Dick MacDonald first met Merrill Denison when there were both on the payroll of the Bank of Montreal. They became quite good friends and in 1970, Merrill suggested Dick write about his life. A story was written and formed the basis of an hour-long documentary for CBC Tuesday Night, completed in 1972.  There was so much more to Merrill’s life than an hour-long documentary so Mr. MacDonald continued to gather as much informtion as he could over the years.

The story Mugwump Canadian: The Merrill Denison Story can be found on the Internet Archives: https://archive.org  and searching for Merrill Denison. The 236-page book can be viewed online in its entirety.  Much of the information and facts about Merrill, his wife Muriel Goggin, and his second wife Liza, can be found in the book. Much is written on the difficulty Merrill encountered giving Bon Echo to the Province of Ontario.  Interesting tidbits of history are described in detail as only a close friend of Merrill can share.

Mr. MacDonald writes: ‘Denison and his second wife, Liza, reserved corner acreage directly opposite The Rock on the upper section of Lake Mazinaw; five cottages huddle amid the pines and birches, only since 1964 fully equipped with electricity.  (Ironically, the Ontario Hydro (history) story was written at Bon Echo, when up to five dozen coal-oil lamps were used for illuminating the cottages).”