44 Robinglade Ave
Seagrave, ON L0C 1G0

Scugog Township

 

Scugog is a township in the Regional Municipality of Durham, south-central Ontario, Canada. Scugog is located northeast of Toronto and just north of Oshawa. Due to its location in the Greater Toronto Area, many residents will commute to Toronto for work on a daily basis. The anchor and largest population base of the township is Port Perry, the township has a population of roughly 22,500. A smaller Scugog Township was also a historic municipality and geographic township prior to the amalgamation that formed the current municipality.

 

History

 

The original township of Scugog was originally divided between Reach and Cartwright townships in Ontario County and Northumberland and Durham County, respectively. When Lake Scugog was created by a dam in Lindsay in 1834, flooding created an island known as Scugog Island. The island was separated from Reach and Cartwright to form Scugog Township in 1856. In 1872 George Currie built a grain elevator which is currently Canada's oldest grain elevator. The new township was part of Ontario County.

 

According to Alan Rayburn's Place Names of Ontario, the name Scugog is derived from the Mississauga word sigaog, which means "waves leap over a canoe." This refers to the creation of Lake Scugog. Other sources indicate that it is a native word meaning swampy or marshy land.

 

The creation of the Regional Municipality of Durham in 1974 resulted in municipal restructuring of the various townships in Ontario County. The current township of Scugog was created through the amalgamation of the original townships of Scugog, Reach and Cartwright and the town of Port Perry.

 

Current Municipality

 

Port Perry is the chief commercial and administrative centre of the municipality. The township also includes the communities of Aldreds Beach, Blackstock, Burketon, Cadmus, Caesarea, Carnegie Beach, Cedar Shores, Epsom, Fralicks Beach, Gerrows Beach, Greenbank, Highland Beach, Honey Beach, Lakeside Beach, Manchester, Marsh Hill, Nestleton, Nestleton Station, Pine Point, Port View Beach, Prince Albert, Prospect, Purple Hill, Saintfield, Scugog, Scugog Centre, Scugog Point, Seagrave, Shirley, Strattonville, Sunrise Beach, Utica, Victoria Corners and Williams Point.

 

The largest private-sector employer in the area is the Great Blue Heron Casino, located on the Scugog First Nation on Scugog Island. Schneider Meats also has a facility in the Township. The Township is also a popular tourist destination due to the casino and recreational opportunities from Lake Scugog. Many residents also commute to other Durham Region communities and further afield.