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The Wingham Advance-Times, 1967-06-29, Page 13k4eeits.e, „Zioiiaea#4,...#0, 4, r .?4"' pe,W1,44*-4,41w4. ie,174/ pe.0e4,1 ,ter &at-al-4440-g ,044-4444,e1,41-01",r".41)-7-14#4r4-14,,/ 1/0,a4Weed69/04.e.400,0e4 #4d, 4414'4440 ,O4Ve:e,e40 •44ri4ifee44000091,10,4,4f;T 4----e4,4441L4 .64.4elob 44, "14,,4r4e,eareaVe&zzooe-44,174e/e-4"ore reedeordu 4k,- ,4eart4 ai/aryeemeint`,...04Xien e4. 3 , „At ,44 forat,e4r-vea 40 -440771. 1*-,eutletAcsealasr.,,,,„„ r 04.1.4,40 laoreaaka logata4aaaaat.#<,14.4' day.- ONE HUNDRED YEARS ago last September Lots 19, 20, 21, Con, 1, Turnberry (B Line) were taken up by Joseph Walker and the farm has remained in the Walker fem.. ily since that time. This was the original frame house. LATER THE FRONT of the main part of the frame house was bricked and the waits made higher, a verandah added and a large addition built to the right. Mrs. Joseph Walker is seen seated on the right. Thomas Walker became the owner after his father' died and the farm is now owned by Thomas' son, Joe A. Walker. Fifty acres of the original farm now belongs to Bert Maxwell. THE ABOVE document was the agreement between the trustees of S. S. No. 3, Wellesley, and Robert Graham, teacher, signed in January 1863, The contract for one year was at a salary of $300 per year, to be paid at the end of the year, In 1872 Mr. Graham became publisher of The Wingham Times and equipped the first printing plant in Wingham. 3It WM 'Amore THAT WE JOIN IN WINGHAM'S CENTENNIAL SALUTE 1867 - 1967 Mt MO a S UI la • • Iliminimiiinsummminturnisewimmsimie Al•••1111.0 619.1?It Ford Engineers selected it because of its proved ability forForticeni to give perfect service under the severest road conditions hie* 75e —roetnoir.eriber this when replacing the plugs in your Ford Motor. Dealers everywhere Sell guaranteed Champion plugs for Fords and all other makes of cars. Look for "Champion" on the porcelain. The Champkin guarantee —"Complete matiafaction to the user —.Free repair—itepletement or Money Hack." Champion Spark Plug Co. of Canada, Limited Windsor. Ontario volom ILL .......... nig i„ rrr ^tlq pr c*,) Hatt ion 4;;ii,a0,140 1 e do • Dependable Spark Plugs are Standard Ford Equipment Since 1011—Champion " X" has been the exclusive Spark Plug equipment on every car turned out of the enormous Ford factory. re—IN 1.4 k Iv .ra4 .11 ''11111.nnr01r':".:::".1V.,:::::,:31%; 11'4111111 10B 11 1 1 1 11 1 R 11 1 1 rw S S UI MO UI I at IW This advertisement appeared in Maclean's Magazine in 1911. Seems Champion were well thought Of Way back, and they still are. We sell them, we know. EADMAN TEXACO so PHONE 357-3380 VICTORIA STREET looking west from Josephine: Griffin's Hotel on the left and Sextus Kent's store on the right be- fore the Kent Block was built. Note stumps in fore- ground where Readman's Service Station and Red Front parking lot are today. THIS HOUSE AND BARN stood on Victoria Street until 1961 when Harry Merkley purchased the property from Alex Hackett, had the buildings demolished acid erected the mOdern grocery store that stands on the site today, "Yup, we're one of the old-timers" THE OLDEST ESTABLISHED HARDWARE STORE IN TOWN, OUR BUSINESS WAS STARTED BACK IN THE 1810s BY THE LATE J. W. GREER. For almost 100 years the store has, through successive ownerships, been the HARDWARE HEADQUARTERS IN WINGHAM. WE'RE PROUD TO JOIN IN CONGRATULATING CANADA 1867 Progress anal Prosperity ---- 1967 ALEXANDER'S Gift Shop- and Hardware, Wingham vance*T lrrle.s. Tliu 6 We left Wingham, Ontario, my young bride and I, in Mara 1905, on a special ex= cursion train for the west, The journey took four days, There were several young couples and this kept things pretty lively. It was really quite a thrill to ride along behind the big iron horse as it puffed its way around the rocky cliffs of Northern On- tario, leaving a long wreath of black smoke behind, then on past the beauty spots of Lake Superior. It was a most unique and colorful experience for us. When we reached the city of Winnipeg we were glad to stop off for a few days' rest. We registered at a hotel on Portage Avenue. That was the first, and I think the only time, lev- er encountered bedbugs and they sure were in that hotel, They kept us awake at night. The next day we proceeded on to Arcola, Sask., the end of our rail journey. Then we had a 20-mile trek ahead of us. Across the prairies we went -- no fences, just open country everywhere. It was a fine place to get lost, which did happen occasionally. We finally got to our hold- ings in the Wilkes District where we were to make our home. It was pretty wild look- ing but after we got our house built and got settled it didn't look so bad, although it was no Garden of Eden after coming from Ontario. There were oth- er settlers within three miles and we soon got the run of things. The settlers didn't have any money to build a church but a Mr. McGuiness, one of the old- est settlers, lived in a large sod house so the missionary minis- ter held services there. Every- body went, regardless of what church he belonged to and the old sod kitchen was packed every Sunday. Later a frame school was built and church services were held there. I wonder how many of my readers have ever driven oxen. In my second year in Saskat- chewan I purchased a team of partly broken steers to do some plowing. Can you imagine a green Ontario youth behind a plow hauled by a team of stupid oxen? I had occasion to go to the nearest village for a stove. I hitched the oxen to the wagon. My wife decided to go along to do some shopping and of course, had to take the baby with her. On the way home we had to go down a hill. The oxen started to run and crashed through a wire fence, the only such fence in the entire district, I be- lieve. Well, there we were. If you know anything about ox- en you will agree that when an ox -stops he usually stays put un- til the spirit moves him. We finally got home, and some time after I drove that same team through the mighty Saskat- chewan River, not far from where the Outlook Power Pam is now, Have you ever been lost in desert country? I-have. Anoth- er chap and I were on a P- mile trip across country, in an open buggy, when night over- took us, Rain came on and it WAS very, very dark and we were hopelessly lost. The other chap was older and wiser than I. and he said the only thing to do was lie down until morning, We did just that. When Jacob of old went out of Beersheba he took a stone for his pillow, but we didn't even have that. A notable character in our district was a Swedish fellow by the name of Critrix. He car- ried the weekly mail from Ar- Hamlets of Morris Twp. A number of small Hamlets came into being in the early days, Bodmin on the 4th Con- cession, Sunshine on the 5th Concession, Bushfield on the `7th Concession, and Belgrave on the west boundary. Belgrave is the only survivor of the pass- ing of time. Of the four hamlets that came into being during those early days, Sunshine seemed to make the most progress, having a sawmill erected by Paddy Brown, and later sold to Isaac Rogerson, who operated it in conjunction with a chair fac- tory, and having the lumber teamed to the railroads at Brus- sels and Belgrave by Tom Haw- thorn, Mossie Clark and Morris McCasey. Sunshine also had a blacksmith shop, a combined general store and post office, together with a number of pri- vate dwellings. Mail was re- ceived from Belgrave twice weekly, continuing until the inauguration of rural mail de- livery in 1923. Milton Watson was the last'postm aster at Sun- shine. Bodmin, now entirely ex- tinct, was located on Conces- sion 4, Lot 9, and was quite a lively settlement, having the first grist and sawmill, erect- ed by William Harris, in the winter of 1853-1854. A lime kiln operated by Archie Nichol- son and Sons, furnished a great deal of the lime for building purposes in those days. The land being surveyed into town lots, a number of private dwell- ings were erected, including the Methodist manse, its first occupant being the Rev. Atkins. Bushfield was located on Concession 7, Lot 11, and con- sisted of a hotel, operated by Thomas Hollands, a combined general store and post office operated by James Newcombe. Robert Newcombe carried the mail on foot from Belgrave to Sunshine, thence to Bushfield, a distance of six miles. Bush- field is now entirely extinct, the cemetery being the only landmark. -- From History of Morris Township and Stories Re- lating to Pioneer Days 1856- 1956. cola to Weer Hill P.O. John Was a short Man. with stubby whiskers and a turned-up nose. To see him going along with his fur cap and mitts was enough to make one believe in evolution. I recall one very cold evening when old John called at my door, His whisky bottle was frozen and he couldn't get the cork out. After thawing out the Whisky at the stove and pouring him a good drink he was off again to complete his journey to the post office where many homesteaders were awaiting his arrival, anxious to receive a letter from home. The settlers, although com- paratively poor and living under primitive conditions, were for the most part very friendly and sociable. During the fall and winter months we had many get-togethers and dances. Driv- ing home in the cold morning wasn't so pleasant but we would be off again for the next social evening. Community sports day was quite an affair. This was held in a field just outside of Arcola. There was quite an assortment of conveyances such as oxen and wagon, horses and demo- crat, and many people on foot. Most of the ladies turned out with frills and rills, garden hats and long skirts. When the threshing machine made its rounds in the fall it was of great interest to all of us. With it came the old cook car and sleeping caboose which meant so much to the workers. Many, many stories could be told of the homesteaders in the west and the privations they endured. They were a fine lot of settlers. Many have gone to their reward but they surely paved the way for the next gen- eration. A letter to Joseph Stubbs The following letter was re- ceived by Joseph Stubbs, from his mother in England. This letter, dated 1850, is perhaps the oldest letter in Morris Towo- ship. George Procter, mentioned in the letter, was Charles Proc- ter's father, who came to Mor- ris Township about the same time. Joseph Stubbs and Charles Procter settled on adjoining lots 7 and 8, north half of conces- sion 5, and were grandparents of the present owners. Weeton, Dec. 5, 1850. My Dear Son, I take up my pen to write to you, though I feel a sort of fear that my letter may never reach you. I have been very uneasy about you ever since you went off, and your sisters and broth- ers have felt the same as my- self, anxious to hear how you had landed on a foreign shore, but I heard that a person living at Hirkby, named George Proc- ter, had received a letter from his son in America, so I went there to enquire if he knew any- thing of you, and it gave great relief to my mind to hear that you were so comfortably settl- ed among your own country- men. I feel grateful to God Al- mighty that he has guided you with his great providence to find out your own countrymen, instead of strangers to associate with and live among. I have had Jabez at home this Mart- mas. He is stopping again. We had two letters from your sis- ters, Sarah is still at Gool and talks of coming to America. Mary is living at a place call- ed "Rich Ball or Rice Park", near Hull. She is not very well, nor does not like her place much. Old Wm. Rawling is dead, they are going to build a church at Weeton. I think I have nothing new to tell you. I earnestly beg that you will not omit writing to us and let us know from yourself how you are getting on, and every particu- lar. While we are in the land of the living, let us communi- cate together by letter, if we can not meet face to face. I pray that God Almighty may prosper your undertaking and crown your efforts with success. Your sisters and myself are wait- ing anxiously and Jabez like- wise to receive a letter from you. We are all very well in health, and hope this will find you the same with repeated prayers for your health and wel- fare. I remain your most af- fectionate mother, Frances Stubbs. --From History of Morris Town- ship and Stories Relating to Pioneer Days, 1859-1956. Marriage licenses issued by Frank Paterson, No. 23, Vic- toria Street. No witnesses need- ed. -- Wingham Times, 1893. Messrs. Vanstone Bros. of Kincardine have bought the Marble Business of Mr. T. T. Watson, formerly carried on by W. Smyth. Mr. Watson, who has been running the business for the past year will represent us on the road. -- Wingham Times, 1893. Reminscing on early days of homesteading in Saskatchewan