HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1979-06-28, Page 37Auburn has its first feud.
from page 2
the river pasture farm
now owned by George
Powell, and started to
excavate on the east side
of the river.
The first pier on the
new bridge on this side is
in the centre of this ar-
tificial channel, which
Vanstone contemplated
building as a race for a
new mill. The newly
constructed dam flooded
the channel and Vanstone
was successful in suing
Elkin for damages. .
Elkin appealed the
award and won, but
Vanstone took the case.
into court again and
secured over $3,000
damages which he
registered against
Elkin's estate. Elkin lost
the case because his
lawyer was aware that
the first mill to locate on
a stream had prior
claims.
Undaunted, Elkin and
his sons proceeded to
make enough money to
pay off the damages, but
to add to their misfor-
tune, the river Maitland
swept away the clay dam.
Nothing now remained
for Mr. Elkin but to ad-
vertise the mill property
for sale. It was purchased
the same year, 1869, by a
miller, John Cullis of
Victoria County. Cullis
was then 99 and the father -
of a large family of boys.
With their aid, he
proceeded to build a new
stone and timber dam
which, with the exception
of a new concrete top, is
as it was built 75 years
ago.
A short distance below
the grist mill, a water -
powered saw mill was
constructed. The water to
run the saw• mill was
diverted through a
sluiceway just above the
grist mill into a pond
which fed the saw mill
water wheel. Later, a
steam engine was in-
stalled in the saw mill
and both steam and water
power were used.
For many years, the
Cullis people had
hemlock logs brought
down the river each
spring. John Sturdy was
foreman of the log
drivers, who included Alf
Asquith, George Sturdy,
Jack Clark, Dobie
brothers and others.
A pier was built above
the dam and a boom was
run from the head of the
race to the pier and then
across the river. This
boom held the logs in
storage from going over"
the dam and allowed
them to run down the
race as required. At the
lower end they were fed
through the sluiceway
and into the pond at the
back of the grist mill
from where they were
taken into the saw mill.
No one was more
pleased to see John Cullis
and his sons succeed than
Eneas Elkin himself. He
always spoke very highly
of any transactions he
had with the Cullis
people. They had a happy
faculty of getting along
well in business and the
writer cannot recall ever
hearing of any squab-
bling connected with any
of these transactions.
Shortly after Mr. Elkin
settled •in Hul'lett, Mr.
John McDonald (no
relative of Sheriff or
Stout McDonald) took up
the farm to the east now
owned by Wellington
Good. In the early 60's a
young Irish carpenter,
Samuel Caldwell, arrived
in Manchester. One of his
first tasks was building a
new frame house on the
Elkin homestead. The
next year, he built a new
house on the McDonald
farm. Nearly all the
operations were per-
formed by hand. These
were two of the first
frame farm houses to .be
built in this vicinity. The
staircase in the
McDonald home is a
piece of fine craft-
smanship.
In 1866, Samuel
Caldwell built the house.
where C. Nivins resides
and three years later he
built a fine. new " store
where the evaporator
stood.
Mr. and Mrs. Elkin had
a family of 11 children.
John and George left for
the U.S. after the sale of
the mill property.
Murray left for the U.S.
also. He is now a very old
man and resides at Enid
Okla and is the only
member of the family
now living.
Of the girls, Julie
married William King;
Katherine married John
Mellen; Mary Jane
married George . Main
prize; Emma married
Edward Cummings;
Naomi married William
Robertson; Annie
marred John Reid;
Unice and Elizabeth were
unmarried.
•Elkin was rather small
of stature, rather skinny
but bestowed with an
amazing -. amount of
energy. His grandson
Elmer ___Robertson
resembles him.
After selling the grist
mill, he farmed suc-
cessfully for many...years
and on retiring, sold his
farm to John McDonald's
son, Andrew. The
McDonalds took great
pride in the upkeep of
their farms and Elkin in
his later years had the
satisfaction of seeing his
old place well formed. tin
retiring, he built the
home now owned by Mrs.
C. , Straughan. There is
somewhat of a coin-
cidence here as Mrs.
Straughan moved to the
old Elkin homestead as a
bride.
Eneas Elkin died in
1895 at the age of 82.
Elkin was a highly
respected gentleman and
the writer can recall only
one remark reflecting on
his personality and that
perhaps not adversely.
The question has often
been asked why the
school established in
Manchester in 1858 was
removed to its present
site in 1870. Strange to
say this question has
never been answered
satisfactorily. However,
one older citizen some
years ago ventured the
opinion that the reason
the school was moved
was because Elkin was
too lenient toward those
who demanded its
removal.
CONGRATULATIONS
AUBURN
ON YOUR
125th
Anniversary
DAVE
HAYLOW
ELECTRICAL
Industrial, Commercial, Residential
524-6038
PAGES
Elkin's first -gristmill
CONGRATULATIONS
TO THE
VILLAGE OF AUBURN
ON YOUR
125th Anniversary
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