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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Wingham Advance-Times, 1966-01-13, Page 8ALAN PATTISON brought in this photograph of hailstones on his brother-in-law Leslie Deacon's homestead at Coron- ach, Sask., July 15, 1928. Insurance companies in Sas- katchewan were hard hit, the storm causing one company a loss of $700,000 in one day. It was estimated that 130,- 000 bushels of grain were destroyed in the Coronach district. This was one of the storms long remembered by the western homesteaders, A 12 cubic foot refrigerator featuring double door styling with automatic defrosting, Large 105 pound freezer area, 13 pound porcelain meat keeper and twin porcelain crispers. You will be delight- ed with the easy access door storage areas and .the smart modern styling. $269 The following letter to Mr. and Mrs. Ivan Wightman, R. R.I, Belgrave, was written by Gor- don Wightman, a former resi- dent of Fast Wawanosh Town- ship. Mr. Wightman, now so years, lives at Grand Isle, Ver- mont. This particular letter con- cerns mostly his recollections of WingItam. Dear Mary and Ivan, The letter with the aerial Kodak of Lot 34, Concession 7, East Wawanosh stirred up a lot of memories, There isn't much of the area shown that my two feet have not trod between Aug- ust 14, 1855 when I was born, and September 1, 1901 when I started high school in Goderich. Those Llt./O acres along with the 25 `j to 3000 acres of neighbors are the only remnants of a way of life that does not exist in these days of the automobile, radio, television, and space travel, or the safe return from "the abyss of heaven", through • the "Fiery furnace" of air fric- tion, and the safe recovery from "Splash down" in the tur- bulent Atlantic ocean. It has occurred to me that since you are gathering mater- ial for use in the Centennial celebration of that portion of Huron County, someone ought to record experiences of a time and way of life of which people born in or after the 1920s are barely aware. I can still re- call my wonder, as a child, to hear my father relate what life was like in the days of 1865, when he as a boy of 9, with his father, mother, three brothers and two sisters journeyed from Napanee westward to Huron County, which at that time was an unbroken hardwood forest for many, many miles. In those days of 1865, there was not a square yard of the area your aerial Kodak shows that was not clad with trees, or soil beneath that was not besprinkled with tons of stones and boulders. In 1855, two decades later, the land shown in your picture was almost clear of trees, and the soil unburdened of a host of stones, as the many stone heaps mutely attest to this very hour. The incredible hand, arm and leg labor involved stagger the imagination, especially of one who has manned a handle of a two-man crosscut saw, or swung an axe, or has been mercilessly battered and flat- tened by the handles of a walk- ing single furrow plow. I have never felled a 3-foot-diameter hard maple tree with an axe; my father has. I have never sowed grain among a field of tree stumps; my father has. I have never handled a plow in a field of tree stumps; my father did. I have never made tallow candles to provide light in the house or in barn lanterns; my grandmother did; I have hand- bound only a few loose sheaves of grain the binder knotter fail- ed to tie. My mother has spent many a whole day in harvest binding grain before the grain binder was ever known in Hur- on County, Life as we young- sters knew it in 1890 was just about as tar advanced over farm life in the 1860s as to- day's farming with its tractors, ' gasoline, electricity, washing machines, and refrigerators, is an advance over the time when Itwo human legs and hands pro- vided the manipulation and a pair of horses provided the pull. From the vantage point of 106b, I can say that the sup- rerne thrill of childhood was be- ing taken along on the rather :infrequent shopping trips to ;Wingham. Going to the nearer ; stores of Belgrave or Blyth was always an event for me, but "Going to Wingham" was pure ecstacy in my three or four year experience. Whether it was in a sleigh bundled up in buffalo- robe and i" or horse blankets, or in a stout top-buggy in sum- mer, with "old Maud" driven by my mother, was of no mo- ment to me..1 can still re- capture the thrill of topping a little rise on the road a mile or so above Belgrave where we could glimpse almost 4 miles to the North the houses of Wing- ham. The route to "this metropo- lis" from our house was,option- al. In winter we always went north a mile to Marnoch, then east 4 miles to Belgrave, thence north 5 miles to Wingham. This route was freer of snow drifts in winter. But occasion- ally in summer, my mother, who yearned for variety which the restricted life on the farm denied, sometimes elected to drive straight north for six miles to the Wawanosh-Turn- berry boundary and thence four miles east to Lower Wingham, by the big dam on the north branch of the Maitland, then past the smelly tannery, and directly into the center of the shopping centre. The Marnoch-Belgrave route is still vivid in my memory, af- ter 76 years. I still feel the old excitement of the spring creek, a few rods east of Porter- field's post office, winding through Will McBurney's pas- ture, its coffee colored pools alive with trout. I still remem- ber my astonishment at my first sight of snowshoe tracks from in front of Charlie Johnston's house going east to the school house a bit further along. Char- lie was reputed to be an ardent hunter and trapper. I still feel the sort of breathless awe at the imposing grandeur of the two new stone houses of the two Mc- Callums. A bit further along was the home of Findlay An- derson, the white bearded pat- riarch who was the Township assessor who made annual visits to every farmhouse and who sat regularly in council meetings in Peter Porterfield's house at Marnoch. "Old Findlay" and Peter Porterfield were the arbi- trers of our township taxes and the number of days each farm- er was assessed for road work; (Hauling of gravel and deposit- ing it where needed on the road- ways). The course of history any- where is inimately associated with water, whether it be springs, flowing streams or shore lines. In the case of Wingham, it was at the union of two branches of the Maitland River as it drained the water- shed to the Northeast. In Spring at the peak of the big thaw it was often a bit terrifying to ap- proach town from the south,and at times the yellowish flood was a bare dozen feet from the edges of the narrow, gravelled roadway, In mid-summer the lazy meandering stream was rods distant and I still can catch the amazement to see how the turbulence I had viewed with terror on the previous trip had vanished. The first chore in town was to deliver to the preferred store the produce brought along to serve in lieu of "hard money" or "cash" as we term it today. This produce was butter in tubs or crocks, the product manu- factured in the kitchen churn from the daily collection of cream from the morning and evening milking of the cows. (Dairying in 1890 versus dairy- ing in 1965 is a subject for a separate writing; too long to be enlarged herewith). There was also a container of eggs, --all that the hens could be induced to lay, and me to find and col- lect intact. Often in late fall there would be the carcasses of some freshly slaughtered pigs to deliver to merchants who handl- ed meat. In short, the farm wife delivered whatever food she could prepare beyond the requirements for her own table and the number to be fed there. After the delivery of the larder brought to town for trade, the horse or horses were taken to the stables of the "Queen's Ho- tel" and given over to the care of the hostler with instructions as to feed and watering. My memory of the stores my parents preferred in Wingham follows: 1. A general store operated by Norman Farquarhson. He was popular with my mother and her sisters, Mrs. Robert Henry, and Mrs. Robert Mc- No Serious Injury --Three Accidents Provincial Police from the Wingham Detachment investi- gated three accidents on Sun- day, which caused consider able damage but no serious injury. Mary Jane Joynt of Lucknow received a cut forehead when a car owned by Janice Brooks went off the road and struck a tree. The vehicle had made a left turn off No. 4 Highway onto the first line of Morris Township when the mishap occurred. The late model car suffered over $1, 000 damage. Constable Ron Bell investi- gated Charges are pending against Leslie W. McDougall of R. R. 3 , Wingham as the result of an accident in Lower Town early Sunday morning. McDougall was approaching an intersection on Helena St. to the north of old No. 86 High- way, when he was noticed by James Whitfield of Wingham, who was travelling north on Helena St. and stopped his vehicle at the intersection. McDougall made a left turn and went out of control striking the Whitfield car on the left rear corner with his own left rear corner. Damage was es- timated at $125 to the Whitfield car and $75 to the other mach- ine. Constable Ken Wilson investigated. Sunday morning at 0,45 Lower Town was the scene of still another mishap when a west bound car on Victoria Street, driven by Reginald C. Purdon of Belgrave, made a right turn onto Helna St. and went out of control on the slippery road. His machine was in collision with another car driven by Mrs. Wm, Cruikshank. Damage to the right front corner and hood of the Cruik- shank car amounted to $150.00 and to the Purdon machine $100.00. Constable Ron Bell investigated. Dowell; the three of them fre- quently made the trip to Wing- ham in company, and invaded the stores in total, all three aflame with bargaining banter, 2. A book and stationary store belonging to Mr. and Mrs. Ross, This was where the sup- ply of school hooks, pens, pen- cils and other school supplies were obtained, Their son, Charlie Ross was a telegrapher and the mystery of the endless clicking of the Morse code sig- nals was for me a never failing marvel, 3. The John Hanna general store, where I saw the first suits of ready-made store clothes. Now, 75 years later, an addi- tional marvel is that a full suit could be had for $5.00 to $10. 00. 4. A shoe store, a separate division of the Hanna Store, in a separate building a bit south on Main Street, and run by my first cousin, Herb Wightman, a grandson of Grandma Hanna. Herb's father and my father were brothers, Herb was a pop- ular young man with every one who entered his store, and my socks and rubbers for winter and farm boots for thistle and stub- ble protection were purchased from Herb. Wingham had a host of at- tractions for me as a boy of five. I can still savor the sense of awe at the "grandeur" of the facade of the Brunswick Hotel. I never got beyond its door, as it was far beyond my parents means or desires, Another thrill was watching the service man lower the light assembly on appropriate rope and pulley tackle and replace the used car- bon terminal with a new rod, On many a night of heavy over- cast in fall, and often in spring I could scan the horizon from our kitchen and pick out the lo- cation of Wingham to the North East, Goderich 20 miles South West, or Clinton, 18 miles due South. Rural electric service was unknown in the 1890s in our locality in East Wawanosh, Another thrill was to be tak- en "for dinner" to a hotel din- ing room. This was a rare ex- perience for me. Usually a sandwich from home was brought along to tide me over, but once in a while my father would show me what it meant "to eat out" in a strange envi- ronment. Such things as a printed menu were unknown. (I was too young to read them anyway, even had they been available). A glib recital by a waitress, at a speed that made comprehension difficult was al- most as intriguing as the subse- quent delivery of "my father's choice" for both of us. The most astounding aspect of this experience (75 years later!) is the cost of the meal--25 cents. Continued next week. C.W.L. EUCHRE The Catholic Women's League of Sacred Heart parish held its weekly euchre in the parish hall Tuesday evening, with 13 tables in attendance. Mrs. Wilfred White and Mrs. Jack Brophy convened. High lady for the evening was Mrs. Jean Crump, high man, Fred Porter. The door prize was won by John Sproal. Council Sets up 1966 Committees At Monday night's inaugural session of town council Mayor Miller, Deputy Reeve Alexan- der and Councillor Callan were named a striking committee to bring in a slate of committee members for the year. The com- mittee's report was adopted by council and is as follows, with the first named as chairman. Executive and police -- G. W. Cruickshank, J. W. Callan, G. A. Williams. Public Works -- Harold Wild, Joe Kerr, J, W. Callan. Finance -- J, W. Callan, Harold Wild, Jack Alexander. Property -- Joe Kerr, Jack Alexander, Mrs. R. Bennett. Fire and Cemetery -- Jack Alexander, John Bateson, G. A, Williams. Welfare -- Mrs. R. Bennett, John Bateson, Joe Kerr. Industrial -- G. A. Williams, G. W. Cruickshank, Mrs. R. Bennett. Recreation -- John Bateson, Harold Wild, G. W. Cruick- shank. Sewage DeWitt Miller, Joe Kerr, G. W. Cruickshank. BY-LAWS The necessary by-laws mak- ing appointments to public boards were read and passed by the council, Those named to office included: Library Board, Miss Doris Fells, 3 years; Hospital Board, Mayor DeWitt Miller; Planning Board, John Bateson, one year, W. S. Reed, three years; Riv- erside Parks Board, G. A. Wil- liams, G. W. Cruickshank, W. H, McArthur, three years; Wingham Retarded Children's Education Authority, G. A. Williams, Dr. S. Leedham; Recreation Committee, John Bateson, G. W. Cruickshank, J. Gorbutt, Mrs. H. Wild, W.B. Conron, L. Casemore and Mike Willie; Community Centre Board, Harold Wild, G. A.Wil- liams, Murray Stainton, S. Beattie, W. Hall, Monty Ben- nett, W. B. Conron. Page 8 •-•-• Wingham Advance-Times, Thursday, Jan. 13, 1900 Gordon Wightman Recalls Visiting Wingham as Youngster, Before 1900 I Clearance Sale Price With Working Trade Only r4 •s!. V,tr..XS 4i . 11,!,441 • HU Westinghouse RLF 21 ZERO-ZONE DOUBLE DOOR REFRIGERATOR *fleet awe gat Flq:e.nce ginancia4 Get your full 20% Tax deduction for 1965 before February 28th. THOMAS A. JARDIN District Manager Ph. 357-3661 gwealoa WINGHAM SYNDICATE LIMITED 'f4.4 •••••••;;;:t:x:',44.4 RY! These estinghouse Values Can't Last! LAUNDROMAT TWINS DTF 675 Dryer and LFC Laundromat Whisk Away Those Washday Blues FOREVER! Here is a truly unbeatable value! A four cycle 15 pound Heavy Duty Washer that is completely auto- matic. Famous spiral agitator that cleans away the most stubborn dirt and is gentle with all fabrics. Combine this with a Westinghouse dryer featuring Balance Air Flow system that assure no Hot Spots, Finger Tip Heat Control and timer plus an all por- celain tub and you have the best laundry value ever. Hurry! Save NOW! Special Clearance Sale Price. Both for only Special Clearance Sale Price $219 Westinghouse FHF 22 DEEP FREEZE Slim wall construction gives you large 22 cu. ft. storage capacity, utilizing minimum floor space. You'll be proud to own this trim modern deepfreeze featuring a giant 722 pound food capacity. Complete with built in lock, three baskets and one divider, PATTISON RADIO & ELECTRIC