Stephen Leacock’s Mariposa

Experience the magic of Leacock’s Mariposa via a walking tour of Orillia.

In 1912 Stephen Leacock began the serialized publication of Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town. Within the pages of the stories he immortalized Orillia, Ontario, and its citizens. One hundred years later Orillia, ＂The Sunshine City,＂ still answers to the name Mariposa. The impact and legacy of Leacock’s work continues to inspire and define the Orillia of today.

Visitors come to Orillia from far and wide, not only to see Leacock’s summer home, now a National Historic Site, but also to seek a Leacockian experience, for it is here that Leacock called ＂home＂, including himself among the characters of Sunshine Sketches.

This walking tour guide of Stephen Leacock’s Mariposa invites you to explore the history, people, and places through the eyes of Leacock and experience the magic that is Mariposa.

Daphne Mainprize is the curator emeritus of the Stephen Leacock Museum, a National Historic Site in Orillia, Ontario. She is the co-author of The Stephen Leacock Picture Book with James A. ＂Pete＂ McGarvey. Daphne lives in Orillia, Ontario.