HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1967-06-29, Page 274w
4,
Old Pointfarm Ho#el
Was Huron's Resort
By ' Alta Lind Bodges
Huron County today is
justly proud of its fine summer
resorts but it is doubtful if
any of them passes the sp`Ien.'
e dor that was Point Farm's when
.the latter was in its heyday.
kg. everything, else, Point
m had its day and a great
it was, but today the, once
nou's resort is only a, mem.
ory and only the older residents
Of the disrrict have any first."
hand a,.icnowledge of the resort
when it was at its best. All
that remains of Point Farm
today is the old gate posts and
a house wnich was formerly
Point Farm -Branch Hotel. '
The original settler at Point
Farm was a young Englishman
Iv named Davis, who purchased
400 acres of 'land on the lake
at what was then known as
Four -Mike Point. Davis mar.
ried a daughter of John Haw._
kens, one of the earliest set.
tlers at Port Albert, which today
has become the site of one of
Canada's greatest airports.
The young .Englishman saw
great possibilities for Point
Farm and built a hotel but
he lost his life in a storm on
Lake Huron wtlen he was° row.
ing home from Goderich one
night with supplies. Mrs. Dayis
later became the bride of J. J.
Wright, who had been described
as an "enterprising, dignified,
aristocratic little Englishman"
who foresaw even greater poss-
ibilities for Point Farm.
When the original hotel anct
buildings were destroyed by fire
Wright arid his wife rebuilt on
a much larger scale. The new
hotel had rooms for 200 guests
and the dining room could acc-
ommodate 300 diners at one
time. The hotel also boasted
a 75 -foot tower from which
a view of Michigan could be
had when the weather was fine.
At its best, Point Farm was
the only summer resort in West-
ern Ontario and nothing was
spared to make . it attractive.
The Wrights built a telephone
line to connect with the Great
North West Telegraph Line, and
a telegraph operator was at
the hotel during the •tourist
season. Summer visitors arra.
ving in Goderich could take their
choice of transportation ' to
reach Point Farm, TheWrights
That is the main thing in, the Meat line and we are making tivey effort
'oar Fresh, Smoked and Pickled Meat P.,) rt went
per;f ttbY Sanitary; 64° AppLtiring
-ti
ran a passenger bus to Goderich
`to meet all trains. The late
Charles Wells, of Goderich,
was in charge of a boat, which
�.
he
named theT h
m�W i
Om r
t
J g
in honor of the Wright's young
son, . who today is" living re.
tired in Bournemo4th,England.
kiesides carrying passengers
to and from Goderich the "Tom.
my Wright" often took excur.
sionists out on ,the lake, some•
times by daylight and some.
times by moonlight, and on these
occasions the Goderich Band
was taken along to furnish the
music. A huge Union Jack
flew always troma the tomer o$
the hotel and another flew i'rom
a high pole at the lake.' The •
"Tommy Wright" displayed the
Union Jack proudly and this flag
.,is still in existence, although
the boat itself was totally des.
.troyed by fife as it lay at
anchor one night in Goderich
harbor.
Point Farm also boasted a'
small brass cannon, and it was
J. J. Wright's custom' to fire
a salute 'at all passenger boats
plying up and down the lake and
there were many more then
than there are today:
The Wrights .sold all but 30
of the 400 acres bf the orig.
anal Point Farm and concent.
rated- on the task of making their
30 acres as beautiful as poss.
able,
Point Farm also boasted the
only barn in Canada ever raised
by sailors of the Royal Navy.
During the Fenian •Raid,period
a British gunboat, the Cherub,
lay at anchor in (Ioder` ich har-
bor for more than ayear. J. J.
Wright was entertainingC"aptain
and Mrs. Huntly of the Cherub
at dinner 'at the Albion Hotel
in Goderich, where the Odd Fel.
lows' Hall stands today. The
.proprietor of Point Farm ask.
'ed the captain • if it would be
possible to,, have the sailors
assist ° 1.tr rargrr a -barn, as
help was scarce at the time.
The captain declared he could,
not report to the Admiralty
that he had ordered,' his men
to raise a barn, but he said'
ne could give 12 good men a
day's leave in which to "raise'
the barn or raise' the devil."
So the barn at Point Farm was
raised by sailors of the Royal
navy.
Wu Buy Nothing; But
Sirloin Roast per ib
Rib Roast per lb ....
Pork Roast perIb... ..
Bologna py the roll
ly
x I
'i' Si
I
,401.
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re
RAS i3ye
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1 ,
x
fr..iIrT1,
!s�• !?.i:e�r ti (1111 /,34 peal -sur r MI Hllafp9 .- - pmanuu. "1°�yw N"1,.1r1r ..-uulu '. - - q inunNi_it Urtn.•p�•" " ���• n��
-._,„."%,...C.11 .11h1 l tib ptali i �+ �+
v_
the• Best PQIC $' 'TO $IM.I1' 1
.
.,.,goo Sirloin Steak per lb.; ,
.. , .. R , ,1 o RQLnd Steak pkr', , / . /',/'/'20*
.,:,...25* Pork Chops perl
15* Pork, 4;lear..fat
Cquis,e4 Ham. Cixoase neod. fia O o. .n Cheese_;
�P0i3
0�l'a �w
t4�hYa ther hi�ds Qt �.ephred meatss w u41 • .
ti
• e,qf ' 111nyV nt n
Our ettor f aat%are inadeva to please:: you,
Mitchell's Meat Market
Floor & Feed • ° At Youi' Servide /1404
r.
;1.
THF'.POINT FARM--GODERIG I'S FAMOUS SUMMER HOTEL.
Bali Family
Reunion Heid
The Ball family reunion was.
held on June 18th at Spring.
bank °Park, London, Ontario.
.The guest book was signed by
111. A lovely,._ picnic lunch was
enjoyed by all.
A family tree and several
'old pictures were on display.
Prizes weregiven for all those
with old time hats, bonnets -
id costumes. Prizes were also
ven to the youngest•,person in
attendance, Susan Stahbury; the
oldest couple, Amos and Hattie
Bali Goderich; the family tra-
velling the farthest; Doris and
Jack Andrews, Scarborough;
the' only beard, Arnold Riley,
Cl ton.
S or,•ts followed; the winners_
of t e races were: Preschool
kids: Jamie Stanbury; Boys 7
and under: ,Jeffrey Andrews;
girls 9 and under: Noreen Stan.
-bury, Sandra'McGregor.
Boys 9 and under: Paul
Gibbings, Michael Gibbings;
Girls 12 and under: Nancy Gib.
bings, Joan Garrow; Boys 12
and under: Wayne Andrews,
Brian McGregor; 3 Iegged race
Arnold Riley andJanice Wright.
The executive 'for 1968 is:
honorary president couple:
Hugh and Elizabeth Ball; pre.
„sident, couple: Warren-, and
Marie .Gibbings; vice-president.
couple: Fred and Jean Vodden;
secretary -treasurer: Bob and
Donna Gibbings; committee:
Bev and Arnold Riley, Ernie
and MaxineIhirnin, Garnet and •
Margaret Wright.
PRICES OF THS TIMES INJ921 .
ANADA',ioo YEARS OLD
II 0
CANADA'S VASTNESS
WILL ALWAYS BE A
CHALLENGE to THE TRAVELLER
BUT WHAT A THRILL YOU'LL GET WHEN YOU .MEET
THE CHALLENGE IN A ;
SALT A 101 YEAR-OLD .INDUSTRY
PEAKING OF THE
ALT WELL...
I was introducedio Mr. Samuel Platt.
the principal shareholder in. it. A first
look at This .gentleman .told _me of his
intelligence and good nature. We passed
over to the other bank to the salt works by
a massive Howtruss bridge. On entering
we were confronted -by the two furnaces
at the end of t`e two blocks, on which
are seated the kettles at about two feet:
apart.
eet-
,apart. The blocks run parallel with
each other the whole length of the •
building, each one containing'52 kettles.
• At the opposite end tp the furnaces. are
elevated- two enormous tanks containing
44,000 gallons of brine, and I was
surprised to see the rapidity -with which
salt is made. Its crystals form on the top
v of the steaming brine and immediately
sink to the bottom:"Men run along the
top of the block and -ladle it out. with 'a
shovel into buckets. one of which is
over every kettle, supportedbn laths., -
The superfluous brine_ runs._ offthe salt„
into the kettle again. When a basket is
filled. the salt is thrown into large' bins
behind whence it is: packed into barrels.
They evaporate about 1,000 gallons in
twenty-four hours, acid make from
100 to • 110 -barrels. `'g
THIS YEARS ONLY
ALLNEW LINE OF
CARS .SEE THEM.
DRIVETHEM.
�v.
On that very morning Mr. Platt had
heard of the Goderich salt carrying off
the first prize at Paris. and he announced
the good news in my presence to an
Englishman who was engaged in scooping
the salt put of 'the kettles. Instead of:
hailing the news witktileasure,the man
evidently did not relish it. He said. in
fact, it was impossible to be the case.
as Ansl salt in the world can come up to
the English salt, and English salt
cannot be beat.'
'I found "the, engine driving the pump to
be but of 15 horsepower; and" the total
expense per qday to be only $28. But the •
cost of fuel for the furnaces is not Large.
as wood is only $2 per, cord here.
�
Mr. Walker,, the superintendent, told me I
that 'thessalt costs them btxt 90.cents
per barrel of 280 pounds, barrel
--- :included; and they resell it readily at
$1.65 per barrel f.o.b.
Much credit is due to the sagacity of
Mr. Platt in foretelling they would strike
salt. He was- led to anticipate it from the
fact of salt being abundant on the
opposite shore of the lake. and he had,.
learned from Indians that a salt spring
' ,1{ad formerly flowed there.
•
411,
We at Graf and Harris Rambler salute our nation's 100th birthday
and add our greetings to thoseof all our citizens as we. welco fie
• home Goderich'§ native sons and daughters.
.21
GRAF & HARRIS
RAMBLER SALESBLER SALES
'T'o commemorate the 6sliscovery of salt inGoderich in 1866,
this reprint of a century-ord artle from "The New Dominion Monthly"
is presented in the public interest by
Sifto Salt • of
..YO•MTAR
' DOMTAA LIMITED
BAYFIELD ItD. S.
TEL.: 5248411