When the railroad was being built, the Ontario government allocated eighteen miles on either side of the survey line as a timber source to be used during construction. According to the unpublished manuscript of Allan Shaw on mills in the Kenora area, once the work was done and the rail line was operating, the thirty-six mile timber reserve was rescinded and the land reverted back to the crown. Shaw continues to say these reserves were then surveyed and sold by public bid. This opened the door for new companies to begin logging and sawmill business in these regions, now made accessible by the rail line.



The Otter Lake Lath Mill was one such operation. It was held under license by C.A. Hurst and George Gibson. Exhausting hours of research have been done to determine the year the operation began and how long the mill was worked to no avail. After several trips to Kenora, countless letters to different Ministries in Ontario and the investigative abilities of John Hewitt of Belleville, Ontario, the only documented evidence of a date was found on a survey certificate that indicated it would have been operation around 1927.



The wood for the mill was harvested on the Pelican and floated over the falls. At Ottermere it was rafted, then pulled by a Launch to the mill. A spur line ran on the south side of the main line near the mill and was removed in 1931.



It is known the mill operated for a very short period of time, probably less than two years. Word has it that business ceased rather quickly; dishes were left set on the tables. It is pure speculation what caused this but bankruptcy, skulduggery or strike were some rumours that circulated.



Remnants of the Launch and other paraphernalia such as flywheels, boilers, parts of the smokestack were found around the site for many years. The enormous smokestack is a vivid memory. It finally fell down in 1939. Many of the early campers found use for the material abandoned there. Lath was great kindling, framework was re-used for construction of other buildings on the Lake and the bricks also came in handy for many purposes.



The Otter Lake Lath Mill is truly an enigma. It was an ominous structure which came and went quickly and left little tangible evidence of its existence expcept a few photographs, memories and some pieces of metal debris scattered over a beautiful section of sand Lakeshore now known as The Mill Beach.



(An Excerpt from the Ottermere Book)