Ontario is celebrated for its vibrant cities, cottage country, national parks, and charming small towns. But beyond the popular tourist trails lies a different kind of story — one of industry, ambition, and abandonment. Scattered across the province are hundreds of ghost towns, relics of once-thriving communities brought to life by economic booms and later silenced by busts.
One such place is Byng Inlet, a near-forgotten town with a dramatic rise and a fiery fall.
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Byng Inlet: From Remote Village to Lumber Powerhouse
How a Tiny Inlet Became a Hub for Canadian Industry
Byng Inlet is nestled where the Magnetawan River meets Georgian Bay, and while today it’s quiet and largely uninhabited, it once roared with the sounds of sawmills and steamships. The town’s name comes from Admiral John Byng, a British naval officer famously executed in the 18th century.
Founded in 1868, Byng Inlet quickly evolved into a strategic location thanks to its rich surrounding forests, which made it an ideal site for lumber production.
A Boom Fueled by Timber
By 1871, two major lumber companies had set up sawmills in the area. Over the next two decades, Byng Inlet’s industry exploded. By 1890, it was processing more lumber than all the mills in the Georgian Bay region combined.
The crown jewel of its industrial era was the Holland and Graves Company, which opened its doors in 1888. At its peak, it was the second-largest sawmill in Canada and the busiest in Ontario. By 1906, it dominated the town’s economy.
Fire, Isolation, and Decline: The Fall of Byng Inlet
When the Flames Returned… Twice
In 1912, tragedy struck when the Holland and Graves mill caught fire. It was rebuilt and renamed the Graves and Bigwood Company in 1917, only to burn down again just three years later in 1920. These repeated losses marked the beginning of the town’s slow descent.
Life in a Remote Boomtown
Despite its size, Byng Inlet remained inaccessible by road or rail for most of its history. The town could only be reached by boat during the warmer months when Georgian Bay wasn’t frozen, further isolating it from the rest of the province.
Still, during its heyday in the early 1900s, Byng Inlet had a population of around 5,000, along with hotels, a post office, a cemetery, pool halls, a theatre, and even two ice rinks. It was more than a work town — it was a full-fledged community.
The Final Blow and What Remains Today
A Town Slowly Forgotten
Lumber operations continued until 1927, when the local forests were finally depleted. Without alternative industries to support the town, families moved elsewhere in search of work. On Christmas Day in 1930, the Graves Bigwood Company store also burned to the ground — a symbolic end to the town’s glory days.
The last burial in the local cemetery occurred in 1915, and from that point on, Byng Inlet slowly faded from memory.
Visiting Byng Inlet Today
Today, the town’s population is somewhere between 200 and 800, depending on the season. While a few buildings still stand, most of Byng Inlet exists only in memories, photographs, and the crumbling ruins of its once-mighty mills.
The town remains a haunting reminder of how quickly prosperity can vanish — a ghost town that once stood as a titan of Ontario’s timber trade.
Why Ghost Towns Like Byng Inlet Matter
Byng Inlet isn’t just a lost settlement — it’s a time capsule. It tells a story of opportunity, risk, and resilience. Exploring Ontario’s ghost towns, from Byng Inlet to Balaclava and beyond, reveals not just the past of individual communities but the ever-changing economic landscape of a province shaped by natural resources and human ambition.