# Where is A.J. Casson's Moose Lake? (Group of Seven painting location) **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 15, 2023, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-a-j-cassons-moose-lake-group-of-seven-painting-location/979810 "2023-02-15T05:17:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![wolfstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d6d6ee/32.png) [@wolfstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfstu)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2023, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-a-j-cassons-moose-lake-group-of-seven-painting-location/979810/1 "2023-02-15T05:17:48Z")
A.J. Casson is a well-known Canadian painter from the Group of Seven school of landscape artists. He traveled extensively in Ontario in particular, painting villages and natural landscapes. Several of his paintings include the name “Moose Lake” in the titles: “Moose Lake” [https://groupofsevenart.com/aj-casson-moose-lake/](https://groupofsevenart.com/aj-casson-moose-lake/) “Ragged Sky, Moose Lake” [https://groupofsevenart.com/aj-casson-ragged-sky-moose-lake/](https://groupofsevenart.com/aj-casson-ragged-sky-moose-lake/) “Afterglow, Moose Lake” ['Afterglow, Moose Lake' by Alfred Joseph Casson at Cowley Abbott](https://cowleyabbott.ca/artwork/AW26520) There are almost as many lakes named “Moose Lake” as “Trout Lake” in Canada, but surely there’s some knowledge of where Casson traveled and produced his paintings (he’s a significant figure in Canadian art). Searching the web isn’t bringing up much, though. Does anyone have any indication where A.J. Casson painted his Moose Lake landscapes? ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2023, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-a-j-cassons-moose-lake-group-of-seven-painting-location/979810/2 "2023-02-15T12:41:52Z")
I have no definitive answer, and furthermore the first two links aren’t working right now. But the Group of Seven, and A.J. Casson in particular, did a lot of work in what is now the general area of the La Cloche Mountains, Killarney Provincial Park, and La Cloche Provincial Park in northern Ontario, near Sudbury. That third picture – the only link that’s working for me right now – looks straight out of the Killarney Park and La Cloche area, notably the rocky shorelines and the dense evergreens. Except for the fact that there is no actual Moose Lake there AFAIK, my best guess would be that the third picture is from **[the La Cloche/Killarney area that Casson loved so much](https://loon.ca/blogs/butlers-blog/a-j-casson-la-cloche)** – in fact Casson Lake just outside Killarney Park is named after him. There is a Moose Lake a fair bit southeast of that area, just northeast of Barrie, that is in the picturesque Muskoka region where Casson’s travels in the general area would likely have taken him at some point. ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2023, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-a-j-cassons-moose-lake-group-of-seven-painting-location/979810/3 "2023-02-15T14:21:57Z")
The Canadian Geographical Names Data Base has a long [List of bodies of water called Moose Lake or similar](https://geonames.nrcan.gc.ca/search-place-names/search?id=&snrc=&q=Moose+Lake&theme%5B%5D=979&category=). There are over a hundred in Canada, of which about 25 are in Ontario, of which 5 are in the Sudbury region. If @wolfpup is right about the general location, [this Moose Lake](https://geonames.nrcan.gc.ca/search-place-names/unique/FDWIH) (sometimes called Evangeline Lake) would seem to be a strong contender. It’s not inside either of the provincial parks he mentions, but it’s only 2 or 3 miles east of the edge of La Cloche Provincial Park and maybe about 8 miles west of the edge of Killarney Provincial Park. Google maps link to this Moose Lake [here](https://www.google.com/maps/place/46%C2%B008'07.3%22N+81%C2%B051'57.1%22W/@46.1353708,-81.8811827,14z/data=!4m4!3m3!8m2!3d46.1353704!4d-81.8658619). Unfortunately there are is no street view, since there are no streets nearby, and no “photo spheres” either (those stand-alone photos you can access through Google maps street view). ---
**Author:** ![Paxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/50afbb/32.png) [@Paxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paxx)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2023, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-a-j-cassons-moose-lake-group-of-seven-painting-location/979810/4 "2023-02-16T01:01:02Z")
> [@wolfstu](#): > > Does anyone have any indication where A.J. Casson painted his Moose Lake landscapes? If you google Jim & Sue Waddington, you can get some contact info. They can probably answer your question. From the description of their book [_In the Footsteps of the Group of Seven_](https://www.amazon.ca/Footsteps-Group-Seven-Jim-Waddington/dp/0864929080): > [@](#): > > In July of 1977, Jim and Sue Waddington began a 36 year journey of discovery that has culminated in this remarkable achievement, _In the Footsteps of the Group of Seven_. Determined to locate, document, and photograph the actual landscapes that inspired and influenced the brushes of A.Y. Jackson, Franklin Carmichael, Arthur Lismer, Lawren Harris, A.J. Casson, J.E.H. MacDonald, Tom Thomson, and Frederick Varley, the Waddingtons embarked on an artistic expedition that carried them across Canada from sea to sea to sea. Their search for the secret of the innovative spirit has resulted in this delightfully diverse production that brings the reader to the very spots where some of Canada’s greatest art was conceived. ---
**Author:** ![wolfstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d6d6ee/32.png) [@wolfstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfstu)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2023, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-a-j-cassons-moose-lake-group-of-seven-painting-location/979810/5 "2023-02-16T01:29:19Z")
> [@Paxx](#): > > If you google Jim & Sue Waddington, you can get some contact info. They can probably answer your question. This is very helpful. Their book isn’t in my local library; the Ottawa Public Library has three copies, all currently [checked out](https://ottawa.bibliocommons.com/v2/search?locale=en-CA&query=In%20the%20Footsteps%20of%20the%20Group%20of%20Seven&searchType=smart) (which speaks well of its usefulness). > [@bibliophage](#): > > If @wolfpup is right about the general location, [this Moose Lake](https://geonames.nrcan.gc.ca/search-place-names/unique/FDWIH) (sometimes called Evangeline Lake) would seem to be a strong contender. Agreed - that place very much resembles the landscapes in his paintings (though so does, like, a _lot_ of the Canadian Shield). I’ve reached out to the contact details I could find for the Waddingtons; we’ll see if I get a response. ---
**Author:** ![FinsToTheLeft](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finstotheleft/32/2930_2.png) [@FinsToTheLeft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinsToTheLeft)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2023, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-a-j-cassons-moose-lake-group-of-seven-painting-location/979810/6 "2023-02-16T02:28:06Z")
Send an email to [The McMichael Canadian Art Collection]([Contact | McMichael Canadian Art Collection](https://mcmichael.com/about/contact/). If you’ve never been and are a fan of Gof7 paintings, it’s got to be on your bucket list. I met A.Y. Jackson there when I was very young. > **[McMichael Canadian Art Collection](https://mcmichael.com/)** > > \-1525 ---
**Author:** ![wolfstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d6d6ee/32.png) [@wolfstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfstu)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2023, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-a-j-cassons-moose-lake-group-of-seven-painting-location/979810/7 "2023-02-17T17:07:15Z")
Good news! I heard back from Jim Waddington, who reports that Casson’s Moose Lake paintings are from [this lake](https://www.google.com/maps/place/45%C2%B037'12.0%22N+80%C2%B022'48.0%22W/@45.6169063,-80.3770458,3138m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!4b1!8m2!3d45.62!4d-80.38) near Pointe Au Baril. ---
**Author:** ![Paxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/50afbb/32.png) [@Paxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paxx)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2023, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-a-j-cassons-moose-lake-group-of-seven-painting-location/979810/8 "2023-02-17T22:53:56Z")
Glad that Jim could help you. 🙂 You probably saw the link to one of their lectures but for those who haven’t (and are fans of the Group of Seven), here’s the video: [Sue & Jim Waddington - In the Footsteps of the Group of Seven - YouTube](https://youtu.be/Qhcv82iHS6s?t=72)