HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1979-06-28, Page 36PAGE2
Elkin family were first settlers
BY
CHASE ASQUITH
Eneas Elkin was 27
when he emmigrated
from Ireland to the
Maritimes in 1840. He
remained until 1851 when
he came into Canada
West to find a new home.
That the Elkin name
was of some significance
in the east is indicated by
the fact that there is an
Elkin Avenue in Halifax.
He came to the Huron
Tract seeking a good
farm location if possible
on a stream or river that
would furnish the proper
site and amount of water
to warrant the building of
a grist mill.
If we desired to write a
little fiction -Rased
perhaps on probable
facts, we might picture
Mr. Elkin going to the
)ffice of the Canada Land
o., Goderich (Park
louse) and telling Mr.
Nlercer Jones, the
superintendent, his
desires. Mr. Jones would,
u1 turn, direct him to go to
the County Offices and
seek the advice of Sheriff
John McDonald who had
surveyed much of the
area and knew all the
important locations.
Perhaps Sheriff
McDonald said., "Yes,
Mr. Elkin, there is just
the location you are
looking for 12 miles east
of here on the Maitland
River at the junction of
Colborne, Wawanosh and
Hullett Townships."
We can picture Mr.
Elkin making his way
eastward along the eighth
concession of Colborne,
which had been already
cut out to the Maitland
River. When he reached
the high west bank of the
river, all he could see on
both sides right down to
the water's edge was a
solid wall of forest. No
doubt he had learned
from the Crown Land
Canada Co. officials that
all the land at this jun-
cture had been taken up
except the Hullett por-
tion,
The, north half of lot 45,
821/2 acres, concession 14
was still open.
Mr. Elkin purchased
this lot from the Canada
Land Co. and had the
purchase registered on
January 6, 1852.
The early settlers west
of here spoke of Mr.
Elkin's' first clearance as
the "hole in the wall"
(wall of solid forest).
In 1854, Eneas Elkin
had the northern part of
his farm bordering on
Goderich Street surveyed
into lots fn" which there
was a fairly ready sale.
These sales enabled him
to consider the building of
a grist mill on the farm'
which he had purchased
to the west of his original
holdings.
A clay dam was built on
the site of the present
dam, (a flat area on the
east side of the river just
above the dam indicates
where the clay was
secured), and a race was
excavated from the dam
to where Mr. W.
Andrews' chopping mill
now stands.
Here a four -storey grist
mill was erected by
contractor Stewart
Plummer. It was of
heavy pine beam con-
struction with an ample
office building attached
to the north side. The
exterior was covered
with 4. clapboard siding
painted red.
The mill was powered
with an upright water
wheel which is on exhibit
in the chopping mill yard.
It had two grinding
wheels, a fine, one for
grinding flour and a
coarse one for grinding
feed grain. The fine one is
still in use in a mill in a
northern section of old
Ontario and the coarse
one lies on the side of the
bank just below the
chopping mill.
When Eneas Elkin
had
his mill about ready to
start, a man by the name
of Vanstone bought the
west half of Lot 27,
concession 1, Wawanosh,
Turn to page 3
Site of Caldwell's Store, later an evaporator
The late Chase Asquith
was a prominent Auburn
resident who left this
history as a legacy to
Auburn.
AUBURN HARDWARE
AND
FARM SUPPLY
Would to congratulate
AUBURN.ER1 25th
BEST WISHES IN THE FUTURE
AND
THANK YOU
FOR YOUR PAST PATRONAGE
THE SCHNEIDER FAMILY
AUBURN HARDWARE
526-7786 AND 526-7786
FARM SUPPLY
Happy
1 25th - Auburn
May Your Next 125 Years Be Even Better
George Wraith
Farm Machinery
RR 2 Goderich
Hwy> 8 East of Goderich
524-7351