The Goderich Signal-Star, 1974-08-08, Page 3•
• by `'
THELMA COLEMAN,.
STRATFORD
FOREWARD
The County of Perth and the
city, of _Stratford both passed a
by-law in.1973 establishing the
Perth County Historical Board.
One of the purposes of this
board w`as to promote the
history .and heritage of Perth
County and the Huron Tract.
Toward that end the Historical
Board presents the following
four chapters of the Story of
theiGanada Company which
covers the. Huron Tract.
Canadian history • has too
'eldom been brought to life by
Canatl'ian writers. Our-
„Canadian
ttr",Canadian character and
culture:, conditioned by our
'climate and. historical ex-
perience'is supposed to be un-
sensetional, • No violent
revolutions or civil wars have
occurred in this part of
Canada and the Canadian at-
tituee pis based on a 'steeclfast
belief in maintaining and im-
proving our past way°'of life.
The following four chapters
are presentr:d Fle)t (ls un
historical treatise but ci'sti story
that has 'captured the spirit of
adventure and enterprise that
uralle whet the interest .-
motivated our .forefathers. It is .
an inspired enterprise, horn
and nurtured •150 ; years ago
and the story commemorates
the founding of the Canada
Company whioh had its first
business meeting• on July 30,
1824. The Canada Company's
Idrgest settlement in Ontario
was the Huron Trac.; which
consisted of 1,100,000 acres.
Most of Huron end Perth
Counties today consist of
townships surveyed and settled
by the Canada Company. Mid-
dlesex and Lambton Counties
also share portion's of the
Huron Tract. '
These chapters 'made
available by Perth County
Hisotical Board, Stratford,
PART.I •
• Why •do people, leave their
homeland 'and ,emigrate_to
another country? Today,,'the .
conditions 'people are migrating
from are vastly different than
they were in the-1800's;'but the'
reason is still the same as it
was overtone hundred and forty
years ,ago when people carne to
settle on the lands of Huron
• and Perth Counties, -,owned by
the Canada Company• • •
A They -emigrate because they
OFFBEAT
BY BILL DIMMICK
e
GQDERICI-f SIGNAL -STAR, THi,IRSDAY, AUG(1ST 8, 197 -:-P ,QE.
.a a A
4.4
hope to find a better way oflife,
a new life. The early- settlers
came'so that, at last, they could
own apiece of land. 'They could •..
have a home of their own; and
it still appears to dbe deep-
rooted `in Canadians today to
own their own homes.
"We can best appreciate the
present in the ,light of the past,
and in the same light we can
realize the measure of our duty
and obligations towards the
future.”
To understand the conditions ,
that led people to emigrate in
the thousands, making it,
pos:sible`for a Company such as
the Canada Company • to be
formed,,we,will follow the light
of the past to the port of
Greenock, in Scotland,' in the
year 1972. Three -people,
unknown. to one another at that
time, were in Greenock in 1792
and each would 'play a
significant role in the forming
of the Canada.Company in the
years ahead. These were: John
Galt, fonder of the Canada
Cormpan; (Dr.) William
(Tiger),QDunlop, •whose tomb at
Goderich, Ontario, crests,,_,S hill
overlooking the L,akeron he
lowed so well, The third man is,
Father Alexander Macdonell,
later to become the first Roman
Cathel'ie- Bishop of Upper
. Canada.
.John; Galt, born at Irvine,
Ayrshire, Scotland, May 2,
17,79, was ten years old when
his father, a . sea • captain
• decided to move his family 'to
the thriving emigration' port of
Greenock. John loved, to climb
the hills and look to the distant
' highlands; and down below, on
• the Firth of Clyde, he watched
the . ships' corning from• and,
goi'rg to, many distant lands.
He saw the boats. loaded with
displaced'Sci)ttish Highlanders
who would be trying to make a '. me
Has the Ontario- government changed' much • since 1837? p
I went to see theatre Passe. Muraille's performance• of the
Farmers' Revolt 1837 last Wednesday expecting an o,ti"j;stan-'
ding perfornanee. The acting company met and surpassed
my expectations with a fine. performance about the arrogant
acid corrupt''Family Compact which ruled Upper' Canada
during the early period of settlement in' this province.
The farmers found they could take no more of the op-
pressive:rule which- was pushing their facies into,the dirt they
farmed.
Led by William Lyon MacKenzie, :they'revolted only to be .'p
'crushed.
In.Ontario now, we face.a Tory government. as those far-
mers faced. one many years ago. Perhaps we are not'op-
pressed, but -the government is certainly arrogant. _
A government that promised more local autonomy several
years ago has moved towards more centralization in the last
few years. ,
�--The . most recent example is the Mustard Report, the nanl'e
attached to the Ontario , government task force rep'ort- •on
health planning. If the -report is implemented it would
wrench- control of health services from county health units
and form large district health` councils. -
Huron County would be lost in the change as .polici.es
'Would be set by a council representing a district with about`
550,000 people.
County officials here fear that a representative of the just
over 50,000 .people' from Huron County would not have •
much say. in policy decisions.
They argue wisely that this county is different from the ur-
banized areas in the proposed district: '
7b Needs of an urban community are certainly different front
those of rural county. •
` Regionalism is ,certainly a force which threatens Canadian
unity,, but meeting the needs of particular areas is not
regionalism. : • ' , .
•
land, and they experimented Coai was,needed to produce of'tguaranteed annual income"
With sheep. The' Highland steam; and ,Coal mines were but, because there was no •
&.seep• we're small; but in opened in Scotland, Wales and` "min,imuin wage law" at that
England a sheep was bred that England. The 'power loom time the manufacturers took
became "the great sheep." This made it possible to concentrate advantage ,pf this 'law, by
was the Chevio 'sheep and In
people in factories and to paying a very low ..wage;
1792forever called in manufacture ' goods in large knowing the.. rest would. be.
Scotland ' "The Year ' of the quantities. - made up by the government.
Sheep" - it was proven that • This meant that t▪ he cottage This kept millions of people at
this brand watts,
could -weavers lost their jobs. In the a bare subsistence level and a
withstand the, rigours of the factories people worked. for man "has not the moat distant •
Highland winters, produce twelve to fourteen hours a day, hopes et ever: attaining in -
more and better meat, and under very poor Working con- , dependency, let;,him be as in-
more
wool, ditiuns. Then it was discovered dustrious and frugal as he may
The Highland Chief who irfi that automatic machines could be."
ported these sheep did so be operated by women and Letters were arriving in
thinking he could help his small children, and; the men Great Britain from Canada;
tenants, but like any goad .thing were out •of work. and it was in these letters that
that makes money, everybody o In the coal mines the . the depressed and overworked
wanted to take part' in it, and working conditions were far people saw- a ray of hope:
soon the Highlands were worse than the factory con- "Those not afraid of hard work
covered with Cheviot sheep. ditions. Women and little .girls, will • prosper", they wrote,
The tenant farmers (,who had' worked for 12 to `14 hours a "There 'is land here for the
been the Chieftans warriors - day, dragging carts in fhe' owning: a house of your own
-they, and. their ancestors for mines, and climbed steep tad- making and plenty of food,"
' generations untold) were now ders with heavy buckets:of coal. - Land, awhome of their own,
forced to leave the land. on their .backs. x and plenty of food! No wonder
These. Highland people Low wages and' penniless the people of the- Old World
wan-
dered the roads, coming.south, people were becoming an in- looked towards Canada as the
a destitute and homeless ~creasing problem and the land of golden prontise:
people: Many came to the port government 'was .finally com- One letter from a settler, ex:
of Greenock. And here, many pelted to pass a law in 1796 for plained Why: the people were
"thousands of Highlanders were "Poor 'Relief," '"If a man did • leaving Great ,Britain in the
to wait for boats to take 'them not make a certain .amount, his" early 1800'&: "The first
to. Canada. - wages would be made up by the and bv' far the most prominent
"Emigrations", wrote ,John Government," This.was a form one is privation, and its con -
Macdgnald of Glenalladale,.
from Greenock before he 'left
with a group of Highlanders to
settle in Canada, "are like to
demolish the Highland Lairds,
and very deservedly."
During these years, rapid
changes, were taking'place in all.
parts ,of Great Britain. The in-
ventions»that. brought 'midden
change should have made •the•
life of the majority .of people
easier, but instead brought ut
ter chaos to millions; and for
others, immense wealth.
In 1.792 the Society o,f the
'Friends of the People was for
di England, to promote
home in Canada; • I ' the reform of Parliament; and
He was thirteen in the, year the oppressed' people • in
1792' when an ernigtanit ship Scotland rioted against_ the
loaded with :Highlanders was inhumanity 'of their jobs and
wreckbd and the survivors were their living conditions. "A.
brought to Greenock.' A young universal spirit of reform was
Roman • Catholic • missionary sweeping the country." •
from Glengarry; by the name of here were 'young Men, at
• ,Alexander Macdonell ' was at tht'tirne; who were deeply -con'
Perthshire when he heard of cerned about the conditions of
their plight. He hurried to the "oppressed" people. A
Greenocjk and found the people famous students' Club was for -
in a , destitute condition. ' He , med. at 'Edinburgh University,
• spoke to the University to discuss• the social conditions.
Professors and the. manufac- ''of the time. (Sir) Walter Scott,.
turers and was. able to obtain _ (the novel.itit) and, his friend,
• employment ,for 600 of the the tall,, handsome Thomas
Highland men. • ' Douglas (later to become the
:At Greenock, in that year of Earl of Selkirk) were rieinhers
.1792, a little boy was born .to ,of this club. . •
the Dunlop .,family. They These; too, were the days of.
christened •him William. •, .He the Scottish Ploughman poet,
was destined to become Dr. Robert .Burns, walkingthe
Willia.m 'Tiger' •Dunlop, • a paths by Irvine, writing 'about
friend of John Galt in Great his Ayrshire people. ,
,Britain and Canada, and War-
den of " the Forests for the,
- Canada Company.
This was atime of. drastic
change for Scotland Ever since
the battle of Culloden Moor
whenthe-lighla,nd Chiefs were.
ddfeated, Scotland [Was in a
state of turmoil. The Chieftans •
were reduced to landlords over
their Highland lands,, and,their
warriors became the tenant far-.
niers. Previously money did not
play'a.n important role but now,
they_,, needed" `to. raise money
becausethey were ddenly,
catapultesu
d from their own stylet
• of Highland living into the •
sophisticated ways of English
In 1837,, the Kamily Compact ignored the needs of the
mer settlers Who asked . for roads to 'markets,' schools for
their children and •an end to corruption_ in land sales. Now,
the farmers' needs in health care are threatened.'
This certainly is not as critical a problem as,those farmers
• • faced :in 1837 but .the•principle is the same, ,
County official's offer an,alternative•,to the government if
the Mustard reportis implemented. They .would like a
district created of predominately rural counties. It would in- •
elude •Huron, Bruce,. Grey : and Perth, that would
A much more logical district than the one now
pint Huron gCounty' farmers in the same group as office
workers in Lortdon,
The government has asked municipal officials to lodge ,
reactions to thereport by September. The reaction of Huron
County Council has 'not. been, lodged vet as council. will not
meet until August'12. '
Council's reaction is obvious already•although the wor-
ding used is subject to debate, •
The' Ontario government Will have the chance to prove it
has become less arrogant than the Family Compact of Upper
Canada. It has to' listen -to the wishes of an elected' cocinty
• council and act according to the"wishes othe people.
•
and , European. society. -There
was�a demand for beef and the
tenants were, told to .leave the
lands and seek work in the
cities. Black -cattle 'were
pastured on the hillsides where
the tenant farms had been.
• The demand for meat grew
and'men-from the south leased
land from the Highland Chiefs
and in many°.cases bought the
ore People" Save:
TOP - TENDER,
Round Steak,
LEAN - SIDE.STYLE
Bacon
CENTER SLI?ED
Loin Prk � Chops
DROP IN AND GET YOUR
Q
Bar -B. Chickens
t1,19 LB.
1.'O9LB
$1.19
-4
Freezer Sp ec al: Sausage 1'0 L 59c LB.
At.
The
Bread 8/89c
(wlih every in rchtttse) 2
'MARKET„,,
LTD,
ON THE SQUARE
5244551, :.
In 1793 France declared war
against Great Britain and the
long impetus of war with
Napoleon Bonaparte began.
This ; Was, the, world that the
boy, John Galt; vas growinglip
it. . At sixteen -he became a clerk
in the Customs House., He was
described as a tall boy, with jet
black hair. His eyes were sharp,
and, at times, .humorous. His
nosewas straight. He had a
long .upper lip and finely roun-
ded chin. As his pictures show,
he was a handsome.youth. He'
loved to write,to dreanio to
plan -scientific improvements.
He dreamed that when hegrew
up he would do something im-
portant, that he,,wiiuld become
a great .man, and 'benefit the
world. And as he wrote, in later
-years, vie' realize that his youth-
ful years, his thoughts were'tur-
ned to Canada. "For' the
business, I was perhaps, not.
unqualified" ', John Galt wrote,
(in referring to his position as
Superintendent for the Canada
Company), "for the settlernen`t
sequent ' distress, The chief
Source of the evils complained
of is the accumulating., of im-.
mense wealth. into yJarge
Masses; virtually 'monopoli'zing
.(since the introduction of steam .
power and 'other modern
machinery) the means and
sources of the middle and lower
classes. •
Is it not a notorious fact that
large landed proprietors buy all
the small farms and lots, of
land they can. Made. them into
large farms, on je.aseholder,
and others out of work;
leaseholders to make a farm
pay, employ few labourers, so
labourers also are on the job
market.,
The increasing use of
machines operated by steam.
power tends to throw "town
workers out • of employment,
swelling the number whose eyes
are turned to Canada."
In Ireland too, there was lit-
tle farm land, few manufac-
tering industries and the
population had become too
large for the size of the country.
Sometimes • a landlord would
ship some of his tenants to
Canada; and,• at times, the
government gave aid.
Colonel . Thomas Talbot,
•
.r
member of„ Irish nobility° who
had seen service in Canada
with Governor Simcoe; retur-
ned to England' and applied for
a land., grant "and the govern-
ment gave him the Township of
Dttriwich bordering Lake Erie,
He arrived to start settlement
of this land in May, 1803. He
built a log castle, outlined
terms for settlement 'and soon
had a thriving community of
hardworking people, who short
years before had rio hope of
ever owning 'a piece of land in
the Old World.
In this year of 1803, Thomas.
Douglas, who was now the Earl
of Selkirk, could carry out the
plans made during his Univer-
sity days. He petitioned the
government for land for a set,-
tlement,' in Canada;. and was
granted a large tract of land in,
Prince Edward Island and here
he brought his. eight hundred
colonists; paying their j assd
money out of his own pocket.
• Arid then the Glengarry
Father Alexander 'Macdonell.
and the shipwrecked Highlan-
ders he settled in Greenock,
some eleven years ago, and who
have since fought in the
Napoleonic, wars, came back
(continued on page 4)
•
•
9 P •
Retiring ohief,librarian of the Huron County Public. Library, •
MisssEthel Dewar, glances over the literature accumulated
through, her efforts in acquiring a Canadiana section in the
ewarretiring
o er
?r,affair
•
with'Huron.toonty
• library, Miss Dewar has reached the end of her' formal em-
ployrnent as a professional librarian,and•describes her term
P in .Huron: County as, the.'best' of her career. (staff photo)
- �� � � - � � mediately• contact the Kit -
Huron
°'•
librarian "for- the �T centre library for the Lambton ° work of book lending' is on ,honer Public Library.' If that
The chief , �
Huron County library is Kent Compgs;ite'- School in Lighthouse Street in Goderich chener does rat have the that
retirin at the end of August of-- Dresden. t • and the- planning for' the stnaj.Nibrary
g t Miss.; D`ewar's arrival " in' office .,has" ac `eyed maximum then the Regional office- wtould
ter four years of faithful service_ ,_„ he telexed and.they, in ••turn,
and there is.a possibility that a Huron County was timed with use .for the reatively limited
• the' retirement 'of the book space: It is here • that Miss could draw on the national
large number of people in theP resources' in Ottawa The. book
• county • did not know who, she mobile that had carried over ' Dewa•r's. talent and experience
1,000 books to readers has blossomed. •
could he located arrd `sent out
was or what her job entailed. ahead
• , Dewar had the throughout' the 1,county sine The quarters on. to Goderich. Miss Ethel Li thouse Sty et 'is�taffed by ..These efforts of Miss • Dewar
reins of the library' handed to '1947. The rolling library, gh Ne and .her efforts
to" modernize thea
her.,in.'1970 and Since then has' reputedly one of the first of its, six, people, Chief Librarian, a library system have. proven en to
° kind in Canada and dubbed Library Technician, a cecretary h
.steered it through a complete `' and three . • librart•' .assiaGtants. bp -extremely successful and the
.change ir% distribution system • '`'Miss Huron", was replabed by:
a station' wagon delivery van The purpose of the centre is to -., chief librarian' is chore than
and has'planned end ini}iatedsatisfied with •bey ficial` efforts- •
• the library's new, headquarters ,and a new distribution system.• control the flow' of the 'nearly in the. field. She regards hes
On
d 200 000 books owned bv the
Lighthouse 1 d t •county These hooks are con
"n The new system require no,opo
work in Goderich as "a mar -
Shy and humble, Miss Dewar hooks to be selected avelldus experience."
most people imagine a t •t stantly being moped from one p
is what mo .p p g ' nth to, another through the ,g
she headquarters and sent ou o here," said,
librarian tl be and yet there is the various branches rather bra g
•v, t tobe
�'Workin
•headquarters `and all new "has been' the happiest period
of colonies had been with m, evidence everywhere that she.is than a. quantic sen out
''long an object of study, in -capable of planning, organizing , 'selected locally. old to this the publications purchased • are of my• profession 1, life. i °'can
which, without being able to planning of the. new .headquar? processed here. , only thank the-people,..,for the
assign any.reaso» for the bias, I. and°putting in motion herideas p g happiness. They Fare so, warm
of what changes are necessary tors a,nd; the move; from the A system of sliding ;,helves
had from' boyhood ever a basement of the'Court House to band •friendly and the office staff
to give residents of Huron purchased . at. Miss Dewar' here is second to none,"
hankering." ' . `" County good library service. Lighthouse -Street and it is ob- request allows for maximum
t try ' M', , D is ta•lents Miss' Dewar will Ix:leaving
use of ti
into the 1800's was very dark Her first jot in a library was .would be' put to the test. are mounted on rollers and can her Bayfield home to returli`to.
The turning or
the tent v�ou� that iss ewe a of fluor'�pace The ghelveg i
.. for many thousands of working , to ,her hometown of Iiell'e llle
7i Improving the book titles in he moved ac.ros the room so Belleville. She summered in
people, fa/the the destitute and for where; she sold books for that there is only One aisle in Bayfield for three years prior to
the homeless. For some of these cents an hour. During this stork inothe libraries lis a con' use at anygiven, time. joining the county staff and,
thousands, the new century period she was in training to• Stant .challenge and Miss
`would br"in a bright dawning -add-a Library Degree to the Dewar has systematically Miss Dewar has scoured the consequently was familiar with .
g d • Bachelor of,.. Arts 'Degree shfe - weeded alit the worn out Site laves the lit
book- catalogues' since her life in Huron.. °
° in a pew len p arrival here and has put tle village dearly and has a
• This was the era when• the received in iiniversity. After holdings and re laced" them
together an extensive history of great number of friends there
Industrial L2evottftion 'was completing library school she. with popular literature and a the county that she calls her that she hopes to wine and
gaining mornentum, ' and -we ="', was promoted to Children's to date reference material. a
'today, are still rushifig along Librarian at then ,Belle�'ille The library serves 1,29.5~ Canadians section. The. visit regularly. Her retirement
upby James . Public Library and then moved miles, and over 50x000 people, literature covers all facets of gift, from 'the library 'l oard was• ,
the pat opened James largely rural. 'Ther are five life iri th°e^county irlchtr1ing far- a Jack McLaren -painting of�the
Watt's' ationary stet{m ern me ,on the chief Librarian. / ming tbooks froth the last ten- Bayfield pier. She says she will
,of- 1765 • 1782; Henry Cores She has devoted her life's town. branches in,Goderich
di, cove)ry of the process of pud- work to library work and -has Clinton, S eafo 4h Wingham
tury. treasureShe leaves the painting
ountylirr Se
p-
•
tt'eter. T The headquarters also servesp- .
• dling iii iron smelting:- 1783; Teen very successful ' in the lz and I:
rtwri ht'spower loom. field, She has served as chief village libraries and 14 deposit as a resource centre since no tember but she feels her new
and Ca g Victoria,stations located in halls, homes one branch has adequate staff, . lodgings in Belleville are rather;
These are that a 'few e . ;the in Clibrarian in. Cornwall,
Pubic orq[s cr'ate small quarters and or resources to handle the job. unique. "My new horn is only'.` '.
vent ions mae giant County ,.and are open frim three to eight If s reader wishes to borrow a two blocks from the -Belleville
strides in manufacturing
coming
of the 1''700's. ' system had set tip a reaotrir' v ' 1 - °
oma. °
t r1 ° f g Libraries and lust prior to 1 Public Library where my career
possible, elt�iring,. the later part mi g tothe Huroi (•'dusty hour. per week. N) book • that the county library
Headquarters for this,,,,,n,. does not have they can int- began,”
ra
r; A