"So much of my childhood memories are caught up in this place.
Coming here was such a big event. To this day the sound of clinking
dishes reminds me of Clevelands House. I remember the mornings
with the sun glinting off the lake. The openness of the verandah.
The uneven floors in the upstairs hall. When I come back with
my wife today, I feel I'm getting a chance to show her my life." -
Bob McKenna
Clevelands House History
 Over the past 135 years, Muskoka has seen a rich legacy of grand
hotels come and go. In the early days of the 20 th Century, hotels
dotted the shores of the big and small lakes of the area, drawing
people away from the cities during the summer months. Over the
course of the era, these hotels slowly disappeared, succumbing
to fire, disuse, destruction and corporatization. Today, all
of the original hotels have virtually disappeared. That is all
but one. Clevelands House, on the western shores of Lake Rosseau
, remarkably beat the odds and refused to share the fate of the
other grand hotels. The original buildings still exist, seemingly
impervious to the ravages of age, but more importantly the magical
feeling of contentment and tranquility that once defined the
grand hotels of Muskoka can still be felt, over a century later.
(from the pages of Clevelands House:
The Last Grand Hotel, by Scott Turnbull)
CLEVELANDS HOUSE - How The Name
Originated
 When Charles Minett ordered up the hotel's first register in 1883, he asked
the printer to label it Cleeve Lands, after his birthplace in England. The
printer mistakenly changed the name to Clevelands , and it was never corrected.
Charles Minett came to Muskoka in 1869 and built a log cabin
where the present North Lodge stands. They soon outgrew this
structure and built a frame house that expanded into the main
hotel as tourists discovered the Minett hospitality. Charles'
apprenticeship in the carpentry trade stood him in good stead
in the new land, and when the tasks of homesteading were in order,
he set up a boat building enterprise.
 In the early days, the lake provided the only reliable means
of transportation in Muskoka. When it came time to add a third
storey to Clevelands House, Charles Minett selected a design
with a mansard roof and octagonal tower, because he wanted his
hotel to look like a ship, as all his guests came by steamboat.
During the years 1869 to 1953 Clevelands House was operated
by the Minett Family. It passed from father, Charles Minett,
to his son Seymour Arthur in 1902 who successfully operated the
hotel for 51 years. In 1953 Ted and Laura Wright purchased the
hotel and operated it for another sixteen years.
(from the pages of Clevelands House:
The Last Grand Hotel, by Scott Turnbull)
The Cornell Family
 However, 1945 seemed to be an important year at Clevelands
House. It was the year that Bob Cornell was first introduced
to the resort as a guest with his parents. Four years later he
was hired as a bellhop and when Ted and Laura Wright purchased
the hotel in 1953, Bob Cornell became manager. In 1958 Bob Cornell
and Fran Lees were married. Their three children Sharon, David
and Sandra soon were born and have all taken active roles in
the continuing operation of Clevelands House to this day.
In 1969 Bob and Fran Cornell became the new owners of this most
hospitable resort-hotel which accommodated up to 150 guests.
They have continued a tradition of excellence in providing the
best in summer vacations, business conference facilities and
leisure activities. Since 1969 the resort has expanded to accommodate
over 500 guests, in a Muskoka setting unsurpassed in Ontario.
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