the means of fighting them in the late 19th century and the organization of Ontario into districts to handle these events, the paper moves to a history of the construction of the Dorset Tower network in particular. Personal memories of the Dorset Tower and some of the towermen are included. With the erection of a new tower in 1967, a new age of tourism was begun but when control of the tower was moved to the MNR office in Bracebridge, problems surfaced. Some of these contemporary issues such as vandalism and financing are discussed as well as the work of the community to address and handle them. With the transfer of land to the township in 1997 and plans for the future, a new era was begun for the Tower.