The Almaguin Highlands is a region that was once coveted for its game, silver birch and majestic white pine. For centuries this area stretched up to the shores of Lake Nipissing and embraced an unbroken forest that remained largely intact save where lakes, streams and beaver meadows punctuated the forest floor. In 1900, the northernmost areas of the District of Parry Sound were still not accessible by even a conventional roadway. Homesteaders, their claims precariously strung along the Pickerel River, relied on the waterway as their transportation route. What must it have been like at the outset for the lumbermen who cut down the white pine? And how did the settlers-those intrepid folk who trekked across the district with only the lumberjack’s blazed trails for a guide-cope in the wilderness?

Almaguin Chronicles explores the relationship between lumbering and settlement throughout the Parry Sound District-the last frontier of this part of Ontario. Throughout, rare archival photographs and excerpts from unpublished memoirs augment the text.

Although a city girl, born in Toronto, as a child Astrid Taim spent most of her summers at the family's summer residence in the District of Parry Sound. The cabin was, and still is, located on Compass Lake in McMurrich Township (now McMurrish/Montieth Township). Those memorable summers spent with her parents were to leave a lasting impression. A first-generation Canadian, Astrid very quickly learned to appreciate the Almaguin Highlands, as the region reminded her parents, refugees from the Second World War, of their homeland, Estonia.

While attending university, she became involved with the grassroots conservation group, the Local Architectural Advisory Committee (LACAC), and soon became their historical researcher for the Town of Markham. At the same time, Astrid became a regular columnist with the weekly Markham Economist and Sun, writing about the history of the early settlers of Markham. After graduating from the University of Toronto's Victoria College, specializing in fine art and architecture, Astrid went on to spend a year at Toronto's Ontario College of Art (OCA), perfecting her printmaking skills.

Before joining the editorial staff at the Almaguin News in 1988, Astrid spent a number of years as a district correspondent with the North Bay Nugget. Today, she makes her home in Burk's Falls, where as well as writing, Astrid lends her support to environmental and humane causes.

Astrid Taim's profile page