Huronia Museum – Looking Back 60 Years Ago in North Simcoe – February 1 to 7th 1957

February 8, 2017February 10, 2017 / Tom / Leave a comment

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Webster Henry Kitching (Jan 23, 1868 – May 12, 1959), a Midland man who built and operated the town’s first dairy, recently celebrated his 90th birthday. A native of Sunnidale, in 1919 he built the first dairy within the town, and operated it under the name of Acme Dairy. This is the same building in use today (1957) by Dubbin’s Dairy, and previously by Midland Dairies. In 1897, Webster Kitching married Mary Martha Reynolds (whose brother Henry now lives in Wyebridge 1957) at the opening service of the Church of England at Newtonville. Their eldest son Ernest lives in Orillia and is a foreman at Otaco in the pattern shop, having learned the trade at Hanley’s. Clarence, in Toronto, is with a real estate firm; Orval is the only child living in the Midland district; a daughter, Mrs. Charles Trimm lives in West Orange, N. J. , and the youngest son Percy, is in Burbank, Calif. There are two granddaughters, four grandsons, and three great grandchildren. Mrs. Kitching died 25 years ago, and in 1940 Webster married Mrs. Maria Van Allen. A “widower” for the last six years, he now resides at the home of Mrs. M. Campbell. He celebrated his birthday at the home of his son and daughter-in-law, Mr. and Mrs. Orval Kitching, where he chatted with some of his old friends and relatives from the rural area. These included Mr. and Mrs. Henry Reynolds, Wyebridge, and Mrs. Tom Reynolds, Waverley, and a niece, Mrs. Lloyd Murday of Midland. [Orval Kitching operated a refrigeration repair business in Midland]

Candidates for this year’s Queen of Hearts contest, the winner to be chosen in the final contest at Midland’s Roxy Theatre February 21st. All the girls are from MPDHS and half of the ten will be eliminated in the preliminary round February 14th. Seated, Janice Edwards, Vasey; Nancy Somers, Penetang; Judy McIntrye, Midland. Back row, Shirley King, Hillsdale; Sheila Barber, Midland; Marita Lalonde, Penetang; Peggy Couling, Penetang; Mary Popple, Penetang; Myrna Bannon, Vasey and Karen Hornsby, Waverly.

Copeland Flour Mill in Elmvale (Flos Roller Mills) has been in operation for 70 years but has suspended operations temporarily according to Arthur Copeland, one of three brothers who operate the mill. The mill will reopen if conditions warrant it. The mill was built in 1887 by the late George Copeland, grandfather of the three men. [The mill was located on the north side of Highway 26, west of Elmvale and west of the Wye River. The railway crossing is the CNR line from Barrie to Penetanguishene.]

Work is progressing night and day on the Waubaushene end of the new Trans Canada Highway to Parry Sound and Sudbury. Here fill is being put down on the link with Highway 12 which is about half a mile away in the distance. A bridge is to be built to carry the new highway over the CNR. [This view is to the southwest, Waubaushene is out of sight to the right]

Engineering students at the Midland Marine School work on their math problems. Instructor Robert Brooks, Jim Cordes, Penetang; Raymond Gagnon, Midland; Stan Smith and M. Carpenter, Collingwood.

Members of the first student’s council at MPDHS are seen in this picture taken in the new boardroom. Front row; David Moffatt, secretary; Marion Gray, vice-president; Tim Lethbridge, president; Jarka Zabranski, treasurer. Back row; Judy McIntyre, Gail Marshall, Steve Maguire, Bob Thompson, Ron Blair, Joe Huston, Liz Piette, Martin Reynolds and Anne Hamilton.

The bridge over Matchedash Bay at Waubaushene has been damaged by the continuous passage of heavy construction equipment being used to build the Trans Canada Highway. The bridge was immediately closed and a Bailey bridge will be used to temporarily repair the span. Traffic to Port Severn and Honey Harbour has been re-routed back through Coldwater. The bridge was replaced in the fall of 2015. [For more information on this historic Tay Twp. bridge visit this site; http://historicbridges.org/bridges/browser/?bridgebrowser=ontario/duckbayroad/

http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/thestar/obituary.aspx?pid=176215829

Vast improvement for the spectators is this new electric timer and scoreboard recently installed in the MPDHS gym. Score and time remaining can be seen at a glance and the horn above the clock leaves no doubt when the period or game is over.

Long time home of famous ski jumpers, Trois Riviere, Que. had a large contingent at the international meet in Midland January 27. In front, Jacques Charland, 14 year old Alber Delamarre and Lucien Laferte, a 37 year old veteran of the sport. Back row; Frank Latour, Yves Doucette, Paul Desrochers, Claude Trahan, who won the junior division and Jean Louis Morence.

First big ski jumping meet of the season attracted nearly 5,000 fans to Midland Ski Resorts Sunday. That’s Midland’s Eric Kurle on his way down the big hill for his practice jump.

Penetang and Winterama got some good publicity from these six betouqued delegates at the Georgian Bay Development convention in Midland Wednesday. Kneeling, L. I. Gumb and George Bryant; back row, Marcel Bellehumeur, Bill Morrison, A. B. Thompson and Ken MacDonald.

[Was “Tie Cleaning Month” a provincial or local event I wonder.]

Penetang hospital ups room rates to keep out of the red, effective February 1st. Private room $12.00 was(10.00), semi-private $9 (8), ward $7 (6), nursery $3 (2).
Penetang mayor A. B. Thompson declares “cooler” (jail cells) too cold and motions to have a heating contractor investigate.
Andrew MacLean of Don Mills is offering his Georgian Bay island and cottage for sale in the January 24th edition of the Canadian, the 26 acre island we know as Lambert’s Island.
Who remembers Baker Motor Sales in Elmvale, “your only local Ford-Monarch dealer”?
A dog and slippery streets combined to cause Midland’s first traffic fatality of the year Monday morning. Struck by a taxi on Elizabeth Street, E., Linda Hudson, 7-year-old daughter of Mrs. Ethel Hudson, 247 William Street, died of her injuries in St. Andrews Hospital Monday morning.
Brian Jones, 23, of RR 1 Midland, with his brother Ron as a passenger, were driving the Midland Flour & Feed truck around the big curve north of Elmvale when the box of their truck clipped that of a 20 ton coal truck heading south. The Jones vehicle spun around, flipped over and is a complete write off. The young men were not injured.
First such mishap reported by Midland police this winter, two young lads narrowly missed serious injuries while toboggan riding on Quebec Street Saturday night. George Weatherell, 9, of 34 Quebec Street, received severe cuts and bruises about the head. His companion, Ron French, 7, of 145 Fifth Street escaped with bruises about the thighs. The car, southbound on Fifth St. was driven by Ronald Bolt of Fifth Street who was unaware of the toboggan until he heard something strike his car.
Over 100 girls from North Simcoe have entered the Queen of Hearts contest.
TEN YEARS AGO – One of the best liked and most feared athletes in the Georgian Bay Area, Doug Kettle led one of the best basketball teams in Midland High School’s history to more inter-scholastic records when he netted a total of 53 points in one game, to defeat Barrie 103-25. They had previously defeated a team from Bracebridge 100-11. Some of the leading scorers on the team were Bill Thompson, Allen James, Bob VanStone, Wilcox and Haig. [The first names of Wilcox and Haig were not printed, assuming Doug Haig]

Winterfest Thank You

February 6, 2017 / Sarah McGaughey / Leave a comment

Thanks to all who attended the Winterfest events here at the museum. If you weren’t able to come, here’s a small sample of the fun you missed inside. There was a yummy dinner, baking, dog rescue, preserves and fresh vegetables, handmade jewellery, knitting, sewing, soaps and body products, art and tarot card readings, all in the amazing setting of local history. No worries, we will have another one next year, and you can always come visit us for a wander through the museum, the farmers market Sundays, or other special events. 20170206_102311-collage

Huronia Museum – Looking Back 60 Years Ago in North Simcoe – January 24th to 31st 1957

January 31, 2017 / Tom / 1 Comment

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Mr. & Mrs. Anthony MacNeil prepare to open their new General Motors dealership this weekend. MacNeil motors is situated at the corner of Fifth and Vinden Streets, formerly occupied by Warman Motors and Bourgeois Motors.

New service equipment in the shop of MacNeil Motors bring smiles to the faces of service manager Jack Rutherford and chief mechanic, Oliver Dandenault. The new General Motors dealership will open this weekend.

Conservation officer Fred Chew inspects wolf shot by Tom Caughey of Penetang Friday, near Sandy Bay Road on Midland Point. There is a $25.00 bounty on wolves. Mr. Caughey has been asked to let the head be used by St. Mark’s Church Cub Pack as their totem. [As a cub in that Pack, I remember that real wolf’s head.]

Mayor Charles Parker makes a guess at how many balloons are packed into a car, one of the events at the grand opening of MacNeil Motors on the weekend. With him is receptionist Sandra Robinson. The correct number was 277. Clinton Truax and Frank Edwards came the closest, each guessing 278.

Members of the Midland chapter of the SPEBSQSA, (Society for the Preservation and Encouragement of Barber Shop Quartet Singing in America, Inc.) Gene Stratton, Ray Atkinson, Elwood Marcellus and Lloyd Atkinson.

Three veteran rural members of the MPDHS school board are pictured prior to a recent board meeting. Jack Rumble from Hillsdale, the Medonte representative; Nathan Brown, Tay Township and Nelson Jones, also a Tay resident but representing Simcoe County on the board.

Charges are pending in this accident Thursday at the intersection of King St. and Dominion Ave. says Midland police chief Robert Cameron. Ernest Vincent of Honey Harbour and Robert Ellery of Kingston were the drivers. Passengers Mr. & Mrs. Fred Hewitt of Port Severn in the Vincent car suffered minor injuries. Damage is estimated at $350.00.

Two MPDHS teachers have donated new trophies for the best actor and actress in the Georgian Bay Secondary School Drama Festival to be held in Orillia. Donors are Mrs. Cliff Peters, left, and Miss Grace McMullen. Radio station CFOR of Orillia has also donated a trophy for the best Canadian play entered in the festival.

Penetang Council 1957 is shown following the inaugural meeting last Monday night. Councillors Godfrey Trilsbeck, Felix Turcotte, Joseph Duquette, Jan Ulrichsen, Mayor A. B. Thompson, councillors Ray McDonald, Ralph White, Deputy-Reeve Archie Verriere and Reeve Alf Cage.

Fishing for a truck belonging to Great Lakes Boat & Machine that went through the ice of Midland Bay Friday. The four men riding managed to escape from the slowly sinking truck that was later retrieved from fifteen of water by Sylvester Sutter’s crane. Dual layers of ice made it more difficult. The men were transporting a welder to the SS Lemoyne.

Frequent snow flurries hampered Pete Pettersen’s famed ski jumping team from getting in some practice before the big invitational meet at Midland on January 27th. Front, Hans Eder, Pettersen, Eric Kurle; back row, Louis Moser, Hubert Shaunig, John Prestov and Bob Straubhaar.

Men attending the navigation classes at the Midland Marine School in preparation for exams that will lead to higher classifications. Dick Smith and Bob Carson of Midland; Bob Blanchard, Waubaushene; Allen Hurlbut, Midland; Don McFarland, Port McNicoll. Smith, Blanchard and Carson are studying for their master’s ticket and Hurlbut and McFarland for mates, home trade.

Front load washers are nothing new, witness this 1957 ad from Dunlop’s of Moonstone.

Students at the Midland Marine School studying for their second mates papers and using table top models to simulate marine scenarios. Seated, N. Reid, Perkinsfield; Al Latour, Fred Harpell and T. Courtemarche all of Midland. Standing are Bill Thoms, Waubaushene, assistant instructor; Capt. E. J. Parrish, Midland, chief instructor of the navigation division; J. Brandon, Midland; and J. Parr, Sault Ste. Marie. There are nearly thirty students enrolled in the school which is sponsored by the vocational committee of MPDHS.

Six of the men attending Midland Marine School this year . Front, H. Gammon, Port McNicoll; Bill Smith and Ed Robitaille, Midland; standing, Malcolm Lafreniere, Midland; Wilfred Mayer, Victoria Harbour and Mike Lethbridge, Penetang.

Three cars belonging to Canadian Name Plate employees are badly damaged in their driveways. The strike continues with over 100 employees back on the job. Firm offers a one thousand dollar reward for information.
Armstrong’s Dairy and Dubbin’s Dairy announce five day a week milk delivery beginning January 30th. No delivery on Wednesday or Sunday.
Chief Cameron vows immediate cleanup of “sin dens in Dollartown”. Edict comes after a drunken fight in a house on Elizabeth street ends with a near fatal wound caused by a broken wine bottle.
After several years of accident free winter operation the Midland Public Works department has had another sanding truck accident. David StAmant, 63, of Dominion Ave. fell from the back of a sanding truck and broke his shoulder. Mayor Charles Parker said Friday that it is time to find a better way to sand Midland streets.
Over sixty men are working around the clock preparing the approaches to the new Trans-Canada Highway bridge to be installed over the Matchedash Bay narrows at Waubaushene.
The Department of Lands and Forests purchases the 87 acre Bass Lake park to develop it into a public recreation area.
Ten Years Ago – Mr. and Mrs. John Hanley, Sr., King Street, Midland, celebrated their 69th wedding anniversary. * * * Snow plugged rural roads were partly blamed for the scarcity of fresh meat in Midland and Penetang stores. Only smoked cuts were available in most places. *** First Presbyterian Church, Penetang, celebrated its 60th anniversary. Rev. N.R.D. Sinclair, M.A., D.D., of Allendale was guest speaker. *** George Findlay, Jr., son of Mr. and Mrs. George Findlay of Midland, arrived in Midland following a 4,000 mile air journey from the N.W.T. * * * A farmer near Alliston lost $40,000 when a young champion bull died from an inoculation. Son of the famous “Marksman”, the $40,000 bid on the calf was the highest ever recorded in Canada. *** After six weeks of freedom, Melville Wilkie was back in the Ontario Hospital, Penetang. He was spotted in a Winnipeg hospital where he was being treated for chronic pneumonia. * * * Mrs. William Baron who was 94, attended the 79th birthday of her daughter, Mrs. D. Dorion of Penetang.
Construction is under way on the new direct dial system in Honey Harbour. The current 48 customers will all receive the new five digit, two letter system, the exchange number being PLaza 6-1234.
Georgian Bay Development Association Manager Neville Keefe revealed in his annual report to a conference of members in Midland today that 40 companies are currently showing interest in the Georgian Bay region. Mr. Keefe said his office is dealing with 21 municipalities in the region for specific industries within their own communities.
Ray Dudley of Bowmanville is a young man who several years ago worked on the boats for three summers. While docked at Port McNicoll, he used to visit Midland regularly. His other claim to fame rests in his acclaim as one of Canada’s best pianists. Winner of high awards in competition both here and in Europe, he had a notable debut at New York’s Town Hall during the past season and will make his debut with the New York Philharmonic – Symphony this May.
25 Years Ago – Robert H. Sallows, Victoria Harbour, had in his possession a Stradivarius violin. It had been purchased by his uncle in a Guelph pawnshop, 60 years previous. The violin was inscribed “Antonius Stradivarius Cremonensis Faciabat Anno 17”. The last two digits of the date had been obliterated but still showed the violin to be about 200 years old. * * * The old Beck residence on Fox Street, Penetang, after extensive remodeling was opened as a modern apartment building. The reconstruction had been carried out by the same contractors who had the contract for the new addition to the Ontario Hospital. * * * Yee Bon, a young Chinese who, a year previous, had served as a waiter in the Ontario Cafe, like Byron, “woke up one morning and found himself famous.” Yee was an artist to whom no one paid much attention until one of his paintings was noticed by an art patron. The painting was then put on display in the National Art Gallery in Ottawa. * * * The store of George Brighty was selling potatoes at 43c per bag; tomato juice, 3 tins for 23c; pork and beans, 14c per tin; and tea, 44c per pound. * * * A Coldwater hockey team continued its winning streak by defeating Midland 4-1 at the Palace Rink. They had previously defeated a team from Barrie, 4-3 in an OHA game.
Port Weller is to build a 21,000 ton giant laker for the Upper Lakes company. Collingwood is building new ships as fast as the steel supply will permit. Has CSL written off the Midland yard completely? If so, isn’t it only fair that they make that fine, deep water site available for an economic use? (Free Press editorial)