Halcyon; the Captain's Paradise - A history of Halcyon Hot Springs

The period for Halcyon as a spa was dominated after 1924 by Brig.-Gen. Frederick Burnham, a medical doctor, and war hero of the Balkans conflict who ran the lodge until it was destroyed in 1955. One of the Arrow Lakes' most memorable characters; puritanical, he allowed no smoking, drink, or dancing in his spa. The latter part of the book treats Burnham, his contacts, his family and employees. Depression years marked the beginning of decline for Halcyon, but surprisingly it rode out this period as Burnham catered to his small but loyal clientele. The late forties saw Burnham's idiosyncracies more evident and the economy of the region changed. Water links were the only lifeline to Halcyon and when the last of the paddlewheelers, the Minto, stopped service in 1954 the facility was doomed. Burnham died in the fire which accidentally burned Halcyon in 1955.