of a century (1856–1960) before reaching their present state, and now carry Highway 7A. Development Lake Scugog was created when William Purdy and his sons dammed the Scugog River in Lindsay (Upstream from the current dam and locks) in 1834 to power his grist mill. With the raised water levels, the highlands of Scugog Township became an island, separated from Cartwright Township to the southeast, and from Port Perry and Reach Township to the west. As a result, residents were forced to ferry across the lake during the summer and across the ice during the winter. The periods between were precarious, with many carts falling through the thawing ice and into the marsh. In 1852, Ontario County was formed, and residents began to petition the new government for construction of a bridge from Port Perry across to the island. Scugog Township passed Bylaw No. 2 on February 25, 1856, which granted $1000 towards construction of a floating bridge. The bridge proved to be an expensive burden, and for many years the responsibility for maintaining it was repeatedly shifted from township to county and back again. Ice would often carry away entire sections of the bridge during the spring thaw, requiring replanking or complete reconstruction. In the spring of 1876, work began to convert the first of the Port Perry side of the floating bridge into a permanent embankment. Logs were placed along both sides the bridge and various materials piled between them, sinking it into the soft soil below. Earth laid over top to provide a stable surface. The process also increased the width of the roadbed from to . Further construction on the Scugog Causeway met fierce opposition from county officials, who argued that the new method had not even faced a winter season. It took until July 1878 for work to resume, when Port Perry Reeve Joshua Wright managed to manipulate the county council, convincing them "to strike out the magnificent $150 [grant for seasonal maintenance which they had offered] and stipulate that 600 feet be filled in on the east end of the bridge." A contract for this work was tendered in June 1879, and completed one year later. Finally, in early 1885, work on the final 180 metres began. This work was completed in July, at which point repairs were carried out on the existing sections. Construction of the Cartwright Causeway took place after nearly two