Fenelon Township A Study of the Evolution of the Physical and Cultural Landscapes

Abstract

<p>Fenelon Township is located in the middle of Victoria County, Ontario, in the Kawartha Lakes Region. It is about 75 miles north-east of Toronto (fig. 1). Fenelon's rectangular boundary encloses an area of 108 square miles, approximately one-sixth of which is water surface.</p> <p>It is the purpose of this thesis to examine the various landscapes which have characterized Fenelon Township from the earliest time for which evidence is available to the present, and to explain the evolution of each successive landscape. Emphasis is placed in explaining the present land use pattern.</p> <p>Chapter I deals with the landscape from Precambrian times to the end of the Pleistocene glaciation, and Chapter II explains the subsequent evolution of the climate, soils and vegetation. Chapter III discusses the development of the landscape since the arrival of man, from Indian times to the present. Chapters I to III provide an introduction to Chapter IV, which gives an account of the 1961 land use pattern. Finally, a summary and several important conclusions are stated in Chapter V.</p> <p>Field work for the thesis was done by car, boat and on foot in July, August and early September of 1951. Extensive use was made of the soil report for Victoria County, several publications by the Geological Survey of Canada, and aerial photographs.</p> <p>Personal interviews were an important part of the field work.</p>