Rideau Canal - Wag’s Lodge
Investigating the origins of a strange, derelict building on Colonel By Island.
EPISODE NOTES
TRANSCRIPT
Today we are going to travel from Big Rideau Lake all the way to Times Square. How do we get there? Naturally, by dachshund.
The second big stop on our Rideau trip was here, on Colonel By Island. Named for Lieu- Lieutennant colonel John By, who was in charge of canal construction. But it only got that name in 1979. It’s also been the Isle of Guernsey, Long Island, and Livingston Island.
And it wears its messy past on its sleeve. A tornado cut sharply through the area in 1985, flattening a 3km stretch of forest. Hiking around the island you can see these bent and twisted trees that might be the legacy of that tornado.
But the most obvious historical feature is at the south shore. Behind the clean and modern docks, manicured lawn and Parks Canada signs, this huge, flat-roofed, decaying building dominates the front of the island. So, what is this place?
We can start with the name: Wag’s Lodge. That’s a clue. Who was Wag? Not actually the owner of the lodge. More of a dachshund.
But Wag? He gets around. His name and likeness show up somewhere else - nearly 500km away, and fifty years ago, you could find him on the side of hundreds of New York taxis.
That’s because Wag was the pride and joy of Danny Arnstein, co-owner of the Yellow Taxi company, and owner of Wags Transportation System inc. In its heyday it was the second largest fleet of taxis in New York - in 1955 they owned 547 cabs.
Now Danny’s life defies summary. But just for some highlights: He fought in World War I. He headed a gang of enforcers who enacted complex schemes to repossess taxis. In World War II, he was sent by Roosevelt to personally sort out a disastrous backlog in China’s military supply route on the Burma Road. And I’m sorry for the strong language but I need you to know a newspaper from the time called it ‘a lulu of a traffic jam’.
And after the war, in 1949, Danny Arnstein had Wag’s Lodge built on the Rideau. He stayed here every summer until his death in 1960, always bringing his maid, his cook and, naturally, Wag with him. He hosted the likes of Paul Anka, Allan Ladd and Jane Powell, one of which you might even have heard of.
After his death, the island was bought by a man in Smith’s Falls but was then sold to Parks Canada in in 1979. They incorporated it into their stewardship of the Rideau Canal and gave it its more historic name.
And Wag’s cottage stands as a reminder of its checkered - or should I say yellow - past.
Which does leave the question: what now? Parks Canada has owned the building for more than fourty years. And yet here it sits, derelict, crumbling, boarded up. We know all about the history of Wag’s Lodge, so what about its future?
Well, great news there. I reached out to Parks Canada about their plans for the site. So prepare to have every single one of your questions answered:
“Parks Canada, Ontario Waterways has identified a project in its Long Term Capital Plan to improve the grounds at Colonel By Island and evaluate options for the buildings. Timing of this project has not yet been determined.”
So there you go. Couldn’t ask for a clearer answer than that.