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.  

Again we have no original negatives for this week and we will make do with copy and paste.

 BOARD MOVES TO ACQUIRE PROPERTY FOR NEW SCHOOL 

Free Press Herald headline of May 17, 1961.
Midland Public Schools Board will proceed immediately to acquire property for a new school in the southeast area of town. The board was given the “go ahead” signal at a joint meeting with Midland Planning Board and town council in the municipal building Monday night. The property concerned is approximately eight acres, fronting on Robert Street.  It is owned by Lakeview Cemetery. “At the moment, we are only assuming the preferred site –will be made available,” said Frank Bray, chairman of the school board. The property, however, is in one of two areas suggested by the planning board in a report given to school authorities. 

RECEIVE TENTATIVE OK ON NEW VOCATIONAL SCHOOL 

County Herald headline of May 19, 1961
Tentative approval has been received from the provincial government for a further nine-room addition to Midland – Penetang District High School and to be paid for under new special vocational grant legislation. Total cost of the new addition and equipment is estimated to be in excess of $500,000, with the entire cost shared by the provincial and federal governments —the latter paying 75 per cent. 

    Fire of undetermined origin almost completely destroyed two coal sheds at The C. Beck Co. property in Penetang, Monday afternoon. Preliminary estimates of the loss ran between $4,000 and $5,000. Tinder-dry wood in the frame sheds provided excellent fuel for the flames, which were leaping high in the air when firemen commenced their fight.  At times the heat was so intense it could be felt several hundred feet away. Apparently, the blaze started in the shed east of the railway track, and jumped across the track to the second building.Chas. Day, company official, said there was very little coal in the sheds, since stocks at this time of year are allowed to run low. Greatest loss in contents was a pair of loader conveyers, and a large quantity of dry lumber stored in one shed for later use in box-making. 

    Communicable diseases are showing some signs of abating as there are less in number being reported, states Dr. P. A. Scott in his latest report for Simcoe County Health Unit. In this report measles beads the list with 209 cases, followed by chicken pox with 66 and German measles with 19. Seventeen cases of mumps and seven of scarlet fever were reported for a total of 318.  

    Midland apparently has some thirsty crooks – with a literary bent. Breaking into Pinecrest Products Ltd. factory on Bay Street over the weekend, thieves polished of 24 “cokes” before making off with 10 cents in cash, and a typewriter, police chief George Wainman reported.   

      Midland Lion’s girls softball league now has 72 girls registered, it was revealed this week. There is still room for extra players on several teams and any girls wishing to play should contact Rev. Len Self, Parkview School at 6 p.m. Friday night. The new league has eight teams, which will play their games at Parkview Friday evenings. Following are the team rosters: Owls — Patsy Dalziel (captain), Lynda Dagg, Sharon Contois, Annette MacDonald, Shirley Cadeau, Barbara Galt, Laurie Young, Ruth Duncan. Hawks — Geraldine Borsa (captain), Brenda Fournier, Nancy Alderson, Sheila Cadieux, Louella Contois, Andrea Descbamp, Joan Lesperance, Margaret Rogers. Red Wings — Sharon Oliver (captain), Mary Morden, Sally Yarr, Nancy Mahoney, Barbara Lloyd, Marilyn Park, Debbie Willett, Julia Farewell. Orioles — Susan Heels (captain), Valerie Somers, Ruth McQuirter, Marilyn Jackson, Carol Banting, Jane Spiker, Wanda LePage, Joan Child, Jo-Ella Couriere. Vultures — Barbara Spence (captain), Patsy Jeffery, Liz Taylor, Nancy Tully, Carol Launder, Jane Moss, Mary Toole, Peggy Krochko, Sharon Stelter. Eagles — Marilyn Jane Mohan (captain), Patsy Paul, Becky Paul, Wendy Allsopp, Ruth Bowen, Debby Mohan, Judy Wilson, Joyce Ferris, Carol Dion, Lola Brown, Mary Cable. 

     The chatter was almost deafening Saturday evening, May 6, as 98 nurses, the majority from the former St Andrews Hospital Training School, held a reunion dinner in the Midland YMCA. Tales of stoking the furnace, toast on night shift, and maintaining hospital ‘silence’ so patients could sleep at night despite the jangling bell system, getting up-to-the minute family news — all were told and retold while the women of the ‘Y’ auxiliary served turkey and trimmings, and home – made pies. The dinner and evening was organized by the St. Andrews Hospital Nurses’ Alumnae, and Included nursing graduates of other schools — who were on staff at one time at the hospital. The last time many nurses were together was the 80th birthday celebrations they held for their former superintendent Miss Emma Baker. In all, there were approximately 115 nurses who trained during the school years of 1912 to 1942, when Miss Baker retired. Then four additional classes were carried on until 1946, when the training school was discontinued. 

    Apparently the CNR station at Perkinsfield will cease to exist in the near future, according to information tabled at Tiny Township council meeting last Saturday.  A letter from the railway indicated approval to “remove the station” is being sought, pointing out the station has not been in use for some time. A communication from the Department of Transport asked whether Tiny council had any objections to the  station being closed, and set May 23 as the deadline for filing any objection. Council had no objection to offer to the move. It was mentioned that some recent shipments left at the station had remained there for some time before the consignees knew of their arrival. 

    Three Midland residents were among the 27 citizens who received their naturalization certificates recently from Judge D. MacLaren in Barrie. Midlanders receiving their certificates were Hildegard Lipp, Karl Lipp and Johann Sachs. 

    Five hundred dollars will go up in smoke Monday night. Not in actual cash but in a fireworks display sponsored by the Midland Junior Chamber of Commerce (Jaycees) at Little Lake Park, starting about 8.30. This was revealed last night by Ed Gamna, chairman of the Jaycee fireworks committee. The aerial display will be set off near the boathouse, Gamna said, and added he hoped everyone would- turn out for the fireworks and contribute generously to their cost during the voluntary collection. “It has cost the club something every year we have put on the display and we hope to break even this year.” added Mr Gamna. He emphasized that the club had no wish to make money on the affair.

 DEMPSEY — To Mr. and Mrs. John Dempsey, R.R. 2, Midland, at St. Andrews Hospital, Tuesday, May 16, 1961, a son.
DUCAIRE — To Mr. and Mrs. Martin Ducaire, Yeo Street, Penetang, at St. Andrews Hospital, Monday, May 15, 1961, a daughter.
LADOUCEUR — To Mr. and Mrs. Henry Ladouceur, R.R. 1. Midland, at St. Andrews Hospital, Wednesday, May 17, 1961, a son.
LANGLEY — To Mr. and Mrs. Percy Langley, 110 Olive Street, Midland, at St. Andrews Hospital, Tuesday, May 16, 1961, a daughter.
TODD — To Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence Todd, Port McNicoll, at St. Andrews Hospital, Sunday, May 14, 1961, a son. 

TUG “MAGNOLIA”
Dear Editor: The single-screw, wooden tug “Magnolia”, official No. 103690, was built at Midland in 1898 from the burned hulk of the single – screw wooden steamer Stanley, Official No. 77693, length 160 feet, width 28 feet and depth 12 feet, built in 1872 at Chatham by Duncan Chisholm and rebuilt in 1880 at Hamilton. She was lengthened to 180 feet and re-named St. Magnus. On June 7, 1895, she arrived at Cleveland from Toledo and rolled over while unloading at the Pennsylvania Dock. Raised by Michigan Salvage Co., she was towed to the Port Dalhousie dry-dock and burned there Sept. 5, 1895. Her burned out hull was towed to Midland and rebuilt for the Midland Towing and Wrecking Co. Ltd. The work was done by Robert Morrell in 1898. Tug Magnolia was 136 feet long, 21 feet 4 inches wide, 13 feet 7 inches deep, 367 gross tons in weight, and was registered at Toronto, as there was no registry office at Midland until 1906. Her registry was transferred to Midland during that year. She was sold to CSL in 1916, damaged by fire in 1918 and abandoned as a constructive loss in 1919. The Midland Transportation Co. Ltd., procured the wreckage and gave it a refit in 1919 and changed the name to Luckport, with length reduced to 126 feet and tonnage to 231 gross tons. The Luckport was finally dismantled and registry closed in 1930.
—W. R. WILLIAM 

Editorial – The strike at the Royal York has made a greater contribution to governmental understanding of labor-management relations than any development in Ontario of the past ten years. Most of the members of the provincial cabinet have their home away from home at that hotel.