Discover Our Past

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Bill Waterhouse was a visionary developer and ambassador of Muskoka tourism. He co-founded Hidden Valley Highlands Ski Area with Ed Seagram in 1965 and, through his leadership, grew it into one of Ontario’s earliest and most-loved ski clubs.

Hidden Valley Highlands Ski Area, located just outside Huntsville on Peninsula Lake, was founded in 1965 by Bill Waterhouse alongside Ed Seagram. It is considered one of Ontario’s oldest and most enduring ski areas. Bill and Ed officially incorporated the ski club in 1971, growing from SO founding memberships to several hundred. In 2008, the name was changed from Hidden Valley Ski Club to Muskoka Ski Club, reflecting the area’s broader identity and reach.

Ed Seagram contacted Bill Waterhouse regarding a property he had an option
on to purchase from the Farnsworth family. Bill Waterhouse and his friend Graham Brown had the vision to develop this property into a ski hill. Today, we know it as Hidden Valley Highlands Ski Area.

Ed contacted Bill Waterhouse regarding the development opportunity, and he too began to share his vision of creating a ski hill on the property. My brother, Campbell Seagram, and Ed invested the initial funds necessary to get the project started. This included the ski chalet, the chairlift and the rope tow. The rope tow was replaced later with a T Bar.

Bill Waterhouse ran the day-to-day operations of Hidden Valley including promoting the winter ski facilities and creating revenue in the summer months. I was also involved in the promotional end of Hidden Valley, such as making a  promotional film for ski club groups to see to encourage them to ski at Hidden Valley. Ed visited every travel agency in the Toronto area encouraging them to promote ski weeks at Hidden Valley.

Ed arranged a meeting with Don Naylor, the CEO of Traders Finance, to get them involved in the project. We sold them half interest in the Chalet development and used those funds to improve the ski equipment and infrastructure. He also arranged with Doug Hammond of Beaver Lumber to put up some ski chalets on spec at the top of the T-Bar.

Ed’s continued focus was raising the funds necessary for the expansion of the ski facilities. To create more revenue in the summer season, the ski chalet was used for teenagers in the area to have a place to dance and have fun. For support from  the teenage families, the local police in the area were asked to check the cars for any alcohol, which kept alcohol use at a minimum.

Some members of the ski patrol at Hidden Valley were also policeman from the Huntsville area.