A Bit of History.........

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The 48 acres of waterfront property was once a combination of swampy waterfront and open grazing fields. The brand new 401 highway cut the original Ross Ross homestead in half separating the 48 acres from the rest of the farm. Raymond and Teresa Rock from Lachine, Quebec, (whose parents were immigrants from Poland and Russia), purchased the 48 acres in the mid 60's. With much help from family and friends, they opened a small campground and picnic area in 1967; just in time for the Montreal Word Expo.  

Year after year, Raymond and Teresa would add more campsites, add a miniature golf course, boat rentals, expand the canteen and add an arcade.   

In 1979, they built Pioneer Hall which is a 250 seat waterfront pub. They had great difficulty in obtaining a liquor license as the licensing authority of the time never had received an application from a campground. Lancaster Park became the first campground in Ontario (possibly Canada) to have a liquor license. In 1981, Raymond and Teresa added a waterfront patio to their beloved Pioneer Hall and had an area licensed near the beach.  

In 1985, Raymond and Teresa decided to have the campground devoted solely to camping and eliminated day use business (picnickers); further on in 1988, the "canteen" became a full service restaurant.  

The next decade was dedicated to mostly expanding sections to add more camping sites. Unfortunately during the early millennium, Raymond and Teresa started to suffer from the effects of old age and were not as involved in the campground. Expansion and upgrades halted.   

During this time, the electrical system was in dire need of updating and woefully outdated. The individual, old 15 amp plugs that were fine in the sixties, seventies and early eighties, now did not provide enough electrical current to power the newer, large big rigs than started rolling in. The septic system was also starting to near the end of its useful life.   

Raymond's wishes were always that the campground remain in the family. Tragically, both his bachelor sons died within 7 months in of each other in 2009 and 2010. 

Joy Blanchard, Raymond Rock’s niece, purchased the campground in September, 2015 after managing the campground for the last 6 years. She oversaw all the electrical upgrades and new expansions. She, along with her fiancé, Reilly Hodgins and their children, Emma, Erin, Ashley, Taylor, Jaime, and Billy will continue to welcome campers for many more decades to come!