From forest trails to paved highways—Gypsies, Preachers & Big White Bears traces the history of the roads of Lanark County from the first surveyor's stake to the advent of cars. Horses pulling wagons or sleighs plodded the Lanark roads for a hundred years. Gypsies spirited away small children. Tramps begged meals and a dry place to sleep. Highwaymen robbed the toll houses. Courting couples wrestled with cars stuck in the mud. Illustrations, portraits, and old family photographs depicting the changing times and changing uses of the roads illuminate this lively informal history.