The Huron Expositor, 1968-10-31, Page 19For severty-five years
we've been saying
"Happy Birthday Seaforth”.
And nothing makes us happier.
4
Ham* Hundredth.
TORONTO -DOMINION
The Bank where people make the difference.
Sitaforth Band On Para
The '33rd Battalion Band stands proudly at attention for
the photographer. The band is facing west in the middle of
Market Street in front of what then was the Market Build-
ing and Town Hall. The buildings straight ahead to the east
on Main Street are located on th6 site of the present Town
Hall which was built in 1893. A portion of the existing Syncro
.1_rliuguration of Railway
Brings Land
(From the Huron Atlas of 1879)
Referring to Seaforth, the At-
las says:
This flourishing incorporated
town may be justly described -as
one of the most prosperous and
progressive °La section of coun-
try *here prosperity and prog-
ress have been the order of the
day. Not manyyears ago, and
within the memory of even the
"rising generation," the spot,
which now marks the existence
of this centre of trade and in-
dustry—now one of the most
important places, in a commer-
cial point of view, in Western
Onbrio—was a dense and al-
most impenetrable forest, echo-
ing back the scream of wild
fovvl and the croak of reptiles,
the only inhabitants of what has
since then been transformed in-
to the beautiful embryo Sea -
forth we now see it.
Without any natural advan-
tages of position, and with the
actual disadvantages of what
was in the early days considered
an inferior tract of land—from
being comparatively low, and
therefoire more difficult to
bring tinder the subjection of
the husbandman—this spot was
passed by unheeded by, thou-
sands who, to use a commO'n ex-
pression, "went further to fare
worse." Its lowness constituted
a seriouS impediment also to
any approach to a "settlement"
at this point; and other places
grew apace, and prospered too,
on all sides, and within such
easy distances, that none ever
dreamed of a great future in
FEATURNG A COMPLETE LINE OF .
• Stationery Supplies • Gifts and Gift Wrappings
• Greeting Cards — Coutts Hallmark, Rustcraft, & Norcross
• Novelties • Games
• Children's Wear b Hosiery
• Books, etc.
• Sewing Supplies
LARONE'S
STATIONERY and GIFTS
PHONE 527-1960
SEAFORTH
‘1,
store for the "Guide Board
Swamp," as the place was fami-
liarly known, from the fact that
there then stood for many years
at the "four corners" a post and
fingerboard, pointing towards
Egmondville, Ainleyville (now
Brussels), and Goderich, show-
ing the direction and number
of miles to each place.
The first who ever had the
courage to settle in 'the swanip'
was Andrew Steene, who locat-.
ed on Lot 26,-C 1, McKillop,
at an early did `.in the history
of that township. Ile made a
clearing and built a log house
on the southeast corner of the '
lot, which was the first and for
a great many years the 'only
human habitation on what now
comprises the Town of Seaforth.
This house stood until quite re-
cently as originally built. but
Combustion building can be seen at the left. Members of the
band who can be identified are, (left) Chas. Stewart, band-
master; Mac McLeod; Wm. Freeman- Harold Broadfoot; 'Jack -
Murray; Frank Faulkner; Seymour atson; Tom Scott; Archie
Barton; George Cardno; Thos. Murray; Billie' McLeod; Jack
Campbell; Ed. Walsh, bruin Major; James Anderson, drum.
"41
Speculation
was destroyed- by fire latelY; a
part of it, the oldest landmark
of the place, yet remaining in
the condition of a ruin.
At a very early day, Lot 11,
Con. -1, in Tuckersmith, was pur-
chased from the Canada Com-
pany by one McGregor, who
took up his reSidence further
west on, the Huron Road, bey-
ond Harpurhey, clearing some
10 acres, however, on the corn-
er where .Carmichael's hotel
inow stands; and after this a-
mount of improvement was
linade upon the place, he offered
,the whole hundred acres for
$450, and Without a purchaser
for a long time, but finally dis-
posed of jt, at abourthat figure
to Christopher Snarling.
Shortly after this, Andrew Mc-
Kearnan, an Irishman, purchas-
ed three acres on the northeast
Salt Big •Business
Ninety Years Ago
,„(from The Huron Atlas of 1879)‘•
Manufacturers claim a large
—share of attention, the Atlas
says." The silt interest is of
course the chief. Probably the
largest of the salt concerns (of
which there are three very ex-
tensive ones here' is that of
Coleman and Gouinlock, who
fi,rst developed the salt " interest
of the place by discovery of the
existance of brine in 1868. Its
pressence had been more than
suspected by scientists for some
years previously, but its actual
development gave Seaforth an
impetus which formed the most
- importanat epoch in the -history
of its development. The firm of
Coleman and Gouinlock cons-
tantly employ between 60 and
75 men about their work, inclu-
ding saw -mill, cooperage, etc.,
about one-half the number be-
ing engaged in salt solely. The
capacity of this Company's
works is 500 barrels per day,
but they only average abont
half that amount for want of a
market—none of their product
(of any extent) being shipped
further east than the local
points for which Toronto is the
distributing centre, though they
send the finer brands in limit-
ed quantities to St. John and
Halifax. Their establishment is
known as the Seaforth , Salt
'Works. .•
^Next in order of capacity are
the Eclipse Salt Works, owned
and operated by Gray, Young
and Snarling, employing cons-
tantly 20 to 25 men, and turning
out 250 to 300 barrels per day.
The Merchants' Silt Co., of
which Mr. A. Armitage is the
manager, have about the same
capacity and do a like amount
of business, or Very nearly as
mtith.
The great advantage of Sea -
forth over Goderich as a salt
panufacturing depot consists in
,the comparative abundance and
cheapness of fuel at the former
place, The convenient location
for puooses of shipment of all
The "salt blocks" to the 0.•T. R.
track's, and the §herter distance
•
to market. The latter advantage
is almost immaterial, howeVer,.
though the first are of such im-
mense:importance to the points.
interested that they have paral-
yzed the entire trade and crip-
pled the prosperity of the.coun-
,ty town, to the corresponding
benefit of its more lucky rival.
The capital invested in the
above three "blocks" is over
$100,000, and it requires an ad-
ditional sum of nearly like a-
mount to ruh the buiiness; be-
sides an additional business; be-
sides which, most of the salt
men have very.large properties
.in lands throughout the country
from which to draw their fuel
supply. To the county and the
country at large the salt indust-
ry -is a most important one, but
to Seaforth It is, as it were, the
essence. •
The milling interest is un-
doubtedly the one of next great-
est importance. Messrs. Ogilvie
and Co., of Montreal, Waller
Marshall of Stratford and Cur-
rie and Thompson of Miteliellv.
all have extensive flouring mills
here; which, together with the
mills of the Messrs. Charles-
worth at Egmondville, form a
very important factor in the
milling interests of Ontario now
grown to such immense propor-
tions. In addition to the above
there is a large oatmeal mill,
which adds its quota to the for-
eign exports.
There are also two foundries,
two cabinet factories, two stave
factories, a couple of pump fac-
tories, two planing mills, two
steam sawmills, six carriage fac-
tories, ten blacksmith shops and
three pork -packing establish-
ments and last but not least in
the line of manufactures, the
Seaforth Flax Mills, This latter
industry, which is comparative-
ly a new one, isheginning to as-
sume very large proportions in
the country, and we here see aq
establishment which can com-
pare favourably with any of the
large number %vial.' have
sprung up on" all sides within
the past decade.
, 00,
„
corner of the lot, and erected
a log tavern on the very spot
now occupied by Carmichael's
hotel. This was the second habi-
tation and the first public -house
in the place. The above two
houses were the only ones here
till the inauguration of the Buf-
falo, BraiitfOrd and Goderich
Railway, afterwards the Buffalo
and Lake Huron. About this
tiine great activity was evinced
in speculation in lands in the
vicinity of the supposed line of
the proposed railway. Under
. .
this excitement, the balance of
McGregor's lot was purchased
from Mr. Sparling by Messrs.
Patton, Bernard and LeFroy,
professional men from the. east,
who at once surveyed the whole
lot into -a town plot, and
through whose entreprise Sea -
forth received its first impulse.
THE HUR9
Xr01$111211t PORTH„.
31, 1944449,
SinfO'ere
Congratulations
-tb
•
to tho town of Se
• forth on thetr One
Jinndredth .DJrt
day and:to the Aur,
'On EXpefiltOr for
sendng jhi tOwn.
duririg apse One
Hundred years of
progress.
Best wishes for
the years ahead.
Bob McKinley, M.P.
Huron
Cangratulations
SEAFORTH.
and a
happy
future
411=11011EINIMC
channel
8 television
radio 92
ff•
CONGRATULATION SEAFORTH 1
ON YOUR FI,RST,100 YEARS
WE ARE PROUD TO BE PART OF IT
WE FEATURE IMPORTED GOODS SUCH AS . .
—BLANKETS —TAPESTRIES —TABLECWTHS
—GREAT CHOICE OF UNDERWEAR
—COMPLETE SELECTION OF "SCHEEPJE-S" WOOL
—SLIPPERS —AND MANY MORE ITEMS
AIN STRgET, VARIETY
"THE LARGEST SELeCTION OF IMPORTEO-GOOOS IN HURON COUNTY'
SEAPORTH ONTARIO