By Robert J. Foley
[Regional Shopping News, 11 April 1990]
From Map in “Travels in Canada and the United States in 1816and 1817” by Lieut. Francis Hall 14th Light Dragoons.
MAP
At the foot of South Pelham Street the different worlds that make up our peninsula meet in quiet harmony. On the north east corner of Pelham Street and Colbeck Drive is a row of well-kept houses that one might see in any suburban setting in the county. West along River Road a short distance, an old silo stands as a monument to what was once a thriving homestead. Its walls are cracked and broken by vandals and the elements, yet it seems indestructible as it keeps its solitary watch. Further down a farmer unloads a hay wagon, while cattle crowd the fence on the other side of the road in anticipation. To the north on Pelham Street the road becomes gravel and passes more farms and fields, while to the south the Welland River flows by as it has done since prehistory.
Standing on the bank of the river and looking across Riverside Drive a sense of history seems to rise up to meet you. When the water levels are down a little and one looks very carefully one can see, what seem to be, dark spectres rising from the river. There appears to be five of them and with heads just above the water they whisper secrets of a by-gone era. Ghosts? In a way they are ghosts for they are the pilings for Brown’s Bridge for which a small community that thrived before the City of Welland existed was named.
The bridge was built by Lieutenant John Brown who was a veteran of the Battle of the Plains of Abraham and who settled in New Jersey in 1770 with his Scottish wife. During the American Revolution he moved north and lived first at Niagara-on-the-Lake and later settled on a grant of land on the Welland River. He immediately set about building a bridge across the Welland River which bore his name. It was constructed of wood with eight pilings and a deck of planking.
John Brown died of smallpox in 1797 and was buried in the family burying ground on his farm.
During the war of 1812 orders were given to burn the bridges over the Welland to slow the enemy. Misener’s Bridge to the east was torched but for some reason Brown’s Bridge was spared.
A bustling community grew up around the bridge on the north side. There was the Union Section Number Two School which doubled as a meeting house on the Thorold side of the town line.
Brown’s Bridge almost figured in the plans for the first Welland Canal. In 1823 Mr. Hirman Tibbet surveyed several routes one of which he reported: “Commenced at Chippawa on the 6th Inst. 10 miles from its mouth as stated by me, on Mr. John Brown’s farm, Township of Thorold, explored two routes from thence to the headwaters of the 12 Mile Creek.”
In 1824 the first library in the area, called the Welland Library Company, was set up at the school at Brown’s Bridge. Some of the books available were Adam Smith’s Wealth of Nations, Paley’s Philosophy and Washington’s Official Letters.
The first anniversary meeting of the board was held at the school house on November 26th 1825. Among the shareholders present was Mr. Alexander Brown, son of John Brown. At that meeting the constitution was discussed and it might be of some interest to see how libraries of the day operated. The bylaws concerning the borrowing of books were as follows: Books were borrowed for one month except in the case of someone living five miles from the library or greater. They could keep the book an extra week. The fine for overdue books was 7 ½ pence. Other fines were levied as follows:
1) For folding down a leaf-3.3/4 pence
2) For every spot of grease-3 ¾ pence
3) For every torn leaf -3 ¾ pence
4) Any person allowing a library book to be taken out of his house paid a fine of five shillings.
In 1858 this library was amalgamated with the Mechanics Institute in Merrittsville.
Brown’s Bridge continued to serve the Village of Welland until 1868 when, badly in need of extensive repairs, it was dismantled leaving the pilings to wait for another bridge that never came.
Go down to the foot of Pelham Street some late summer evening when it’s quiet. Sit on the bank of the river and listen to the whisper of the pilings as they tell their tales of by-gone days.
Oh, and don’t be surprised if you hear the clomp of horses hooves and the clatter of wagon wheels on the plank decking of the Brown’s Bridge.
By Robert J. Foley
[Regional Shopping News, 2 May 1990]
Humberstone Township might have remained a rural community but for the vision of William Hamilton Merritt. Merritt’s dream of a canal to connect Lake Erie with Lake Ontario was to change the destiny of Humberstone forever. Although the first canal initially made a left turn at Port Robinson to follow the Chippawa to the Niagara River, it became evident when the canal opened that it would have to be pushed through to Lake Erie if it was to be a viable proposition.
Work began on the extension in 1831 with Gravelly Bay (Port Colborne) chosen as the southern terminus of the canal. Humberstone Township was on the map and its future was assured. All proceeded without undue delays until 1832 when a cholera epidemic struck the work force. The lack of good drinking water and the consumption of a great deal of alcohol combined with appalling sanitary conditions played havoc with the health of the men tolling the canal. An excerpt from a letter from Merritt to his wife may give some indication of what was going on. “Tuesday, went through the line with Mr. Lewis, and as no new cases occurred that day, the men generally went back to work.
Slept at Holmes’ Deep Cut, that night Lewis was taken; in the morning (Wednesday) sent to St. Catharines for Drs. Gross and Converse, who was up at Gravelly Bay. Lewis was very much alarmed and I could not leave him until Cross arrived about 2 o’clock. Mr. Fuller had bled him and I gave him two pills of opium. He got better immediately and is now well. Returned to Gravelly Bay that night to quiet the minds of the men respecting Mr. Lewis. We found all who got medical aid were bled recovered. He has hopes of continuing the work, but on reaching Gravelly Bay found Dr. Ellis and Mrs. Boles had taken it. Remained there until 12 o’clock, Thursday, and left for the dam with the determination to let everyone take their own course…stopping the sale of liquor and providing doctors on the spot.
Friday..went to Nelles’ settlement. Saturday returned to Dunnville and have got this far to breakfast, am on my way to St. Catharines where I have not yet been. I thank God that I am in good health and will take every possible care of myself. Should the disease continue I will go over to Mayville next week, if not, will remain until the middle of August.
With my best wishes and prayers for your safety, I remain your affectionate husband, W.H. Merritt.”
One of the many offshoots that sprang up as a result of the canal was the towing industry. In the days before power, sailing ships had to be towed through the canal. Truman Stone, owner of the Humberstone Livery stable, made his living towing ships. Charles and William Carter began towing in 1838 and later converted their operation to steam tugs. Charles’ sons continued in the business and ran three steam tugs, the Escort, Alert and Hector. Pictures and models of these vessels can be seen at the Port Colborne Marine and Historical Museum.
The Baldwin Act of 1849 was passed to allow for local municipal governments and in January 1850 the residents of Humberstone met at Petersburg to appoint a council. It was composed of the following: Christian Sherk, David Steele, Abraham Schooley and Samuel Stoner. On January 21, 1850 the first council meeting held at the home of Owen Fares, elected William Steele as the first Reeve.
In 1854 the southern portion of the peninsula was separated from the rest and Humberstone became part of the new County of Welland. Daniel Near, the Reeve of Humberstone was part of the Provincial County Council which oversaw the birth of the new county.
Some of the minutes of the township council meetings give us a glimpse of the cost of some of the services the council paid for:
1861, Dec. 7th-Paid B. Yokum and Wm. Page $1.00 each for a coffin and burying Robert Smith found drowned in canal at Port Colborne.
1862, Oct. 13th-Council paid A. Boyer $3.00 for a coffin and burying a man found drowned on lakeshore near Shisler’s Point.
1866, May 12th-Moved by Dr. M.F. Haney, seconded by Jacob Benner, that $20.00 be allowed to Cyrenus near and Asa bears for building a bridge between lots 10 and 11 Con. 1 Bridge to have a span of 12 feet and 14 feet wide, supported at each end by a substantial stone wall 3 ½ or 4 feet high and 2 feet thick. The plank to cover the bridge is to be 2 ½ inches thick, spiked down.
The bridge, when done, shall be subject to inspection by Jacob Benner and M.F. Haney. Material required: 7 Cu. Ft. of stone and 420 board feet of plank.
1867, June 24th-Council paid John Liedy $4.50 for 36 loads of stone for road purposes.
Humberstone continued to prosper as our forbearers intended until its annexation by Port Colborne. Although it has disappeared from the road maps of the region and the province, Humberstone Township will continue to influence the history of the Niagara Peninsula for generations to come.
By Robert J. Foley
[Regional Shopping News, 18 April 1990]
He had to be the youngest tug boat captain on the Great Lakes. Eight years old, and here he was easing the steam tug “Yvonne Dupre Jr.” alongside the towering line. He had to get a tow line on her before she went hard aground in this raging gale. He yelled orders confidently to his crew who answered with a smart, “aye aye sir,” as they rushed to do his bidding. The stout little tug pulled her clear in the nick of time to the cheers of the big liner’s crew. The shout of “Come, on, Sean, we’re going for a drink,” broke the spell and our captain rushed off to join his family once again.
Was Sean having a dream? Yes and no! He was the captain of the “Yvonne Dupre Jr.” and he was standing in her wheelhouse giving his commands, however, the wheel house is located on the grounds of the Port Colborne Historical and Marine Museum, at the corner of King and Princess Streets in Port Colborne.
The “Yvonne Dupre Jr.” was built at Sorel, Quebec in 1946 by Marine Industries. When her working days were over, the museum was able to salvage her wheelhouse to enthral the imagination of kids of all ages.
The museum founded in 1974, has developed into a small heritage village with six buildings and the tug wheelhouse on the property.
The museum traces the history of Port Colborne from the first schoolhouse built in 1818 through the canal construction of the early 20th century.
The main museum building is a Georgian revival style home built in 1869 by John Williams. The house was bequeathed to the city by Arabella Williams, the daughter of John and Judith Williams in 1950 and was taken over by the museum at its founding. This building contains items of local historical interest including models of lake steams as well as native artifacts, Erie and Foster Glass Works and many exhibits tied to the Welland Canal.
The anchor near the wheelhouse was salvaged from the wreck of the “Raleigh” in 1975. The “Raleigh” was built in 1876 and sank off Port Colborne in a storm in 1911.
The carriage house, a part of the original estate, is of board and batten construction with hand hewn beams. It is used as a learning and activity centre for school programs.
The log school house, the first in Humberstone Township, was built in 1818 by Pennsylvania Dutch settlers. It was torn down and rebuilt on the museum grounds in 1976.
The log house, the first home of John and Sally Sherk, was moved to the museum property from Humberstone and is furnished to show the lifestyle of the Pennsylvania Dutch Mennonites of the 1850’s.
The blacksmith shop was relocated from the Port Colborne Quarries property in Humberstone Township and reconstructed here in 1984. It represents the blacksmith operation of F.W. Woods & Sons which served the canal trade in the 1880’s.
Finally, after touring the many exhibits, one can retire to Arabella’s Tea Room, a 1915 cottage that had been part of the Williams estate. From June through September tea and hot homemade biscuits are served. *Note: I had the opportunity to have tea at Arabella’s and it was delicious. B.
May 1st is the official opening of the museum for another season. This year the museum has added new exhibits, including “Patters of the Past,” a history of the Graf family of weavers and their products. “Canadian Handweaving Samples” is a traveling exhibit from the Royal Ontario Museum which allows you to examine and touch the exhibits.
The Niagara Peninsula has more history per square metre than anywhere in Canada. It has participated in the growth of this country from the days of the fur trade, through the struggle to retain the right to be Canadians, to the building of the great canal which insured its prosperity.
There are museums in almost every community across the Peninsula. Find out where they are and visit them. In this time of controversy and turmoil it is important that we get in touch with the roots of our country and gain an appreciation for the sacrifices that our forbearers made in making Canada what it is today.
The Port Colborne Historical and Marine Museum is located at 280 King Street. 1990-Admsiion is free, and the museum, which is wheelchair accessible, is open form 12 noon to 5 p.m. daily.
Bring the family. The “Yvonne Dupre Jr.” is always looking for a good captain.
[I found this interview in my father’s files and thought it appropriate to share at this time.]
Date of Interview 1990
Mr. Crouch was a dedicated and well-respected lawyer in Welland. He passed in 2010 after working 43 years at the Flett Beccario Law Office.
Sidor Crouch (Born in Russia 14 May 1895-26 June 1980).My father was one of the founders of the Deere Street Hall.
When the Ukrainian immigrants came to Welland, they were fragmented. As in all groups, some were religious some were not…In the case of the Ukrainians, they divided into four parts, as far as I can remember. There were the Greek Orthodox believers…the Greek Catholic believers…there were those who sympathized with Communist regime and the Soviet Union and they ended up with the Ukrainian Labour Temple, together with many others who were basically interested only in the educational and cultural life in the Labour Temple…and then there was another group that didn’t fit into any one of these other categories. They ended up in the Deere Street Hall. My father was one of those.
It was organized about 1920..They were non-believers. They had gone through a period where the Church had not been particularly an attractive influence. It had sided with the feudal aspects in Russia. So they preferred not to be associated with the Church. And also they weren’t comfortable with the sympathizers with the Communist regime. Some were Socialists-social democrats-a very few might have been anarchists-and some were people who weren’t any religious or political philosophy-“Well the Deere Street Hall doesn’t take a strong stand on any of those, let’s go there.”
While you’re in an ethnic group, you want to belong to some group; you want to belong to some group where you can go and dance and see drama. I suspect most of the members were in that last category, without strong religious or political beliefs.
JB: Was your father an anarchist?
PC: I use to be puzzled as a young boy, listening to my father argue. I think my father just liked to ague. My father read a great deal even though he’d had a limited education. He read Peter Kropotkin books a form of anarchy with no violence. My father, when he flirted with anarchism flirted with the non-violent aspect of Peter Kropotkin. I remember we had that book in Russian in our home. It was amazing to me that my father, who was a working man with three years of education, should be reading these philosophical books. My father wasn’t sure what he wanted to be. He finally found his niche when the CCF was founded. I think he thought about anarchism; I don’t think that was a serious part of his life.
Father was born in Ukraine, born in the Eastern Ukraine. 99% or more of the Ukrainians who came to Canada came from the Western Ukraine. That influenced him; made him different from other Ukrainians in Canada. The other ones were Greek Catholics and much more nationalistic. Ones from Eastern Ukraine spoke Russian as well as Ukrainian. Those who came from Western Ukraine were recruited, helped with some financial assistance. My father came from the Tzarist Iron Curtain. My father came as a 17 year old…smuggled himself across the border, in the dead of night, along with several other young men. They came without permission of the Russian government and without financial assistance.
He left Russia because he worked as a lackey for a feudal landowner. And one day, my father was polishing boots for this man-and the man was unhappy with the way my father had polished his boots, and so he threw the boots at my father-told him what a poor job he had done. My father went home to see his father and said he’d had enough. That he understood there was a better country-that was Canada-he knew one person in Welland, Ontario. He asked his grandfather for money and made his way across Europe, country after country, without being able to speak the language. Finally found himself in Hamburg, Germany and took a ship to Montreal. The immigration agent asked him what his name was, he said Krawitz-which means tailor, one of the most common names in the Ukraine. The English immigration agent didn’t know how to write Krawitz, so he put Crouch down. Many immigrants had their names changed.
He had one friend in Welland. He worked and then joined the Canadian army. He served at and was wounded at Vimy Ridge. We were always proud of that. After war, he came back to Welland and helped found the Deere St. Hall.
The hall didn’t really have a specific aim. It’s purpose was not clear And without a purpose, it didn’t continue. Eventually, the members found their way to the three other organizations.
The hall had a band, drama, concerts, masquerade parties. A particularly welcoming place. People could feel at home with each other and enjoy themselves. I was taken to the hall with my parents. There were no babysitters. The immigrants who came wanted their children to retain the Ukrainian language but it was a losing battle. The children would be assimilated.
In my family, it was difficult to retain the language because my mother immigrated when she was eight, father came at 17. Easy for them to switch to English. Mother was of Ukrainian background. She had emigrated in 1913 to the U.S. with her mother. There was a shortage of women in the U.S, and Canada for immigrant men. It was not unusual to invite women over. Mother’s mother-a widow-had been invited over. She went to Pennsylvania. Mother had a Greek Orthodox background. My parents met at a wedding in U.S. and wrote letters but they never dated-he proposed by mail 69 years ago.
Mother came to Welland then which was a great culture shock, plus she had to learn to cook and be a housewife. An older woman helped her out. My mother remembers her kindly.
JB: Did she go to the UK. Halls?
PC: She liked the social part. But soon, they started having children. And there was a lot of work around the house-where she still lives. Mother had too much work to do to go to the hall. The men would go there for meetings.
Eventually the hall was sold and became a church for a very short time. I was amazed when I went back once at how small it actually was. As a child it seemed a sizable hall. I don’t know what’s there now on the north east side of Deere St. It stopped operating by the late 30s’. I think there was a polarization. Some ended up at the two churches, others at the Labor Temple and some went nowhere. In our case, we didn’t go anywhere. We weren’t comfortable in any of the other places. But at times we ended up at all three of the other places, for social events. But we were not members. That accentuated our assimilation.
My father was an atheist. He never wavered. At that time, religious differences seemed very important. Those who were firm believers were not very friendly with those who were atheists. As the years went by, they forgot their differences.
Politics is important to [ post-war immigrants], politics in the sense of nationalism, of an independent Ukraine. That was their most important political belief. There wasn’t an active interest in Canadian politics. They were looking back to Ukraine. Among those who came in 1913, there was a great longing for an independent Ukraine, for a long time.
JB: Where did your father work?
PC: Page Hersey, Inco, Welland Electric Steel Foundry, he was an assistant melter. He became the melter and was the second man in Canada to make stainless steel. And that’s quite an achievement. He worked there the rest of his life. He was also a self-taught electrician.
The other immigrants looked up to my father as a very intelligent person, “book person”-he read newspapers. He became the president of the Crowland Tenants and Ratepayers Association. He organized concerts, after the Deere St. Hall had ceased.
Father believed all nationalities were important, not just Ukrainians. All of his children married non-Ukrainians, which was not typical. None of us married within the Ukrainian community. That was highly unusual.
JB: The RCMP, did they watch your father?
PC: If they did, I really wasn’t aware of it. There were all kinds of rumours at that time, that the RCMP was watching people who weren’t the conventional people but there’s no way I would know.
Asked my mother if she knew of any anarchists-mother said she would be hard put to think of anyone who was an anarchist. They had speakers who would come to the Hall. Who came and spoke on anarchism. Well. I suppose once you‘ve had a speaker-at that time-that was enough to set off the RCMP, the name of the organization would be blackened. I knew many of the people there. I think they belonged to the hall because it was a social place to be. I don’t really think that they ever really read an anarchist book in their lives. I think an anarchist was a very rare people indeed.
There was no military in the Deere St. Hall. They would bring in speakers. There was more an attempt at an intellectual approach to these things. You didn’t find union organizers there. You found that at the Ukrainian Labour Temple. The labour leaders from the Welland area emerged from the Ukrainian Labour Temple, not from the Deere St. Hall. Although the name “labour” appears there [in title of hall]-they weren’t militants.
My views on discrimination. I remember as a child the discrimination, acts of discrimination felt by the Ukrainian community and by all ethnic groups. It was difficult for n ethnic to get a job as a foreman or a supervisor or a teacher. I was very conscious of that. As years have gone by, what I’ve realized,-and I was a little bitter about that at one time-but as years have gone by, I’ve put it in perspective. And it’s this. Whatever country there is, there will be discrimination. It’s a natural course of action. Had the English immigrated to the Ukraine, they would have been as discriminated against as the Ukrainians were when they came to Canada. It’s a natural thing, and in a short period of time-how can I possible complain about discrimination when in a very short period of time, ..I have had this upward mobility in this country. Where else could you go, with a mother and father hardly educated when they came-and there their children prosper and we have prospered? My initial bitterness has changed to an appreciation of the country. Best jobs wen to English speaking. Only the poorest jobs went to the ethnics. We were called Hunkies, but it happens in every country. Now we’re a country where we still have decimation of course, but it’s a country where you can come as an immigrant and still achieve considerable status and prosperity, perhaps much better than any other country. I’ve always been grateful that my mother and father decided to come to Canada. They had a hard time but it’s a wonderful thing for their children that they decided to come to Canada.
Father had a great belief in education, he believed I would go to university, not work in a factory. None of us [siblings] went to work in a factory. And that was unusual in the Canadian/Ukrainian community. Father was an intellectual in a working class environment.
We don’t celebrate Ukrainian holidays. We became assimilated more readily. I can read and write Ukrainian and Russian, to translate letters when they come from the Old Country-I have twenty first cousins there-but we don’t go to the Ukrainian Church, or any other church. Sometimes go to the one near my mother, All People’s Church. My brother is active there. My children can hardly speak a word of Ukrainian.
My father died 10 years ago. He was 85 then. We were very proud of his accomplishments. On his tombstone it says “A good husband, father, grandfather and citizen.” He was extremely well regarded in the community. Initially, it was not so because there were those divisions in the community. But as the years progressed as people decided the political and religious differences were not that important, and as my father became active in the community-concerts and ratepayers association-he achieved quite a status.
[TODAY’S SENIORS, June 1990]
By Peter Warwick
The roar of diesel engines has replaced the clatter of trolleys along the streets of Welland, but memories remain. From 1912 to 1930 streetcars operated in Welland under the name of Niagara, Welland & Lake Erie Railway Co. {N.W & E).
Organized in 1910 by C.J. Laughlin Jr. of Page Hersey Tubes Ltd. (now the Steel Company of Canada), which owned the company as long as it operated, the N.W. & L.E. was incorporated in 1911.
While it was to have been an interurban line connecting Niagara Falls, Port Colborne, Fort Erie, Dunnville and Port Dover, it never got out of Welland.
Had the Niagara Falls –Fort Erie part of the line been built, it would have been in competition with the Niagara, St. Catharines $ Toronto Railway, then being built through the same area.
A standard 20-year franchise was granted the railway by town council July 4, 1910, construction of the line started in fall of 1911, with the first spike being driven by Mayor Sutherland of Welland on October 4.
Operations began March 24, 1912 on 1.74 miles of track using three streetcars built in Springfield, Massachusetts. Car barns were located at 30 Main Street South. The line ran North along Main Street South {now King Street} from the Michigan Central Railway {now PC Rail} to Main Street East and along Main Street East to the Grand Trunk Railway (now CN Rail). The fare was 5 cents or 6 tickets for 25 cents and cars operated every 15 minutes.
When the streets the line operated on were paved with brick. In 1913, the N.W & L.E.. agreed to pay $3,000 annually to the town for 20 years, the estimated interest on the money Welland borrowed to pay for the company’ s share of the paving. It also relieved the company from paying property taxes except for school taxes.
Extensions were built in 1912-13 on Main Street West to Prince Charles Drive and on Main Street North (now Niagara Street) to Elm Street, but were not operated at this time due to weight restrictions on the Alexandra Swing Bridge over the Third Welland Canal. Other extensions were proposed on Main Street East to Rosedale, about one mile, and on Main Street South to Dainville, about two miles, but these were never built.
The weight restrictions on the canal bridge were overcome in 1922 when two new, lighter trolleys were acquired and the West and North Main extensions were operated for the first time, increasing the company’s mileage to 2.9 miles. Service was reduced to half hourly. Since the extensions were only a few blocks long, they proved a disappointment with the passengers and service was abandoned after only six months of operation.
While the line was primarily meant to transport people from one part of town to another, at least one mother used the trolley to babysit her young daughter. The child was put on one of the streetcars and placed in the care of the conductor who looked after her until her mother was through shopping or visiting.
The peak year for the N.W & L.E. was 1917, when 693.843 passengers were carried and for the net income of $16,262. Thereafter traffic and income declined and in 1929, the last year for which statistics are available, only 320.118 passengers were carried for $775. Despite the small size and the 5 cent fare, which remained in effect until abandonment, the company never suffered a deficit.
Efforts were made to sell the streetcar line to the city for $1 before the franchise expired, but this was turned down and on July 4, 1930 the last trolley ran. A substitute bus service was started by F.I. Wherry of St. Catharines, but it too ceased after operating only a couple of weeks. The National Trust Company of Toronto, which had held a trust mortgage on the company for all of its life, was appointed receiver.
Today nothing remains of the line except for a few pictures, maybe a few tickets and lots of memories for the people who rode the streetcars.
By Robert J. Foley
[Regional Shopping News, 28 March 1990]
One of the problems faced by the Welland canal in the latter half of the nineteenth century was the rapid advance in ship design allowing them to carry larger payloads. By the late 1850’s the ships became too deeply drafted to enter the locks. The problem was temporarily solved by building the Welland Railway which would off load the ships making them lighter and then reloading them at the other end. Railroads became an important mode of transportation in the Peninsula.
One of the major companies involved was the Grand Trunk Railway Company. They ran two round trips every week from Port Dalhousie to Port Colborne on the Welland line with stops at all the towns in between. Always on the lookout for ways to turn a profit, the Grand Trunk developed Erie Park on a stretch of beach immediately east of the harbour in Port Colborne.
Erie Park was ideal for family picnics for its beautiful sandy beaches were protected from the treacherous undertow by the harbour piers. It quickly became a favourite destination for people along the Welland line.
During the summertime the railway gave special picnic rates every Tuesday and Friday. The return fare from Welland was 25 cents for adults and 15 cents for children. Sunday schools and other groups would normally book their outings for other days of the week. The park was a busy place as even people from Port Dalhousie and St. Catharines preferred the sandy beaches of Lake Erie to the rocky shores of Lake Ontario.
At the north end of the park was a long pavilion for large groups with a smaller circular pavilion situated on a knoll. Individual family shelters were scattered throughout the grounds and all were furnished with tables and benches for the convenience of picnickers.
The train ran right to the park which was equipped with a platform near the gates. On picnic days there would be two or three extra cars put on to accommodate the families heading for a day of fun. Getting a good seat on the crowed train and a table in the park was all part of planning picnic day. It was the job of the fleet footed youngsters to jump off the train and race to claim a stake on their favourite picnic spot leaving the rest of the family to follow loaded down with food baskets and the like.
The passenger coaches of the day were all an open platform type and the shouts of the conductor and brakeman trying to keep youngsters from jumping on and off the train while it was still moving was a familiar sound on these occasions. Needless to say trainmen did not enjoy picnic days.
Once the picnic was finished and everyone was tired of swimming and playing it was time to take the ferry from the park to the west bank of the canal which left one in the business section of Port Colborne. The ferry, which was a punt, has a capacity of ten and was propelled by one man standing in the stern with a long sweep which he moved from side to side in the water turning it diagonally at each stroke. The picnickers found the skill of the ferryman fascinating and many children went back and forth just for the ride.
Charlie Hart was the proprietor of an ice cream parlour on West Street in those days and a trip to Erie Park was not complete without a dish of Charlie’s famous ice cream served by his charming and beautiful daughters.
Many a youngster sat and watched the boats clearing and entering the canal and perhaps dreaming of pirates and adventure which surely must be the life of every sailor.
After an activity-filled day the family would round up its far flung members and trudge back to the platform to catch the train home. The return trip was a little easier on the train crew as most of the nimble feet had been left behind on the sands of Erie Park leaving aching ones that could barely step one in front of the other in their place.
Despite sunburn, weary limbs, scrapes and bruises the kids would all perk up just a little at the mention of the next picnic day at Erie Park.
[Toronto Star, 13 January 1990]
Partial Article
This year is a special one for Hal Rogers because the Association of Kinsmen Clubs, which he founded, will turn 70 on Feb. 20.
Rogers was only 21 when he started the men’s service club in 1920. It serves the community’s greatest needs. Whatever they are at the time. And today at 90 this grand old gentleman is still an active Kin supporter travelling across Canada many times each year, speaking about the fellowship and service epitomized by his 17,000-member association.
His next engagement is in Hamilton on Feb. 10 when he addresses 600 Kin members at their 70th anniversary at Carmen’s Banquet Centre. “And there will other gatherings like it across Canada during the year,” he says.
Rogers was born in London, Ont., in 1899 and started his life long career in business at age 12 by establishing a parcel delivery service with a fee of 10 cents a parcel.
“I earned enough money criss-crossing the city with parcels that I was able to buy two bicycles, one after the other,” he recalls.
After a part-time job in a hardware store, he moved to Thorndale, Ont., for his first full-time job as a ledger keeper with the Home bank of Canada.
“There were three employees including the manager,” he remembers. “I was paid $300 a year. The bank raised me to $350 and went broke shortly afterward. That was, uh, coincidental.”
Listening to Rodgers talk about is career you can’t help marvel at his ability to recall days, names and places. And his sense of humor must have helped this man with only a Grade 8 education, become president of several companies as well as heading a crown corporation.
In 1916 he moved to Hamilton to work in his father’s business, Standard Sanitary Manufacturing Co., a wholesale plumbing and heating firm. Three months later, at 17, he joined the Argyle and Sutherland Highlanders and went overseas. Serving with the 54th Kootenay Battalion, he fought in France and Belgium. He was gassed in Passchendaele and wounded in August in Amiens. …..
[Guardian Express, 10 February 1990]
Welland residents will sadly miss Fred Lamontagne who passed away Jan. 17, 1990.
Fred will be remembered by many local residents. He worked for Sunnyside Dairy from 1957-1989.
His friendliness and his caring way touched everyone he met.
On his daily route, his friendly smile brightened many days. At Christmas, he was always showered with many lovely cards and gifts.
He was always there to lend a helping hand whether it be to friends, neighbors, family or strangers.
Fred was an avid bowler, active in minor hockey, and a life-long member of St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Church.
Fred will long remain in the hearts of many.
[The Evening Tribune 24 July 1990]
Francis Caroline Turnbull died at her River Road home Sunday, July 22, 1990, in her 90th year.
Born in Port Robinson on Nov. 5, 1900, Mrs Turnbull came to live in Welland in 1910, after a short stay in Lewiston, New York.
She was a distinguished artist, recognized throughout the province. Silk screen, oil, water color and black and white were among mediums used in her paintings.
Her most recent showing was at Rodman Hall in St Catharines last year.
Mrs Turnbull was a founding member of the Joan of Arc Chapter of the Independent Order of Daughters of the Empire, which received its charter in 1921.
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Renowned local artist ‘saw beauty in everything’
By Marie Chamberland, Tribune Staff Writer
[The Evening Tribune 24 July 1990]
Welland- Glowing memories of local artist Frances Turnbull are seeping through the shock felt by friends after her tragic death Sunday.
Turnbull, 89, died when her River Road home caught fire at about noon.
The matter is still under investigation.
Yesterday Cliff Miller, an inspector with the Ontario Fire Marshal’s office said while no cause had been established, he had no reason to believe it was anything other than accidental.
Neighbors said Turnbull’s home had been the target of vandalism over the years.
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