Palette Lake - A History

Palette Lake is located in Chaffey Township, formerly known as the Municipal Corporation of the Township of Chaffey, on Lot 13 and part Lot 14 Concession 12 with the southern tip located on the northern portion of Lot 13 Concession 11. It is situated between North Waseosa Lake Road to the south, Hunts Road to the east and Ripple/Palette Lake Road to the west. Palette Lake is home to thirty-nine developed properties. Palette Lake has no public access. It is replenished through numerous springs in and around the lake and by two small tributaries from the hills to the southeast. Palette Lake continuously feeds water to Ripple Lake, its neighbour to the west.

It was in 1879 that James Jacob and Mary Ann Jessop acquired Lots 13 and 14 Concession 12, Chaffey Township. From 1883 to 1924, these properties changed hands a number of times ending up being owned by Mary Ellen Dignam. In 1925 Dignam began to sever pieces of her property. Presently, Palette Lake, which touches part of Lots 13 and 14 is now divided into 41 waterfront properties.

Spring fed Palette Lake is fourty acres (sixteen hectares) in size and approximately fourty-five feet deep at its deepest point. Its shape, like a painter's palette, is where it got its name. According to the Crown Land Registry at MNR, Peterborough, ON, Palette Lake was so named following a request from residents on the lake. Prior to this, Palette Lake was locally known as Round Lake.

In 1941 our grandfather, W.G.L. Hunt, acquired the E1/2 of the W1/2 of Lot 14 Conc. 12 Chaffey Township from a member of the Norton family. He registered the property in his daughter's name and divided the 25 acres among his children. In the mid-sixties it was learned that none of the properties were on waterfront, seven of which had already been developed. In 1968 the Hunt family secured the W1/2 of the W1/2 of Lot 14 Conc. 12 from the Craven family estate. From this now 50-acre parcel of land, the Hunt family created subdivision registered as Plan 35 R-2199. Today there are nineteen developed properties and nine undeveloped properties accessed via private road, Hunts Road.

Some of the former property owners/residents that I recall since acquiring my property on Palette Lake are

Onufrey and Violet Hunt

Ormal and Lorraine Pitter

Laurence and Elsie Hunt

Viola Hunt

Jack and Martha Sturch

Arthur and Hazel Nagels

Harold and Evelyn Rayment

Kresimir and Patricia Bilajac

Herbert and Marjorie Simpson

Gordon Mackay

Albert and Grace Hunt

Dennis and Sarah McDonald

Brent and Freda Healey

Ken Appleton

Frank and Barb Lefeuvre

Robert and Susan Oling

Jack Clarke

Who do you remember?

Bill Somers

Gary and Kelly Simioni

George and Gertrude Hunt

Alphonse and Marilyn Lessard

David and Bernice Pendzay

David and Evelyn Kenny

John and Lilian Hunt

Bill Bolger

Wallace and Sheila Fletcher

Alison Warren

Malcolm Goodwin

David and Roxanne Logan

Robert and Beverly McFarlane

Charlene Pond

Jack High

Evelyn Wolff

Joe Closs

Frank and Ziggy Schaly

Tom McCarthy and Gayla McDonald

Martin Geunther