Georgian Bay Township
Historical Society
David Milne's view from his Six Mile Lake cabin
David Milne Legacy Project
“If I am allowed to pick my own heaven, this is it.”
Canadian artist David B. Milne wrote these words about Six Mile Lake in the Township of Georgian Bay in 1933. That year, he travelled to Bracebridge, then Orillia, and down the Severn River, in search of a place to live and to paint. After camping in Port Severn, he canoed with friends on Six Mile Lake and, in late summer, he settled there. Scouring the lakeshore for building materials, he scavenged old logs and planks to begin a rustic twelve by sixteen foot cabin. With some modest improvements, he lived there until 1939, producing some of his best paintings.
These details are direct from Milne’s own journal as is beautifully recounted in a video titled “David Milne – Six Mile Lake” produced by the Art Gallery of Ontario. (Recommend: David Milne: Six Mile Lake - YouTube )
David Milne is sometimes publicly overshadowed by the earlier Group of Seven painters, although many art enthusiasts consider Milne to be one of the top 3 artists, in the country, or possibly on the continent, from that generation.
His Six Mile works have been exhibited in Ottawa, Toronto, Montreal, Chicago, New York, Gloucester, Oxford and London, England. His permanent Canadian collections include those at the Art Gallery of Ontario, the National Art Gallery in Ottawa, and the renowned McMichael Canadian Art Collection in Kleinburg. His paintings have sold for as much as one million dollars.
A few images from Milne's vast portfolio including one of his own cabin.
Through the Township of Georgian Bay, our Historical Society obtained this rustic cabin in 2016, although it had been altered over the years by subsequent owners. The resulting project ran for three years drawing on a great deal of volunteer help, local artifact donors, and significant community support and fundraising.
The overwhelming task began by stripping the cabin back to its original form, then pulling it out of the bush, and transporting it 15 km down a four-lane divided highway. It then needed to be positioned onto its new home foundation in Port Severn, and stripped back further of everything younger than 80 years, and finally, built back up again.
After 75 years of renovations
Back to her bones
Dissected and on the move
Milne’s own journal, and images from his sketches and paintings, were used to recreate his lakeside retreat in remarkable – sometimes painstaking – detail, and with true authenticity, we think!
Following his unconventional building practices and finding materials to match that era was challenging. A near vintage stove was found at a garage sale in the Laurentians of Quebec; replacement floor boards were scoured out of a snake-infested, grassy field of a nearby salvage yard.
The community was canvassed for any utensils and fittings from the times. We much appreciated being given an antique easel – obviously a necessity for an artist’s home. Surroundings have been landscaped with appropriate native plants and even a tree is planted outside the door which Milne mentioned in his writings. In addition, using creative signage, we managed to simulate Milne’s view from his windows, even though his lake is 20 minutes away.
Milne’s resourcefulness enabled him to build a house from very little – a house which may well last a century! I suspect, however, that many unknowing passersby see the tarpaper shack in Port Severn and wonder, “Is the township ever going to finish that old black building?”
It is not his tarpaper that David Milne will be remembered for, but his canvasses which he left for all to enjoy.
David Milne Legacy
Ribbon cutting day with our team, the mayor, representation from the Art Gallery of Ontario, and most notably, David Milne Jr.
Notice through the open door, you can see the silhouette of Mr. Milne’s easel, and with some magic and imagination, his view through the window beyond.