Settler of township lots: Lot 11, Con 12, Nightingale Twp. (Algonquin Park)

Map Point: The location of the Baulke homestead as depicted on this map is an approximation within Lot 11, Con 12 on the west shore of Rock Lake on the Madawaska River.

Dates of residency:  Mr. Baulke and his family were enumerated at this location during the 1911 census.

Interesting facts:  William Baulke arrived from Ireland in 1868. He married Margret after his arrival, and had three children: Morris (b. 1901), James (b. 1903) and Nettia (b. 1907). He was a caretaker at a tourist camp along the shore of Rock Lake, and is believed to have been a caretaker at the Barclay Estate, the old foundations of which can still be seen along the Rock Lake hiking trail in the park.  

According to local memory, Mr. Baulke operated a store and rented cabins in the 1940s.  The now-digitized Archives of the Friends of Algonquin Park have photos of a few members of the Baulke family in various capacities in the park over the years.

Landowner: While the Baulke family or their employer may have held a lease on Rock Lake, the land itself belonged and belongs still to the Province of Ontario.

Link to Settlers of Algonquin Highlands family tree William Morris Baulke 1871 - 1955

Information source: Census of Canada, 1911; with additional thanks to Dawn Sherman of the Friends of Algonquin Park, and Rory MacKay, whose upcoming book on Algonquin history contains details that could be of use to those interested in the Baulke family and the earliest European-descent inhabitants of Algonquin Park.

Photo: 1950 The smallest of the Baulke cottages. Now near the middle of the waterfront of the eastern section of Rock Lake Campground. People at cottage on Rock Lake. Two on dock, one in the water and three in rowboat. Source: Archives of the Friends of Algonquin Park