NEWS RELEASE
OMAH HISTORY COMMITTEE
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Dave Town is a lover of our local history.
Town has been researching and writing for over 20 years and still has a long list of topics on his to-do list. He has written several books about the history of our area. The latest is The Black Swamp Gang.
We are fortunate that Town will kick off the 2023 Orillia Museum of Art and History (OMAH) History Speaker Series with his talk on The Black Swamp Gang virtually via Zoom on Wednesday, Jan. 18 at 7 p.m. This is a largely unknown story in Orillia’s history that has taken two years to piece together and is sure to be fascinating.
Around 1880, the whole of north Simcoe County was terrorized by the Black Swamp Gang. They systematically robbed farms and then intimidated the farmers into silence through barn burnings and other threatened vandalism.
The gang had formed around Big Sandy McDuff, a gigantic and temperamental Jarratt farmer, a tavern brawler who never lost a fight. This was the era of Orillia’s “wild times,” when liquor ruled and brawls were commonplace. Even in this milieu, McDuff was the ‘baddest’ of the bad men.
Dave Town will tell the gang’s story and delve into the societal background that facilitated their exploits. It is a glimpse into law enforcement in its most embryonic and ineffectual form, when vigilantism was too common.
This will be Dave’s seventh presentation as guest speaker for OMAH, having forged a reputation as an engaging speaker for diverse groups in and around Orillia. Don’t miss his presentation about this important time in our local history.
Click on the link to register and receive a link to the talk or call Monica at 705-326-2159 or email [email protected].
Admission is free. Donations to OMAH are greatly appreciated.
— Submitted by Mary Ann Grant
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