Gravenhurst Prisoner of War Camp 75th Anniversary June 2015

Treescape in The Bog of Calydor subdivision, a block from Camp 20

Back cover photograph from The Gilded Cage by Cecil Porter

A selection of barbed wire, glass and pottery shards found on the site of Camp 20

THE FOUND HISTORY OF CAMP 20, CALYDOR, AND IT WAS PRETTY OBVIOUS

RELICS THAT WASHED UP ON SHORE -

     A PREAMBLE TO TODAY'S BLOG. WE WENT OUT YARD SALE SHOPPING EARLY THIS MORNING. WE ONLY GOT ONE THING, BUT IT WAS WHAT WE WERE SEEKING, AFTER READING IT WAS BEING OFFERED BY A SALE HOST, DEEP, DEEP IN THE PINERIDGE SUBDIVISION. I DIDN'T THINK WE WERE GOING TO MAKE IT IN TIME, OR EVEN FIND THE LOCATION, BECAUSE THE SUBDIVISION ROADS CONFUSE THE HELL OUT OF ME. IT WAS "NEIGHBORHOOD SALE DAY," SO IT WAS PRETTY WILD IN THERE, AND JUST GETTING TO THE HOUSE ADVERTISED, WAS AN ADVENTURE IN ITSELF. SUZANNE WAS ABLE TO PURCHASE A REALLY NICE 1941 SINGER "FEATHER-WEIGHT," SEWING MACHINE, TO USE IN OUR ANTIQUE SHOP; WHICH IS SLOWLY MORPHING INTO A MILLINARY ENTERPRISE, TO SUIT SUZANNE'S LIFE-LONG SEWING HOBBY. SHE NOW HAS THREE FEATHER-WEIGHTS, WHICH OF COURSE, ARE TINY, LIGHT, SINGER MACHINES, PERFECT FOR TRANSPORT, TO SUCH EVENTS AS QUILTING BEES. SHE HAS THE ABILITY TO SERVICE WHAT SHE BUYS, AND THIS NOW MAKES FOUR VINTAGE SINGERS SHE HAS READY FOR DAILY USE, TO ACCOMMODATE HER LINE-UP OF SEWING PROJECTS; SUCH AS HER LATEST FORAY INTO APRON MAKING, CREATED FROM VINTAGE FABRICS, REMNANTS, AND OLD BUT DAMAGED TABLE CLOTHS. LAST WEEKEND, SHE PURCHASED THE "WORK HORSE" OF VINTAGE SINGER PORTABLES, ALSO FROM THE 1948'S ERA, WHICH IS SUPPOSED TO BE GREAT FOR INDUSTRIAL-TYPE WORK, BEING ABLE TO SEW THROUGH JUST ABOUT ANY MATERIAL; YET STILL POSSESSING A MODESTLY ELEGANT APPEARANCE. IT REALLY IS A NICE LOOKING MACHINE, EVEN TO THE POINT OF APPEALING TO A NON-SEWING-GUY LIKE ME. MAKES ME WISH I COULD SEW. SUZANNE IS ALREADY PLANNING FOR MORE SEWING JOBS FOR THIS COMING WINTER, AND SHE'S CERTAINLY GOT THE MACHINERY NOW TO PULL IT OFF. SHE HAS BEEN SELLING HER SHOP-MADE, NOSTALGIC APRONS FOR A MONTH NOW, AND LET'S JUST SAY IT LOOKS LIKE SHE MIGHT BE ON TO SOMETHING. THERE WILL BE NO OUT-SOURCING TO GET THESE APRONS COMPLETED. WE'RE A LITTLE OLD FASHIONED YOU MIGHT SAY. HER FAVORITE SEWING MACHINE IS A KENMORE PORTABLE, SOLD BY SEARS, FROM THE EARLY 1970'S, BECAUSE OF ITS RELIABILITY. IT COST THREE HUNDRED DOLLARS IN 1973. THIS IS HER HOME-STUDIO MACHINE, BUT AT THE SHOP, SHE PREFERS TO KEEP IT OLD-SCHOOL; AND YOU WOULDN'T BELIEVE ALL THE ATTENTION SHE GETS FROM VISITORS, MANY OF THE YOUNGER GENERATION, WHO HAVE NEVER SEEN ONE OF THESE OLD MACHINES IN OPERATION. WELL, I'VE SPENT OUR ENTIRE MARRIED LIFE TOGETHER, LISTENING TO EITHER THE HUMM OF THE SEWING MACHINE, OR THE TICKING AND TACKING OF KNITTING NEEDLES....AND THEN THERE'S THE NAGGING. IT'S OKAY FOR ME TO WRITE THIS, BECAUSE FIRST OF ALL, SHE REFUSED TO READ MY BLOGS, AND SECONDLY, BECAUSE SHE ADMITS TO NAGGING ME ALL THE TIME. "IT'S THE ONLY WAY I CAN GET YOU TO DO SOMETHING FOR ME," WHICH IS ALMOST, WORD FOR WORD, WHAT MY MOTHER USED TO BARK AT ME, WHEN SHE HAD TO PICK UP AFTER ME. DID I MENTION, THAT I HAVE BEEN BUYING HER THESE SEWING MACHINE RELICS. IT'S GOOD I DIDN'T BECAUSE, AS SHE POINTS OUT, SHE'S "THE BREAD WINNER IN THIS FAMILY." AS THE ANTIQUE DEALER, APPARENTLY, "I'M THE BREAD SPENDER!"
     ONE OTHER OBSERVATION FROM THIS MORNING'S YARD SALE PURSUIT. WHAT GOES ON IN THE HEADS OF YARD SALE FANATICS, TO MAKE THEM PARK SO BADLY; HAVING LITTLE IF ANY CONSIDERATION, TO THE OPEN ARTERY SENSIBILITY, THAT COMES WITH HAVING A ROAD IN THE FIRST PLACE? GADS, I'VE NEVER SEEN SUCH INCONSIDERATE FOLKS, PARKING THEIR CARS ON BOTH SIDES OF A NARROW ROAD, AND NOT EXPECTING THAT THE EXPOSED SIDES OF THEIR VEHICLES MIGHT GET TORN OFF, BY OTHER VEHICLES TRYING TO SHOOT THE NARROWS. EMERGENCY VEHICLES. FORGET IT! BUT HERE'S THE THING. IF YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE A COMMUNITY YARD SALE, MAKE SURE YOU PUT PARKING RESTRICTIONS IN PLACE, SO TIGHT CONFLUENCES WON'T OCCUR. AND IT IS INCUMBENT UPON THEM, TO CORRECT ANYONE, VISITING THEIR SALES, WHO OBSTRUCTS TRAFFIC, BY PARKING SUCH THAT THEY BLOCK ONCOMING TRAFFIC. IF THERE WAS AN EMERGENCY, AND FIRST RESPONDERS COULDN'T GET TO A PATIENT SOONER, BECAUSE OF A TRAFFIC TIE-UP, THE NEGATIVE SIDE OF SUCH A FUN MONEY-MAKING SALE, MIGHT SURPRISE YOU. THERE ARE CONSEQUENCES YOU COULD FACE AS A RESULT. I LEARNED THIS MYSELF, WHEN A SALE OF OURS, BACK IN THE LATE 1980'S, ATTRACTED SO MANY STUPID-HEADS WITH CARS, THAT IT DREW ATTENTION TO THE STUPID HEADS WHO DIDN'T PUT UP "NO PARKING" SIGNS IN ADVANCE.   SUZANNE AND I, HAD STOPPED-UP, TO A WEE TRICKLE, THE BRACEBRIDGE FIRE DEPARTMENT, FROM GETTING DOWN ONTARIO STREET, IN A SAFE AND TIMELY MANNER, BECAUSE OF THE FORTY OR SO CARS THAT HAD JAMMED BOTH SIDES, OF AN ALREADY NARROW ROAD. AT THE TIME, I WAS EDITOR OF THE HERALD-GAZETTE, IN BRACEBRIDGE, AND ALSO THE STORY-MAKER THAT WEEK. NO PARKING SIGNS WORK. IT PAYS TO BE PRO-ACTIVE IN THIS REGARD. EMERGENCIES AREN'T SCHEDULED. YARD SALES ARE!

A SCROUNGER'S LIFE I'VE LED

   FIRST OF ALL, I HAVE BEEN A SCROUNGER FROM CHILDHOOD. I HAVE NEVER CHANGED, AND I'M NOW AN IRISHMAN'S WHISKER AWAY FROM MY FIFTY-NINTH BIRTHDAY. THAT'S A LONG TIME TO BE STARING AT THE GROUND, AND POKING AT HALF BURIED THINGS, FOUND ON A HIKE THROUGH THE WOODS. HAVEN'T FOUND A SINGLE CORPSE YET. BUT I'M NOT DONE YET EITHER. I'VE GOT FEW GOOD SCROUNGING YEARS LEFT. AS I USED TO COME HOME FROM SCHOOL, IN THE LATE 1950'S, AND EARLY 60'S, (WHEN I ATTENDED LAKESHORE PUBLIC), HAVING POCKETS FULL OF THIS AND THAT, I'M STILL, TO THIS DAY, ON THE LOOK OUT FOR INTERESTING RELICS, FOUND, AND SOME OTHERS, I ACTUALLY HAVE TO PURCHASE. WHILE ADMITTEDLY, MY MOTHER WONDERED WHAT HAD HAPPENED TO ME IN THE WOMB, TO MAKE ME CRAZY FOR THE BITS AND BOBBS OF MANKIND AND NATURE, BY THE TIME WE OPENED OUR FIRST ANTIQUE SHOP TOGETHER, AND STARTED SELLING THIS "FOUND" STUFF, FOR PROFIT, SHE CUT ME A LITTLE SLACK. "THE BOY MUST KNOW WHAT HE'S DOING," I HEARD HER TELLING MY FATHER, WHO HAD THE PHILOSOPHY, THAT IF SOMEONE THINKS THEY'RE A CHICKEN, BUT YOU LIKE HAVING THE FRESH EGGS IT'S PRODUCING, THEN FORGET TRYING TO CONVINCE IT OTHERWISE. THEN EVERYONE'S HAPPY AND THERE'S ALWAYS A GOODLY SUPPLY OF EGGS.
     IN MY LATE TEENS, I TOOK IT ONE STEP FURTHER, WHEN MY DAD ACTUALLY POINTED OUT AN OLD DUMPSITE, IN THE HAMLET OF FALKENBURG, NORTH OF BRACEBRIDGE. THE SITE WAS LOCATED AT THE NORTHERN-MOST CORNER, OF THE FORMER BUILDING TRADES CENTRE YARD, NOT FAR FROM THE MAIN ROAD FROM BRACEBRIDGE TO ROSSEAU, AND EVENTUALLY HIGHWAY 69. MY FATHER, ALSO KNOWN AS TED CURRIE, WAS THE GENERAL MANAGER OF BUILDING TRADES CENTRE AT THIS TIME, AND I ACTUALLY WORKED AS A SHIPPER THAT SUMMER AS WELL. WHENEVER I GOT A BREAK, I'D GO OVER TO THE EMBANKMENT, WHERE THE OLD DUMP HAD BEEN LOCATED, AND IT BECAME MY FIRST FULL SCALE EXCAVATION. BY THE WAY, I ALWAYS INFILLED THE SITE WHEREVER I LEFT AFTER DIGGING, SO AS NOT TO LEAVE IT LOOKING LIKE A DEMOLITION SITE. I PROBABLY PULLED THREE HUNDRED CORK TOP BOTTLES FROM THAT DIG-SITE, AND THERE WERE A LOT OF WINE, WHISKEY, AND POP BOTTLES AS WELL. I FOUND ONE TORPEDO BOTTLE BUT A LOT OF OTHER PARTLY ROUNDED-BOTTOM SODA BOTTLES (NOW TRY TO SAY THAT FAST, OVER AND OVER), AND I EVEN LOCATED A HALF DOZEN UNBROKEN LIGHT BULBS.
     I'VE DUG AND FISHED FOR BOTTLES, AND OTHER IRON RELICS, FOR AS LONG AS I REMEMBER, AND I'VE NEVER GOT TIRED OF THE TREASURE HUNT. WHEN WE MOVED TO GRAVENHURST, IN THE FALL OF 1989, IT'S MY FIRST MEMORY OF THE FORMER GERMAN PRISONER OF WAR, "CAMP 20," OR OTHERWISE KNOWN, "CAMP CALYDOR," AFTER THE NAME OF THE TUBERCULAR SANITARIUM, THAT WAS ON THE SITE PREVIOUSLY; AND THEN CONVERTED BY THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, IN THE EARLY DAYS OF WORLD WAR II. SUZANNE AND I, AND THE YOUNG LADS, ANDREW AND ROBERT, USED TO COME BACK FROM OUR WALKS THROUGH THE CALYDOR PROPERTY, WITH OUR POCKETS AND ARMS FULL OF NEAT FINDS. OF COURSE, WE BROUGHT BACK LENGTHS OF BARBED WIRE, WE HAD BROKEN-OFF THE TWO GIANT BALES, LEFT TO RUST IN THE ABUTTING WOODLAND. BUT OVER TIME, WE FOUND DUMP SITES, THREE SIGNIFICANT LOCATIONS, ON THE MULTI-ACRE LAKEFRONT PROPERTY. AS IT WASN'T OUR PROPERTY TO EXCAVATE AT WILL, WE ONLY PICKED UP WHAT WAS OBVIOUS, AND WITHIN A KICK OR TWO OF BEING EXPOSED. THERE WAS A LARGE QUANTITY OF TYPICAL HOUSEHOLD AND RESORT CAST-OFFS, ESPECIALLY TIN AND BOTTLES. THE OCCUPATION OF THE PROPERTY GOES BACK TO THE EARLY HISTORY OF GRAVENHURST, AND FROM THE MINNEWASKA HOTEL, UP TO THE POST WAR, GATEWAY HOTEL; SO THERE HAVE BEEN A LOT OF CAST-OFFS, BY EACH INSTALLATION AND EACH OCCUPATIONAL AND RESIDENTIAL USE. LET'S JUST SAY, EACH ERA LEFT ITS FOOTPRINT, AND THAT'S WHAT WE WERE FINDING ON OUR CASUAL STROLLS THROUGH THE HISTORIC PROPERTY, NOW FILLING OUT AS AN URBAN SUBDIVISION.
     THE BEST "DEBRIS FIELD," OF COURSE, WAS THE BEACH FRONT. DUE TO THE UNBELIEVABLE AMOUNT OF GLASS, OLD NAILS, SPIKES, AND CHINA BITS AND PIECES, STUCK IN THE MUD JUST OFF THE SHORE, WE MADE THE BOYS WEAR SPECIAL WATER SHOES, TO AVOID GETTING CUT OR STABBED BY WHAT WAS LURKING BELOW. PARTLY AS A BEACH CLEAN-UP SERVICE, THE CURRIES, THE NEW FOLKS TO TOWN, BEGAN PICKING THIS HISTORIC REFUSE OUT OF WATER OF MUSKOKA BAY. WE FILLED SIX OR SEVEN SIGNIFICANTLY LARGE BOXES AT HOME, OVER THREE YEARS, JUST FROM THIS SAFE-BEACH EXERCISE, AND FROM THE CASUAL FIND-AND-SEEK POKING THROUGH THE NEARBY WOODLANDS. WHAT YOU SEE IN THE PHOTOGRAPHS ABOVE, IS A VERY TINY PORTION, OF WHAT WE USED TO UNCOVER WITHOUT WORKING VERY HARD. AFTER A SIGNIFICANT STORM, OVER THE LAKE, WE WOULD HEAD DOWN TO THE BEACH SHORTLY AFTER, AND THERE WOULD ALWAYS BE AN INTERESTING SELECTION OF NEWLY WASHED-UP BOTTLES ESPECIALLY; ALTHOUGH IT WAS COMMON TO FIND AN ARRAY OF CHINA AND GLASS SHARDS. ALTHOUGH WE DIDN'T KEEP ALL OF IT, I ALWAYS FELT THERE WOULD BE A TIME DURING OUR RESIDENCY IN THIS TOWN, WHEN I'D PUT TOGETHER A LITTLE DISPLAY IN RESPECT TO CAMP CALYDOR. SO IT PLEASED ME, YESTERDAY, TO HAVE BEEN ABLE TO LOCATE ONE OF THE BOXES OF CALYDOR RELICS SO EASILY, FROM OUR STORAGE SHED JAMMED TO OVERFLOWING.
     SOME FOLKS WHO KNOW THE BOYS, AND WHO OCCASIONALLY READ THEIR OLD POP'S BLOG, CONNECTED TO THEIR FACEBOOK PAGE, PROBABLY THINK THAT A LOT OF MY CLAIMS ABOUT THEIR UPBRINGING ARE GROSSLY EXAGGERATED; BEING MORE FICTION THAN FACT. WE USED TO DEAL WITH THIS ALL THE TIME WHEN THE LADS WERE AT SCHOOL, AND SEVERAL TIMES WE GOT NOTES HOME FROM THE TEACHER, RECOMMENDING WE HAVE A TALK WITH THEM ABOUT "MAKING UP STORIES." THEY COULD HANDLE THE FREQUENT PUNCHES AND TAUNTING OF BULLIES, AND FIGHT BACK WHEN A SCHOOLYARD NUMB-NUTS, WOULD STEAL THEIR TENNIS BALL OR FOOTBALL. BUT IT WAS REALLY CRUSHING WHEN A TEACHER WOULD DISMISS THEIR CLAIMS AS BEING "MADE-UP," AND GENERAL, SELF ABSORBED "UNTRUTHS," FOR THEIR OWN GAIN; COMING FROM OVER-ACTIVE IMAGINATIONS. WE WOULD HAVE TO STEP-UP AND MAKE A PERSONAL VISIT TO THE TEACHERS, WHO HAD LEVELLED THESE CRITIQUES, OF WHAT WAS THE HONEST TRUTH; AND LET THEM KNOW THAT THEIR ADVENTURE STORIES WEREN'T MADE-UP TALES JUST TO AMAZE FELLOW STUDENTS. SUZANNE AND I HAVE ALWAYS INCLUDED ANDREW AND ROBERT IN HERITAGE ADVENTURES, AND THIS INCLUDES THE HUNTING AND GATHERING OF BURIED, OR SUBMERGED TREASURE. AND WHILE WE HAVEN'T PULLED UP A TREASURE CHEST FULL OF GOLD, AND SILVER RELICS, FROM LOCAL LAKES AND RIVERS, OR DUG-UP A SEALER JAR OF OLD COINS, FROM WHAT WERE KNOWN AS "POST HOLE" ACCOUNTS (BECAUSE THEY WERE BURIED BENEATH FENCE POSTS FOR SAFE KEEPING), WE HAVE RETRIEVED A LOT OF HISTORY, IN THE FORM OF "FOOTPRINT" DEBRIS, LEFT BY A HOST OF FORMER PROPERTY OWNERS; AND A WIDE ARRAY OF USES. CALYDOR HAS BEEN ONE OF OUR FAVORITE HUNTING GROUNDS, AND THE MATERIALS FOUND THERE, SHOW A WIDE DIVERSITY OF RESIDENTIAL ACTIVITIES, AND THE CONSIDERABLE YEARS OF PROPERTY USE, DATING BACK TO THE EARLIEST YEARS OF GRAVENHURST SETTLEMENT. SO AS FAR AS BEING STORY-TELLERS, ANDREW AND ROBERT LOVE TO RECOLLECT THESE ADVENTURES, BUT THERE'S NARY A FIB IN THE MIX. WHAT YOU SEE IN THE ABOVE PHOTOGRAPHS, WAS ALL RETRIEVED BY OUR SONS, FROM THE BEACHFRONT AT CALYDOR. THE EXCEPTION, IS THE BARBED WIRE FROM THE FORMER PRISON CAMP, WHICH ANDREW AND ROBERT RIPPED OFF FROM THE BALES, ONCE STORED ON PROPERTY CLOSE TO SEGWUN BOULEVARD, PART OF THE CALYDOR SUBDIVISION. THE BALES ARE NOW GONE.
     ONCE AGAIN, LIKE MY DAYS DIGGING AT THE FALKENBURG SITE, WE FOUND INTACT LIGHTBULBS, THAT HAD SURVIVED YEARS OF SEASONAL CHANGES, AND HEAVY DEBRIS BEING TOSSED ON TOP. THE REALITY IS, WE HAVE BEEN ABUSING THE LAND AND WATER FOR CENTURIES, EVEN IN THIS BEAUTIFUL PART OF THE WORLD. ROW BOATS FILLED WITH REFUSE OF ALL SORTS, WERE ROWED OUT INTO THE DEEPER PARTS OF LAKES AND RIVERS, AND WEIGHTED WITH ROCKS AND IRON PIECES, TO DISAPPEAR FROM SIGHT. IN ESSENCE, AS LONG AS THEY DIDN'T SEE IT, THE DEED WAS A GOOD AND SAFE ONE. THERE WAS NO APPARENT WORRY, THAT TOXINS FROM OLD MEDICINE AND CHEMICAL CONTAINERS, MOSTLY BOTTLES, WOULD EVENTUALLY CONTAMINATE
DRINKING WATER. I'VE UNCOVERED DUMPSITES FULL OF OLD CAR AND BOAT BATTERIES, THAT BY MEASUREMENT, WERE ONLY, AT MOST, A HUNDRED FEET FROM DUG WELLS. I GUESS THEY DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT THE SEEPAGE OF WATER THROUGH THE SOIL. I'VE SEEN THE SAME THING IN THE WATER, OF OUR BEAUTIFUL LAKES, WHILE SNORKELING FOR OLD BOTTLES. I'VE FOUND UPWARDS OF TWENTY OLD BATTERIES, TOSSED INTO THE WATER, A SHORT DISTANCE FROM WATER INTAKE VALVES, AND WHERE FAMILIES USED TO SWIM. I LIKE TO THINK WE'RE NOT DOING THE SAME THINGS TODAY, AS WE DO KNOW QUITE A BIT MORE ABOUT ISSUES, OF CHEMICAL CONTAMINATION, AND HOW WATER FINDS THE LOWEST POINTS TO DRAIN.
     EVEN THE MEDICINAL BOTTLES IN THE PICTURES ABOVE, MAY HAVE BEEN TOSSED INTO THE MAKESHIFT DUMP SITES, YOU CAN OFTEN FIND BY WALKING THROUGH THE BUSH OF AN OLD HOMESTEAD PROPERTY; MANY OF THESE PROBABLY HAD SOME CONTENTS WITHIN, AT THE TIME OF DISPOSAL. THE METAL LIDS ON THESE EXAMPLES, HAVE RUSTED THROUGH, AND OBVIOUSLY, ANYTHING THAT WAS INSIDE, BECAME PART OF THE SOIL OVER THE DECADES. I'VE PULLED HUNDREDS OF THESE BOTTLES OUT OF RETIRED DUMPSITES, AND THEN CAREFULLY DRAINED ANY CONTENTS (ESPECIALLY FROM CORK-TOP BOTTLES, THAT DIDN'T LEAK), INTO SAFE CONTAINERS, (BUT NEVER MIXED) TO THEN BE TAKEN TO THE MUNICIPAL LANDFILL SITE, WHEN THEY HAVE A DANGEROUS CHEMICALS DISPOSAL DAY. THERE WERE SOME NASTY CHEMICALS BACK THEN, INCLUDING A LOT OF ARSENIC. SO WHEN POKING AROUND THESE DUMP LOCATIONS, THE BOYS ALWAYS WORE SAFETY GLOVES, AND WE INSPECTED ALL GLASS CONTAINERS FOR POSSIBLE CHEMICAL CONTAMINATION. WE WERE CONTINUALLY AWARE OF WHAT MIGHT RISE IN DUST, AND VAPOR, FROM THE AREAS WE DISTURBED; SO AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE, WE MITIGATED THE RISKS OF TREASURE HUNTING.
     AS FOR THE CALYDOR PROPERTY, OUR POKING ABOUT SINCE THE LATE 1980'S, HAS, I THINK, SPANNED THE AGES OF ITS PROPERTY USE. AND IT'S BEEN A NEAT STUDY, WITH LOTS OF "WOW" MOMENTS WE COULDN'T HAVE EXPECTED. I OFTEN WONDERED WHAT KIND OF ARTIFACTS WERE FOUND DURING THE EXCAVATIONS FOR THE PRESENT HOUSES, ON THE OLD PRISON OF WAR CAMP PROPERTY. ANY BUTTONS OFF UNIFORMS? GERMAN OR CANADIAN? THE CANADIAN VETERAN'S GUARD SPECIFICALLY. OF ALL THE PRISONERS KEPT IN THE CAMP, MORE THAN FIVE HUNDRED AT TIMES, THERE HAD TO BE A LOST BUTTON OR SO, FROM THEIR DRESS UNIFORMS, WORN ON CERTAIN OCCASIONS; SUCH AS DURING MARCHES AND THE TWO FUNERALS WHICH COMMENCED FROM THE CAMP SITE, TRAVELLING TO THE NEARBY MICKLE CEMETERY. MAYBE SOME OF THE RESIDENTS HAVE FOUND RELICS, WHILE GARDENING, THEY DON'T UNDERSTAND, OR APPRECIATE HOW THEY WOUND UP THERE IN THE FIRST PLACE. THIS IS ONE OF THE MOST STORIED PROPERTIES IN OUR TOWN, AND ANYTHING PULLED FROM THE SOIL OF WHAT HAD BEEN A TUBERCULAR SANITARIUM, AND A GERMAN PRISONER OF WAR CAMP, TO NAME JUST TWO OF THE LAND USES, IS OF INTEREST TO HISTORIANS LIKE ME; AND IT HAS NOTHING WHATSOEVER TO DO WITH ANTIQUE OR COLLECTABLE VALUE. BUT IT IS OUR HERITAGE AS BROKEN-UP AS IT IS; CHINA, POTTERY, AND GLASS SHARDS OF A LARGER, MORE SIGNIFICANT MOSAIC.
     AS I NOTED IN YESTERDAY'S BLOG, SUZANNE AND I PLAN TO OFFER A SMALL DISPLAY OF CALYDOR RELICS, AND MEMORABILIA, ONE YEAR FROM NOW, AT OUR MUSKOKA ROAD ANTIQUE SHOP, COMMEMORATING THE 75TH ANNIVERSARY OF THAT FIRST MARCH OF GERMAN OFFICERS, AND SOLDIERS, DOWN THE STREETS OF UPTOWN GRAVENHURST, AS THE INAUGURAL GROUP OF PRISONERS OF WAR, TO BE HOUSED IN THE FORMER CALYDOR SANITARIUM, WHICH HAD BECOME "CAMP 20;" AN INTERMENT CAMP IN ONE OF THE MOST SCENIC LAKESIDE LOCATIONS IN THE SMALL TOWN. FROM JUNE 1940. THE TOWN OF GRAVENHURST WOULD COME TO PLAY AN INTERNATIONAL ROLE, BY SECURING SOME OF THE MOST DANGEROUS NAZIS OF ADOLPH HITLER'S WAR MACHINE, TERRORIZING EUROPE AT THE TIME. FROM 1940 TO 1946, THIS SOUTH MUSKOKA TOWN, WATCHED OVER THESE P.O.W.'S, AS IF THEY WERE MAINTAINING THE FLANK FOR THE APPOINTED GUARDS. THE CITIZENS BEING ON PERPETUAL ALERT FOR ANY ESCAPING INMATES. THE INMATES WERE SUPPOSED TO WEAR SHIRTS WITH LARGE RED DOTS ON THE BACK, WHEN THEY WERE WORKING ON OFF-SITE PROJECTS, SUCH AS THEIR SMALL FARM SITE ON MUSKOKA BEACH ROAD. OF COURSE, THIS IS OFFERED IN MUCH GREATER DETAIL, AND IN PHOTOGRAPHS, IN THE CAMP HISTORY WRITTEN BY GRAVENHURST HISTORIAN, CECIL PORTER, ENTITLED "THE GILDED CAGE."
     WHAT HAS ALWAYS FASCINATED ME, ABOUT THE CAMP 20 STORY, IS THAT UNLIKE OTHER MUSKOKA HISTORIES I'VE RESEARCHED, AND WRITTEN ABOUT, I HAVE A DIFFICULT TIME APPRECIATING WHAT IT MUST HAVE BEEN LIKE, TO HAVE BEEN A RESIDENT OF THE COMMUNITY IN THOSE YEARS; AND BEEN A WITNESS TO THE FULL-UNIFORM MARCHES, FROM THE TRAIN STATION TO CALYDOR, UNDER GUARD. THERE ARE MANY PICTURES OF THIS IN THE BOOK, AND YOU CAN ARCHIVE BACK SEVERAL BLOGS, IF YOU MISSED THE FIRST TWO OF THIS SMALL SERIES. SO I THINK THIS IS WHAT COMPELS ME TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THOSE YEARS, AND HOW THE RESIDENTS FELT, OVER THOSE SIX YEARS, OF BEING HOSTS TO A PORTION OF HITLER'S ARMY; AND LISTENING AND READING ABOUT THE LATEST NEWS FROM OVERSEAS, REGARDING THE DEVASTATING CASUALTIES OF WAR. UNLIKE THE FIRST WORLD WAR, THOSE KEEPING THE HOME FIRES BURNING, DIDN'T HAVE TO DEAL WITH GERMAN PRISONERS OF WAR IN THEIR PRESENCE. YET BY ALL ACCOUNTS, THERE WERE FEW IF ANY PUBLIC DEMONSTRATIONS OF ANGER, OR PHYSICAL VIOLENCE, SHOWN TOWARD THESE INMATES OF CALYDOR. MAYBE I'M ASSUMING TOO MUCH, WHEN I SUGGEST, THE CITIZENS OF GRAVENHURST, AND SOUTH MUSKOKA, WERE PRETTY GOOD AND KINDLY HOSTS, TO OUR GERMAN GUESTS. IF YOU KNOW DIFFERENTLY, AS A RESULT OF PASSED DOWN STORIES IN FAMILIES, I WOULD APPRECIATE THIS INFORMATION, AS I AM WORKING ON A BROADER STORY OF THE CAMP, IN RESPECT TO THE UPCOMING ANNIVERSARY RECOGNITION IN 2015. AND BY THE WAY, I EXPECT NOTHING FROM THE MUNICIPALITY, AND IT WILL ALL BE DONE PRIVATELY, WITHOUT A NICKLE OF PROFIT.
     SO ONCE AGAIN, AND KEEPING IN MIND, I'VE GOT A YEAR OF WIGGLE ROOM, TO RESEARCH AND DEVELOP THIS EXHIBIT, I WOULD ALSO APPRECIATE ANY INFORMATION ABOUT THE CAMP YOU MIGHT POSSESS, OR MATERIALS THAT HAVE A CONNECTION TO THE "PRISONER OF WAR" YEARS; RANGING FROM FURNISHINGS FROM THE CAMP BUILDINGS, TO PHOTOGRAPHS, HOME MOVIE FILMS, EXAMPLES OF CAMP ART WORK OR CRAFTS, PAPER WORK, COVERS WITH POSTAL CANCELLATIONS, TO AND FROM CAMP 20, AND ANY OTHER MEMORABILIA WE COULD USE TO FRAME A SMALL EXHIBIT. POSSIBLY YOU ACQUIRED SOME HOTELWARE THAT WAS USED IN THE DINING HALL OF THE CAMP, OR PAPERWORK FROM AREA BUSINESSES, THAT DEALT WITH THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT ON A SUPPLY AND SERVICES BASIS. SUCH AS LOCAL LAUNDRY WORKERS. THE LAUNDRY WAS SENT OUT FOR CLEANING. ORIGINAL SIGNAGE WOULD BE AN EXTREME EXAMPLE, OF WHAT WOULD MAKE US WILD WITH ENTHUSIASM. SEEING AS WE ARE PRETTY LOW, AT THE PRESENT TIME, IN ARCHIVES AND MEMORABILIA DISPLAY ITEMS, YOU'D BE SURPRISED WHAT WE WOULD SING AND DANCE TO OBTAIN. WE CAN EITHER PURCHASE THE RELICS FOR A FAIR PRICE, (BUT WE WILL NOT SELL THEM LATER FOR A PROFIT), OR PHOTOGRAPH (COPY) THE PIECES, AND RETURN EACH PIECE AS QUICKLY AS THE CLICK OF A CAMERA. CREDITS WILL BE GIVEN TO EVERYONE WHO ASSISTS. WE ARE DOING THIS WITHOUT ANY COMPENSATION, AND IF AND WHEN WE ARE ABLE TO MOUNT A DISPLAY, THERE WILL BE NO ADMISSION FEE. WE ARE DOING THIS BECAUSE NO ONE ELSE WILL. THE MUNICIPALITY HAS NO APPETITE FOR SUCH AN ANNIVERSARY, AND THE BOOKS ON CAMP 20 ARE IN LOW SUPPLY. JUST BECAUSE THE TOWN HASN'T FELT IT IMPORTANT TO APPLY FOR AN HISTORIC MARKER, FROM THE FEDERAL OR PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT, DOESN'T MEAN A DULLING OR DIMINISHING OF HISTORICAL FACT. WE WON'T LET THAT HAPPEN, AND IF YOU'VE FOLLOWED OUR WORK, SUCH AS THE RECOGNITION WE PROVIDED OF THE 150TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE NAMING OF OUR TOWN, WE WON'T DROP THE BALL ON THIS PROJECT EITHER. JUST HAVING YOU ABOARD FOR THIS BLOG, REGARDING OUR RECOGNITION EFFORTS, FOR CAMP CALYDOR, IS THE KIND OF SUPPORT WE NEED, TO BRING IT ALL TO FRUITION.
     SO THANKS AGAIN, FOR YOUR SUPPORT, VISITING THIS BLOG-ENTRY, WRITTEN DAILY, HERE IN PICTURESQUE (DID I MENTION HISTORIC) UPTOWN GRAVENHURST. LOTS MORE COMING.
     AS A SIDEBAR, SUZANNE AND I JUST ACQUIRED AN ORIGINAL PRINTING BLOCK, THAT WAS USED TO CREATED THE FIRST EDITION, DUSTJACKET ART, FOR CANADIAN ARTIST, EMILY CARR'S FAMOUS BOOK, "KLEE WYCK." WE WANTED TO PICK UP A FIRST EDITION, SIGNED COPY, TO GO WITH THE RARE PRINTING BLOCK, FROM OXFORD PRESS, BUT IT WOULD HAVE COST US $2,700 IN AMERICAN FUNDS. A FIRST EDITION OF THE BOOK, IN GOOD CONDITION COSTS ABOUT SIXTY DOLLARS, IF AND WHEN YOU CAN FIND ONE. I'M HAPPY TO HAVE THE PRINTING BLOCK, BECAUSE IN TERMS OF RARITY, THERE ARE A LOT FEWER OF THESE OUT THERE, THAN SIGNED FIRST EDITIONS.
     SEE YOU AGAIN SOON.