Ufford Growing Up as a Boy in Ufford

In the 1800s the government of the land that in 1867 would become the Dominion of Canada endeavoured to settle as much of this wilderness country as possible on the basis that a resident population was the best way to strengthen the defenses of the vast territory. The difficulties encountered by the ill-equipped and naive immigrants that were encouraged to leave their home land, mostly Britain, and build a new future in what was described as a wonderful land of opportunity in the Northern Ontario wilderness of Muskoka, Ontario, were enormous. Great suffering, starvation and deprivation was the reality and many abandoned their "Free Grant Land" in dismay -disenchanted, broken hearted and broke. Those who were lucky enough to be granted land with good soil became successful farmers and stayed to create a wonderful area designated by the early explorers as Muskoka, now one of Canada's premier vacation areas. The writer, Kenneth Carman Veitch, grew up among the descendants of those first pioneer settlers and learned first hand of the struggles and hardships that they endured trying get anything to grow in the meagre soil around the rocks, swamps and endless trees of their property. "UFFORD" tells of how they worked hard and created their new homeland and the close-knit communities, most of which now thrive in a wonderful vacationland.