The jewel in the crown of lumber baron J.R. Booth's vast empire, Depot Harbour was, by the end of the 19th Century, the western-most terminus of  the Canadian Atlantic Railway. Constructed to help the entrepreneurial magnate compete with his American rivals, it was soon handling close to 20 million bushels of grain and 375 million board feet of lumber each year -- records show that in 1899 more than half of all Canadian grain sent to Europe via Montreal passed through Depot Harbour. With easy access to the Great lakes, Depot Harbour could handle any freighter, no matter how big. One, the SS Williams R. Linn, reportedly delivered the equivalent of 350 railway cars of grain to Depot Harbour in one voyage, the largest cargo
ever transported between Great Lake ports.

Sadly, the town's rapid rise was equalled by its spectacular demise. Bought out by the Grand Trunk Railway in the early 1900s, the new owners tried to make the line more efficient by cutting staff and stretching the system to overload. By the time World War I broke out, all they'd managed to do was create a massive deficit. 

  In its heyday, Depot Harbour, with its neat and tidy streets, had much to offer its 600 residents, including sports, theatre and dancing. Today, while some reminders of the town's once important role in Booth's empire still remain, the place is a ghost town.
  To visit Depot Harbour today, you have to enter Parry Island -- just a few minutes west of Parry Sound -- over the original swing bridge built to carry the railway. Once over the bridge, make your way to the Band Office of the island's Ojibwa Indian Tribe. The tribe -- who have returned the island to its original name, Wasauksing -- own all the land round Depot Harbour, and visitors should first report to them before exploring the town. Tribe members are generally pleased to point you in the direction of the town's surviving landmarks.

Depot Harbour's former glory can still be seen in the ruins of its locomotive Round House. Rising out of the bushes like some medieval ruin, the curve of the building's foundations are still apparent. A few minutes drive away you'll find the last remaining intact structure from Depot Harbour's past, an old wooden home. Look carefully and you'll even find some of the old sidewalks that lined the streets.

The harbour itself is the highlight of a walk around Dept Harbour's ruins. Still standing is the wharf where the big lakers tied up to offload or take on cargo. A few lengths of railway track remain, and a huge steam crane stands guard over the old harbour, rusting away after years of abandonment.

If you look carefully, you may be lucky enough to find some early 20th century artifacts scattered in the dense grass and shrubs, including broken Depression-era glass.

Getting there
  For additional information and some great photos of Depot Harbour as it is today, visit the website at www.ontarioghosttowns.com

  The site also contains details of other interesting ghost towns in Ontario. Parry Sound is easily accessible from Muskoka along Highways 69 and 141. To get to Depot Harbour, take highway 69B from Parry Sound to the Great North Road. Continue on to Rose Point, where you will see the original swing bridge.