The photos found in this blog post are the property of Huronia Museum, Midland, Ontario. Any reproduction for commercial use without permission is prohibited. Any other distribution must credit Huronia Museum. Please contact the museum with any questions you may have.
Click on photos to enlarge.
Another drive for funds for the operation of Midland YMCA gets underway shortly, and the objective this year has been set at $11,000. Long associated with the Midland ‘Y’ and it’s Camp Kitchikewana, J. “Win” Smith (centre above) goes over some of the details of the canvass with James Tully, left, and Charles Walton.
Football is in full swing at Midland-Penetang District High School, where the junior and senior teams hope to repeat last year’s fine showing. Above, senior coach Doug Swales goes over some strategy with quarterback Romeo Lalonde, left, and fullback John Bell, right.
Motorists on Highway 103 were startled to see this light two-seater plane nestling in the ditch, Monday afternoon. Lost en route from Toronto to Muskoka, pilot Lou Roosen of Scarborough decided to come down on the highway and find out where he was. A gust of wind blew the plane off the roadway into the ditch, snapping propeller and undercarriage.
Strange looking spud held by Aurelie Quesnelle, Penetang, came from one of Edmond Marchildon’s fields near Lafontaine. The Sebago variety, it tipped the scales at three pounds, seven ounces.
There’s activity for all ages at Midland YMCA, with the accent always on youth. Allan Cornell, left, and Gregory Somers watch Chester Graham perform on the parallel bars. It’s all part of the National YMCA Hi-Lo athletic competitions.
Marking the 50th anniversary of the Girl Guide movement in Canada next year, Guides and Brownies across the country are preparing a “river of gold” in tulip beds for next spring. Above, Mrs. J. E. Lawlor, district commissioner, distributes some of the 1,000 Holland bulbs to Midland Guides and Brownies for planting in a special bed near the cenotaph. Girls are Gail Lethbridge, Melanie Dyer, Vicky Guardhouse, Karen Greisbach, Marie Laughlin, Mary Ellen McCormick, Julia Ann Farewell.
Modern chiropractic practices utilize many types of highly specialized equipment for the diagnosis and treatment of illnesses. At left, K. S. Lewis examines a print taken by the modern X-ray machine. All developing and printing of the pictures are done in laboratory and dark rooms located right in the building. This print is from a case in which the compensation board is interested.
Big transformation has been effected in the appearance of the old town-owned band hall at the corner of Dominion and Midland Avenues. Now the offices of Kenneth S. Lewis, doctor of chiropractic, it will be the scene of an open house today. Two new apartments have been completed on the second floor.
While preparing for “open house” today, the daily routine must go on. Here, K. S. Lewis, doctor of chiropractic, and his secretary, Mrs. Jeanne Keitel, go over the list of appointments.
- Man Finds Nitro Cache, Believed Left by Yeggs; County Herald headline of October 16, 1961. Charles Trilsbeck, a labourer, considers himself be the luckiest man in Penetang today, if not in the whole world. Yesterday afternoon, he learned that a bottle he found under the corner of a barn, which he had handled somewhat roughly, contained nitro-glycerin. Trilsbeck was cleaning up around a barn owned by Mrs. W. Marchand, Main Street. S., Penetang, when he dug up the bottle with a pitchfork he was using. The bottle was wrapped in a handkerchief at the time and before he got it unwrapped; he dropped it on the ground. Besides the bottle, he found a cotton work glove in which was stuffed four detonating caps and a quantity of insulated wire. Mr. Trilsbeck took his find to the nearby Marchand Service Station and unscrewed the cap from the bottle in an attempt to discover what the white substance was. It wasn’t until another man saw the detonating caps that they decided it was nitro. The battle held about an ounce and a half of the highly explosive fluid.
- Transport Board Letter Hints at Rail Closing; A letter, originating in the office of the secretary of the Board of Transport Commissioners for Canada and received by Tay Township council last week, has caused some consternation in North Simcoe municipal and business circles. The letter is the outcome of a request by Tay Township for automatic signals at a crossing between Port McNicoll and Victoria Harbour on Highway 12. Part of the letter read; “Since consideration was being given to the closing of this sub-division, all those present agreed that the matter of providing protection at this crossing should be held in abeyance for the present time.”
- Son of Mr. and Mrs. Lloyd H. Kleist, 363 College Street, Midland, John Richard Kleist died in Zweibrucken, Germany, yesterday morning. The young airman, who was serving with No. 3 Fighter Squadron, and a companion were critically injured in a motor accident. They were travelling in a private car. His wife, whose family lives in Edmonton, was in Germany with him. She is expecting a child soon. A brother of the fatally injured man is serving with the RCAF in Ottawa.
- 25 Years Ago This Week – A doe and two fawns spent a day in Midland munching on produce in gardens in the Yonge Street East and Manley Street area. One of the fawns became entangled in a fence and had to be released by a provincial police officer. * * * Mild temperatures in October brought a fresh crop of strawberries and raspberries and in the Lafontaine area Maurice Marchand reported that a Duchess apple tree on his farm was “loaded with blossoms“. * * * Mrs. Harvey Fallis of Vasey had several king-sized tomatoes in her garden. One of them weighed two pounds, nine ounces and measured 19 inches in circumference. * * * Following a series of serious accidents; the Ontario government had employed a crew of men to cut down and remove trees and other obstructions to vision at Firth’s Corners.* * * Three Midland children whose parents had refused to have them inoculated at public health clinics, had contracted diphtheria. The clinics were held in the district after a severe outbreak of the disease occurred in Penetang. * * * The annual meeting of St. Andrews Hospital was informed that the hospital had incurred a $1,550 operating loss on the year in spite of cuts in insurance, staff salaries and other expenses. * * * Midland women decided to organize a branch of the Ladies Auxiliary to the Canadian Legion. An organizational meeting was held October 17th and the charter and installation of officers was to be held Oct. 30. * * * Deluxe series of new model cars were being offered in Midland at $844, the standard models were being sold at $710. Neither price included tax.
- A fire drill was held at Port McNicoll Public School, Oct. 16 under the supervision of Lyall Thorpe, principal, and Lloyd Cameron, Port McNicoll Fire Chief. The drill came as a complete surprise to the pupils and teachers and the entire building was cleared in less than 40 seconds, the windows and doors were closed and both basements and washrooms were checked by two older pupils. There were 207 pupils attending school the day the drill was held.
- by JOSEPH LEA In the early days, the main business around the Orr Lake area was logging. The railway, which had been built to connect Elmvale and Hillsdale, passed through Orr Lake and built up a thriving business, for the little community. Thousands of logs were cut, hauled to the lake and piled on the ice at what was known as Nixon’s dump. It was located on the south side of the lake on Lot 6, Flos Township. With the advent of the sawmills, cottages and shacks were built as fast as the lumber could be cut. Eventually, there were some 40 to 50 buildings, including stores, taverns, and even a schoolroom. The latter was located in Sam Reid’s store. Maggie Carruthers was one of the early teachers, among others. The same room in Sam’s store, was the scene of church meetings, too. One sponsor was Miss Paulin, who later became Mrs. J. L. Archer. Salvation Army also held meetings there. The tramway built in 1879 was actually the North Simcoe branch of the Northern Railway. It stopped first at a large mill on Lot 70 of the old survey of Flos. Later it was extended to include other mills built nearer the Penetang Road. Some of these mills were: Shaw’s Mill, at the west end of Lot 79; Orr’s Mill, near the old Penetang Road; Hayes’ Mill, back of what is now Farmer’s General store; Cook’s Mill, another large and busy mill near the Penetang Road (now Highway 93); and in the 1870’s, a small shingle mill, built by Aaron Sheffield and Jim Gunn of Hillsdale. It ran for only a short time. There was also another mill, just south of the new dam at Orr Lake, which operated for a short time in the 80’s. Principal markets for the products of these mills were Barrie and Stayner. Orr Lake was a sports-minded community in the old days, with horse racing on the ice in winter and the best of fishing in the summer. Thousands of acres of poor, sandy land that once grew the huge, lofty old pines to feed the mills are now growing young trees again for some future crop.
- PENETANG citizens apparently will have no cause to worry about the structural strength of the roof of the Memorial Community Centre this winter, according to information presented at Tuesday night’s meeting of Penetang council. A communication from Engineered Timber Products, a branch of A. S. Nicholson and Son, manufacturers of the trusses used in the rink, outlined work the firm is prepared to do in connection with deficiencies found in the structure. According to the letter, the company will commence work Nov. 2, which will require approximately two weeks to complete. They will work only during daylight hours so as not to interfere with night use of the ice surface. While the National Building Code today calls for a roof design capable of carrying a snow load of 65 to 70 pounds per square foot, this was not so at the time trusses were built for the Penetang structure, it was stated. Trusses supplied by A. S. Nicholson for the Penetang job were designed for a snow load of 40 pounds per square foot, and in its letter, they stated they are prepared to take all responsibility for the building up to that limit. In addition to the work they have outlined, which they are prepared to carry out at their own expense, the company will make a proposal for reinforcing the blank east wall of the building which has caused considerable concern to inspecting engineers. They said they propose to install a reinforcement framing for the wall.
- Midland and Canadian National Railway police are investigating the theft of $1,500 worth of cigarettes and tobacco from a CNR boxcar over the weekend. Chief George Wainman said the seal on the car, standing near the CNR freight sheds, was intact at 1 p.m. Sunday. It was not until 9 a.m. Tuesday, following the Thanksgiving holiday, that railway workmen found the seal had been broken. Chief Wainman said that, after unloading the car, CNR officials found 10 cases of cigarettes and one case of tobacco were missing. They were consigned to Nap Laurendeau, a Midland wholesaler.
- Ronald Gosselin, 13, of Midland escaped serious injury when struck by a car on Hugel Ave. as he was riding his bike home from school at noon Thursday. Police said the driver of the car involved was Langford Truax, 45, of Sunnyside. Mr. Truax had apparently passed Ronald and several other children on bikes as he drove east on Hugel Ave. When the car slowed down to make a right turn on to a side street, Ron’s bike became wedged between the car and the curb.
- BIRTHS – DELL — To Mr. and Mrs. Robert Dell, 146 Bay St., Midland, at St. Andrews Hospital Sunday, October 11, 1959, a son. FISH —To Mr. and Mrs. Edward Fish, 57 Bay St., Midland, at St. Andrews Hospital, Tuesday, October 13, 1951, a son. MARKHAM – To Mr. and Mrs. Howard Markham; 247 Bay St., Midland, at St. Andrews Hospital, Friday, October 9, 1959, a son.
- Obituary – MICHELE (MIKE) TERSlGNI Responsible for the beautiful flower gardens at the CPR docks, Port McNicoll since 1948, Michele (Mike) Tersigni died Sept. 30 following a collapse in the company greenhouse. Mass was celebrated at Sacred Heart Church, Port McNicoll, Oct. 3, with Rev. F. Sullivan officiating. Pallbearers were members of the Knights of Columbus, Raymond Belanger, Jos. Connelly, Ernest Cadeau, Gino Difrancesco, John Hartford and Mose Quesnelle. Mr. Tersigni, who was born in Sora, Italy, July 13, 1898, came to Penetang in 1924 and the following year moved to Port McNicoll. On Oct. 19, 1932, at Midland, he married the former Jean Catalano. He was a member of the Knights of Columbus, The Third Order of St. Francis, and the Holy Name Society. Besides his widow, he is survived by a son Joseph, attending the University of Toronto, three daughters, Mrs. Pauline Reid, Mrs. Rita Higgs and Mary. He is also survived by two brothers, Joe Tersigni of Penetang and John Bell of Port McNicoll, a half-brother, Tony Sarracini of St. Marys, and a half-sister Madelina, living in Italy. Burial was in St. Margaret’s Cemetery, Midland.
- Hockey gets underway this week for 390 youngsters who so far have signed contracts to play in Midland Lions Club’s Little NHL.
- by ALEX LAPERE Penetang’s Little NHL League is scheduled to open the season Thursday, Oct. 29 with the first game timed for 6.30 p.m. Juniors and AHL will get underway at 8 a. m. Saturday. Oct. 31. When the committee met Sunday afternoon they were faced with a total of 170 registrations which had to be assigned to teams. Juniors again will have four teams operating on Saturday mornings. Six teams will make up the American League, and heavy registrations in the NHL group will see an increase to six teams.
Huronia Museum 