Lure Books

Starting in 1923 the Ontario government began distributing booklets meant to draw tourists, especially Americans, to come to Ontario to vacation. This was the beginning of the era of motor touring. An overview of the history of tourism in Ontario and the government’s involvement can be viewed at the Archives of Ontario’s online exhibit: Yours to Discover – Tourism in Ontario Through Time.

In the 1920s Ontario was promoted primarily as a Lake-land playground. Separate books for northern Ontario began to be issued in the 1930s. By the 1950s, the lure books consisted mainly of photographs. Other more specialized books such as the one on canoe routes were also issued.

Click on the cover image of the following lure books to view a pdf file of the entire book.

Lake-land 1923	Ontario 1925	Ontario 1926	Lakeland 1930
Holiday Haunts 1934	Ontario Welcomes 1938	King’s Highways 1939	Variety Vacationland 1954
Northern Ontario 1931	Northern Ontario 1947	Canoe trips in Ontario