Sharbot Lake is a small town of 200 located on a peninsula that divides Upper Sharbot Lake and Lower Sharbot Lake, just south of the Southern Ontario Trans-Canada Route Highway #7 , about 25 kilometres west of Perth, and 55 kilometres west of Carleton Place.
Sharbot Lake became known as a popular vacation spot, with its natural beauty and recreational opportunities for outdoor enthusiasts. Activities include hiking, boating, fishing, and camping.
Sharbot Lake History
Sharbot Lake itself consists of two bodies of water, Upper and Lower lakes with a total length of over 10 miles and containing 99 islands of various sizes.
The area around Sharbot Lake was long populated by the Algonquin First Nations who used the lake as a transportation route and for fishing. Sharbot sat at the crossroads of several traditional transportation and trading routes.
Sharbot Lake began as a trading post just after 1800. Then, European settlers began to arrive, attracted by the abundance of timber and fertile land for farming. After 1844 the traditional hunting tracts were overrun by lumbermen, driving away most of the Algonquin families along the lake.
In 1858, the first sawmill was built in Sharbot Lake, which helped to spur economic growth in the area. By the mid-1800s, Sharbot Lake had become an important stop along the Kingston-Pembroke stagecoach route, with several hotels and businesses catering to travelers.
A resurgence of the timber business came with the railroads in 1877-1880 and the town grew with a post office, school, and several churches.
