The Lucknow Sentinel, 1983-06-29, Page 33Lucknow Sentinel, Wednesday, June 29, 1983—Page 9
Watched Caledonian games on grassy slope
•from page 8
rises abruptly to a considerable height.
The grassy slope of this hill made a
splendid viewpoint from which to watch
the exhibitions on the plain below. On
the west and north sides there was
erected a grand stand that would
comfortably accommodate four thous-
and people. Near the entrance to the
park was erected in 1883 Caledonian
Hall, a large octagonal frame structure.
This was the meeting place of the
Society, and for the purpose of holding
banquets and balls - features which
occupied the evenings of Caledonian
Games Day.
The early eighties marked the zenith
of the society's success. It is a feature of
the order of nature that every living
thing shall have a time of rise, a period
of greatest development and a time of
decline. The Caledonian Society had to
make the cycles In always going one
better it necessarily reached a point
when it could go no further. But the first
real set back came in 1885 when the
weather charm that had so long guarded
the second Wednesday of September
failed. Rain fell in . torrents from
morning until night. The, games could
not be held. There were no gate
receipts. Heavy, expenditures had been
made and there was no return. This
with the recent expenditures upon the
park and the hall was a heavy strain
upon the finances of the society. But the
men who had accomplished so much
were not easily beaten. The society
survived the misfortune and next year it
was proposed to hold the games as a
Dominion Day celebration. The change
of date was unfortunate. Dominion Day
did not have the drawing crowd of Cale-
donian Games Day and the crowd was
only a fraction of that of other years. For
three years after, the games were held
under Caledonian Society auspices, but
they never recovered from the shocks of
1885 and 1886. The spell had been
broken.
After 1889 the athletic games were
conducted by the Sons of Scotland, a
younger organization than the Caled-
onian Society, until 1896 after which
they were discontinued.
But though the Caledonian Society
ceased to hold its annual field day and
has retired into comparative obscurity,
it has never become defunct. As already
intimated it still exists, and it still holds
the title deed to Caledonian Park.
The idea that the Reunion just cele-
brated was managed by the Caledonian
Society, revived and reorganized, gain-
ed considerable currency during the
early period of promotion. Such, how-
ever, is not the case. The Reunion was
promoted by a committee of citizens
specially organized for that purpose.
The making of Caledonian Games Day
the big feature of the Reunion entertain-
ment was an appeal to the spirit ar.d
memory of the old days. It was a happy
thought; for the thousands who, as boys
and girls or young men and young
women went forth from Lucknow,
Huron and Bruce to the larger world,
Caledonian Games Day is the most
outstanding fact in their memories of
the Sepoy Town.
Survey of Lucknow business section in 1910
•from page 8
machine shop. The others are general
shops, with wood -working and carriage
painting and repairing, done in connec-
tion. One of the latter, on Ross street,
was for a number of years conducted by
Richard Webster, and is now the
property of James Helm; the other is
Charlie McKinnon's on Campbell
street.
On the extreme west of Campbell
street is the Planing Mill and Electric
Light plant, of Walter Stewart & Son,
pictured in another column.
'Two livery stables, one of these
conducted by John Blake, on Campbell
street, and the other by Allan McLeod,
on Inglis street, are each well equipped
with horses and vehicles, and have
become well known to the travelling
public. Perhaps, in the same connec-
tion, it would be appropriate to refer to
the genial 'Bus' man, Mr. Albert
Millson, who is such a humorous fellow
himself and carries such big loads of
commercial men to and from the G.T.R.
station every day.
Let us mention, also, Aaron Bennett,
Canadian Express ma►o and Produce
Merchant; Isaac Morrison, dray -man;
John Bennet, Wm. Woods and Robert
Snelgrove, painters, paper -hangers and
decorators; J. W. Henderson, Wm.
Fisher, and Neil Mclnnes, working and
contracting carpenters; John and Wil-
liam Murdoch, masons and brick -lay -
HAPPY BIRTIJDAY
LUCKNOW
Cliff's
Plumbing & Heating
I,tuekn oti' .528-.3913
Happy Birthday
on your
125th
Anniversary
Anderson Flax Ltd.
I ,,eknou'
.528-3203
ers; James Miller and John Watson,
cement contractors; James Henderson,
manufacturer of cement tile and blocks;
David Sherriff, Grain Dealer; W. Spind-
ler agent for Frost Fences; Thomas H.
Treleaven, proprietor of a Saw mill and
chopping mill, elsewhere referred to;
Thomas Irwin, Jas. Young, Wm. Hend-
erson, George Robertson, and Wm.
McKenzie, Live Stock Dealers; Miss
Boyd, Miss Woods, Miss Gaynor, Miss
McGregor, Mrs. Wm. Smith, Miss
Durnin and the Misses Bowman, Dress-
makers; Miss Pentland and Miss Arm-
strong, Milliners; and if we have then
omitted any names the omission is
unknown to us.
A Dry Goods store of modest
pretensions but carefully conducted is
that of Mendelsohn & Blitzstein. The
partners have been in business here for
nearly two years, and in that time have
increased their stock considerably be-
sides moving to their present premises
on Campbell street.
A large trade in Meats of all kinds is
done by Button Brothers. They came
here from Teeswater about a year ago,
and opened up in the shop formerly
occupied by James Smith. About a
month ago they purchased the business
of their opposition, across the street;
and now have sole control of the trade in
Lucknow.
—1910 Reunion Edition
The Lucknow Sentinel
Congratulations
To
Lucknow
On Your
125th Birthday
\ �; `N. ` .\��\ `\��`\ ` \tet
Ill
MANAGEMENT AND STAFF OF
Bain's Groceteria
Lucknow
528-3420