In the middle of southern Ontario within one hour' drive for nearly half of the province,lies a lake that, for more than two hundred years,was the single most important waterway in the history of Ontario's interior setlement.Yet few people realize that Lake Simcoe-now largely a recreational lake ringed with cottages,homes,resorts,and marinas- was once the hub of a major water transportation system that linked Toronto to Georgian Bay,and all points west and north.