// MUSKOKA LIVING //
Matt Driscoll, is a freelance writer and editor based out of Bracebridge, Ontario. He was a former editor with Muskoka Magazine and former photojournalist with the Bracebridge Examiner and Sioux Lookout Bulletin. Matt worked for several years in the museums field, both in Canada and internationally, before moving into full-time journalism more than a decade ago.
The Muskoka Leather Company operated from 1882 until 1890 when it was re-acquired by the original owner, Beardmore, to become Muskoka Leather Company.
Beardmore Tannery Once a Vital Economic Hub in Muskoka PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF MUSKOKA DIGITAL ARCHIVES
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Largely now a relic of the past, the tannery was once a hub of economic prosperity for many northern Ontario communities and Muskoka was no exception. he first of Bracebridge’s tanneries was the
under company founder George Beardmore. When it came time
Beardmore Tanning Company, which was locally
for expansion, the company considered several options but
known as the “old” tannery and was established
ultimately settled on Bracebridge, largely due to the massive supply
along the Muskoka River in Bracebridge in 1877.
of hemlock trees located in local forests. At the time, tanneries
The Beardmore Tannery first started in the
tannic acid, which could be readily derived from the hemlock bark
Acton area, where they had extensive operations
that was abundant in the area.
transformed cowhide to leather. The process involved the use of
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