One hundred and twenty five years ago, the Village of Burk’s Falls was in a state of flux. Lumped together with Armour and Ryerson, the Village didn't have its own identity. No one knew what the future would bring — they couldn’t anticipate the advent of car travel, let alone the building of a hospital, the strange draw of a man keeping a bear as a pet, nor the great fire of 1908.

Today, 125 years later, the village once again faces an uncertain future. Many question whether the downtown core will return to its vitality, whether industry will flourish, whether the hospital will be less than an hour away, and whether the three area municipalities will amalgamate.

And yet, there's cause for celebration.

"It's one more milestone in the village," says Reeve Cathy Still. "It's a very historic village, because the train stopped here and the river came through Burk's Falls, so everyone got in their boats and went in the river towards Magnetawan. None of that would have been possible without the train coming here to town."

In 1890, the Village of Burk's Falls incorporated in the centre of Armour and Ryerson townships. With the least amount of land and room to grow, Burk's Falls had a challenge ahead of it: find a way to survive against the odds. And survive, it has. '

Many who live in the village today fondly recall its heyday, particularly that of the main street.

"It was a busy, busy main street," Betty Caldwell, founder of the Burk's Falls and District Historical Society, says. "

Folks who've lived in Burk's Falls long love to count the many stores of its past. By some estimation, there were at one point five grocery stores on the main street and seven gas stations in the 1930s and 40s. The hotel had a big dining room and a night man at the desk. Buses would come in and bring people to spend a few days and experience the village.

"The stores opened Friday and Saturday night and all the farmers would come to town to do their shopping and get their hair cut and buy things," Caldwell says. "It seemed to be a very busy, thriving village."

Today busy and thriving aren't the words most would use to describe Burk's Falls; and that's not necessarily a bad thing.

"It's easier life here, things aren't quite as expensive," Still says.

"We try to keep taxes down and do our best so it is more attractable for people to come here. Then there's the beauty of the area and the nice slow pace. It's not hectic. It's just a totally different attitude for the whole area. And it's such a beautiful place to live, why not?"

For Still, the Burk's Falls history is entrenched with that of the Magnetawan River.

"The whole interior between here and Parry Sound would never have been explored without that because there was no way to get there," she says.

It was a lifeline. That's what Burk's Falls should be known for. If it wasn't for the village and the incorporation and the exploring with the steamships, none of that would have ever come to fruition.

Caldwell was born in Fergus, but moved to Burk's Falls after the Second World War with her parents. Her father was born in the village and after moving back started Thompson's Machine Shop. Caldwell moved to a farm outside of Sundridge for several years after marrying, but returned to the village in 1965 to raise her children.

"I just liked the small village," Caldwell says. "My kids grew up here and knew people. I just liked that."

In 1994, Caldwell and several others decided to form the Burk's Falls and District Historical Society.

"The older citizens, like my parents and grandparents, were dying off," she says.

"We needed to preserve the history, the heritage of our area because very little had been done up to that point and if we wanted any history at all it was time to start collecting it and getting the stories from the people who were left."

Stories included the way Burk's Falls was discovered, the events that shaped the town, and the people instrumental to its development.

"David Burk's wife, for one thing, most history books called her Olive," Caldwell says. "Her name wasn't Olive at all. It was Alice. I don't know how they got Olive out of Alice. So unless you get the history down correctly, it's gone forever."

The history is particularly important this 125th anniversary, with the future of the village so up in the air. M.A. Wittick Public School is scheduled for closure. In 20 years time, a new single hospital will replace the Huntsville and Bracebridge hospitals at a yet-to-be-determined location. And talks are in the works for investigating amalgamation with Armour Township.

Still is hopeful, no matter what the next 125 years bring, they will be positive for Burk's Falls.

"I don't want the village to turn into a chaotic place," she says. "I just want it to be that people can actually buy things and don't have to go too far to get things and still have a peaceful life here. That's the way it will end up. I have every faith going."

The past may be passed. The future may be uncertain. But what the 125th anniversary of Burk's Falls represents is a pause: stopping in the moment to appreciate where we are, how far we've come, and remembering all those who came before us.