Writer: Andrew Hind
Clevelands House has been an iconic Muskoka resort for over a century, rich with all the trappings and memories of a traditional resort vacation. To the lament of countless who have enjoyed summers at ‘Cleves’ or who have grown accustomed to seeing her looking out upon the waters of Lake Rosseau, soon the venerable hotel will be gone.
In 2019, billionaire developer – and area cottager – Mitch Goldhar of the Penguin Group of Companies purchased the property with an eye toward reviving its sagging fortunes. That means tearing down the aging, increasingly weary existing buildings and replacing them with something new and exciting. Phase One of the multiphase development includes accommodation units, a wellness centre, indoor and outdoor sport courts, public and private beaches, and a marina with up to 215 boat slips.
What’s lost in the news – and, in some circles concerns – about the demise of Clevelands House is that not one, but rather two resorts will meet the wrecking ball once demolition begins.
Cheltonia House, a summer resort that thrived for five decades, will soon be gone as well – another casualty of modern development.
By 1910, Clevelands House was a booming success. Founded three decades earlier by Charles and Fanny Minett, it had grown from rather modest beginnings to become a one of Muskoka’s largest resorts, capable of welcoming more than two hundred guests. Taking note of its success were neighbors William and Louisa Fraling. They decided they wanted to taste the prosperity enjoyed by the Minetts, even if only on a more modest scale, and opened a resort of their own named Cheltonia House.
The Minetts had no hard feelings about the launch of the new hotel. They could barely keep up with demand as it was, and besides, the Fralings were family – Louisa was a cousin to then-owner Arthur Minett.
Cheltonia House did well from the very start. Louisa almost single-handedly ran the hotel. She did the laundry, the cooking, housecleaning, bookkeeping, and the marketing. William’s sole job, it seemed, was socialising with guests. It didn’t take Louisa long to realise this was a one-sided arrangement, so she parted ways with William, sent him on his way, and ran Cheltonia House truly on her own.
To her credit, Louisa guided the hotel through two World Wars and the Great Depression. One of the resort’s biggest attractions was its food; Louisa was widely hailed as one of the best cooks in the area. But she kept the secrets of her success close to the vest. If you asked her for a recipe, she’d leave something out so you could never quite replicate it.
As she aged, Louise’s son, Evan, and his wife Olive took a hand in running the resort (Evan also ran his own successful general store and boat livery on the property). Louisa continued to be involved in operating the resort well into her eighties.
Cheltonia House closed in 1969. A decade later, in 1980, the 15-acre property was purchased by Clevelands House and Cheltonia House, renamed The Manor House, serving as additional accommodation units.
Since autumn 2019, Clevelands House and with it Cheltonia House have been closed. The years since have not been kind, with deterioration making redevelopment the only viable option for the property.
When the wrecking ball descends upon Clevelands House in the near future, Muskoka will lose two historic resorts with distinct – if connected – histories.
Some reminders of Cheltonia House will remain, however, in the form of a washstand and dresser in the collection of Port Carling’s Muskoka Lakes Museum.
