Lake MiloA Brief History
Lake Milo, in Yarmouth, N.S, is a freshwater lake which was named after a man from the United States named George Milo Dutcher. In the 1870s Mr. Dutcher was a temperance worker, invited to Yarmouth for a series of lectures on the evils of alcohol and to induce the Yarmouth people to sign a pledge. He must have made quite an impression because he actually had two lakes named after him: Lake George from which the town gets its water, and Lake Milo in Milton, which is used for recreation and sport. The Indian name for the Milo and surrounding area was "Kespoogwit" which means, "Land's End."
ActivitiesIn the summer months Lake Milo transforms into a popular swimming spot, and if you find that the
water is too cold you can always rent a canoe or paddle boat from the Milo
Boathouse for the day. There are several trained lifeguards on duty most
hours of the day in the summer, who supervise the children swimming. Every
year the lake is restocked with a fresh supply of fish, so fisherman can
enjoy a 'sure catch'. In the winter this lake becomes dormant because
the lake hardly ever freezes over enough to skate on; but the few
times that it does, everyone has hours and hours of skating enjoyment,
playing hockey and other ice games.  Just
seconds away from Lake Milo Boathouse are several apartments available
for rent and over-looking this beautiful area. The Boathouse also
houses a Youth Club in the winter months. In the fall Canada Geese
stop for a meal and a breather before continuing on south for the
winter. And whatever you do ......Don't feed the ducks! There have been
many complaints about the massive number of ducks in the area and
the mess they make in the water. There have been several signs put up to
stop people feeding the ducks and to encourage them to move on.
The Yarmouth Trolly used to be a great way of travel for tourists and those who had no car and wanted a cheap way of getting somewhere faster. It used to run right past Lake Milo and went straight into town. As you see in this picture the train was used quite often until it had to be shut down.
"The two sailboats are Acadian Class sloops.They were designed by William Roue for the DAR who operated the Hotel.There were five of them originally and they continued to be sailed into the late fifties.The "class" of 5 is now extinct.In my youth my dad was active at Milo where we had our own sail and later power boats.I had the opportunity to sail the Acadian Class sloop.It was a bit overbuilt for lake Milo and would have been at home in larger waters even in Salt water.Also the Lake is more than 150 feet wide for most of its length.More like a mile long and a quarter mile wide I think." Comment added by Clifford Hood April 2, 2006
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