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.  

“DEMAND FULL ACCOUNTING OF PLANT TAX ALLOTMENT”
Free Press Herald headline of March 28, 1962. 

An accounting of funds said to have been paid for tax arrears against the Payette Foundry, Penetang, has been demanded by Leo Mailloux, R.R. 2, Penetang, in a writ served to Penetang officials Friday. Royal Liverpool Insurance Co., Montreal, and Globe General Insurance Co., Toronto, are also named in the writ. The document was issued by Judge James G. Harvie in County Court, Barrie. A copy of the writ obtained by this newspaper allows that the plaintiff, Leo Mailloux is claiming that: “As Assignee of the first mortgage of the property known as Payette Foundry, Nelson Street, Penetanguishene, Ontario, that the defendants shall credit or pay the proper amount of an agreed settlement between them, the defendants, of fire insurance relating to a fire loss on said Payette Foundry on the 21st day of May. 1961. Said credit or payment, to be of date of said settlement on the municipal taxes due on the said Payette Foundry.”

    At its March meeting last week, Midland Parks, Commission corrected what it felt has been a serious bone of contention in recent years — lack of a daily vehicle admission fee to Little Lake Park.  Two years ago the commission instituted a $1 per vehicle fee for nonresidents of Midland entering the park. All Midland residents are entitled to a yearly, ticket, free gratis. No provision was made for visitors in cars wishing to use the park on a daily basis, or merely to drive through the park. Midland Chamber of Commerce officials, in letters to the commission, questioned the wisdom of the new policy. Commission members countered with the fact that there are few, if any parks in Ontario, provincially-owned or otherwise, that do not have an admission fee. A motion was then passed providing for the 50-cent daily vehicle rate and continuing the $1 seasonal fee. The $2 per day for one bus fee was also included. 

    Jack B. Thompson, president of H. J. Thompson and Sons Limited, cut the ribbon Thursday to officially open Thompson’s new Discount Furniture Mart on King Street. The store was formerly occupied by Mostyn’s Children’s and Ladies Wear. Mr. Thompson and his brother Bill, in business here for many years, decided recently a new furniture store would complement their present appliance store. Their decision seems to be vindicated, as over 3,000 people inspected the store during the three day opening, Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Manager of the new outlet is Ernie Mink. He will also continue to manage Thompson’s Appliance division. Mr. Mink has had many years of experience in the furniture field, and is also experienced in interior decorating. He said it is his intention to prove to the people of this area, they can purchase their furniture at home, rather than going far afield to get good, prices on quality merchandise. 

   Long a familiar name to Midland and district shoppers, Mostyn’s store on King Street reopened yesterday after extensive alterations. Enlarging of the store at 234 King was made necessary when the other store operated by Myer Mostyn, two doors south, was rented to a furniture firm. The boy’s wear carried in that second store has now been added to the men’s wear, in one large store. Boasting new flooring, lighting and fixtures, the store has been made 30 feet longer and five feet wider than it was originally. A large warehouse section is being readied at the rear. On King Street 32 years, Mr. Mostyn is one of Midland’s oldest business men in point of continual service. With the passing of Nap Laurendeau recently, about the only store owner with longer service is R. E. Simpson. “Of course there are other, older stores in Midland, but they are being run by sons of the founders,” Mr. Mostyn said. The new Mostyn store will cater to boy’s ranges from 8 to 18 years, students and men’s wear. The firm no longer carries children’s or ladies’ wear. New daylight lighting provides plenty of illumination for customers and staff.

    J. D. Leitch, president of Upper Lakes Shipping Ltd., announced this week the appointment of five chief engineers and one captain from Midland-Penetang for the coming navigation season on vessels of the company and subsidiary companies operated by Upper Lakes Shipping. They are: Hilda Marjanne, Chief EngineerD. Harpell, Midland; Gordon C. Leitch, Chief Engineer, M. T. Leatherdale, Midland; Red Wing, W. A. Silvey, Midland; Seaway Queen, Capt. F. Harpell, Midland; Frank A. Sherman, W. J. Young, Penetang. 

    Captains and chief engineers from this area have been named by four Great Lakes shipping companies for the 1962 season.  Canada Steamship Lines –  Murray Bay, Capt. C. Armstrong, Midland; T. R. McLagan, Captain R. Belcher, Victoria Harbour; Sir James Dunn, Chief Engineer R. Brooks, Midland; Lemoyne, Capt E. Jardine, Midland; Westmount, Chief Engineer A. V. Smith, Midland: Collingwood, Capt. S. Wilkinson, Orillia; Glenelg, Capt. H. Ambeau, Midland; Teakbay, N. Donaldson, Midland.

Northwest Steamships Limited – A. A. Hudson, Capt. D’Alton Hudson and Chief Engineer Gilbert Miller, both of Midland.

Scott Misener Steamships Ltd. – A. Bennett, Capt. W. J. Jessome, Midland.

Shell Canada Tankers Limited – S.S. Easter Shell, third engineer, A. Berger, Victoria Harbour. 

25 Years Ago
The new Midland Industrial Commission announced the appointment of William C. Atkinson as its salaried commissioner. * * *  Joseph Halton, who had served for three years as mayor of Penetang, received official notification from Toronto that he had been appointed a justice of the peace for Simcoe County. * * * Herb Wiles succeeded his brother Len Wiles as president of the Midland branch of the Canadian Legion. * * * Work had commenced on the erection of a new storage warehouse for Copeland Flour Mills in Midland. The warehouse was to be 60 by 160 feet by 40 feet high. * * * Midland High School Junior Girls’ basketball team by defeating teams from Welland and Trenton won the COSSA Ontario championship. * * * Midland Free Press changed its publication day from Thursday to Wednesday of each week. * * * Pupils of Midland public schools were practising under the direction of their musical instructor Douglas Major and class teachers in preparation for a mammoth musical festival scheduled for the Arena Gardens in May. * * * Midland Mayor James Mackie went on record as being opposed to the proposed raise , after May 24, of the municipal speed limit to 30 miles per hour. “Twenty miles per hour is fast enough for drivers hereabouts,” commented Mr. Mackie. * * * Walling Ruby , son of A. W. Ruby, Midland, was elected president of McMaster University’s Men’s Student Executive. * * * Midland Kiwanis Club were sponsoring dog races on the ice in Midland Harbour. * * * Midland Reeve W. S. Benson, a member of the Simcoe County reforestation committee, was scouting the district for suitable lands to be reforested under the provincial government’s new plan of reclaiming land unsuitable for field crops. 

    “NAP” LAURENDEAU, who died in his 61st year at St. Andrews Hospital, was the second famous “Nap” in North Simcoe’s story. Napoleon Laurendeau Sr., a native of Plessiville, Quebec, came to Midland in 1871 when he was 24 years of age. It was eight years before Midland became a village and he had to travel to his new home by rail, stage and boat. When Mr. Laurendeau Sr. died in December, 1935, he had carried on a business in the town for 65 years, first as a shoemaker in a small frame building at the corner of King and Elizabeth Streets, and later in a one-storey building which he built himself on the site of the present Laurendeau store. This building, according to the late George Osborne’s story of Midland, was razed by fire when Frank Currie was occupying it as a barber shop. Mr. Laurendeau Sr. then built the block immediately north of the Cumming-Nicholson shoe store, living in an apartment upstairs. He built the present Laurendeau store in 1903 for his son-in-law Charlie Beatty, as a tobacco shop and billiard parlor. Nap Laurendeau Sr. retired from the business in 1924, being succeeded by his son, Nap, who died last week. Nap. Jr., Midland’s oldest native businessman, had lived all his life on King Street and loved it. The Laurendeau tradition was a strong one, deriving from Nap Sr. and from his wife, Catherine Guthrie, who had come out from Ireland at the age of seven and lived on a farm at Wyebridge when she was won by the young Midlander, and married in Penetanguishene by Father Laboreau. When the stork first called at the Laurendeau home, George Osborne relates, godfather Alf Courtemanche rode posthaste on the only horse in the village to Penetanguishene to summon both the doctor and the priest.

    North Simcoe has recently lost in Dr. T. J. Johnston, in Angus McNabb, and in Nap Laurendeau, three old friends, three old citizens and three fine gentlemen. With their passing, and perhaps especially with the passing of the second “Nap”, went a fair bit of the early beginnings of Midland. It may seem passing strange that with the Gendrons of Penetanguishene and their famous shoepacks and from pioneer shoemaker Laurendeau of Midland began a tradition which now finds shoe manufacturing as the twin towns largest industry. 

Returning safely to the deck of Alexander Henry after taking lighthouse keeper Alex Herron of Midland to Hope Island Monday morning is this Bell helicopter with Bob Jones of Ottawa at the controls. The return trip took 40 minutes. Mr. Herron is the first keeper this year to reach his lonely vigil via this method of transportation. Sam Sirna of Ottawa is the engineer of the two man copter crew.Smoke from the stack of the CPR passenger ship Keewatin in Port McNicoll harbour heralds the opening soon of another season on the lakes. The other CPR ship Assiniboia, can be seen ahead of the Keewatin, while across the harbour are five of the largest grain carriers on the lakes. 

These proud youngsters were the winners in the singing class for Grade 1 girls at the Midland Music Festival last week. Left to right; with their marks, are Ruth Strohm 82, Ruth Shushan 83, Helen Rutherford 84, Marilyn Widdes 82, and Doris Lynn MacMillan 82.

 Midland Bantams are seen above, following their 5-2 win over Cobourg in the playoff game at Arena Gardens Monday night. They meet Burlington here Friday night in the first game of the semi-finals. Left to right are, front row—Mike Dion, Keith Bath, Fred Cousineau, Brian Merkley, Ken Blackmon, Earl Scott, Mike Borsa, Rick Leaney; back row—Rev. Len Self, manager, Pete Stuckey, Vincent Ellery, Art McComb, Bob Clayton, Bob Larmand, Neil Cote, Mike Robitaille, Doug French and coach Garnet Armstrong. 

“I ADMIT I WAS WRONG” COUCILLOR TELLS CLERK
County Herald headline of March 30, 1962. 

Admitting he was wrong, Tiny Township Councillor Mike Asselin told council Tuesday he will make a public apology to Clerk-Treasurer G. Marchand for accusations he made against him at a recent council meeting. The apology will be made in a letter to the editor of this newspaper. Asselin, himself a former Tiny clerk, accused Mr. Marchand of losing over $500 in interest on money loaned to Mountain School for new construction. Mr. Marchand denied the allegation.  A search of the cash book was made by Mr. Asselin prior to his making the charge. 

   Persons visiting patients Penetanguishene General Hospital will find a new deal in effect the beginning of next month, according to hospital officials. The regulation regarding only two visitors per patient will be strictly adhered to. And to ensure this, a card system will be in use. Two cards will be made in the name of each patient, and visitors must obtain these when entering the hospital. No visitor will be allowed in the wards without a card. Visiting hours will be strictly adhered to in the future, officials said. In addition, there will be no evening visiting hours in the children’s wards. 

 This image was the photo featured on the editorial page. There has always been something welcoming and peaceful about this view of Lafontaine along the 16th Concession. 

It’s ‘‘Hup, one, two, three” as one of the companies in the survival course at Midland Armory goes through some “boot” drill. Army officials have expressed themselves as well satisfied with the progress made by the men so far. 

Midland District Cancer Unit took the fight against that dread disease into Midland-Penetang District High School this week when pamphlets pointing out the inherent dangers of smoking for young people were distributed. Seen above is Bergit Brinkmann, president of the MPDHS student council (seated) and, left to right, Charles Vent, vice-president of the Midland unit, Mrs. W. L. Attridge, president, and R C. Gauthier, MPDHS principal. 

Four Midlander’s are sporting brand new wrist watches these days, their reward for winning the main event in Midland Curling Club’s 13th annual mixed bonspiel this week. Donor of the Orr Trophy, emblematic of the spiel championship, William Orr (right) is seen presenting the watches to, left to right, Stan Burton, Mrs. Burton, Mrs. Bertrand and Karl Bertrand, who skipped the winning entry.