The following is a re-print of a past column by former Advertiser columnist Stephen Thorning, who passed away on Feb. 23, 2015.
Some text has been updated to reflect changes since the original publication and any images used may not be the same as those that accompanied the original publication.
170 years ago
September 1854
Farmers in Peel and Maryborough finished their 1854 harvest during the first 10 days of September.
Fall wheat provided a somewhat disappointing yield, but spring wheat fulfilled all but the most optimistic expectations. The area had suffered a drought in July, but it caused no serious harm locally, unlike the mid-western U.S. Dry weather aided the harvest. Most people expected grain prices to improve. The market seemed to be strong, and a free trade measure before the provincial legislature promised to open new markets in the United States.
Maryborough council met in special session on Sept. 3 to reconsider an issue that had given them a lot of grief over the previous year. Their plan to divert the Peel-Maryborough Townline Road at the eastern boundary of Drayton hit another snag. In attempting to secure the right-of-way they were clearly in violation of the Municipal Act, according to their legal advisor. Consequently, they revoked two bylaws establishing the new course through Lot 18, Con. 11. The attempted rerouting would have permitted a less costly crossing of the river, but it carried the road through a barn on the property. The Townline Road remained on its original alignment.
The regular monthly session of Maryborough council took place on Sept. 18 and 19. On the first day, councillors approved new rates of pay for township officials: $15 per year for the assessor, $1.50 per day for the auditors, $40 per year for the clerk, $10 per year for the treasurer, and $2 per day for the returning officer. The following day they set tax rates for the school sections, and formed a committee to consider, in cooperation with Peel, the matter of a bridge at the controversial Con. 11 site. After dealing with a list of routine matters, councillors adjourned until Nov. 25.
Creekbank promised to be a new trading centre, with the announcement that Robert Philip, a recent arrival from Scotland, planned to build a large sawmill there. The hamlet already had a post office, store and a barrel-making shop.
As the result of the signing of a new treaty with the Mississauga First Nation, portions of Grey and Bruce Counties would be opened to settlers after surveyors had laid out several new townships. There were widespread fears that political insiders would manage to get their hands on large tracts of the land as private speculations.
The summer of 1854 saw major progress with the road system, following three years of political manoeuvring and broken promises. David Gibson, with the provincial surveyor-general’s office, issued a report stating that work was pushing ahead rapidly on 65 miles of the Elora and Saugeen Road, 30 miles of the Woolwich and Huron Road, and 45 miles of the Southampton and Goderich Road. All the contracts, both road and bridge, had been let on the Elora and Saugeen Road (now Wellington Road 7 and Highway 9), grading changes to cut the steeper hills.
John Boyd of Peel shot what became known as “the king of bears” on the farm of one of his neighbours, where Bruin had acquired a taste for piglets. Boyd lay in wait for the black bear. He claimed to have shot it from 160 yards, with a shot that penetrated the animal’s kidney and heart, a remarkable feat of marksmanship considering the rather crude single-shot firearms of the period. The animal ran a short distance before falling dead.
The carcass of the black bear yielded about 260 pounds of bear meat, plus a good hide and about 75 pounds of bear fat. The bear measured 66 inches from its nose to the base of the tail, and its forehead was nine inches across. Experts in such matters considered it the largest ever shot in Peel. Other bears had been seen in Peel Township, and a general bear hunt was called for Sept. 14.
The Elora Fall Fair, sponsored by the Pilkington Agricultural Society, took place on Oct. 6. Most of the entries and prize winners came from Pilkington, but dozens of people attended from Peel and Maryborough. The competition included classes for horses and cattle, seeds, vegetables, grain, cloth, butter, cheese, homemade wooden ploughs, and maple sugar. For farmers it was a chance to socialize after a hard season of work.
Many of the farmers used the visit to the fair to shop in Elora’s stores, to transact business at the crown land office, or to enquire about the sale of the grain.
95 years ago
October 1929
Good weather, large crowds, and a general feeling of optimism made the 1929 Drayton Fall Fair one of the best in history. The Drayton School Fair, with participation from most of the rural schools in the area, was held in conjunction with the larger event, and was also hugely successful. Organizers devoted part of the area in the new Drayton arena to the school competitions, which featured classes for grains, livestock, cooking, sewing, flowers and vegetables. Ed Logel of Wallenstein showed the best oats, Ross Blender of Peel the best barley, and Norbert Cahoon of Maryborough the best wheat. Among the other winners were Edna Philp (best school lunch), Ella Bender (best collection of weeds), George McEwen (best collection of insects), and Lola Anderson (best chocolate cake). To the surprise of visitors, several boys placed well in the baking section.
After sitting for slightly more than three years, Premier Howard Ferguson called a provincial election for the end of October. Popular Wellington North MPP Dr. George McQuibban announced he would stand again. The Conservatives met in Arthur on Oct. 5. There were 13 nominations, but all declined except Rev. Wallace Downer of Erin.
The cleric ran an aggressive campaign compared to the doctor, but made the error of stressing his support of prohibition, contrary to his own party policy, and mirroring the position of Dr. McQuibban, who was one of the strong temperance men in the Liberal caucus.
The big fall event in Drayton was the opening of the rebuilt Wellington and Main Streets, which had been entirely refurbished with better drainage and concrete pavement in a joint project between the village and county. For the official opening on Sept. 30, Reeve A.B. McColgan invited 70 guests, including county councillors and other dignitaries, including MP Dune Sinclair and MPP George McQuibban, to a dinner at the Magnesium Inn. The official ceremony took place on a special platform, with speeches and a ribbon cutting by county treasurer George Fox, a Drayton native. Before and after the ceremony the 10-piece Palmerston Jazz Band entertained the crowd, alternating with a local girls jazz band. A street dance followed, with the Palmerston Orchestra at one end of the thoroughfare and Rothsay’s Walton-Gunnison Orchestra playing old-time music at the other. Festivities stretched until 1am. Those who still had some energy adjourned to the Chevrolet Garage for another two hours of high-stepping. It may have been the liveliest Monday night in Drayton’s history.
The day previous, Knox Church held its anniversary service. Rev. Allan Cranston of Welland took the pulpit for both services; the morning one was standing room only. The popular Kitchener Male Quartette augmented the choir at both services.
Despite general prosperity, crime seemed to be on the rise. Poultry farmers were warned that poultry thieves were active in the county. Several farmers reported losses of birds. More serious was a rash of burglaries. Palmerston’s Imperial Garage and McKay’s Shoe Store both had late night visitors who helped themselves to merchandise. A few nights later they hit White’s Hardware in Moorefield, and visited the Mieklejohn house in Maryborough, abstracting a quantity of food and some clothing. Constable Lee of Palmerston and the OPP cooperated with the investigation, but there were no solid leads.
Drayton’s October council meetings dealt mostly with bill paying and most of that involved road work. On Oct. 3 Drayton paid George Bramhill $10 for 40 hours of labour, and A.F. Flewwelling $17.60 for 55 hours of hauling with his truck. The big item was a $4,000 progress payment to Brennan Paving.
Peel council met on Oct. 7, and paid accounts for gravelling, culverts and work at the breakwater at Glen Allan. There were unexpected repair bills for the township’s gravel crusher and other equipment. The big bills were $500 for work on the Stirton bridge, and $2,000 for the one at Hollen.
Drayton’s library board voted to allow borrowers more than one book at a time. There were about 40 new titles on the shelves, including Bruce Barton’s The Man Nobody Knows, the bestselling biography of Jesus.
Moorefield United Church held its fowl supper on Thanksgiving night, freeing many women from the chore of preparing the big meal. Rothsay’s Women’s Institute advertised a supper on Oct. 19, with food served between 6 and 8pm, followed by a variety night. The event may have harmed Dr. McQuibban’s political meeting, held at the same time in nearby Moorefield.
There was much talk about county council’s decision to eliminate some mileage payments to councillors. Several, especially those on the roads committee, received about $2,000 in payments in 1928, most charged to “inspections” of road work. Many teachers received less than a third of that amount as their annual salaries. For trips deemed absolutely necessary, the rate dropped from 15 to six cents per mile. As well, councillors in the future would need to provide detailed expense reports.
A report from the Statistics Branch of the federal government revealed some interesting numbers. About 81% of the land in Wellington was cleared. In 1928 Wellington County produced 301,000 bushels of fall wheat (averaging 27.6 per acre), and 68,000 bushels of spring wheat (averaging 22.7 per acre). Those were the highest yields in the province. Crops alone were valued at more than $9 million.
In Wellington there were 1,040 silos, 83,900 head of cattle, 21,700 horses, 38,700 steep, 82,700 swine and 547,000 fowl.
*This column was originally published in the Drayton Community News on Sept. 17 and Oct. 8, 2004
