2019 Tales of Our Town
The following Tales were published in 2019
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Return to Past Tales
December 2019 - New book launched! by Janet Cummer
Where do the years go! We are pleased to announce our second volume of Tales of our Town, stories from 2014 to 2018. Each one was originally published as our monthly column in the Age Dispatch. The format is identical to the first book, but this time we chose green as the background for the cover. There is so much to explore in the history of our town and the surrounding communities: people, buildings, events, businesses, organizations. We never seem to run out of topics. In this new book, we have a fresh supply of stories by various authors, with some photos that haven’t been seen before.
One of the great pleasures in publishing these books is choosing the picture for the front cover. This time our committee opted for another ‘crowd scene’ - the Kiwanis Kids Day parade on Frank Street in 1956. This photo is a jewel! The kids are dressed in creative costumes from before the days of ‘ready-mades’ from Walmart and Giant Tiger. And the streetscape includes old stores that many of us remember. By the way, if you recognize any of these children, please let us know.
As usual, our stories cover both Strathroy and Caradoc. We run the gamut from early pioneers John Buchanan, founder of Strathroy, and Christena Brodie of Caradoc, to more recent stories. Some reminisce about growing up as a baby boomer in the 1950s and ‘60s. The history of ‘alcohol consumption’ in our community was a saga that went on for years. Buildings have disappeared: the ice house in Alexandra Park, Colborne School, and the train station bring back memories of earlier times. In keeping with the season there are stories of wartime Christmases in Strathroy, relating how residents kept spirits bright despite hardship, and often despite worry about loved ones overseas.
There were the usual challenges meeting deadlines for the printer, but the books arrived in time for our book launch, on the evening of November 28. Over 70 people enjoyed a short program at Strathroy Library. Our new book is dedicated to Anne Pelkman, a valued member of our committee, who passed away last April. Anne’s eldest son, Ken, had travelled from his home in Sudbury for the occasion, and paid tribute to his mother. Three of our authors each spoke about one of their Tales. Janet Cummer reminisced about a former town librarian, Elizabeth Greenaway; Libby McLachlan quoted from an interview with well-known resident Clarence Mitchell, now in his 90s, about growing up in Strathroy; and John Brennan followed the fascinating story of liquor sales in town over the decades. The evening ended with a time for visiting and reconnecting, especially for those who live out of town. And more than 100 copies of our new book were sold.
We’ve already had some feedback. Pat Fraser, formerly of Ailsa Craig, has identified four of the men on page 3. To the right of Doug Harvey of the Montreal Canadiens are Carl Walker, Art Meadows, Bob Park and Bob McIntosh, all of Ailsa Craig.
Copies of all three of the Historical Society’s books are available for $20 at Strathroy Library. A great Christmas gift and a memento of your town.
Where do the years go! We are pleased to announce our second volume of Tales of our Town, stories from 2014 to 2018. Each one was originally published as our monthly column in the Age Dispatch. The format is identical to the first book, but this time we chose green as the background for the cover. There is so much to explore in the history of our town and the surrounding communities: people, buildings, events, businesses, organizations. We never seem to run out of topics. In this new book, we have a fresh supply of stories by various authors, with some photos that haven’t been seen before.
One of the great pleasures in publishing these books is choosing the picture for the front cover. This time our committee opted for another ‘crowd scene’ - the Kiwanis Kids Day parade on Frank Street in 1956. This photo is a jewel! The kids are dressed in creative costumes from before the days of ‘ready-mades’ from Walmart and Giant Tiger. And the streetscape includes old stores that many of us remember. By the way, if you recognize any of these children, please let us know.
As usual, our stories cover both Strathroy and Caradoc. We run the gamut from early pioneers John Buchanan, founder of Strathroy, and Christena Brodie of Caradoc, to more recent stories. Some reminisce about growing up as a baby boomer in the 1950s and ‘60s. The history of ‘alcohol consumption’ in our community was a saga that went on for years. Buildings have disappeared: the ice house in Alexandra Park, Colborne School, and the train station bring back memories of earlier times. In keeping with the season there are stories of wartime Christmases in Strathroy, relating how residents kept spirits bright despite hardship, and often despite worry about loved ones overseas.
There were the usual challenges meeting deadlines for the printer, but the books arrived in time for our book launch, on the evening of November 28. Over 70 people enjoyed a short program at Strathroy Library. Our new book is dedicated to Anne Pelkman, a valued member of our committee, who passed away last April. Anne’s eldest son, Ken, had travelled from his home in Sudbury for the occasion, and paid tribute to his mother. Three of our authors each spoke about one of their Tales. Janet Cummer reminisced about a former town librarian, Elizabeth Greenaway; Libby McLachlan quoted from an interview with well-known resident Clarence Mitchell, now in his 90s, about growing up in Strathroy; and John Brennan followed the fascinating story of liquor sales in town over the decades. The evening ended with a time for visiting and reconnecting, especially for those who live out of town. And more than 100 copies of our new book were sold.
We’ve already had some feedback. Pat Fraser, formerly of Ailsa Craig, has identified four of the men on page 3. To the right of Doug Harvey of the Montreal Canadiens are Carl Walker, Art Meadows, Bob Park and Bob McIntosh, all of Ailsa Craig.
Copies of all three of the Historical Society’s books are available for $20 at Strathroy Library. A great Christmas gift and a memento of your town.
November - 1919: General Sir Arthur Currie comes home By Chris Harrington
It was still dark on August 10, 1919 when General Sir Arthur Currie set foot on home soil for the first time in more than five years. Accompanying Currie on the military transport ship Caronia were his wife ‘Lady’ Lucy Currie and their two children, Marjorie and Garner. Very few people, other than a handful of newspaper reporters, witnessed Currie disembark on this cool Sunday morning, as the ship arrived in the Halifax port several hours earlier than expected. A few hours later, a small civil ceremony welcomed Canada’s greatest general.
A reporter described his first impression of General Currie as a man who had aged and greyed during his time overseas. No longer was he the baby-faced Brigadier General that Canada sent to war in 1914. By 1919, Currie had witnessed more than four years of unspeakable horrors in the trenches. Decades later, Canadian historians have suggested that he was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.
Currie had not been home to Strathroy since the outbreak of war. The Age described the scene as Currie’s train pulled into the station on Sunday, August 31, 1919: “[Currie] was given a reception which in warmth could not have been exceeded by any of the large cities he has visited since his return to Canada.” It was reported that “every man, woman and child in Strathroy was gathered about the station and yards of the Grand Trunk when his train pulled in at one o’clock” from Toronto. A dramatic scene played out when Arthur’s mother, Mrs. Jane Curry, was the first person to greet her son on the platform. General Currie greeted family, friends, and well-wishers as the town band played “Home, Sweet Home”. The band then led an automobile parade to the Armouries, where Mayor Lawrence Dampier and other dignitaries expressed the town’s welcome.
Currie opened both Western Fair in London and the Strathroy Agricultural Fair. On September 8, city officials met Currie at Byron Sanatorium where he was visiting soldiers recovering from tuberculosis or the effects of chemical gas attacks. He was escorted into London where he spoke at a luncheon with Mayor Charles Somerville and other city officials, hosted at the Masonic Temple. After lunch, he was paraded to the Western Fair grandstand where he addressed a huge crowd.
On September 16, General Currie opened the Strathroy Fair to a record turnout, estimated by The Age at more than 10,000 people. He told the crowd, “I esteem it a proud honour to have the privilege of opening the old Strathroy Fair. It recalls to my mind a flood of boyhood memories.” While he declined to speak at length about the war, his message was, “The credit that has come to me is due to your men, and not to me. At the present time . . . we can look to the future with confidence, no matter how great the difficulties are. Personal service to our country and fellowmen should replace the spirit of personal selfishness.” All Middlesex County Council members were present to announce a resolution congratulating Currie, and to present him with an engraved sterling silver service on behalf of the County.
The Currie family boarded a train on September 29 and headed west to visit their former home, Victoria, B.C. Victoria may have been an early observer of Armistice Day, known today as Remembrance Day. The Daily Colonist boasted, "Victoria is the only town throughout the entire Dominion where the armistice day will be celebrated as a public holiday." Provincial government offices, banks, and factories closed while all non-essential businesses suspended operations.
If Arthur Currie made a public appearance in Victoria on November 11, 1919 it was not mentioned in any local newspaper. Perhaps he attended one of the special services held in Victoria’s churches commemorating the first anniversary. Or, he may have attended the Armistice Day grand parade that was organized by Victoria’s Victory Loan Committee. It is also possible that General Currie finally took his doctor’s orders to rest his weary body and mind.
One hundred and one years after the end of the Great War: Lest We Forget.
It was still dark on August 10, 1919 when General Sir Arthur Currie set foot on home soil for the first time in more than five years. Accompanying Currie on the military transport ship Caronia were his wife ‘Lady’ Lucy Currie and their two children, Marjorie and Garner. Very few people, other than a handful of newspaper reporters, witnessed Currie disembark on this cool Sunday morning, as the ship arrived in the Halifax port several hours earlier than expected. A few hours later, a small civil ceremony welcomed Canada’s greatest general.
A reporter described his first impression of General Currie as a man who had aged and greyed during his time overseas. No longer was he the baby-faced Brigadier General that Canada sent to war in 1914. By 1919, Currie had witnessed more than four years of unspeakable horrors in the trenches. Decades later, Canadian historians have suggested that he was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.
Currie had not been home to Strathroy since the outbreak of war. The Age described the scene as Currie’s train pulled into the station on Sunday, August 31, 1919: “[Currie] was given a reception which in warmth could not have been exceeded by any of the large cities he has visited since his return to Canada.” It was reported that “every man, woman and child in Strathroy was gathered about the station and yards of the Grand Trunk when his train pulled in at one o’clock” from Toronto. A dramatic scene played out when Arthur’s mother, Mrs. Jane Curry, was the first person to greet her son on the platform. General Currie greeted family, friends, and well-wishers as the town band played “Home, Sweet Home”. The band then led an automobile parade to the Armouries, where Mayor Lawrence Dampier and other dignitaries expressed the town’s welcome.
Currie opened both Western Fair in London and the Strathroy Agricultural Fair. On September 8, city officials met Currie at Byron Sanatorium where he was visiting soldiers recovering from tuberculosis or the effects of chemical gas attacks. He was escorted into London where he spoke at a luncheon with Mayor Charles Somerville and other city officials, hosted at the Masonic Temple. After lunch, he was paraded to the Western Fair grandstand where he addressed a huge crowd.
On September 16, General Currie opened the Strathroy Fair to a record turnout, estimated by The Age at more than 10,000 people. He told the crowd, “I esteem it a proud honour to have the privilege of opening the old Strathroy Fair. It recalls to my mind a flood of boyhood memories.” While he declined to speak at length about the war, his message was, “The credit that has come to me is due to your men, and not to me. At the present time . . . we can look to the future with confidence, no matter how great the difficulties are. Personal service to our country and fellowmen should replace the spirit of personal selfishness.” All Middlesex County Council members were present to announce a resolution congratulating Currie, and to present him with an engraved sterling silver service on behalf of the County.
The Currie family boarded a train on September 29 and headed west to visit their former home, Victoria, B.C. Victoria may have been an early observer of Armistice Day, known today as Remembrance Day. The Daily Colonist boasted, "Victoria is the only town throughout the entire Dominion where the armistice day will be celebrated as a public holiday." Provincial government offices, banks, and factories closed while all non-essential businesses suspended operations.
If Arthur Currie made a public appearance in Victoria on November 11, 1919 it was not mentioned in any local newspaper. Perhaps he attended one of the special services held in Victoria’s churches commemorating the first anniversary. Or, he may have attended the Armistice Day grand parade that was organized by Victoria’s Victory Loan Committee. It is also possible that General Currie finally took his doctor’s orders to rest his weary body and mind.
One hundred and one years after the end of the Great War: Lest We Forget.
October - Looking up! by Libby Dawson & Libby McLachlan
An ad from an 1864 Gazetteer shows the office of Middlesex Coroner “D.S. McKellar M.D.” located in the “Argyle Block” in Strathroy. At the time, over 150 years ago, there was no system of street numbering, but this would tell anyone in town exactly where Dr. McKellar was to be found. The Argyle Block referred to a specific section or ‘block’ in the rows of attached buildings that eventually lined both sides of Front and Frank Streets. It was probably named by its builder, possibly a native of Argyleshire, Scotland.
After the townships in this area were surveyed in the 1830s, parcels of land were purchased by early developers like John Frank and surveyed into streets and lots of various shapes and sizes. Many streets were residential but business areas also developed, as early merchants, hotel keepers and factory owners purchased lots. In Strathroy, these were first located around Front and Head Streets, then spread to the west along Front, and south along Frank to the railway.
The first businesses were in wooden buildings of varying heights and roof designs, mostly adjoining, with an occasional alley or laneway between them to access the service road at the rear. Later, the muddy paths passing their front doors were covered with wooden sidewalks to protect ladies’ shoes and skirts. These wooden buildings were a fireman’s nightmare, where fires spread uncontrollably. As they were replaced they complied with new bylaws requiring brick construction with brick firewalls between connected buildings.
Some lots were subdivided into long, narrow parcels with narrow street frontages.
Many merchants bought two or three subdivided lots and covered them with one big building ‘block’, with two or three stores at street level and living space on the floors above. In several of these blocks the upper floor was a large ‘hall’ that provided space for meetings, performances or ‘sample rooms’ where travelling salesmen displayed their wares. The Music Hall was located on the south side of Front Street in the Seaton Block, a few doors east of Caradoc Street. The Arcade Hall was above the Queen’s Hotel, originally known as the Arcade Block, at the corner of Frank and Front. A third hall, the Albert Hall at the corner of Front and Caradoc, was above the Geddes store, which was sometimes referred to as the Pearce Block.
Today we can access records of building permits, but in earlier times these were not required. So what we know of the various blocks in town often seems limited to newspaper items or ads, generally without any specific location. And one suspects that block names may have changed over the years with changes in ownership. Stewart Lamont refers to several blocks in his letters to the editor of The Age Dispatch. (see Memories of Old Strathroy) He mentions “John Black’s block in the alley”, “the Smith block across from the Age Dispatch office”, and “the Irvine block on Front Street East”. In other accounts of Strathroy history you will come across the Athol block, the O‘Callaghan block, the Dominion block - and probably others.
A number of these building blocks still survive in Strathroy. As you walk the sidewalks downtown, look up and across the street. You will notice that even if the stores have different facades, small groups of them are actually in the same building. Despite alterations over the years, rooflines, upper windows and decorative brickwork will be your clues to figure it all out. Recently, Kathleen Anderson has added a new ‘infill’ building on the north side of Front Street in a style that fits beautifully with the older business blocks.
On the west side of Frank Street three plaques near the rooflines take us back to the era of Strathroy’s early developers: the Ashwell Block (1880), the Lochfine Block (1872) and the McLarty block (1876); the latter even names the bricklayer and the carpenter. So you can ‘look up’ and appreciate that our town has kept large parts of its early streetscape. This Victorian commercial architecture is a treasure in the heart of most southwestern Ontario towns.
An ad from an 1864 Gazetteer shows the office of Middlesex Coroner “D.S. McKellar M.D.” located in the “Argyle Block” in Strathroy. At the time, over 150 years ago, there was no system of street numbering, but this would tell anyone in town exactly where Dr. McKellar was to be found. The Argyle Block referred to a specific section or ‘block’ in the rows of attached buildings that eventually lined both sides of Front and Frank Streets. It was probably named by its builder, possibly a native of Argyleshire, Scotland.
After the townships in this area were surveyed in the 1830s, parcels of land were purchased by early developers like John Frank and surveyed into streets and lots of various shapes and sizes. Many streets were residential but business areas also developed, as early merchants, hotel keepers and factory owners purchased lots. In Strathroy, these were first located around Front and Head Streets, then spread to the west along Front, and south along Frank to the railway.
The first businesses were in wooden buildings of varying heights and roof designs, mostly adjoining, with an occasional alley or laneway between them to access the service road at the rear. Later, the muddy paths passing their front doors were covered with wooden sidewalks to protect ladies’ shoes and skirts. These wooden buildings were a fireman’s nightmare, where fires spread uncontrollably. As they were replaced they complied with new bylaws requiring brick construction with brick firewalls between connected buildings.
Some lots were subdivided into long, narrow parcels with narrow street frontages.
Many merchants bought two or three subdivided lots and covered them with one big building ‘block’, with two or three stores at street level and living space on the floors above. In several of these blocks the upper floor was a large ‘hall’ that provided space for meetings, performances or ‘sample rooms’ where travelling salesmen displayed their wares. The Music Hall was located on the south side of Front Street in the Seaton Block, a few doors east of Caradoc Street. The Arcade Hall was above the Queen’s Hotel, originally known as the Arcade Block, at the corner of Frank and Front. A third hall, the Albert Hall at the corner of Front and Caradoc, was above the Geddes store, which was sometimes referred to as the Pearce Block.
Today we can access records of building permits, but in earlier times these were not required. So what we know of the various blocks in town often seems limited to newspaper items or ads, generally without any specific location. And one suspects that block names may have changed over the years with changes in ownership. Stewart Lamont refers to several blocks in his letters to the editor of The Age Dispatch. (see Memories of Old Strathroy) He mentions “John Black’s block in the alley”, “the Smith block across from the Age Dispatch office”, and “the Irvine block on Front Street East”. In other accounts of Strathroy history you will come across the Athol block, the O‘Callaghan block, the Dominion block - and probably others.
A number of these building blocks still survive in Strathroy. As you walk the sidewalks downtown, look up and across the street. You will notice that even if the stores have different facades, small groups of them are actually in the same building. Despite alterations over the years, rooflines, upper windows and decorative brickwork will be your clues to figure it all out. Recently, Kathleen Anderson has added a new ‘infill’ building on the north side of Front Street in a style that fits beautifully with the older business blocks.
On the west side of Frank Street three plaques near the rooflines take us back to the era of Strathroy’s early developers: the Ashwell Block (1880), the Lochfine Block (1872) and the McLarty block (1876); the latter even names the bricklayer and the carpenter. So you can ‘look up’ and appreciate that our town has kept large parts of its early streetscape. This Victorian commercial architecture is a treasure in the heart of most southwestern Ontario towns.
September - Caradoc Roads - the Naming Game by Paul Long
Tradition is highly valued in rural Ontario. So when Middlesex County replaced the long-standing concession and lot system of property identification with more urban-styled streets and numbers, the changeover was not without some ‘bumps in the road’. This initiative, in the mid-1990s, would eventually allow the implementation of the 911 emergency telephone system, and would make it easier for everyone to find specific addresses in the rural areas.
Names for roads designated as County Roads were suggested by the County, with the trickiest being County Road 14 which ran through Lobo, Caradoc and Ekfrid Townships. The compromise was Glendon Drive, a combination of GLENcoe and lonDON. County Council also set some guidelines for the local municipalities, including one that road names be standardized where township roads lined up with another township, such as Caradoc with Ekfrid and Metcalfe.
At the time, the Town of Strathroy and the Township of Caradoc had not yet amalgamated. Since Strathroy would not allow its street names to be used in the township, Concession 10 acquired three names: Calvert Drive, Carroll Street and Glengyle Drive. And where Queen Street entered the township it became Saxton Road.
Caradoc Township Council directed that roads running east-west would be known as ‘drives’ and north-south would be ‘roads’. And Council created a Road Naming Committee of local citizens to help address the changeover. Most of the suggested road names were accepted by the community, but there were some disputes, petitions and arbitration reviews. The residents of Mill Road objected to changing their name to Cade Road; they kept their road name, while Old Mill Road was changed to Gibson Road to avoid confusion with Mill Road. There was an effort to reflect the heritage of Caradoc`s original settlers. Concession 1 became Irish Drive. Concession 8 was proposed as Scotch Drive, but an objection to the implication of alcohol led to a compromise of Scotchmere. ‘English’ fell to the wayside when someone of a different heritage objected to living on English Drive.
South Caradoc roads were already identified by name, but required the switch to ‘drives’. Their names was largely based on long-time farming families or early settlers who resided on these roads, such as Reily, Wightman, Black Jack, Carruthers and Cobban. Often these families were involved in public life: Joe Reily served as reeve, and Jack Wightman as councillor and chairman of the Caradoc Public School Board. Black Jack Drive recalls the Clark family, which counted three Jack Clarks in the community. The one living on this road had a very dark beard, so the road became, and remains, Black Jack Drive.
Burwell Road acknowledges the beginnings of Caradoc Township. Colonel Mahlon Burwell and Roswell Mount surveyed the township in 1821. As partial payment for his services, Burwell received a land grant of nearly 1,600 acres between the Thames River and Longwoods Road. Mahlon’s son, Issac Brock Burwell, developed and named the “Rougham” estate after the Burwell’s ancestral home in England. Rougham Road also borders Mount Brydges on the west.
Highway 2, or Longwoods Road, was an aboriginal trail from Delaware to McGregor Creek near Chatham. It was initially improved during the War of 1812. The name Longwoods stemmed from the dense stands of virgin hard oak and walnut that followed the wandering Thames River.
Several road names reflect existing and historical villages and hamlets, including Melbourne, Muncey, Glen Oak, Christina and Amiens Roads, and Middlemiss and Falconbridge Drives. Sutherland Road is tied to the crossroads of the former Concession 4 and Sideroad 8 where James Sutherland and his family immigrated from Scotland in the mid-1830s. His sons purchased land in the immediate vicinity, and the area became known as Sutherlands community. A one-room schoolhouse, S.S. # 12 Sutherlands, was erected as well as Sutherlands Methodist Church.
Mallard Road has few homes but the Davidsons were long-time property owners. It was jokingly suggested that since Donald “Duck” Davidson lived here, the road should be called Duck Road. The final name was Mallard - a coincidence?
A future Tale will explore the origin of more Caradoc road names. Some honour families or commemorate events. Others are a part of Metcalfe and Ekfrid Township history. And the root of some remains a mystery!
Tradition is highly valued in rural Ontario. So when Middlesex County replaced the long-standing concession and lot system of property identification with more urban-styled streets and numbers, the changeover was not without some ‘bumps in the road’. This initiative, in the mid-1990s, would eventually allow the implementation of the 911 emergency telephone system, and would make it easier for everyone to find specific addresses in the rural areas.
Names for roads designated as County Roads were suggested by the County, with the trickiest being County Road 14 which ran through Lobo, Caradoc and Ekfrid Townships. The compromise was Glendon Drive, a combination of GLENcoe and lonDON. County Council also set some guidelines for the local municipalities, including one that road names be standardized where township roads lined up with another township, such as Caradoc with Ekfrid and Metcalfe.
At the time, the Town of Strathroy and the Township of Caradoc had not yet amalgamated. Since Strathroy would not allow its street names to be used in the township, Concession 10 acquired three names: Calvert Drive, Carroll Street and Glengyle Drive. And where Queen Street entered the township it became Saxton Road.
Caradoc Township Council directed that roads running east-west would be known as ‘drives’ and north-south would be ‘roads’. And Council created a Road Naming Committee of local citizens to help address the changeover. Most of the suggested road names were accepted by the community, but there were some disputes, petitions and arbitration reviews. The residents of Mill Road objected to changing their name to Cade Road; they kept their road name, while Old Mill Road was changed to Gibson Road to avoid confusion with Mill Road. There was an effort to reflect the heritage of Caradoc`s original settlers. Concession 1 became Irish Drive. Concession 8 was proposed as Scotch Drive, but an objection to the implication of alcohol led to a compromise of Scotchmere. ‘English’ fell to the wayside when someone of a different heritage objected to living on English Drive.
South Caradoc roads were already identified by name, but required the switch to ‘drives’. Their names was largely based on long-time farming families or early settlers who resided on these roads, such as Reily, Wightman, Black Jack, Carruthers and Cobban. Often these families were involved in public life: Joe Reily served as reeve, and Jack Wightman as councillor and chairman of the Caradoc Public School Board. Black Jack Drive recalls the Clark family, which counted three Jack Clarks in the community. The one living on this road had a very dark beard, so the road became, and remains, Black Jack Drive.
Burwell Road acknowledges the beginnings of Caradoc Township. Colonel Mahlon Burwell and Roswell Mount surveyed the township in 1821. As partial payment for his services, Burwell received a land grant of nearly 1,600 acres between the Thames River and Longwoods Road. Mahlon’s son, Issac Brock Burwell, developed and named the “Rougham” estate after the Burwell’s ancestral home in England. Rougham Road also borders Mount Brydges on the west.
Highway 2, or Longwoods Road, was an aboriginal trail from Delaware to McGregor Creek near Chatham. It was initially improved during the War of 1812. The name Longwoods stemmed from the dense stands of virgin hard oak and walnut that followed the wandering Thames River.
Several road names reflect existing and historical villages and hamlets, including Melbourne, Muncey, Glen Oak, Christina and Amiens Roads, and Middlemiss and Falconbridge Drives. Sutherland Road is tied to the crossroads of the former Concession 4 and Sideroad 8 where James Sutherland and his family immigrated from Scotland in the mid-1830s. His sons purchased land in the immediate vicinity, and the area became known as Sutherlands community. A one-room schoolhouse, S.S. # 12 Sutherlands, was erected as well as Sutherlands Methodist Church.
Mallard Road has few homes but the Davidsons were long-time property owners. It was jokingly suggested that since Donald “Duck” Davidson lived here, the road should be called Duck Road. The final name was Mallard - a coincidence?
A future Tale will explore the origin of more Caradoc road names. Some honour families or commemorate events. Others are a part of Metcalfe and Ekfrid Township history. And the root of some remains a mystery!
August - The Strathroy dog on the orange crate by Libby Dawson
Why on earth would a Strathroy dog appear on the labels of thousands of orange crates shipped out of California? The answer involves Lewis H. Smith, who was born in England in 1829 and emigrated to Strathroy in 1855. As the owner of a local bank and a shareholder in other enterprises Lewis became a wealthy man. He described himself as “a practical sportsman naturalist” who hunted birds and learned taxidermy to mount them in glass domes, a common display technique at the end of the 19th century. And he took up photography, including the chemical developing of his photos of birds and animals, so he could enjoy nature’s beautiful creations during the winter.
Smith’s interest in birds was so intense that he imported some of the first English sparrows brought into Canada, an environmental mistake which accounts for their vast numbers and the crop damage they do today. But it was his hobby of breeding English Setter dogs for bird hunting which added to his fame and fortune. He joined other dog breeders to create “Field Trials” and “Dog Shows” throughout the USA and Canada, and travelled far and wide looking for dogs to buy and breed for those competitions.
In 1873, Smith sailed back to England to the prestigious Crystal Palace dog show. The two top English Setter breeders were there, each with a slightly different approach. Edward Laverack bred Setters for ‘conformation’ at dog shows, while R. Purcell Llewellin bred with more emphasis on field trials which tested bird hunting proficiency. Laverack dogs appeared more attractive, becoming almost a separate branch of the breed. From these breeders Smith purchased four dogs and entered them into North American trials and shows, where they were judged far superior to any Setters bred in Canada or the USA.
Before leaving England, Smith mated one of Laverack’s female dogs with one of Llewellin’s males. When the dogs arrived in Canada, puppies were born in Strathroy, one of which was destined to became famous. Named Paris, this dog won almost every field trial and dog show he entered. When Setter standards were revised a short time later, Paris was used as the model. As the winner in both conformation and field classes, he brought the two features of the breed together in one animal. The result: Smith enjoyed top dollar for every dog he bred and sold.
When Paris won his first dog show in 1874, his value was estimated at $5,000, more than $120,000 today. Smith continued to breed dogs, entering them in the most important dog shows and filling his home with ribbons and trophies. He owned Paris until 1885, when the American Kennel Club stud book announced the dog’s sale to C. E. Lewis of New York.
Sometime between 1885 and 1910, Smith retired from dog breeding and wrote a small book about his other hobbies, taxidermy and photography. When asked why he retired he responded, “When I had no more American dogs to beat and then often dogs that I had bred myself, it lost interest for me and I quit.”
English Setters are less popular now, as people want smaller dogs which can live in urban areas, often in small apartments. Bird hunting went out of fashion and field trials became almost exclusively for sheep-herding dogs. The Laverack-nurtured genes have been cross-bred and petered out. Now most English Setters at dog shows are genetically more like Llewellin’s, sometimes referred to as Llewellin Setters. It’s a good bet that most have Paris genes in their pedigree chart.
So how did Paris end up on a Sunkist orange crate label in 1910? By that time Paris was probably in dog heaven. No sources explaining the dog’s appearance on the Sunkist label have been found. But by 1893, Sunkist and other California orange growers had started shipping oranges by train in wooden crates with large eye-catching labels. Brightly coloured paintings were created of bucking horses, camels, palm trees, Santa, unicorns, Queen Victoria and… a handsome Strathroy- born English Setter. Paris had another moment of fame as the King of Oranges.
Thanks to Mac Waters who found Smith and Paris memorabilia, including Smith’s book and the Paris orange crate label, at a garage sale and loaned them to us to write this story.
Why on earth would a Strathroy dog appear on the labels of thousands of orange crates shipped out of California? The answer involves Lewis H. Smith, who was born in England in 1829 and emigrated to Strathroy in 1855. As the owner of a local bank and a shareholder in other enterprises Lewis became a wealthy man. He described himself as “a practical sportsman naturalist” who hunted birds and learned taxidermy to mount them in glass domes, a common display technique at the end of the 19th century. And he took up photography, including the chemical developing of his photos of birds and animals, so he could enjoy nature’s beautiful creations during the winter.
Smith’s interest in birds was so intense that he imported some of the first English sparrows brought into Canada, an environmental mistake which accounts for their vast numbers and the crop damage they do today. But it was his hobby of breeding English Setter dogs for bird hunting which added to his fame and fortune. He joined other dog breeders to create “Field Trials” and “Dog Shows” throughout the USA and Canada, and travelled far and wide looking for dogs to buy and breed for those competitions.
In 1873, Smith sailed back to England to the prestigious Crystal Palace dog show. The two top English Setter breeders were there, each with a slightly different approach. Edward Laverack bred Setters for ‘conformation’ at dog shows, while R. Purcell Llewellin bred with more emphasis on field trials which tested bird hunting proficiency. Laverack dogs appeared more attractive, becoming almost a separate branch of the breed. From these breeders Smith purchased four dogs and entered them into North American trials and shows, where they were judged far superior to any Setters bred in Canada or the USA.
Before leaving England, Smith mated one of Laverack’s female dogs with one of Llewellin’s males. When the dogs arrived in Canada, puppies were born in Strathroy, one of which was destined to became famous. Named Paris, this dog won almost every field trial and dog show he entered. When Setter standards were revised a short time later, Paris was used as the model. As the winner in both conformation and field classes, he brought the two features of the breed together in one animal. The result: Smith enjoyed top dollar for every dog he bred and sold.
When Paris won his first dog show in 1874, his value was estimated at $5,000, more than $120,000 today. Smith continued to breed dogs, entering them in the most important dog shows and filling his home with ribbons and trophies. He owned Paris until 1885, when the American Kennel Club stud book announced the dog’s sale to C. E. Lewis of New York.
Sometime between 1885 and 1910, Smith retired from dog breeding and wrote a small book about his other hobbies, taxidermy and photography. When asked why he retired he responded, “When I had no more American dogs to beat and then often dogs that I had bred myself, it lost interest for me and I quit.”
English Setters are less popular now, as people want smaller dogs which can live in urban areas, often in small apartments. Bird hunting went out of fashion and field trials became almost exclusively for sheep-herding dogs. The Laverack-nurtured genes have been cross-bred and petered out. Now most English Setters at dog shows are genetically more like Llewellin’s, sometimes referred to as Llewellin Setters. It’s a good bet that most have Paris genes in their pedigree chart.
So how did Paris end up on a Sunkist orange crate label in 1910? By that time Paris was probably in dog heaven. No sources explaining the dog’s appearance on the Sunkist label have been found. But by 1893, Sunkist and other California orange growers had started shipping oranges by train in wooden crates with large eye-catching labels. Brightly coloured paintings were created of bucking horses, camels, palm trees, Santa, unicorns, Queen Victoria and… a handsome Strathroy- born English Setter. Paris had another moment of fame as the King of Oranges.
Thanks to Mac Waters who found Smith and Paris memorabilia, including Smith’s book and the Paris orange crate label, at a garage sale and loaned them to us to write this story.
July - Growing up after the War: personal memories by Janet Cummer
As you get older you sometimes wonder if your childhood was really as good as you remember it. Recently I sat beside Carole Lee (Butler) Lumsden, a classmate from grade one at Colborne School, and asked about her memories. “Oh yes, they were wonderful!” My sentiments, too.
Perhaps it was the optimism that pervaded the town, and the sense of personal safety and freedom. And there were lots of kids to play with. We lived on James Street, so our life centred on nearby Central Park. This park area, bounded by Frank, James and Thomas Streets, was established in 1929, just after the completion of the new town hall in 1928. It was cleared of old sheds and spruced up with spirea bushes, a public barbecue, baseball diamond and band shell. We often played baseball behind the Armouries. The Healy family on Albert Street could provide one team, neighbourhood children the other. And this being the age of the automobile, we listened to concerts in the band shell by the Strathroy Citizens Band (under Frank Hendry’s direction), while sitting in our cars and honking our horns in appreciation.
Several new town projects gave us an even better life. The construction of the Lions Club swimming pool in Alexandra Park in 1950 was a huge event. I was there on opening night when June Taylor, a champion synchronized swimmer, dove into our new pool with its underwater lights. Wearing a silver bathing cap and white bathing suit that shimmered in the water, she swam the whole length of the pool underwater. To a kid, it was enchanting, and that summer I learned to swim.
When West Middlesex Memorial Arena opened in 1953 it became the focus of our winter activity. Until then we skated on a natural ice arena on Front Street East, and an outdoor rink in Central Park. With the new arena, public skating was readily available on weekends from Friday night to Sunday afternoon, except for Saturday night which was reserved for hockey. There were no hockey helmets in those days, so there were often some spots of blood still visible on the ice on Sunday. But as children this didn’t concern us.
In those years, the population of Strathroy hovered around 3,000. Most houses had septic tanks before the town sewer system was installed in 1953. That summer was a fun one for us as kids. We could go out our front door on James Street and jump into a fairly deep sand ditch that extended to Caradoc Street. I don’t remember fences, or anyone getting hurt – just that we were never bored.
The great sea-change for our family was the move to Front Street in the fall of 1953, and the coming of television. For a time my parents resisted buying a TV, fearing that homework would suffer. So on Sunday nights I would go down the street and watch Ed Sullivan at the Cascagnettes. However, the 1955 World Series changed my father’s mind and we got a second-hand Westinghouse set. A rotating aerial on the roof allowed us to pull in Detroit stations on a good day and exposed us to American culture. We never looked back. We loved TV and still do. And the homework did get done … sort of.
In 1956, my world changed. I was diagnosed with scoliosis and needed surgery. The social safety net hardly existed. Although both my parents taught, their salaries were modest by today’s standards. There was great anxiety about how they were going to pay for major surgery at Sick Kids Hospital in Toronto. But the insurance came through and the doctor was paid.
What I remember about this time is the great kindness of people. Bringing me home from Toronto by ambulance was not an affordable option, but Bill Denning loaned us a vehicle and I was loaded onto a mattress in the back. (No, I didn’t come home in a hearse, it was a station wagon.) There was no 401 then, just a long succession of roads and towns. But I have no bad memories, I was so glad to get back to Strathroy. Bill Denning, Ray Gibson and my father carried me up the front steps of our house on Front Street, where I remained for the summer on a hospital bed in the dining room, entertained by the local kids. While at Sick Kids, homesickness was my biggest problem. Mr. MacVicar took care of that- he had the grade eight students send me cards every day!
As you get older you sometimes wonder if your childhood was really as good as you remember it. Recently I sat beside Carole Lee (Butler) Lumsden, a classmate from grade one at Colborne School, and asked about her memories. “Oh yes, they were wonderful!” My sentiments, too.
Perhaps it was the optimism that pervaded the town, and the sense of personal safety and freedom. And there were lots of kids to play with. We lived on James Street, so our life centred on nearby Central Park. This park area, bounded by Frank, James and Thomas Streets, was established in 1929, just after the completion of the new town hall in 1928. It was cleared of old sheds and spruced up with spirea bushes, a public barbecue, baseball diamond and band shell. We often played baseball behind the Armouries. The Healy family on Albert Street could provide one team, neighbourhood children the other. And this being the age of the automobile, we listened to concerts in the band shell by the Strathroy Citizens Band (under Frank Hendry’s direction), while sitting in our cars and honking our horns in appreciation.
Several new town projects gave us an even better life. The construction of the Lions Club swimming pool in Alexandra Park in 1950 was a huge event. I was there on opening night when June Taylor, a champion synchronized swimmer, dove into our new pool with its underwater lights. Wearing a silver bathing cap and white bathing suit that shimmered in the water, she swam the whole length of the pool underwater. To a kid, it was enchanting, and that summer I learned to swim.
When West Middlesex Memorial Arena opened in 1953 it became the focus of our winter activity. Until then we skated on a natural ice arena on Front Street East, and an outdoor rink in Central Park. With the new arena, public skating was readily available on weekends from Friday night to Sunday afternoon, except for Saturday night which was reserved for hockey. There were no hockey helmets in those days, so there were often some spots of blood still visible on the ice on Sunday. But as children this didn’t concern us.
In those years, the population of Strathroy hovered around 3,000. Most houses had septic tanks before the town sewer system was installed in 1953. That summer was a fun one for us as kids. We could go out our front door on James Street and jump into a fairly deep sand ditch that extended to Caradoc Street. I don’t remember fences, or anyone getting hurt – just that we were never bored.
The great sea-change for our family was the move to Front Street in the fall of 1953, and the coming of television. For a time my parents resisted buying a TV, fearing that homework would suffer. So on Sunday nights I would go down the street and watch Ed Sullivan at the Cascagnettes. However, the 1955 World Series changed my father’s mind and we got a second-hand Westinghouse set. A rotating aerial on the roof allowed us to pull in Detroit stations on a good day and exposed us to American culture. We never looked back. We loved TV and still do. And the homework did get done … sort of.
In 1956, my world changed. I was diagnosed with scoliosis and needed surgery. The social safety net hardly existed. Although both my parents taught, their salaries were modest by today’s standards. There was great anxiety about how they were going to pay for major surgery at Sick Kids Hospital in Toronto. But the insurance came through and the doctor was paid.
What I remember about this time is the great kindness of people. Bringing me home from Toronto by ambulance was not an affordable option, but Bill Denning loaned us a vehicle and I was loaded onto a mattress in the back. (No, I didn’t come home in a hearse, it was a station wagon.) There was no 401 then, just a long succession of roads and towns. But I have no bad memories, I was so glad to get back to Strathroy. Bill Denning, Ray Gibson and my father carried me up the front steps of our house on Front Street, where I remained for the summer on a hospital bed in the dining room, entertained by the local kids. While at Sick Kids, homesickness was my biggest problem. Mr. MacVicar took care of that- he had the grade eight students send me cards every day!
June - “Uma Vida Melhor” in Strathroy by Lauren Boertien
“Uma vida melhor” translates as “a better life” - what many Portuguese families were seeking when they came to Strathroy. Immigration to this area from Portugal began in 1954, with the arrival of Arthur Correia from Sao Miguel Island, who landed at Pier 21 in Halifax, took a boat to Toronto, then drove to Strathroy. Arthur was one of several single men among the early arrivals. His destination was Strathroy because he had heard there were good jobs in the local tobacco industry.
Most immigrants to Canada had a sponsor and a job lined up. Although Arthur came without a sponsor, after getting settled he sponsored his uncle, Henrique Da Ponte. Henrique arrived at Pier 21 in late 1954 and went by train to Quebec where he worked on a dairy farm. By September 1955 he was able to bring his wife Evarista and their four children - Maria, Emeria, John, and Henry Jr. - to Canada. Evarista and the children travelled from Portugal to Quebec on a propeller plane.
Once the Da Ponte family was settled in Quebec Arthur Correia proposed that they move to Strathroy where they could earn more money working on a tobacco farm. They arrived safely in their new hometown in the back of an empty transport truck. So the Da Pontes became the first Portuguese family to live in Strathroy. The tobacco farm that Henrique Da Ponte lived and worked on was located where the current Canadian Tire store stands, on Adelaide Road. Later the family moved into the heart of town, where Henrique had a new job at Strathroy Cabinets and Evarista worked at Craft Master. Both Arthur Correia and Henrique Da Ponte continued to sponsor other relatives and friends, so they too could have “uma vida melhor” in Strathroy.
Within a few years Strathroy had a significant population of immigrants from Portugal, many from the Azores. Realizing that it was important for their community members to get to know each other, a committee was formed in 1968 to organize social events; most were held at the arena or the Legion. The first dance featured George Alcaidinho’s band, and attendees paid 50 cents admission.
In the early 1970s, a proposal emerged to build a special facility for these events. Construction began in 1976, with government assistance to help finance recreational activities for new immigrants. Labour for the project was free since many in the Portuguese community were eager to help. The Strathroy New Canadian Club officially opened on Canada Day, 1977, with Oscar Dias as president. Joe Belo, one of the individuals who helped establish the facility, remembers that “building the Club brought the community together” and “everyone contributed in some way.” In 1988 the name was changed to the “Portuguese Canadian Club of Strathroy” as a way to recognize it’s origins.
Throughout the years the Club has been home to many special occasions, including dances, weddings, the Miss Portugal Pageant, and the Battle of the Bands. There were soccer teams and a marching band. And there have been numerous fundraisers for local charities. Events from the larger Strathroy community continue to be hosted. For a number of years Joe De Brum brought citizenship judges to Strathroy to help immigrants obtain their Canadian citizenship.
There are lots of stories to be gathered from the Portuguese families who came to make their homes here. Among the surnames you will recognize around town are: (Da) Silva, Ferreira, Pereira. Sousa, (Da) Costa, Moniz, Medeiros – and many others. And there are successful businesses operating in a variety of fields that are owned by members of this community. JL Excavating, Cordeiro’s Auto, Tia’s Place, George’s Appliances, The Trailer Guy, Arte’s Bakery and The Duke on Sydenham are just a few of them. Since their arrival in the 1950s our Portuguese neighbours have added their unique traditions, and their culture is well-established within the town.
Thank you to Emeria Soares, Joe Belo, Jack Correia Sr., Joe and Pattie De Brum and others for sharing their stories.
“Uma vida melhor” translates as “a better life” - what many Portuguese families were seeking when they came to Strathroy. Immigration to this area from Portugal began in 1954, with the arrival of Arthur Correia from Sao Miguel Island, who landed at Pier 21 in Halifax, took a boat to Toronto, then drove to Strathroy. Arthur was one of several single men among the early arrivals. His destination was Strathroy because he had heard there were good jobs in the local tobacco industry.
Most immigrants to Canada had a sponsor and a job lined up. Although Arthur came without a sponsor, after getting settled he sponsored his uncle, Henrique Da Ponte. Henrique arrived at Pier 21 in late 1954 and went by train to Quebec where he worked on a dairy farm. By September 1955 he was able to bring his wife Evarista and their four children - Maria, Emeria, John, and Henry Jr. - to Canada. Evarista and the children travelled from Portugal to Quebec on a propeller plane.
Once the Da Ponte family was settled in Quebec Arthur Correia proposed that they move to Strathroy where they could earn more money working on a tobacco farm. They arrived safely in their new hometown in the back of an empty transport truck. So the Da Pontes became the first Portuguese family to live in Strathroy. The tobacco farm that Henrique Da Ponte lived and worked on was located where the current Canadian Tire store stands, on Adelaide Road. Later the family moved into the heart of town, where Henrique had a new job at Strathroy Cabinets and Evarista worked at Craft Master. Both Arthur Correia and Henrique Da Ponte continued to sponsor other relatives and friends, so they too could have “uma vida melhor” in Strathroy.
Within a few years Strathroy had a significant population of immigrants from Portugal, many from the Azores. Realizing that it was important for their community members to get to know each other, a committee was formed in 1968 to organize social events; most were held at the arena or the Legion. The first dance featured George Alcaidinho’s band, and attendees paid 50 cents admission.
In the early 1970s, a proposal emerged to build a special facility for these events. Construction began in 1976, with government assistance to help finance recreational activities for new immigrants. Labour for the project was free since many in the Portuguese community were eager to help. The Strathroy New Canadian Club officially opened on Canada Day, 1977, with Oscar Dias as president. Joe Belo, one of the individuals who helped establish the facility, remembers that “building the Club brought the community together” and “everyone contributed in some way.” In 1988 the name was changed to the “Portuguese Canadian Club of Strathroy” as a way to recognize it’s origins.
Throughout the years the Club has been home to many special occasions, including dances, weddings, the Miss Portugal Pageant, and the Battle of the Bands. There were soccer teams and a marching band. And there have been numerous fundraisers for local charities. Events from the larger Strathroy community continue to be hosted. For a number of years Joe De Brum brought citizenship judges to Strathroy to help immigrants obtain their Canadian citizenship.
There are lots of stories to be gathered from the Portuguese families who came to make their homes here. Among the surnames you will recognize around town are: (Da) Silva, Ferreira, Pereira. Sousa, (Da) Costa, Moniz, Medeiros – and many others. And there are successful businesses operating in a variety of fields that are owned by members of this community. JL Excavating, Cordeiro’s Auto, Tia’s Place, George’s Appliances, The Trailer Guy, Arte’s Bakery and The Duke on Sydenham are just a few of them. Since their arrival in the 1950s our Portuguese neighbours have added their unique traditions, and their culture is well-established within the town.
Thank you to Emeria Soares, Joe Belo, Jack Correia Sr., Joe and Pattie De Brum and others for sharing their stories.
May - “All Aboard the Pony Express!” - Canadian Style by Jessica Baptista
Many have heard of the famous Pony Express, a postal service that operated for only 18 months (in 1860-61) and delivered mail, newspapers and messages across the United States from the Atlantic to the Pacific. But few of us know about the Canadian Railway Mail train, which was in operation for 117 years! In 1854, delivery by horseback, canoe, snowshoe and ‘on foot’ - where a letter might take 10-and-a-half days to travel from Quebec City to Windsor, Ontario – was replaced by the Canadian Railway Mail Service (or RMS). With the new “railway post office” system the mail was sorted en route and a letter could be delivered in 49 hours.
Strathroy resident Norm Giffen recently reminisced with me about his ten years on the mail train, from 1956 to 1966. He worked as a mail clerk, mainly on the Toronto to Windsor and Toronto to Sarnia runs, but did, at least once, get all the way to British Columbia. As Norm recalled, “It was not an easy job. We worked in cramped spaces and slept on bags of mail as we were travelling across the country … the mail cars were always right behind the engine and the cars themselves came in 15, 30, or 72-foot lengths”.
The railway cars were constructed with a small mail slot for community members to deposit their mail when the train stopped in different towns. Where it did not stop, a mail clerk would snatch bags of mail waiting for pick-up as it was speeding along the tracks. The bags were hanging on “catchposts” and were retrieved with an iron bar and hook contraption attached to the train. And at small towns like Strathroy a mail clerk would throw a locked mailbag from a racing train for local delivery. These were not easy feats to accomplish successfully!
All the railway mail clerks needed an encyclopedic memory of every rail line, every train, and all the train stops and connections along their routes. If that was not difficult enough, they were expected to have memorized the many mail-sorting slots inside the railway cars. As Norm remembers, “We had to memorize where each letter should be slotted and none of them were labelled. Sometimes our boss would inspect our mail-sorting, and rarely did he find any errors in our work.” On average, a mail clerk could sort 1,500 letters per hour into over 100 mail slots.
The mail clerks also had to pass yearly exams on all the railway stations in Ontario, with a mark above 97 percent. Mr. Giffen had received 98.8 percent on his first exam, but his instructor told him it was only a “satisfactory mark, and 100 percent was expected”. “I was also qualified to sort the Windsor city mail on Toronto, London and Windsor trains”, he recalls, “but the quarters were cold, hot, humid, noisy, the air was heavy with fumes from the engine, the floors were always swaying, and work was a constant race against time before we got to the next stop.”
The Railway Mail Service ceased operation on April 24, 1971. The last runs of the mail train included, among others, Train No. 48 from Toronto to Ottawa, No. 58 from Toronto to Montreal and No. 123 from Campbellton, New Brunswick to Lévis, Quebec. The Service was by far the best organized and most efficient branch of the postal service Canada has seen, thanks to the intensive training and the discipline of annual exams, with each mail clerk responsible for his own work in difficult conditions. After 1971 the mail was moved by truck, bringing the era of the mail train to an end.
One final note: I would like to thank Norm Giffen for sharing his mail train memories.
Many have heard of the famous Pony Express, a postal service that operated for only 18 months (in 1860-61) and delivered mail, newspapers and messages across the United States from the Atlantic to the Pacific. But few of us know about the Canadian Railway Mail train, which was in operation for 117 years! In 1854, delivery by horseback, canoe, snowshoe and ‘on foot’ - where a letter might take 10-and-a-half days to travel from Quebec City to Windsor, Ontario – was replaced by the Canadian Railway Mail Service (or RMS). With the new “railway post office” system the mail was sorted en route and a letter could be delivered in 49 hours.
Strathroy resident Norm Giffen recently reminisced with me about his ten years on the mail train, from 1956 to 1966. He worked as a mail clerk, mainly on the Toronto to Windsor and Toronto to Sarnia runs, but did, at least once, get all the way to British Columbia. As Norm recalled, “It was not an easy job. We worked in cramped spaces and slept on bags of mail as we were travelling across the country … the mail cars were always right behind the engine and the cars themselves came in 15, 30, or 72-foot lengths”.
The railway cars were constructed with a small mail slot for community members to deposit their mail when the train stopped in different towns. Where it did not stop, a mail clerk would snatch bags of mail waiting for pick-up as it was speeding along the tracks. The bags were hanging on “catchposts” and were retrieved with an iron bar and hook contraption attached to the train. And at small towns like Strathroy a mail clerk would throw a locked mailbag from a racing train for local delivery. These were not easy feats to accomplish successfully!
All the railway mail clerks needed an encyclopedic memory of every rail line, every train, and all the train stops and connections along their routes. If that was not difficult enough, they were expected to have memorized the many mail-sorting slots inside the railway cars. As Norm remembers, “We had to memorize where each letter should be slotted and none of them were labelled. Sometimes our boss would inspect our mail-sorting, and rarely did he find any errors in our work.” On average, a mail clerk could sort 1,500 letters per hour into over 100 mail slots.
The mail clerks also had to pass yearly exams on all the railway stations in Ontario, with a mark above 97 percent. Mr. Giffen had received 98.8 percent on his first exam, but his instructor told him it was only a “satisfactory mark, and 100 percent was expected”. “I was also qualified to sort the Windsor city mail on Toronto, London and Windsor trains”, he recalls, “but the quarters were cold, hot, humid, noisy, the air was heavy with fumes from the engine, the floors were always swaying, and work was a constant race against time before we got to the next stop.”
The Railway Mail Service ceased operation on April 24, 1971. The last runs of the mail train included, among others, Train No. 48 from Toronto to Ottawa, No. 58 from Toronto to Montreal and No. 123 from Campbellton, New Brunswick to Lévis, Quebec. The Service was by far the best organized and most efficient branch of the postal service Canada has seen, thanks to the intensive training and the discipline of annual exams, with each mail clerk responsible for his own work in difficult conditions. After 1971 the mail was moved by truck, bringing the era of the mail train to an end.
One final note: I would like to thank Norm Giffen for sharing his mail train memories.
April - Beauty in bricks: the craftsmanship of Strathroy’s masons by Libby Dawson
In Ontario’s early settlements wood was the most readily available building material, since trees had to be cut to clear land. But log cabins were never intended to last a lifetime, so more permanent frame structures replaced them when saw mills appeared. Yet many settlers came from countries where homes, factories and businesses were stone or brick, and they looked forward to the day when they could construct similar durable, fireproof and attractive buildings.
There were only a few places in southwestern Ontario where stone was available, but clay was found in pockets near most communities, so brick became the building material of choice. There were areas of clay at the north edge of Strathroy in Adelaide township. In the 1860s to 1890s a few brickyards started up near Head Street and Second Street which produced yellow (buff) brick. To make red brick, clay had to contain iron which was absent in much of the clay in this region. When the railway came through red bricks could be brought in from Toronto or Hamilton, where iron-bearing clay was plentiful. But it wasn’t cheap. The cost explains why there are so few old red brick structures in Strathroy and why some have red brick only on the front façade.
The Victorian architecture seen in the old business blocks and homes provided Strathroy brick masons with an opportunity to show off their creativity and craftsmanship. Their best work was always around windows and doors, in patterns down each corner of the buildings called quoins (which also strengthened the corners), and along the roof line where three-dimensional brick friezes and corbels were often used to add visual interest at the roof line. In business blocks, brick corbels sometimes held up a parapet (where a wall extended slightly above the roofline) to keep fires from spreading from the windows up to the roof. The friezes were purely decorative. One or two of the large old houses in town had intricate chimneys which did not weather well and were repaired by less skilled masons. From a distance those that remain are still eye-catching.
On your walks around Strathroy, pause a moment when you see old buff brick and look up. Notice the variety of brick patterns in the walls, the brickwork at the roof line and corners and around windows and doors. Consider which buildings you think have the most beautiful decorative masonry and think of the unknown artisans who left our town a legacy of exceptional design that has stood the test of time. Even if their names have been forgotten they deserve recognition for their skills, which are still evident more than a century later.
In Ontario’s early settlements wood was the most readily available building material, since trees had to be cut to clear land. But log cabins were never intended to last a lifetime, so more permanent frame structures replaced them when saw mills appeared. Yet many settlers came from countries where homes, factories and businesses were stone or brick, and they looked forward to the day when they could construct similar durable, fireproof and attractive buildings.
There were only a few places in southwestern Ontario where stone was available, but clay was found in pockets near most communities, so brick became the building material of choice. There were areas of clay at the north edge of Strathroy in Adelaide township. In the 1860s to 1890s a few brickyards started up near Head Street and Second Street which produced yellow (buff) brick. To make red brick, clay had to contain iron which was absent in much of the clay in this region. When the railway came through red bricks could be brought in from Toronto or Hamilton, where iron-bearing clay was plentiful. But it wasn’t cheap. The cost explains why there are so few old red brick structures in Strathroy and why some have red brick only on the front façade.
The Victorian architecture seen in the old business blocks and homes provided Strathroy brick masons with an opportunity to show off their creativity and craftsmanship. Their best work was always around windows and doors, in patterns down each corner of the buildings called quoins (which also strengthened the corners), and along the roof line where three-dimensional brick friezes and corbels were often used to add visual interest at the roof line. In business blocks, brick corbels sometimes held up a parapet (where a wall extended slightly above the roofline) to keep fires from spreading from the windows up to the roof. The friezes were purely decorative. One or two of the large old houses in town had intricate chimneys which did not weather well and were repaired by less skilled masons. From a distance those that remain are still eye-catching.
On your walks around Strathroy, pause a moment when you see old buff brick and look up. Notice the variety of brick patterns in the walls, the brickwork at the roof line and corners and around windows and doors. Consider which buildings you think have the most beautiful decorative masonry and think of the unknown artisans who left our town a legacy of exceptional design that has stood the test of time. Even if their names have been forgotten they deserve recognition for their skills, which are still evident more than a century later.
March - Memories of a Caradoc family farm by Paul Long
Malcolm ‘Mac’ McArthur, a retired north Caradoc farmer, recently celebrated his 96th birthday. It is remarkable to think that Mac’s grandfather, Donald McArthur, was one of the early settlers in the township. Donald was born in 1840 and Mac’s father,‘Sandy’ McArthur, in 1883. These three generations span 175 years of farming in Caradoc Township.
Like many of the early north Caradoc settlers, the McArthurs and McDougalls came from Argyllshire in western Scotland. The families emigrated together in 1843 and settled on Con. 6 Lot 10. Early generations of McArthurs were buried in the Campbell Cemetery, around the corner from the farm. In 1949 Mac and his younger brother Donald purchased Dan McDougall’s 100-acre farm, and the McArthur family moved to the McDougall farmhouse with its long lane. In time, the McArthur house was sold and moved to Mount Carmel.
At one time the bush on the farm stretched from one concession through to the next. Although much of it was cleared many years ago, a beautiful 30-acre stand of maple, beech and oak remains. The bush was never completely logged; it was managed by selective removal of trees for lumber, including the green beech beams used in the construction of the McDougall barn in 1911.
Mac’s father told stories of the native people in the area. He spoke of an aboriginal trail starting at a spring on their farm and heading toward the lake; and of an unwritten rule that allowed the natives to remove certain trees such as ash from any woodlot. And he recalled them coming to the door to trade their handcrafted baskets and axe handles for eggs and meat. Arrowheads, flints and evidence of long-ago bonfires found while working the fields with a team of horses proved that the area was inhabited long before the Scottish settlers arrived.
There were other tales related by Mac’s father of a time long past. He recalled wolves approaching the horse and cutter on the way to Strathroy. The cutter occupants would wave their buffalo rug to distract the wolves and continue to town. In the summers Mac’s father grew four acres of sweet corn which paid the farm taxes and bought Christmas gifts. The corn was delivered to Strathroy with a team of horses, avoiding the 8th Sideroad (Sutherland Road) route to the 10th Concession (Carroll Street W.) as a group of Gypsies would be camped in the Slaughterhouse Road/Trout Haven area around that time of year. They made their living by trading horses and selling a variety of items, and their music, dress and language were quite different from the rest of the neighbourhood.
Mac recalls how life revolved around the farm and the local community with its school and church. Every three weeks a card party and dance was held in the local one-room schoolhouse. On the first day of school students were shown the strap and told that the teacher was ‘the Boss’ until they got home! After Mac completed Senior 3 (grade 6) his sister Florence contracted polio and their farm was quarantined. Unable to attend school, Mac stayed home to help; by the time Florence recovered, he had decided his school days were over.Mac and Don McArthur were hard-working, successful farmers. For many years they grew potatoes and raised chickens. Eggs were shipped to Medway Creamery in Arva. They milked not only cows, but 10-15 goats until the mid-1950s. Their first tractor, an Allis Chalmers with steel wheels, was purchased in the early 1950s and driven home from London on gravel roads since Highway 81 was not yet paved. Despite the switch to tractors Mac continued to enjoy his team of horses with their sleighs and harnesses until a few years ago.
The McArthur brothers planted several acres of apple orchards. They belonged to a Strathroy cold storage co-operative but eventually found it was better to sell their Spies, Macs, Ben Davis and Russets directly to their customers. One year, after a bad hailstorm, the apples had to be sold for cider at $1 per bushel. Mac and Don remained bachelors. Around the time of Don’s death in 2010 their farm on Olde Drive was sold to Rick and Lynn Denning, who built a new home on the property. Mac continued to live in the farmhouse.
As time passes, the original family names are disappearing from north Caradoc. The farms have become larger and the names on the mailboxes have changed. But the hard work of those early Scottish settlers established the strong agricultural economy that still exists today.
Malcolm ‘Mac’ McArthur, a retired north Caradoc farmer, recently celebrated his 96th birthday. It is remarkable to think that Mac’s grandfather, Donald McArthur, was one of the early settlers in the township. Donald was born in 1840 and Mac’s father,‘Sandy’ McArthur, in 1883. These three generations span 175 years of farming in Caradoc Township.
Like many of the early north Caradoc settlers, the McArthurs and McDougalls came from Argyllshire in western Scotland. The families emigrated together in 1843 and settled on Con. 6 Lot 10. Early generations of McArthurs were buried in the Campbell Cemetery, around the corner from the farm. In 1949 Mac and his younger brother Donald purchased Dan McDougall’s 100-acre farm, and the McArthur family moved to the McDougall farmhouse with its long lane. In time, the McArthur house was sold and moved to Mount Carmel.
At one time the bush on the farm stretched from one concession through to the next. Although much of it was cleared many years ago, a beautiful 30-acre stand of maple, beech and oak remains. The bush was never completely logged; it was managed by selective removal of trees for lumber, including the green beech beams used in the construction of the McDougall barn in 1911.
Mac’s father told stories of the native people in the area. He spoke of an aboriginal trail starting at a spring on their farm and heading toward the lake; and of an unwritten rule that allowed the natives to remove certain trees such as ash from any woodlot. And he recalled them coming to the door to trade their handcrafted baskets and axe handles for eggs and meat. Arrowheads, flints and evidence of long-ago bonfires found while working the fields with a team of horses proved that the area was inhabited long before the Scottish settlers arrived.
There were other tales related by Mac’s father of a time long past. He recalled wolves approaching the horse and cutter on the way to Strathroy. The cutter occupants would wave their buffalo rug to distract the wolves and continue to town. In the summers Mac’s father grew four acres of sweet corn which paid the farm taxes and bought Christmas gifts. The corn was delivered to Strathroy with a team of horses, avoiding the 8th Sideroad (Sutherland Road) route to the 10th Concession (Carroll Street W.) as a group of Gypsies would be camped in the Slaughterhouse Road/Trout Haven area around that time of year. They made their living by trading horses and selling a variety of items, and their music, dress and language were quite different from the rest of the neighbourhood.
Mac recalls how life revolved around the farm and the local community with its school and church. Every three weeks a card party and dance was held in the local one-room schoolhouse. On the first day of school students were shown the strap and told that the teacher was ‘the Boss’ until they got home! After Mac completed Senior 3 (grade 6) his sister Florence contracted polio and their farm was quarantined. Unable to attend school, Mac stayed home to help; by the time Florence recovered, he had decided his school days were over.Mac and Don McArthur were hard-working, successful farmers. For many years they grew potatoes and raised chickens. Eggs were shipped to Medway Creamery in Arva. They milked not only cows, but 10-15 goats until the mid-1950s. Their first tractor, an Allis Chalmers with steel wheels, was purchased in the early 1950s and driven home from London on gravel roads since Highway 81 was not yet paved. Despite the switch to tractors Mac continued to enjoy his team of horses with their sleighs and harnesses until a few years ago.
The McArthur brothers planted several acres of apple orchards. They belonged to a Strathroy cold storage co-operative but eventually found it was better to sell their Spies, Macs, Ben Davis and Russets directly to their customers. One year, after a bad hailstorm, the apples had to be sold for cider at $1 per bushel. Mac and Don remained bachelors. Around the time of Don’s death in 2010 their farm on Olde Drive was sold to Rick and Lynn Denning, who built a new home on the property. Mac continued to live in the farmhouse.
As time passes, the original family names are disappearing from north Caradoc. The farms have become larger and the names on the mailboxes have changed. But the hard work of those early Scottish settlers established the strong agricultural economy that still exists today.
February 2019 - Small town values shaped James Shotwell by Larry Peters
An earlier ‘Tale of Our Town’ described James Shotwell’s exceptional international career. He spent 50 years as a history professor at Columbia University and travelled the world using his extensive diplomatic and political ties to promote peace. What led Shotwell from his 1874 birth in “the quiet, pleasant country town” of Strathroy to these significant achievements by his death in 1965?
James was born into a family that valued learning. His father, John, was a respected elementary teacher. His mother, Ann, had little formal education as her parents needed her help at home, but was determined that her children would get all the schooling they could absorb. The novels and books of poetry in his home were James’ early learning resources. He particularly liked poetry, and wrote poems throughout his life. And as he attended Quaker meetings with his father James developed a social conscience, mastered self-control, and learned to appreciate the power of silence, all in contrast to the society he saw around him.
Elementary education in the 1880s was mostly reading, writing and arithmetic. The main text was a reader containing stories of heroism and pioneer life, along with the poetry of Tennyson and Longfellow. Geography was taught by reproducing maps that had been memorized. Only British history was taught until 1887 when a short section on Canada was added. In high school there was art, English literature and grammar, Latin grammar and prose, mathematics, history, and physical education; a brief introduction to chemistry and biology was optional. The only extra-curricular activity was the Literary Society, which covered a wide array of interests and introduced Shotwell to the art of debate. Although he found the history curriculum less than stimulating he was fascinated by some of the magazines he found at the Mechanics Institute library downtown. In one American history publication generals on both sides in the Civil War discussed strategy, and a private described the horrors of war. With the accompanying pictures showing the slaughter of battle the article left a lasting impression.
High school was not all serious work. A young lady named Margaret Harvey, the daughter of a Wyoming doctor, came to live with the Murdoch family in Strathroy to attend school. For James, it was love at first sight. The two shared an interest in languages. And the Shotwell's had Strathroy's only tennis court, providing an opportunity for them to become friends. (Eventually they married and spent 65 fulfilling years together before Margaret’s death in 1965. James died six days later, just after turning 91.)
It is interesting that Arthur Currie (later Canada’s top general in World War I) and James Shotwell were schoolmates at the old high school at the corner of High and Caradoc Streets. At the end of the day Currie, who rode a horse to school, would turn left at Metcalfe Street heading to his farm home on the outskirts of town, while Shotwell walked up Caradoc to Hull Road.
In 1893, James graduated from high school. Earlier, on a train trip to Toronto, he had been awestruck by University College at the University of Toronto. Unfortunately, there was not enough money to start university that fall. But after a year of working and saving, and with a loan from his brother, he began a program in Modern Languages at U. of T. His father’s love of learning and his mother’s stubborn spirit would help him cope with the next nine years of studies.
Money was still an issue, forcing James to tutor for up to ten hours daily on top of his course load, so his marks suffered. Still, he managed to do some debating and continued his friendship with Margaret Harvey, who was in the same Modern Languages program.
Initially, James had planned a career teaching languages, but in his fourth year he switched his major to history and decided to go to graduate school. An excellent paper he had researched and written on the French Revolution led to a fellowship to do graduate work at Columbia University in New York, beginning in October 1898. He rented an unheated room in Harlem for $1.35 per week, and spent most of his time in the heated libraries on campus researching the Roman Catholic Church in the Middle Ages. In 1903 he was granted a PhD and immediately appointed assistant professor in the Department of History – the first such appointment in the long history of Columbia. As time passed James earned more opportunities to make his mark in the larger world.
Looking back on his upbringing in Strathroy, Shotwell held that the isolation of small towns was an advantage as it allowed time for people to read the Bible and the classics - and the time to think about what they read.
An earlier ‘Tale of Our Town’ described James Shotwell’s exceptional international career. He spent 50 years as a history professor at Columbia University and travelled the world using his extensive diplomatic and political ties to promote peace. What led Shotwell from his 1874 birth in “the quiet, pleasant country town” of Strathroy to these significant achievements by his death in 1965?
James was born into a family that valued learning. His father, John, was a respected elementary teacher. His mother, Ann, had little formal education as her parents needed her help at home, but was determined that her children would get all the schooling they could absorb. The novels and books of poetry in his home were James’ early learning resources. He particularly liked poetry, and wrote poems throughout his life. And as he attended Quaker meetings with his father James developed a social conscience, mastered self-control, and learned to appreciate the power of silence, all in contrast to the society he saw around him.
Elementary education in the 1880s was mostly reading, writing and arithmetic. The main text was a reader containing stories of heroism and pioneer life, along with the poetry of Tennyson and Longfellow. Geography was taught by reproducing maps that had been memorized. Only British history was taught until 1887 when a short section on Canada was added. In high school there was art, English literature and grammar, Latin grammar and prose, mathematics, history, and physical education; a brief introduction to chemistry and biology was optional. The only extra-curricular activity was the Literary Society, which covered a wide array of interests and introduced Shotwell to the art of debate. Although he found the history curriculum less than stimulating he was fascinated by some of the magazines he found at the Mechanics Institute library downtown. In one American history publication generals on both sides in the Civil War discussed strategy, and a private described the horrors of war. With the accompanying pictures showing the slaughter of battle the article left a lasting impression.
High school was not all serious work. A young lady named Margaret Harvey, the daughter of a Wyoming doctor, came to live with the Murdoch family in Strathroy to attend school. For James, it was love at first sight. The two shared an interest in languages. And the Shotwell's had Strathroy's only tennis court, providing an opportunity for them to become friends. (Eventually they married and spent 65 fulfilling years together before Margaret’s death in 1965. James died six days later, just after turning 91.)
It is interesting that Arthur Currie (later Canada’s top general in World War I) and James Shotwell were schoolmates at the old high school at the corner of High and Caradoc Streets. At the end of the day Currie, who rode a horse to school, would turn left at Metcalfe Street heading to his farm home on the outskirts of town, while Shotwell walked up Caradoc to Hull Road.
In 1893, James graduated from high school. Earlier, on a train trip to Toronto, he had been awestruck by University College at the University of Toronto. Unfortunately, there was not enough money to start university that fall. But after a year of working and saving, and with a loan from his brother, he began a program in Modern Languages at U. of T. His father’s love of learning and his mother’s stubborn spirit would help him cope with the next nine years of studies.
Money was still an issue, forcing James to tutor for up to ten hours daily on top of his course load, so his marks suffered. Still, he managed to do some debating and continued his friendship with Margaret Harvey, who was in the same Modern Languages program.
Initially, James had planned a career teaching languages, but in his fourth year he switched his major to history and decided to go to graduate school. An excellent paper he had researched and written on the French Revolution led to a fellowship to do graduate work at Columbia University in New York, beginning in October 1898. He rented an unheated room in Harlem for $1.35 per week, and spent most of his time in the heated libraries on campus researching the Roman Catholic Church in the Middle Ages. In 1903 he was granted a PhD and immediately appointed assistant professor in the Department of History – the first such appointment in the long history of Columbia. As time passed James earned more opportunities to make his mark in the larger world.
Looking back on his upbringing in Strathroy, Shotwell held that the isolation of small towns was an advantage as it allowed time for people to read the Bible and the classics - and the time to think about what they read.
January 2019 - Eileen Greenwood, Missionary by Aileen Cnockaert
Born and raised in Strathroy, 91-year-old Eileen Greenwood is a remarkable woman who spent much of her nursing career helping people in faraway places. In an Age Dispatch article (March 28, 1963) she talked about her upcoming five-year posting to a missionary medical school in Vellore, India. Eileen, daughter of Harry and Lucy Greenwood, had previously spent four years in a bush hospital in northern Rhodesia, Africa. Upon returning home she had attended the University of Western Ontario, graduating with a B.Sc. in administration before deciding to leave for India.
Eileen had originally trained as a nurse, along with her Strathroy chum Edna Hambly, at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto. In the library there, she discovered a biography of Father Damien, a Belgian priest who had devoted his life to working with lepers. The book inspired her to become involved in the treatment of people with leprosy, and led her to board a ship for a position in Rhodesia. There, the hospital she worked in was at a 4000 foot elevation, so temperatures were fairly comfortable. As the roads were primitive, Eileen travelled by bicycle. A clinic was started to treat the lepers who were squatting outside the hospital. These patients were grateful for Eileen’s care, as they were unwelcome in the community because of their disease. She found the Rhodesian people warm-hearted and the children eager to learn, although their community lacked educational facilities. Over her four years she learned the local dialect of the Bakaonde people, Kaonde, eventually teaching in the language. She also taught student nurses and a Sunday School class.
Eileen’s next posting took her to India, where she found the climate very hot and humid. She worked at a large, modern hospital, supervising a leprosy rehabilitation ward. Patients had no money but the staff gave them food and health care. Dr. Paul Brand, the doctor in charge, was famous at the time for his work with lepers and his development of a technique to open “claw hands”. While in India, Eileen took the opportunity to see the Taj Mahal, and before coming home spent three weeks in Japan.
In 1973 Eileen began her third placement, at a Care Medico facility in Indonesia, where her job was to upgrade standards. When she arrived, she was surprised to find nurses both scrubbing floors and sewing up incisions. And she discovered that in their culture a patient’s family was expected to do the physical care. Eileen learned Javanese, the local language. She found the people friendly and enjoyed her time there.
Her last posting was at a hospital in Newfoundland run by the United Church, where she worked as director of nursing for four years. Although there was a medical school graduating doctors in Newfoundland, Eileen noted that no doctors from the province ever worked at her hospital.
Eileen was open to all the different cultures she encountered in her travels.
Of her four postings, her favorite was Indonesia, as she especially liked the people. While overseas she was supported by Christian church organizations, but worked with doctors and nurses of all faiths. After applying for a post, she would be selected and sent to a country with a specific role. While there she received $50 per month plus room and board. When she wasn’t overseas, Eileen worked at the old Strathroy hospital and at the Veteran’s Hospital in London.
Eileen’s career allowed her to indulge her love of travel. She was able to take time off every year to explore new places. But, she says, the work she did was for the Lord. Eventually Eileen returned to Strathroy where she lives in her own apartment and enjoys the company of her cat, Missy. Her many souvenirs remind her of her life’s adventures. And she is still a member of First Baptist Church. Eileen Greenwood deserves our admiration as a woman ahead of her time, independent, educated and dedicated to helping less fortunate people achieve a better life.