Skipness, Ontario NOTICE: These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by any other organization or persons. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material, must obtain the written consent from Sandra McLellan. Files may be printed or copied for personal use only.

These records were contributed by Madeleine Slater. MSl29@aol.com. Thanks Madeleine!
Information provided by Tim Matley, Toponymist

SKIPNESS, ONTARIO

From: Places in Ontario; Their Name Origins and History" (Part III, N-Z), compiled by Nick and Helma Mika, published in 1983 by Mika Publishing Company, Belleville, Ontario. Pages 403-404.

The community of Skipness, in Amabel Township, Bruce County, Ontario, was named by Donald Reid, one of the first settlers of the area, after the place in Scotland of the same name. Among the pioneers who purchased land in this area just west of Park Head in the 1860's, was a Mr. Conaway. He sold his farm to Christopher Tupling who, in turn, sold it in 1870 to James Davidson. Other early settlers were Malcolm MacDonald, Henry Elliott, Andrew McBeth, William Temple, Thomas George, David Porter and Joseph Chambers. David Porter built the first sawmill at Skipness. It was run by water power from a streamin Mud Lake (Marysville Lake). A post office was opened about 1872 with Donald Reid as postmaster. A church, used for some time by both Methodists and Presbyterians, was built in 1884. After church union in 1925 it was closed, but later re-opened by the Presbyterians who used it until the 1930's.