This distinguished painter was born in Claremont, Ontario, and grew up near Owen Sound. While working as a photo-engraver in Toronto, he met some of the artists who later formed the Group of Seven. They encouraged him to pursue a career in art and he, in turn, introduced them to the north country and exercised a profound influence on their work. From 1912, Thomson visited Algonquin Park where the colours and moods captured his imagination. Before his death on this lake he had developed a bold new way of depicting our wilderness and had given Canadians a unique artistic heritage. Many of his greatest works were inspired within a few miles of this site.