GRAVENHURST'S 125TH CELEBRATION? TOWN INCORPORATION 125 YEARS AGO! WHAT'S THE BIG DEAL?
MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENT RECOGNIZES 125TH ANNIVERSARY, BUT WON'T WHISPER ABOUT 150 YEAR LINK TO HISTORIAN AND POET
WAS THERE A GRANT OR SOMETHING, OR WAS IT JUST ONE OF THOSE MUNICIPAL "LET'S GRAB IT" PROJECTS, THAT SEEMS TOO WONDERFULLY COINCIDENTAL AND OPPORTUNISTIC TO LET PASS? TOWN INCORPORATION? PLEASE FORGIVE ME. I'VE NEVER UNDERSTOOD THIS AS A SOCIAL / CULTURAL HISTORIAN, BUT I SUPPOSE MUNICIPALITIES THINK IT'S A BIG DEAL. AS FAR AS BEING HISTORIC, IT'S NOT AS SIGNIFICANT A MILESTONE AS WE'RE LED TO BELIEVE, BY THOSE WHO ARE INFREQUENT WANNABE-HISTORIANS. NOW WHEN THE OPERA HOUSE WAS TO CELEBRATE ITS 110TH ANNIVERSARY, CRIPES, THERE WAS HARDLY A MENTION. WELL THERE WAS. WE MADE THE ANNOUNCEMENT, AT OUR CHRISTMAS FUNDRAISING CONCERT FOR THE SALAVATION ARMY FOOD BANK, LAST DECEMBER. I WROTE A TRIBUTE TO THE THEATRE, AND FRED SCHULZ, FORMER OPERA HOUSE MANAGER, WAS KIND ENOUGH, FOR OLD TIMES' SAKE, TO READ IT TO THE AUDIENCE. FOLKS SEEMED INTERESTED, MOSTLY TO KNOW THE GREAT PERFORMERS WHO HAVE GRACED THE OPERA HOUSE STAGE. I'M ALL FOR ANNIVERSARY RECOGNITION, AND I'VE BEEN INVOLVED WITH NUMEROUS SIMILAR EVENTS IN THE PAST, INCLUDING MY BRIEF STINT AS HISTORIAN FOR SOUTH MUSKOKA MEMORIAL HOSPITAL, WHEN IT WAS RECOGNIZING A 75TH ANNIVERSARY. BUT TOWN INCORPORATION IS REALLY KIND OF MOOT AND DRY AS AN ANNIVERSARY, BECAUSE IT DOESN'T MARK MUCH MORE THAN WHAT A PENCIL PUSHER, CHECKED OFF ON A GOVERNMENT FORM, SIMPLY VALIDATING THAT POPULATION CRITERIA HAD BEEN MET, AND SURPASSED, TO BUMP-UP STANDING, FROM VILLAGE TO TOWN STATUS. THERE ARE ADVANTAGES TO THIS RECOGNITION, TO A MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENT, SUCH, AS MAY BE THE CASE ONE DAY, WHEN OUR TOWN BECOMES A NEW CITY. HAMLETS DON'T STIR THINGS AT QUEEN'S PARK. TOWNS ARE MORE INTERESTING. CITIES ARE HIP! IT WILL HAPPEN. MOST OF US WON'T BE AROUND TO CELEBRATE THE ARRIVAL OF CITYDOM. ONCE AGAIN, IF ONE WISHES TO CELEBRATE A STATISTIC, AND A CLERICAL ACTION, THEN GO RIGHT AHEAD AND PLAN FOR OUR UPCOMING CITY STATUS FETE……IN ABOUT 2035. THIS IS WHEN TORONTO WILL REACH US WITH ITS URBAN SPRAWL.
From an historical perspective, the genuine article of anniversaries, comes with the first inhabitants. I believe this goes back to the late 1850's. For me personally, I'd sooner go back to the first rogue pencil-pusher, who took some liberties, to bestow a little unexpected honor upon our town. When Postal Authority, William Dawson LeSueur, got to work on an application for a new post office, to serve the fledgling settlement of McCabe's Landing, it was pretty rudimentary stuff. Stamp that seal of approval, jot the name down in the official federal post office directory, and give proponents of the name and the new post office, their mailing address and be done with it. First of all, you see, Dr. LeSueur wasn't a bureaucrat in the strictest sense. He was a pretty serious character, who was probably quite a bit more academic than his office associates at the time. A well versed character, he was. He didn't like the name "McCabe's Landing," just like he didn't approve of "North Falls," when Bracebridge applied for their post office name, two years later. There are some people, in both towns, after a century and a half, believe it or not, still pissed off about this matter of federal protocol. LeSueur would laugh it off, because he had a lot of people pissed off at him. Stephen Leacock wasn't particularly fond of him, as LeSueur complained about those who write popular, but not insightful or investigative histories, of which the Leacock participated. The Prime Minister of Canada, William Lyon Mackenzie King didn't like him either, for the near libelous contentions LeSueur wrote about his grandfather, William Lyon Mackenzie, legendary in Canada as the great Scot, the firebrand, of the Upper Canadian Rebellion of the 1830's. LeSueur, through years of research, and critical analysis of uncovered fact, found that Mackenzie was more of a nuisance to the move toward representative government, than an asset. So when LeSueur planned to publish his book on Mackenzie, scaling back some of the honors bestowed by half-ass historians up to that point, Mackenzie King blocked its publication at every level…..via protracted litigation. It was long after both men had died that the book was finally published, in the 1960's. Now it's a commonplace reference book looking at the rebellion. Not a big deal at all. LeSueur just broke the convention of safe, non-controversial history. I own a copy of a biography written about LeSueur. It's a dandy, for those who hate compliance, as a non-confrontational short-cut, to the re-telling of history. We have sanitized versions of history all over the place and it drive me nuts.
So here's my point. Feel free to refute it, or complain that I'm being petty about blowing-off the 125th year of incorporation, as being a "plaque-unworthy" event for our town! In July of this year, Gravenhurst will quite honorably, reach its 150th anniversary, sporting the name "Gravenhurst." Twenty-five years more than the anniversary affording us yet another plaque, to quickly become irrelevant by the younger generation, who won't ever make it a priority to know, or understand this municipal achievement. Do you really think it will make the course of study at the high school…..where's there's only a whisker, or less, of local history being taught? What's important about the 150th anniversary? Well, it's the fact that, if you were a betting person, and there were odds on whether this anniversary will be celebrated by the same municipality, the odds would be staggering against. I won't give you a number, but if your horse won, (and the town did recognize the real anniversary) you'd be rich betting a buck. Why is this? There's no grant for it? If there was some obscure post office grant for celebrating 150 years of service, by golly, someone at town hall would jump on this…… If there was a grant for being named after the work of a British poet, you bet, we'd have the best damn poetry fair in Canada. So in an historian's nutshell, the municipality of our town, unless by some act of conscience, or sense of opportunity to exploit what should be exploited, the only celebration this July, for the 150th, will be on this blog-site. I don't know if I can fit you all in, but by golly, I'm going to try. But I don't need a grant to get excited about it…..just the knowledge a few people may join me, for a pretty good story of factual history, is payment enough.
The problem with this naming thing, dates back to 1862, and the refusal of LeSueur to rubber stamp McCabes Landing, as the new title for our hamlet post office. No offense to the McCabe family, because Mr. and Mrs. McCabe got our tourism industry going in this region, with the roadhouse they operated……and the sustenance and guidance, they provided to many a weary traveller…..and eager homestead. Their contribution to early Gravenhurst is the stuff of legend, and they have been honored in the past. The stumbling block here, is that LeSueur didn't leave proper documentation, to qualify the reasons he had, for adopting the name Gravenhurst, when the locals came calling in 1862. The same thing happened in Bracebridge, in July 1864. LeSueur borrowed the name "Bracebridge," from a book written by Washington Irving. What he didn't do was provide the provenance publicly at this time, as to the precise reason he declined "North Falls," and then selected a name penned by an American author, about an estate in Old England. So by basically, telling residents, at the time, their choice of name "sucked" big time, and then did what he was entitled. I took a shot at explaining these historical circumstances, back in 2000, when I published a small book dealing with this subject. Frankly, if not for the pure enjoyment of the project, it was a complete failure, and for one reason. It wasn't endorsed by council, the chamber of commerce or the local BIA. It seems LeSueur's cavalier approach, in 1864, was a "forever" thing. Now tell me honestly, why a town looking for its identity, after all these years, as relates to modern day marketing, or branding, refuses outrightly, to embrace one of the truly great writers in history. Even Charles Dickens, once said, he often retired to bedlam, with a book written by Washington Irving? It has been discouraged and blocked by people who don't wish to promote the literary connection. It's that simple. However, being branded a "Santa" 24-7 town seems perfectly acceptable to some objectors today, who are protesting a recent town council initiative to consider "education" as the centre of their universe. Tell you what. They'd put some proof in the old pudding, if in this education model, they'd pay attention to their literary heritage. As for Santa. Bad idea. Sorry if I've offended you.
Now as far as Gravenhurst is concerned, LeSueur named our community after a book written by poet / philosopher William Henry Smith, entitled "Gravenhurst, or Thoughts on Good and Evil." I'm not going to expend the time now to re-examine the content of the book, as I'll save that for my July online anniversary celebration. Point is, William Henry Smith was a well established, well connected, and well thought-of writer, in England, who died a short time before our hamlet post office was named. LeSueur, as I've mentioned many times before, was a budding literary critic…..a man of letters, an historian in the making, who was a particularly serious chap, who didn't play practical jokes as a rule…….especially when he worked as a federal postal employee; at the time of the naming of both our town and Bracebridge. He borrowed the reference, as much as a memorial tribute to this British poet, as a wee bit of provenance to a hamlet on the shore of Lake Muskoka. If there was any misadventure on the part of LeSueur, it was that he didn't send along a little package of biographical information, to allow the new citizens here, to appreciate the connection between name and the individual responsible. What his omission did, was create decades upon decades of speculation. Many folks and historians fashioned their own attachments to the name, without even a shred of evidence. Writers who took liberties with a name that apparently had some malevolent connotation. The most controversial word liberties, were taken with the "Grave" half of our name, and the reality we had patients of the local sanatoriums passing-on quite frequently. Even the "hurst" caused some smart-asses to assume our proper name to mean, "Grave and hearse." It was a town that seemed to have a lot to do with death. Not poetry.
I am not going to delve into the complex story of LeSueur and William Henry Smith at this point. I'll wait patiently until July of this year, to present a more thorough overview of the 150th anniversary of the official naming of Gravenhurst……and the neat provenance attached. At least I think so. The problem, of course, is bringing William Henry Smith's work to contemporary acceptance……because it will be the young generation that either sets the bard free, or keeps him caged in the archives for posterity.
I think it's self-defeating for our municipal councils, in both Bracebridge and Gravenhurst, to avoid this connection to their respective literary heritage. The are opponents, to Irving, and I know who they are. While admittedly, Bracebridge has hosted Christmas themed celebrations, as written about by Irving, regarding the seasonal festivities, at Bracebridge Hall, the town is entitled to so much more. Many communities in the United States, that do share a connection with Irving, participate in many literary-related celebrations……just as Bracebridge, Ontario is entitled. As for Gravenhurst, while Smith may not have been the celebrity-author Irving was, in his day, his work is brilliant none the less, as is the contribution made by William Dawson LeSueur, a giant in Canadian history…..whether we decide this is important or not. They both deserve far more recognition that they have received locally, but then that's just my tainted, frustrated opinion.
So in July, I will offer a gentle, non-intrusive anniversary celebration, of the 150th year, since the naming of our hamlet's post office, and recognize unofficially (because I don't have a chain of office) the two chaps we owe our present name. I don't have a grant to do this, so there won't be a plaque or anything fancy to mark the occasion. I'm doing it without a nickel of expense to this municipality, and my effort will be out of respect, for our modest but storied beginning……nothing more, nothing less.
NOW GATHERING BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION, PHOTOGRAPHS OF PAINTINGS, AND PRINTS BY FORMER GRAVENHURST ARTIST, FRANK JOHNSTON
Now that I've wrapped up the biography of Muskoka Artist, Richard Karon, I want to commence the "hunt and gather" of biographical information about Gravenhurst / and Canadian artist / print maker, Frank Johnston. I can't possibly do all that is required in a few months, so this will probably take upwards of a year to complete properly. I will need assistance from family, that may still reside in Picton, Ontario, where Frank resided in his later years; having moved from his Gravenhurst home, on Hughson Street, sometime in the 1990's if memory serves. Frank was a very important artist in this town, who we need to recognize, for what he provided us, as historical record……..that we have been neglectful of for many years. When you entered Sloan's Restaurant, once upon a time, it's true the still-hot blueberry pies may have got your attention first, but it only took a few seconds more, to be titillated by the wonderful, large watercolors, depicting Gravenhurst's former steamship fleet, at The Wharf, and on the lake, painted by Frank Johnston. Even the menu cover art was from the hand of the good Mr. Johnston. He was known as one of the finest lithographers in Canada, and Canadian artist Harold Town thought so……counting on him to print his art work perfectly. Town was a fuss-pot when it came to what was a good print, and one destined for the garbage.
With a printing press at his Hughson Street home, Frank produced many framable prints and greeting cards, that were available locally. I would like to build-up an archives, to be published online, and once again, to be offered to the National Art Gallery, and the Art Gallery of Ontario……and as a Gravenhurst resource for all researcher to benefit. This is a non-profit venture, and not established to speculate on the prices of his art. It is, primarily, a tribute biography, to an artist we knew very little about……even though he was the most representative Gravenhurst artist in our community's history. Any news clippings about Frank would be great. Personal reminiscences are welcome. Feel free to write your own accounts.
Above my desk today, is Frank's 1987 painting (as a signed print) of the Gravenhurst Train Station in the winter, with the Northlander stopped at the platform. What a gem. What a great keepsake if you're a fan of the now ill-fated Northlander.
Thanks for visiting today's blog. Please join me again, soon
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