Before there was a Glen Rouge Campground on Kingston Road, Jack Graham operated a very popular park and rented space for campers, the Scarborough (Ontario) Mirror reported.
There were about 10 sites in the Graham Park with a large tent, trailer or substantial seasonal residence. Sites cost $40 per season. Drinking water came from a spring in the campgrounds. Coleman lamps were used for lighting and the cottagers were allowed to collect sticks and even cut down cedar trees for their wood stoves.
Cottagers travelled from Toronto, often by Greyhound bus, to get a taste of nature and some needed relaxation. Usually, the mothers and children stayed at the campground while the dads came up on the weekends.
Graham built a large swimming pool around 1950 along with a small covered dance pavilion with a jukebox. In 1952, Graham built a new office and a restaurant called Graham Park Restaurant. Later, the building was replaced by a larger one and named Brigadoon. A full meal cost $2.90. One of the cottagers, Mrs. Edna Hamilton, worked at Brigadoon and collected entrance fees to the park.
The campground was busy on weekends, especially after the pool opened.
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