In the earliest days they were known as the Campers. That was the name given to them by the local farmers. Many of the Campers were some of Ottawa's most prominent citizens. You had to have money and a car in order to make the trip.

     The fact is, they were given the name Campers because many of them really were camping. They'd set up their big canvas tents complete with a cook stove and a hole in the ground used to bury their garbage. These were great feeding grounds for skunks that have continued to prosper to this day.

     In the fall, they'd dig a hole, cover the cook stove in grease and bury it so that it wouldn't be stolen over the winter.

     Being Campers, it was a common practice for them to gather on the beach at night where they would build giant bonfires, sit around telling stories, singing songs and enjoying the water.

     The bonfire in this photo was built in the summer of 1947. John Upton is the brave soul up the ladder. Left to right: Adelaide Upton, unknown, Rhea and Adrian Philips, Edgar and Yvette Philips.

     This photo is believed to depict the first cottage built in the Sandhills. It was located near the present day corner of Baillie Avenue and Constance Bay Road and was built in 1913.

     It wasn't long before Baillie Avenue saw cottages popping up all along the shore. Baillie Avenue was famous for having some of the finest beach to be found anywhere and was completely weed free during this period.

The Whitmore Clan
     In order to own property in the Sand Hills in the early 20's required reliable transportation. It was a long journey from Ottawa with many pitfalls. There are many stories about the Campers requiring the assistance of Mr. Baird who's farm still stands at the corner of Constance Bay Road and the Dunrobin Road.

     The vehicle at left was known as a Whippet and belonged to a Richard Duncan Whitmore. These photos have been donated by his grandson, Scott Whitmore. This vehicle made the journey weekly to a piece of property on what is now Bayview Drive half way between the Grocery and the Point.


     In this photo the Whippet is parked near the Baird Farm. Scott's grandmother Mary Florence Ellen Whitmore (her maiden name was Adamson) was born in England in 1891 and died in Ottawa in 1967. This photo, includes her three kids, the oldest boy (Scott's Uncle) Duncan Whitmore on the left, the youngest sister (Scott's Aunt) Marion Whitmore in the middle and the middle child on the right (Scott's father) Bernard John Whitmore.

     The grandfather Richard was a World War One veteran and was a sergeant with Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry (PPCLI). He was born in England in 1890 and came to Canada as a child. He died in Ottawa in 1982 at age 92. He was still driving his car in his nineties. He was shot and gassed in France, but survived, and he eventually won an Order of the British Empire (OBE) medal for his work as a government chemist in Canada. The OBE is in the PPCLI museum in Calgary Scott's father passed away in 2000. He had often described the drive from Ottawa when he was a kid in the 1920's and the difficult trek that it was through the Baird's farm and the sand and being towed by the farmer. Scott's Grandparents sold the cottage to a family named Ferguson in 1947 or 1948 for $1,500.


     Scott's father, Richard Whitmore is seen in this photo during the construction of their cottage around 1927. He's wearing a cap that he got at the Ottawa Ex that says "Magic Baking Powder".

















     In this photo, Richard can be seen holding his daughter Marion. This old cottage is still standing today.

     In the early days there were very few year round residents. One of the first was Clifford Jackson (at left) who settled here in 1943. Preceding him were Len Purcell, Fred Laframboise and Doris Currie. Mrs Currie owned property in the Bay since 1930, became a permanent resident in 1959 and, in 1960 became Torbolton's first female councilor.

     At about the same time, Buckham's Bay West was opened up when Bob Buck provided a road allowance and the Baldwin's, Richie's, Wilson's and Penney's subdivided parts of their farms.

     Len Purcell arrived on the scene in the late 1920's. He was a popular handyman and later became a policeman for the Bay.

     Perhaps the earliest and most curious residents of the area was Allan Quelette, a recluse who lived in this very small but sturdy stone building. It was only about twelve feet square built close to what is now known as Auger's Beach. It was surrounded by a wooden palisade and had an escape tunnel into the dense bush. Most of the Campers were afraid of Allan as he was known to fire warning shots at the occasional trespasser. Some of the local teens used to visit Allan to "catch a smoke". This photo was taken during the winter of 1967. It was demolished shortly after this photo was taken.

     The community continued to grow in popularity as a summer resort but few people were brave enough to take up full time residence. As late as 1961, Florence Boyd, who delivered mail in Constance Bay, reported only seventeen permanent residents.