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.
120 years ago
June/July 1903
Peel and Maryborough farmers began to cut their hay in late June under blue skies. The quality, according to most reports, was excellent, and prospects for a good grain crop seemed bright. Harvesting of wheat began about July 25.
School students breathed a general sigh of relief with the announcement in late June that Latin would no longer be a compulsory subject in Ontario’s high schools. Instead, students had to study at least one of Latin, Greek, French or German.
Drayton’s new IOOF hall opened on June 26, in second floor quarters above the drug store and adjoining retail space. Visitors considered the rooms lavish. The suite consisted of an entry room, a large meeting room, an assembly hall, and three small rooms, all freshly carpeted, painted and papered. The Oddfellows and their guests celebrated with a concert, then retired across the street to the Queen’s Hotel for a banquet.
Maryborough council met on June 27, and dealt with bridge issues, specifically new approaches and abutments at Hollen, and major work at Booth’s bridge, on Concession 8. Councillors awarded a contract to Charles Mannell to smooth and grade the road between Stirton and Moorefield with his new steam-powered grader.
The annual Moorefield Camp Meeting opened on June 28 and ran until July 13. Rev. James Livingstone opened the first day with three sermons during an all-day service. The following day, the Methodist and Presbyterian Sunday schools of Palmerston led an observance known as Rally Day. The program including a half dozen visiting ministers, a woman revivalist, and a famous baritone from Scotland. Crowds came from a wide area, but the meagre turnout of Moorefield people disappointed organizers.
On July 1, the camp meeting offered the only Dominion Day celebration in the area, a concert featuring mostly religious music.
Noecker Brothers in Drayton sold their hardware store to Tom Fullerton of Atwood at the end of June. Fullerton expanded the business at once by adding a tin-smithing shop.
Several stores offered fresh strawberries at the beginning of July, but there were local sources as well. Wooddisse Bros, advertised berries “in any quantity” for sale at their farm at Lot 13, Concession 13.
Richard Stickney, at Lot 10, Concession 7 of Peel, pioneering the “pick your own” concept, sold a daily pass, allowing the purchaser to pick any quantity, at 10 cents per day per person.
Noah Cober, on Concession 3 of Maryborough, constructed a new barn using a concrete foundation, the first in the township.
Rothsay’s Presbyterians were busy with renovations to their church. A new driving shed went up in June, followed by major work to the church building. While the project was underway, they borrowed the Rothsay Methodist Church for their weekly services. Not to be outdone, Rothsay’s Anglicans constructed a new driving shed as well.
Orange Day, July 12, fell on a Sunday in 1903, so the holiday was observed generally on July 13. The big celebration in north Wellington was in Harriston that year. The various lodges hired a special train from the Grand Trunk Railway from Guelph and intermediate points, and Canadian Pacific supplied special service from the east and west. A few Orange Lodges held local services on Sunday. In Rothsay, for example, the Orangemen met at their hall at 2pm, then marched to the Methodist Church for a solemn celebration.
News came from Ottawa that redistribution had reduced Wellington County from three MPs to two. A federal election was expected in 1904.
At its summer session, county council let a contract for a new wooden bridge on Concession 4 of Maryborough. Richard Boyle, the famous bridge builder of Parker and Alma, submitted the low bid.
The Glen Allan area was a beehive of activity in the first week of July: there were three barn raisings and two garden parties in the area that week.
Drayton’s Royal Templars of Temperance met on July 14 at the home of Mrs. Robert Slimmon. Several new members signed up, and there was a discussion about pushing for local option plebiscites in Drayton and the townships. The usual lunch of sandwiches and weak tea was augmented, to the surprise and delight of members, with ice cream and cake.
As well as good crops, farmers enjoyed a strong market for cattle, at prices in the range of $4 to $5 per hundredweight. One Drayton cattle dealer shipped $29,000 of cattle from Drayton and Alma during a four-week period.
Dairy farmers also enjoyed the rare combination of rising prices and good markets.
The cheese factories in the Peel and Maryborough worked at full capacity in 1903. The one at Rothsay shipped 35,000 pounds of cheese between June 15 and July 7. All of it went to the Ingersoll Packing Company, which acted as the selling agent for many of the smaller cheese plants in the area.
89 years ago
July 1932
July 1 fell on a Friday in 1932. There were no civic Dominion Day celebrations in the area to mark the 65th anniversary of Confederation. Instead, many churches scheduled picnics and other events for the day, and several families took advantage of a three-day weekend to hold reunions. The day began with a thunder storm, but the skies cleared before noon.
There was excitement in Drayton on the morning of July 1, as the village’s firefighters scrambled to the barn of Emerson Simmons at the edge of town. Lightning had set fire to the 64-by-66-foot structure and an adjoining straw shed.
They could do nothing to save the buildings. Simmons lost some pigs and most of his implements. The damage totalled about $4,000, only partially covered by insurance.
On July 1, two rinks of lawn bowlers from Drayton travelled to a big Dominion Day tournament in Atwood. About 25 young people from Drayton United Church went to the Guelph Presbytery’s picnic at Belwood. The day there included games and races, an ample lunch, and an evening service at the Belwood church.
Also on July 1, the Moorefield United Church Garden Party drew a good crowd. The women of the church piled the tables high with food. After the meal, the Henderson Trio of Drayton and Garfield Kopas supplied entertainment. Also performing were Mildred Welsh and Alvin Hammond on guitars, plus a number of vocal selections and recitations by local people.
Farmers were busy in early July bringing in the hay crop, which was a good one. The grain yields promised to be excellent, but the same could not be said for market prospects.
The grim outlook for farmers was reflected in farm prices. A 200-acre property in eastern Peel, with good buildings, sold at auction for $3,100, and another property, 218 acres with buildings, changed hands for an even $2,000. Those were the lowest prices since the 1860 era, and the lowest ever when inflation is considered.
Another problem for farmers and gardeners was a major infestation of potato bugs. Some growers reported that the insects devoured the vines as soon as they emerged from the ground. Hardware stores offered Bug King insecticide at 75 cents for a 20-pound bag.
Drayton council met on July 4 with Reeve A.B. McColgan in the chair. Council passed a bylaw regulating the sale of milk and cream. All cows supplying the village had to be inspected for tuberculosis and splenic fever. Violators faced fines ranging from $1 to $50.
Councillor Tom Slimmon was appointed the Drayton delegate to a meeting in Kitchener to discuss proposals for flood control and drainage in the Grand River basin. The Kitchener meeting considered a $700,000 proposal for dams and other control measures on the Grand and its tributaries, but Drayton and all the other municipalities in north and west Wellington voiced strong opposition, fearing the impact on property taxes.
Drayton and Zion United Churches had a busy July in 1932. Their garden party in Drayton on July 7 was almost rained out, with a sudden rain storm sweeping through at about 5pm. But the skies cleared by 6pm, and the event proceeded with a big supper and entertainment by local talent. On July 10, Rev. J.T. Tucker occupied the pulpits at both Drayton and Zion. He had recently returned to Canada after several years as a missionary in Angola, West Africa. The next day, Rev. J. Arthur Steed was inducted as the new minister for the churches.
Drayton merchants and those in nearby towns continued to fight the depression by sharpening their pencils. A.E. Andrews had big juicy watermelons, imported from the American south, at 50 cents each; Neilson’s chocolates at 60 cents for a two-pound box, and salt peanuts and hard candy at 19 cents per pound. He also sold ice cream, popsicles, and Eskimo pies. George Rahn in Moorefield offered coal oil at 75 cents for 5 gallon pails, corn brooms for 25 cents, and 100-pound bags of sugar for $4.95.
Down the street, W.B. Smith at the Moorefield Garage offered to grind valves, clean the carbon from engines, and adjust the timing for 50 cents per cylinder. He also had Anarco engine oil at 90 cents per gallon.
Hundreds of farmers were saddened by the announcement that R.H. Clemens, the popular Agricultural Representative for Wellington, had been transferred to Essex County. Clemens had been appointed when the office opened in July 1917.
*This column was originally published in the Drayton Community News on July 13, 2007 and Aug. 1, 2003.
