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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Huron Expositor, 1970-04-23, Page 15Recall THE 'PEON EXPOSITOR', SEAFORTN, ONT, APRIL 23, rii7t‘.-1$ • ELECTRICAL MObERNIZAT1ON • Mom...we're home! • Exuberant .. noisy . „ hungry • , . demanding ...'children. You'd better believe it. And be prepared. It pays, for instance, to have the full-time help of electricity on your side, A well- stocked,• frost-free refrigerator-freezer, A rnodern electric range with time and temper-saving self-cleaning oven, Small electrical helpers for 'quick mixing, beating, frying, percolating, opening of cans. And with a dishwasher, there goes another big chore: As for the laundry... you can forget it, An automatic washer and electric clothes • dryer will take loads off your hands, anytime. It pays, too, to have loth arid lots of hot water always sip at the ready, (Ydu can count on a Cascade electric water heater for, that one.) In fact, electrical help need never end — as long as your home has ample wiring, outlets and switches. If it hasn't,, speak to a qualified contractor about Elec- trical Modernization. (And the Hydro Finance Plan,) Make it ,soon. You'll be so -much happier when you 'hear that Shout, "Mom .. , we're home!" Full-time, electrical help depends on up-to-date wiring B 1239-C FP ' .441.1.•40,..4•Mo.f..11.41VOI, • • Or • (An Address by Miss Belle Campbell before the Huron County Historical Society at a meeting in Seaforth on Thursday a last week) Tonight we are going to take a glimpse into the past of the S.eaforth Community, from forest to thriving hamlets. We' shall recall to memory at least, a few of the'sturdy pioneers who cleared the land and laid the foundations upon which their descendants continued to build. And, I'm glad to say, that a number of the descendants of these "rly settlers are in our audience tonight. Blazed trail! Corduroy Roadi Railroad! Do we who travel on highways, super highways and by air in this year 1970 realize what these three meant to the development of every community, in the Huron Tract, of which this one formed a part? Before these came, it was still a huge acreage of un- trodden and unknown forest. With these came the rise and fall of little hamlets, that sprung up like mushrooms in the 1830's and 40's. Three of these is this community were Harpurhey, Roxboro and Egmondville. Seaforth, at,that early date, was only known as Quideboard Sviamp. Great changes took place after John McDonald in 182? surveyed the liteon Road and his axemen blazed a trail which, the nekt year, became a sleigh track. It was then, over this trail, that •the first few straggling' immigrants began to arrive. These came on foot, on horseback or by ox team. Colonel Anthony Van Egmond's son, Edward, carried the first mail through the forest and swamp with a bag over his shoulder, and he also drove the first load of provisions through to Goderich by ox team, when the road was only a path through the woods. Prior to this the only trails here were thbse used by the Indians, as they traversed through the virgin forest from one camping ground to.. another on their —hunting, and fishing expeditions. One of these camping grounds was in the swamp at the western limit of what is now the town of Seaforth. This was their' halfway stopping place, when traveling ,north to Saugeen for the summer and South to Lake Erie for the winter. When the first settlers arrived there were a few Indian families living near them with whom they made friends, but, by 1845, these had taken flight to another camping ground, unknown to the settlers. Until 1828, Colonel Anthony Van. Egmond* was practically the only permanent settler along the Huron Road outside of Goderich. His combined home and inn was not completed 'till 1829. The life story of Col. Van Eginond and what he did for this community is well known to you all. We might just mention that after his -death, ,following the 1837 Rebellion, two • of his sons journeyed to Toronto and brought his remains to the farm home in Hullett for burial. Here he was laid to rest with no military honors. Several years later his remains were reinterred in Egmondville Cemetery. This time, it is said, with military honors. Today an historic plaque marks •his last resting place. One writing of him said: "He was a gallant soldier, aq enterprising-Trioneer-and-a 'After the, opening of the Huron Road, the' London Road, the^ ,"Mill" Road' from, Egmondville to Hayfield and the Grey Turnpike North from EgmondVille to Wroxeter, the settlers began to rapidly increase in numbers. Among the . first to arrive were Dr. Chalk, Samuel Carnochan,RObert Scott Sr., Archibald Dickson 'and Andrew Steene. The new ,,M ill" road was an important one to the settlers. It continued east past, the site of John Daly's National Hotel, in Egmondville, and led directly to the Mill which the Canada Company commenced to erect ifi 1832 and completed in 1833. This road gave the new settlers, far beyond the "Mill" a't'ea, accesseeperthislrest anqefloue mill, the second in the Huron Tract. Those coining froin'tfieeast on the Huron Road cantered through the forest on foot, crossing what was later the Gemmell and the-McGeOch farms, till they reached the Mill, near where Silver Creek joins the Hayfield River. Then, as now, money had to be collected for, the upkeep of these roads. ne of the first ventures was toll gates, but these did not prove to be popular with the farmers and the traveling public. The only toll gate house in this community was a two-storey frame building built close to the side of the road, a mile and a quarter west of Egmondville, on the Mill road. By doing a little searching, the old posts on which it ,rested, can still be seen. • It is told that a number of the Scotch housewives, who • shopped in Egmondville and leaforth, arranged among them- . selve's to have one, on a certain day, make the trip. and do the shopping for all, to save extra toll charges. Their object was not to "gip" the powers, that 'be, butasto save a few pennies. Money was scarce those days, and, being Scotch, they had learned that a' penny saved is a penny earned. Another means of revenue for road purposes was statute r, labor and here again, we find at least. one objector. In 1837 the Tuckersmith Township Commissioners had much time taken up at their 'meetings with a fight against Anthony Van Egmond. Their problem was compelling him to do -statute labor. This he refused to do. Finally the commissioners won,' as under date et July 24th. This item was entered in their records: "Recerved from 'Mimes 'Carter, the sum of L 1 9s 3 d cy., being on account of, sale of goods and chattels of A. Van Egmond. by order of the commissioners for non performance of statute labor." It was alpng these early roads the head of a family often walked to Goderich to make a payment - on his recently acquired plot, of land. Another might carry a sack of wheat On his back to the Goderich Mill, if the mill here failed to function for lack of water. Others made the trip by ox team, and one way they had of 'coaxing these slow-moving beasts to make the ascent up Stapleton's hill, near Clinton, was to hold, as a bait, .in front of them, a sheaf of grain. Detours, made around swampy areas, were not straight:, ened' for many years. Such was the case in the Harpurhey area. This detour remained' 'till No. 8 Highway was rebuilt in 1954.. It was in this swamp that Joseph Brown's steer beCame mired in the muck. When Joseph noticed the plight of the steer, he hurried for help, but, when they rettfrfied, it was too late, only the animal's horns wore visible. All they could do was watch him sink, like the setting sun, into oblivion. A passerby prevented another such accident in a sandpit, south of Winthrop. Thomas Govenlock married Susannah Van Egmond, daughter of 'the Colonel and they had two sons, John and Robbie. On the roadside beside their father's farm was a sandpit. Boylike, the small lads one day were,sliding down the sand when part caved in and completely covered Robbie. While John's head was still above ground, the traveler chanced by and hurried to John's rescue. He com- menced "honking" away the sand to free the lad and it was then that John frantically shouted: "Never mind me, I'M alright, bet "honkie" out my brother Robbie." This same Robbie, years later, married the daughter of Rev. Matthew Barr, longtime minister of Harpurhey Pres- byterian Church. When Rev. Barr arrived it was unanim- ously decided that the place he board must be the home of Robert Hays as that w.gs the only home in the congregation where white bread was' used. They wanted to give the best to their minister. Now a word about these early settlers. Among the first to take root here was Dr. William Chalk. He arrived in his lumber wagon with no intention of "follomIng his profession. His desire was to farm but the settlers had other plans for him. He founded the village of Harpurhey. Held many first offices in Tuckersmith Township and also in Huron County. He built the 'first brick house in Tuckersmith and, because there was no other doctor in The community he was forced to take up his old profession again. This he did, and often at night rode on horseback through the forest to treat an ailing patient, guided by, a lantern held by a raan afoot. He became such a good friend of Dr. Wm"; "Tiger" Dunlop, that Dunlop chose him as one of his three executors to carry out the terms of Ms eccentric and histerie will. Dr. Chalk's daughter Matilda, widow of George Govenlock, became the wife of Dr. T. T. Coleman, anotheepromieent early settler, especially in the village and later the town of SeafortTh He was its first reeve, second mayor and its first doctor. He also had much to do with the salt industry. To the west of Chalk came Fowlers, Meyers, Hd ug s Wes. The first settlers to venture into the forest south of the Huron Road were Samuel Carnochan and his 21-year-old son,' Robert Halliday Carnoehan. They arrived in the fall of 183$, and had to cut a path a mile and a half long and wide enough for their oxcart to travel through; Until-they had their log house built, the wagon box was their only shelter from the elements. A little later in the 30's they were joined by the Hroadfoots, the Landsboroughs, the ISIcLearis, the Walkers, the Hallidays, the Meintoshs, the Camerons and the Harmahs. The.one object of all, in spite of obstacles and dangers they knew they would have to encounter, was to hew put for them- selves a home in the wilderness. Robert Scott"Sis., Archie Dickson and their teenage sons, Robert Scott and James Dickson, in 1833, travelled north from the Huron Road till they reached the south branch of the Maitland River. Here in the open they spent their first night tired and lonely. As dusk came on Archie had 44Jsaernes" take frOm the Dickson chest the old fiddle. After playing a few familiar tunes, he handed it back to be placed in the chest again. It was then James saw, what he had never seen before, tears trickling down his lather's face. The two elders of the 'four, natives of Roxburghshire, Scotland, were the first to lay claim to land in this settlement and they named it Roxburgh or Roxboro as it was better known in later years. The teen-age James Dickson, from 1861 'till 1867, became an influential member of Parliament, representing at that time the counties of Huron and Bruce. That first winter was a lonely one for the four Roxboro immigrants. Besides the loneliness, necessity compelled them to eke out a living from what was available in the bush and the stream. However, in spite of their hardships, the re- mainder of the two families set sail for Canada in 1834, the year of the cholera epidemic. Three young children of the party contacted the dread disease. Two were' buried at Grosse Isle and the other died and was buried at Montreal. Three days after the families arrived misfortune struck again. Robert Scott's eldest daughter, Mrs. John Goven- lock, met the same fate as her little daughter Helen. Mrs. Govenlock was the fOurth cholera victim of this particular party. Her funeral on the Scott farm was a sad event. The burial took place on the river bank in the dense forest: Hers was the firSt white burial in this section of the Huron Tract. Other early settlers in this area were Aitchesons,Mc- .Dowells, Grieves, Kerrs, Turnbulls, Campbells an 'Mc- Millans. Both John McMillan and his son, Tern, represented Huron in the Federal House for many years. • Egmondville, as everyone knows, got its name from the Van Egmond family. For many years four sons of the Colonel were in control of the 'larger., businesses here. ConStant owned the grist mill, flour mill. and distillery; Lectpold the sawmill and also made and repaired guns; William was proprietor of the American Hotel and August had the wooll en Mill. The Widely known Jackson family for many years managed a general store, a tannery and a cider mill. A driermade here labelled "Jackson's Champayne Cider" . was placed by them on the market. The well known painter, William N. Cresswell, had his home a short distance west of the village. He received awards and had his paintings : exhibited in 'the Art Gallery ln Torontoe-and- in OttaWa. He was a charter member of the Royal Canadian Society of Artists. His wife.„ Elizaheth, belonged, to a pioneer Thompson family in Hullett. Their remains rest in the Cresswell vault in Maitlandbank Ceme- tery, When John Sproat arrived in Egmondville, he felt that there was a need that he could supply. He opened a black- smith shop' and was soon selling handmade nails and horse- shoes . Often in payment for his work he took produce such as butter, eggs, maple sugar, etc. Mrs. Sproat used to tell that at one time they had so many large mounds of maple sugar sitting around that they began using them for footstools, •Later John moved to a. farm east. of the ,village• where he made brick and tile. Others who settled in this area and ;cleared their farms were Archibalds, Sholdices, Chesneys, Devereauxs, Wilsons and Oldfields. It was not till the early '40s that' anyone had enough courage to settle in the swamp area, which is now the town of Seafortn. Andrew .Steenwas the first settler and lived here without a neighbor for many years. He married Mrs. Elizabeth Clu ff Beattie, widow of Luke Beattie, who died of ship fever and was' buried at sea in 1842 when on his way to, Canada 'with his wife and family - James, Catherine, Jane and John. This same John Beattie,in 1868 was a member of the first Seaforth village council. No one in either Harpurhey or Egmondville ever dreamed that a rival .should arise at Guideboard'Swamp. However, after the first train- whistled through In 1858, many 'changes took place. The location of the station and Seaforth being chosen ' the southern... terminal, of the Grey Township Turnpike very seem 'spelled -the -doom of both Harpurhey and Egmondville. Gradually from then Sea-forth waxed and the other two larger rival villages waned. Prior to this Roxboro's heyday was over. , • . Many. prominent business men have served the 'Seaforth community. Our present Mayor F. C. J. Sills, who brought greetings tonight , is a fourth generation Sills to do business on Main Street. They were both besinessmen and fire fight- ers. When a new brigade was formed. in 1875, George A. Sills of the second generation, was one of the charter members and served faithfully for xty years. At Sarnia in 1888 the Seaforth Brigade won the World Championship for running and coupling a hose, a record still unchallenged, and it was George Sills who did the running and coupling that day. Ever since 1875 there has been a Sills in the Seaforth Brigade. The present one is Jim, of the fifth generation. Our chairman tonight, A. Y. McLean, is a third genera- tiontion McLean, Who has edited our local newspaper, the Heron Expositor. The 'Centennial edition of this paper and the .teivn was published on October 31, 1968. Both A. Y. and his grandfather, 'M. Y. ,,,McLean served for a number.,of years in the Federal House as •a representative of this district. After the homes were estabrished these early settlers 'soon craved for a place to worship, but ministerial supply was not easy to 'secure. Because of this, 'church groups of all ^denominations were served by traveling missionaries. The Roxboro Scottish Presbyterians appointed Robert Scott and John Govenlock In 1834, to go to a Toronto Pres- bytery meeting ,lb Galt to make an appeal for a minister. Willingly they set out on 'foot with the petition, on.the'60- mile journey through the woods. However, their efforts were not in vain. They got a part-time minister in 1835, but had no church 'till 1847. The first mass said nearer than Irishtown, before the Catholics had a church in this community, was in the home of Michael Donovan, south of Egmondville. Methodist services were held in an unfinished upper room in the home 'of James Sperling 'in McKillop before their first church was built across from Maitlandbank Cemetery. Rev. Wm. Cresswell, uncle of Wm. N. Cresswell, the painter,. arrived in 1855, ,with a license from the Anglican Blehtip of T'oronto to officiate here. These services were held in Knox Hall, Harpurhey. • During the years the Egmondville Presbyterians had no church. Their services were held in a log schoolhouse on the corner of Mulock Farm, owned by James Carncchan, also in barns and 'at Hines in the loft of Leopold Van Eg- mond's sawmill. Their first inducted minister, , who,served for thirty years, was Ref; WM.. Graham. Rev. 'Graham's daughter. Hannah Isabel excelled in the writing- of poetry. Her last book of poems, "Be of Good Cheer," was published in November, 1939. After the church, the' next- problem 'of the settlers was a school. Van Eginond, having the welfare of the children in mind, cle ared four acres, had a school built on it and paid himself the salary of the teacher for two years. All this by 1837 or earlier. We regret that the exact lobation of this school is not known. Andrew McKernan to the east on. the Huron Road or- ganized a • school, in that area and 'a MeKernin was the teacher. Some pupils had to feet it several miles through the forett to, these early schools. From there, the settlers slaw to it that the little log schoolhouses kept pace with the "increase in population so that all children. Woad have the . privilete to get training •iri the three 'A'S - reading, 'riling and 'rithmetic; These Seaforth pioneers, like those in every other com- munity, climbed the summits regardless o eloStaeleSe they reached their goal. They left their hoMeland to face the future darkened, unr,esealecl. From every summit they reached there loomed beyond another peal; as toilsome to surmount, and yet they travelled on toward'braver dawn. That dawn came when, through their determined efforts, the trails became roads, the forest became' fertile fields and substantial, comfortable homes replaced the log cabin, also -.. churches and schools were -well established. This heritage they bequeathed • to us. Let not break faith with them. Their years of labor and of Service are a challenge yet to take their tore!) and carry on. JAMIESON: A SURFACING WINNER OTTAWA - The U.S. -super tanker Manhattan is once again plowing her way northward through the Arctic waters - Canadian waters - shearing through the jice towards Baffin Island. She sailed from Dartmouth, in company with the. Canadian Coast Guard ice breaker St. Lau- rent, on April 3, atid' by now is running into reasonably solid ice. 'This re-run of the 1969 Man- hattan saga isn't going to be nearly as spectacular as the ' great tanker's epic voyage through the Northwest Passage in September, but even before she sailed, the Manhattan earned Canada a few points in the Arc- tic sovereignty tiff. Last year the ,Humble Oil Company's plan to test the Cana- dian 'Northwest Passage as a potential commercial shipping' route, made Canadians suddenly nervous about possible U.S, de-. signs on our north. That nervousness was neither reflected by, nor shared by, the Trudeau government and mem- bers of Parliament. Since late last summer, there's been a backstage corn- fetition between three cabinet ministers - Transport's Don Ja- mieson, , Defence Minister • Leo it Cadieux, and ,Northern Affairs' Jean Chretien. It begins to look as though Don Jamieson has won the tussle for departmental supremacy in the Arctieco. • Cadieux didn't fight very L hard, because he felt Arctic in- volvement of our armed forces on the scale necessary would cost more than the defence. budget , would bear. Mr. Chretian, hasn't given up, but Mr. Jamieson scored a march on him when he announced the creation of an Arctic Adminis- tration within DOT, which is to be charged with a wide range of responsibilities. It was Mr. Jamieson's de- partment that lowered the"boom ,orellumble Oil and forced virtual recognition of Canadian jurisdic- tion over the Arctic waters from the master-minds of the Nianhat- tan. project. He and his marine-Arctic ex- perts told Humble that •the Man- hattan would get no Canadian ice breaker support unless the ship was modified to conform to Ca- nadian safety standards for operation in the far. north. The move was unprecedented, because Canada was asking the Humble Oil people to conform to new Canadian legislation before that legislation, had beeome law - before it had even been presented to Parliament. And Humble agreed. There . wasn't much else they could do, because Canada - for the present - has the only ice breakers in the Western world capable of handling the kind of ice that the Manhattan will run into during the next few weeks. Humble Oil also agreed to carry $6.5 million insurance on the Manhattan, so that any damage resulting from possible pollution would be covered. During this most recent tussle with the Arctic ice, the Manhattan will be tackling a 'relatively mild challenge, compared to the heavy polar floes which stopped her dead in M'clure Straits last Sep- tember. She plans to go no further west than Resolute Bay; perhaps not even that far, if the proper test conditions can be found further east and south. In the, eastern Arctic the ice never .gets worse than 10 feet thick - except where pressure ridges occur. The waters at the ' eastern end of the Northwest'pas- sage are sheltered by the islands to the north, and preserved from the multi-year ice pack chunks .of the polar regio.ns. The Manhattan's first trip ,- and now her second - have proved one thing. Giant tankers and bulk carriers of her design will be able' to navigate in the eastern portion Of the Canadian Arctic the year " round, opening that vast store- house of Canadian natural re- sources treasures to the markets of the world. It's a facet of the operation that Don Jamieson is well aware of. If Canada wants to keep con- trol of her Arctic, she's going to have to spend money to do It. We need more and better ice brea- kers; a navigation System; and a much more-believable Canadian presence off. esence the high Arctic. It'i an investment that will pay Peter Ward LA CA I TrimmIng and Spraying' ,Senvic.c. We eu,arantee Every Tree . We ,,SEAFORTH - SE NIV . Gordon. Noble ':ore .4,27049 :TOWN OF AUTHORIZED CONTRACTOR: G. A. .SILLS ft SONS HARDWARE PHONE •5274620 SEAiFORtH PROCLAMAT .10 4&61 „SEAFORTH:: DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME The Council of the Town 'of Seaforth has instructed me to declare DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME, adopted for the Town of Seaforth, during the period of Sunday, April 26th, 1970 at 2:01 a.m. Sunday, October 25th, 1970 at 2:01 a.m. and respectfully request the citizens to observe the same. F. C. J. SILLS, Mayor "GOD SAVE THE QUEEN" • a.