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Local history books have left out the massive accomplishments of local women, overlooked their fascinating stories, left them behind, forgotten. Do you know the name of the first woman from Kawartha Lakes to become a doctor or the first woman doctor to establish a practise in Lindsay? How about the woman from Verulam township who became a spy and ran a trading post in Siberia during the Russian Revolution? Have you ever heard of the woman who parachuted out of hot air balloons only to be shot in the back and yet carried the bullet next to her lung until the day she died? Did you know the first woman pilot to be promoted to the rank of captain was from Lindsay? Not everyone in this book is "from" Kawartha Lakes. But just as we all have our "found" families, I believe that people can "find" their places in the world. Places they fall in love with. Places they adopt in their hearts and never want to leave. Some citizens included here came to Kawartha Lakes, didn't necessarily fall in love with the place, but they left an indelible mark, as Cheeseman Moe did with the land that became the North Ward. Either way, their stories are worth reading, too. Many of these people were from Kawartha Lakes and left the area before adulthood, but I do believe their experiences here shaped the people they became. The farm girls who became doctors would have learned how animals were born and how to keep those newborns alive. This would have directly translated to their work with humans. Street kids who learned that when they get knocked down, no one is going to offer a hand to help them up. This book covers the stories of 20 historic citizens from the municipality of Kawartha Lakes, Ontario.

This is an enlightening story of a true, behind-the-curtains life. We intended to keep one secret until the end, as you will see below, but it was too late. Sara died. Almost every single word of this book was from Sara's own handwritten script hidden in the last place you would imagine, knowing Sara Jane was afraid of heights.