BRACEBRIDGE STATUE OF SANTA, BUT NOTHING FOR WASHINGTON IRVING - GO FIGURE!
IT'S POLITICAL INDIFFERENCE, WHAT ELSE IS KNEW?
SO, IT'S POSSIBLE, ACCORDING TO THE LOCAL MEDIA, THERE WILL BE A STATUE OF SANTA CLAUS, CRAFTED AND ERECTED SOMEWHERE IN BRACEBRIDGE, IF MONEY AFFORDS THE PROJECT. I MEAN, OUTSIDE OF THE COST, WHO REALLY COULD ARGUE WITH A SANTA CLAUS IN THE PARK, OVER THE FOUR SEASONS? UNLESS OF COURSE, IF YOU FACTOR IN THE SLIDING SCALE OF POLITICAL CORRECTNESS, AS BEING IMPORTANT ON THE WIDER SCALE OF TOURISM; THAT SANTA ISN'T ACCEPTED BY EVERYONE, AND THERE ARE THOSE WHO DON'T CELEBRATE CHRISTMAS. THEIR CHOICE, REMEMBER?
IF YOU FOLLOW MY BLOGS, YOU'LL PROBABLY BE ABLE TO WRITE TODAY'S OPENING, YOURSELF, AND WORD IT BETTER, AND WITH MORE FLAMES SNAPPING OFF THE LETTERS, THAN ME. WHERE SHALL I START. NO SERIOUSLY. I'M SO PERPLEXED, I REALLY DON'T NOW WHAT POINT DESERVES MOST ATTENTION. I UNDERSTAND BY THE MEDIA REPORT, THAT THIS IS A CITIZEN'S SUGGESTION, AND DIDN'T COME FROM THE TOWN ITSELF; BUT IT'S ONE OF THOSE THINGS THAT CAN BECOME REALITY, BECAUSE OF THE PRESSURE BEING APPLIED, AND NOT SIMPLY BECAUSE IT'S THE MOST SENSIBLE THING TO DO. AS I EXPECT IT IS INTENDED TO DEMONSTRATE BRACEBRIDGE'S LONG, AND PROSPEROUS RELATIONSHIP, WITH WELL KNOWN MUSKOKA BUSINESS, SANTA'S VILLAGE, VERSUS JUST A HONKING BIG PLUG FOR ST. NICK.
I'VE BEEN FOLLOWING THIS DEBATE, FOR THE PAST COUPLE OF YEARS, REGARDING THE ISSUE OF BRANDING, AND OPPOSITION TO WHAT THE TOWN ADOPTED SEVERAL YEARS AGO, BY THOSE WISHING INSTEAD, TO SPREAD THE SANTA THEME.
I WONDER NOW IF IT'S ALL A PREAMBLE TO A WHOLE VALUE ADDED CHRISTMAS "THING" ABOUT TO HAPPEN. THERE ARE JUST SOME INCONSISTENCIES HERE, THAT MAKE ME WONDER, AND IT DOESN'T REALLY HAVE TO DO WITH A BASIC STATUE ON ITS OWN. I CERTAINLY DON'T AGREE WITH THE FRANKENMUTH CONCEPT, IF THAT'S WHAT IT IS, AT THE CORE, OF BEING A CHRISTMAS THEMED TOWN, MINUS OF COURSE, THAT CITY'S BAVARIAN HERITAGE THING. AS A LONG SERVING TOWN HISTORIAN, I HAVE LOTS OF REASONS TO BACK UP MY OPINIONS, THAT THEY SHOULDN'T GO THIS FAR, TO FACADE-OVER A TOWN, THAT IS WELL KNOWN, AND CELEBRATED, FOR ITS STAKE IN MUSKOKA HERITAGE. AT A TIME WHEN MUSKOKA IS ONE OF THE HOTTEST DESTINATIONS, FOR TOURISM, IN CANADA, BASED ON THE AGE OLD, TIME TESTED "MUSKOKA LIFESTYLE," HOW IS SANTA GOING TO MAKE OUR REGION MORE PROSPEROUS? I THINK IT'S OKAY TO HAVE A SANTA STATUE, IN A PARK, BUT NOT A CHRISTMAS THEMED COMMUNITY. IT'S N0T NEEDED, AND I DO HAVE A RIGHT TO WEIGH IN ON THIS. SEEING AS I WAS A CO-FOUNDER OF THE BRACEBRIDGE HISTORICAL SOCIETY, AND WOODCHESTER VILLA AND MUSEUM, AND DID MY APPRENTICESHIP WITH ROBERT BOYER, WELL KNOWN HISTORIAN; AND HAVE BEEN WRITING ABOUT TOWN HISTORY FOR NEARLY 40 YEARS, I'M NOT ABOUT TO TAKE A BACK SEAT ON THIS ISSUE. IT DOESN'T MEAN I CARRY A LOT OF WEIGHT, (I DO PHYSICALLY), BUT I'VE GOT SOME PRETTY GOOD ARGUMENTS AGAINST. WHILE I DON'T THINK THE TOWN IS ON THIS BANDWAGON, YET, OR GIVING PERMISSION TO ANYTHING AT THE MOMENT, IN TERMS OF FUNDING, IF THEY FINALLY DO, TO HELP FINANCE A STATUE OF SANTA, IT MAY BE SEEN AS A TOE-HOLD FOR SOMETHING BIGGER AND MORE CHRISTMASY YET TO COME.
THE FIRST ARGUMENT THAT COMES QUICKLY TO MIND, IS THAT MY OLD HOME TOWN DOESN'T NEED ANY GIMMICK, OR PLUMP SANTAS, TO ATTRACT OR IMPRESS VISITORS. IT IS A PERFECTLY WONDERFUL COMMUNITY, CHARMING IN ITS RURAL VICTORIAN ARCHITECTURE, THOSE VENERABLE OLD HARDWOODS, OF MEMORIAL PARK, AND EMBRACED BEAUTIFULLY BY ITS WREATHING OF THE NORTH AND SOUTH BRANCHES OF THE MUSKOKA RIVER; AND THEN THERE IS THE PICTURESQUE CATARACT OF THE BRACEBRIDGE FALLS. VISITORS HAVE BEEN COMING TO BRACEBRIDGE, AS A HEALTHFUL RETREAT, SINCE THE 1870'S, SHORTLY AFTER THE FIRST ACCOMMODATIONS WERE CONSTRUCTED. ITS HISTORIC CHARACTER DOESN'T NEED TO BE EMBELLISHED, OR FABRICATED INTO SOMETHING IT ISN'T; BECAUSE WHAT IT HAS IS SPECIAL ENOUGH. THE PROBLEM IS, WE HAVE TOO MANY FOLKS, PUSHING AGENDAS, THAT ARE NOT ALWAYS IN KEEPING, WITH WHAT BRACEBRIDGE HAS, AND CONTINUES TO REPRESENT; ITS HIGHLY INTERESTING, AND UNIQUE HERITAGE FOR ONE THING! MUCH OF IT HAVING NEVER BEEN FULLY TAPPED INTO, BEFORE BEING SHELVED AS IRRELEVANT, AS TO WHAT THE COMMUNITY NEEDS TODAY. MOST OFTEN BY THOSE INTERESTED IN SATISFYING THEIR OWN INTERESTS, UNDER THE GUISE, THAT IT WILL BE THE WAY TOWARD FUTURE PROSPERITY. THERE IS ALWAYS THAT ULTIMATE GREAT PLAN, FOR ENHANCED PROSPERITY, THAT WHEN IT COMES DOWN TO IT, THE SET UP HAS ALWAYS BEEN MORE INTERESTING, THAN THE ACTUAL OUTCOME.
THE HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF BRACEBRIDGE CAN STAND ALONE, AS A DRAW FOR TOURISM; JUST AS IT HAS BEEN DOING FOR ABOUT 140 YEARS. THE TOWN NEEDS TO EXPLOIT ITS HERITAGE, INSTEAD OF STUFFING IT INTO AN ARCHIVES COLLECTION, BEHIND A LOCKED DOOR, AND SIMPLY WRITING BOOKS ABOUT IT, THINKING THIS WILL BE THE END-ALL. PROMOTING BRACEBRIDGE? IT'S WHAT WE DID AT WOODCHESTER VILLA AND MUSEUM, UNTIL THE TOWN DECIDED TO CUT BACK ON ITS MAINTENANCE, AND OPERATION'S BUDGET, IN THE LATE 1980'S, AND LOOK WHAT HAPPENED AS A RESULT. THE VERANDAH COLLAPSED UNDER SNOW LOAD, A NUMBER OF WINTERS AGO, AND ONE OF THE ORIGINAL WATER DRAINAGE PROBLEMS, THAT COULD HAVE BEEN REPAIRED, FINALLY CAUSED MUCH MORE SERIOUS INJURY, TO THE POURED CONCRETE STRUCTURE. WE KNEW ALL ABOUT IT IN 1989. IT COULD HAVE BEEN MITIGATED, IN THIS SAME YEAR, BUT COUNCILLORS WOULDN'T LEND ITS OPERATION'S MANAGER, A LITTLE TIME TO DISCUSS THE ISSUES. A LOT OF THEM WERE ABOUT CONDITION OF THE BUILDING, AND THE WEAKENING OF THE UPPER WRAP-AROUND VERANDAH. COUNCIL WANTS TO HEAR WHAT IT WANTS TO HEAR, AND I HAVE OFTEN BROUGHT THEM BAD NEWS, YET ALWAYS WITH A PLAN B. IT WAS A WORTHY COMMUNITY MUSEUM, EXCEPT ITS LOCATION WAS A PROBLEM FROM THE BEGINNING. THE STEEP HILLSIDE LOCATION, HAS BEEN AN ISSUE, ESPECIALLY WITH THE ELDERLY, WHO WISH TO WALK TO THE PARK SITE. BUT WE PROMOTED BRACEBRIDGE CULTURE AND HISTORY WELL, IN THOSE YEARS, DESPITE THE OBSTACLES, AND IT PAID OFF IN MANY WAYS. WE GOT A WILD AMOUNT OF PRESS, AND I REMEMBER DOING ALL KINDS OF NATIONAL INTERVIEWS; AND IT WAS PRETTY POSITIVE COMING BACK TO THE TOWN. FOR US, HAVING $40,000, WHICH IS THE ESTIMATED COST OF THE SANTA STATUE, WOULD HAVE ALLOWED US TO RUN A LOT MORE PROGRAMS THAN WE COULD AFFORD BACK THEN. WE WERE ALWAYS IN A FINANCIAL CORNER, EVEN FROM THAT FIRST YEAR OPEN TO THE PUBLIC. WHAT WE DID SEE HOWEVER, WAS THAT HISTORY, WITHOUT ANY FACADE, COULD ATTRACT A CROWD. SO I GUESS, READING WHAT THIS WOULD COST, TO PUT A SANTA ORNAMENT IN A TOWN PARK, IRKS ME A TAD, BECAUSE WE HAD THE PERFECT ATTRACTION, AND LITTLE MONEY TO FULFILL OUR MANDATE. SO OF COURSE I'M GOING TO MAKE THIS COMPARISON. WHY WOULDN'T I?
THE CHAPEL GALLERY, WAS MY BRAINCHILD, BUT YOU WON'T SEE THAT WRITTEN INTO THE TOWN CHRONICLE; AND IT WAS TRULY INSPIRED BY NECESSITY. THE RESULT OF THE KIND OF COST CUTTING I HAD TO PERFORM, IN ORDER TO KEEP ONE HALF OF THE MUSEUM OPEN. WHEN I CALLED JAMIE SHERMAN, THEN A REPRESENTATIVE WITH MUSKOKA ARTS AND CRAFTS, CIRCA 1989, TO SEE IF THEY MIGHT WISH TO PARTNER IN THE RESTORED PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, ON THE WOODCHESTER PROPERTY, THE WHEELS STARTED TO MOVE. I STILL LOOK AT THE CHAPEL GALLERY AS THE BEST CHOICE WE COULD HAVE MADE, TO SAVE THE HISTORIC SITE GENERALLY; AND THE FACT IT'S STILL IN OPERATION, AND THRIVING, MAKES ALL THE WORK AND TIME WE INVESTED, IN WOODCHESTER, CONTENTLY JUSTIFIED. I DON'T ALWAYS FEEL GOOD ABOUT THIS PERIOD OF WOODCHESTER, BECAUSE IT OFTEN BROKE OUR HEARTS, HAVING TO OPERATE IT ON A SHOE-STRING BUDGET, WHEN WE COULD HAVE DONE SO MUCH MORE TO PROMOTE THE SITE AND THE TOWN. WOODCHESTER IS CURRENTLY BEING RESTORED, BUT THE TOWN ISN'T SAYING YET, WHAT IT MAY BECOME IN THE FUTURE, IF NOT A MUSUEM AGAIN. THEY HAVEN'T ASKED MY OPINION, AND WON'T EITHER. IT'S THE CHASM CREATED BY STRONG, STUBBORN WILLS. I MAKE NO APOLOGY FOR MY PART. THEY WON'T EITHER.
THE TOWN ALSO HAS THIS LITTLE 150 YEAR OLD UNDEVELOPED CONNECTION, WITH INTERNATIONALLY RECOGNIZED AUTHOR, WASHINGTON IRVING, BUT AS YOU PROBABLY KNOW, IT HAS BEEN A FIFTEEN YEAR FRUSTRATION FOR ME, TO SELL BRACEBRIDGE ON THE IDEA OF FINALLY RELENTING, IN ORDER TO CELEBRATE AN INCREDIBLE LITERARY PROVENANCE. WHEN I FIRST PETITIONED THE TOWN, BACK AT THE TURN OF THIS PRESENT CENTURY, I WAS BASICALLY IGNORED, AND NEVER GIVEN EVEN A WEE SPECK OF OPPORTUNITY TO PRESENT AN IDEA, ANY IDEA, LIKE, BY TODAY'S NEWS, HAVING A SWELL SCULPTURE OF IRVING ERECTED IN A TOWN PARK. I KNOW HOW THE PROJECT WAS DIMINISHED INTERNALLY, BACK THEN, BUT IT DOESN'T MATTER NOW. THERE WAS NO COST FOR THEIR PARTICIPATION AT ALL. AT THIS, OF ORIGINAL PRESENTATION, I WASN'T WITH THE MUSEUM, AND I HAD NOTHING TO SELL OR PROMOTE, OTHER THAN TO SECURE THEIR APPROVAL FOR THE SCOPE OF MY WORK. WHICH I WAS WILLING TO SHARE FOR FREE. I DONATED BOOKS, I WROTE ON THE SUBJECT, AND NEVER ASKED FOR A DIME IN RETURN. EVEN TODAY, WHILE I DON'T PITCH THEM ANY MORE, THE COST OF CONNECTING WITH THEIR OWN, 150 YEAR PROVENANCE IS FREE. AND IT HAS AN AMAZING RETURN POTENTIAL.
FIVE YEARS EARLIER, IN ABOUT 1995, I SUPPOSE IT WAS, I COMMISSIONED, AT MY EXPENSE OF TIME AND MONEY, A PAINTING OF BRACEBRIDGE BORN, ROGER CROZIER, CAPTURED IN ACTION, DURING A PLAYOFF GAME, BETWEEN MONTREAL AND DETROIT; ON CONDITION IT WOULD HANG IN THE AUDITORIUM OF THE ARENA. WHEN I ARRANGED FOR THE PORTRAIT, CIRCA 1995, THERE WASN'T A SINGLE PHOTOGRAPH OF ROGER AT THE ARENA, AND THAT MADE ME MAD. BEFORE I WAS FINISHED BEING MAD, ROGER'S FOUNDATION, HAD EVEN PAID FOR A NICE NEW HALL OF FAME SHOWCASE, TO GO WITH THE PAINTING. THE CASES, WHICH I WROTE ABOUT YESTERDAY, COST A FAIR BIT OF COIN. THE PORTRAIT WAS DONE BY TALENTED LOCAL ARTIST MARY THRANE, AND SHE DONATED HER TIME. MY ANTIQUE COMPANY PAID FOR THE MATTING AND FRAMING.
UNFORTUNATELY, I DON'T HAVE THE MONEY TO PAY FOR A WASHINGTON IRVING STATUE, AND EVEN THEN, I DOUBT VERY MUCH, IF THE TOWN WOULD GIVE ME A PIECE OF PARKLAND, TO ANCHOR IT, FOR PERMANENT DISPLAY. BUT IF I HEAR ABOUT A SANTA CLAUS STATUE BEING APPROVED, AND FUNDED, WELL, THEN I'LL HAVE TO MAKE A PITCH FOR WASHINGTON IRVING. HERE'S HOW THIS STORY GOES.
Outside of having a very interesting community history, without needing Christmas themed anything, to make it better, there's this nagging old association, of being linked to one of the world's best known authors. In fact, as I've been writing about, for some time now (including a book published in 2000), the first of August, this year, marks the 150th anniversary, of the naming of the town after the title of a book, written by American Author, Washington Irving. It's the real deal. It's our rightful heritage. A legacy with teeth. There is no way around it, or to deny it; apparently just the way to ignore it. Pretty much like the town has been doing for the past 150 years. Why? They don't know. I've never been given one solid reason why, the provenance has been ignored; never been anything more, than a brief mention in a history text, and occasionally celebrated at Christmases, with "Bracebridge Hall," dinners, usually designed as fundraisers.
On the first of August, I will be writing quite a bit more about the literary connection between Bracebridge, Ontario, and author, Washington Irving, afforded the town in August 1864, by Federal Postal Authority, William Dawson LeSueur, incidentaly, one of the great scholars of the period, in this country. A literary critic of international regard, and a soon to be major historian in Canada. As the town got its name, from the Irving book, "Bracebridge Hall," the second of the Irving sketch books, initiated in 1818, when "The Sketch Book" was first published, the town has possessed the rights and privileges to exploit the relationship. Surprisingly there is a lot to be gained from this relationship, but when I tried to speak with councillors about the potentials, I was thwarted and delayed, and finally, as you might expect, I decided it wasn't worth the effort; to pitch what clearly wasn't desired. It doesn't mean I gave up on the project, because I have looked ahead, to a time in history, when a new, more receptive council, would be elected, that would consider this a provenance to explore; for promotional advantages. I don't care really. All I've ever looked for, was that the town take its legacy, in this regard, with a sense of pride. That would be a start. Anything's better than nothing.
But when it comes to Santa, and Christmas themes, based in part, on a business enterprise, no matter how long our relationship has been, it's still of a lesser provenance and history, than the 150 year old connection to "Bracebridge Hall," and the writer of "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow."
Here's a little personal reminiscence to go along with this, and to some of you, it might be a little surprising. As I found out with the operation of Woodchester Villa, which had been the family home of Bird's Woollen Mill founder, Henry Bird, not everyone in town was a fan of the former industry. I had never thought about this, when we were hatching plans to restore the octagonal house, back in the late 1970's. There were families, who had been connected to the mill, with kin, all the way back to its origins in the 1880's, and the feelings were not entirely positive. I don't mean to suggest it was ever run like a sweat shop, but it was a demanding industry, with long hours, and well, employees have the right to their opinions. What this meant, was that we never achieved the level of public support early on, in part, due to some adverse and negative feelings we had never considered at the commencement. It would have been totally different, if we had opened a community museum instead of what was seen as a tribute to one family, and one industry. We felt pretty stupid for not knowing this ahead of time. It didn't hurt us too bad, but it did limit our successes, in the shoulder seasons, without the tourist participation.
In the mid 1960's, to the end of that decade, I only made it to Santa's Village on two occasions. We knew it as a theme park for the tourists. This was clearly understood. The Hunt's Hill kids at that time, any many others from town neighborhoods, didn't have a lot of money to spend, and I can remember saving up for most of that one summer, even cashing in pop bottles at Black's Variety Store, in order to afford a day at the Village. It's not that it was a particularly expensive place to visit, but a lot of Bracebridge kids I knew, couldn't afford to go, simply when they felt in the mood. Swimming, bike riding, and train watching at the station, were all free activities. A trip to the Village, once by bike, took either a generous parent, which I didn't have, or an accumulation of payments, from our neighborhood odd jobs. I mowed grass weekly. We came from families that had modest incomes, and after living expenses, were covered, there wasn't much to extend to us. There was an admission charge, at the park, but there wasn't much to do there, other than sight-see, that didn't have an associated cost, how ever minor it was perceived, or actual. We liked the park environment and slides, and the chance to meet Santa, but ten bucks disappeared real fast. The biggest advantage of Santa's Village, in my youth, was that it employed a lot of teenagers, (friends of mine) who needed summer jobs. But it is important to note, there was a clear distinction growing up, that we, in this vacation-land region, were service facilitators to the tourist class, and forgive me for writing this, but that's what we felt about Santa's Village. It hadn't been built in the first place, to please the local population. We were primarily the providers of services and staffing. And occasionally, we had enough money to attend, but for me, it was only possible twice in those years, once for a birthday party, because someone else was paying.
I am not the only one to remember this. Many from my vintage, knew what it was like to sit it out, when truth is, we would have been there more often, if funds had permitted. So it wasn't the quality of the park, or its recreational / entertainment opportunities. It's not to say I didn't like, or support Santa's Village. But the fact, many of us kids, felt we weren't welcome there, because we didn't have a lot of money to spend, did have an impact all round. On the park, and on us. It's not a negative memory, but it did leave a feeling, and it's one that most of us felt, part of living in a tourist region. The "them and us" syndrome. I still sense it today, and there a lot of fact to back it up. It was a business, that depended on the tourism economy for its sustainability. What more can you say. No tourists, no theme park.
If the Santa Claus sculpture, as proposed, is to be erected as a tribute to Santa's Village, and its contribution to Bracebridge since the 1950's, I can't support it, based on its commercial aspect. Santa Claus, without the encumbrance of a business tithe, is another matter. It depends on what the town believes is a good investment, with a future dividend.
Here's the thing. I won't be making a sales pitch, to have a Washington Irving statue created. I won't be petitioning town council, to have any street names changed from what they are, so we can show our proud connection to this internationally revered author. I have no plans to finance a Washington Irving Parade, of "Sleepy Hollow Community Picnic," or for that matter, a "Rip Van Winkle Charity Hockey Game." I have no financial burden to attach to their already burdened shoulder, and the only request I make, is one of conscience; that should one day, a group of businesses, decide to hoist a banner in Irving's honor, or have a burger named in his honor, that they nod their approval for such an initiative, that is all fair and legal, according to historical record, and prevailing, known and documented provenance. Is that too much to ask, and to steep a price to pay? An expense of nothing? Not one cent!
In early August, I will be running my multi-part series on this connection, between my former home-town, and Washington Irving, and it will cost you nothing but time, to be a part of it. Maybe, knowing that it's upcoming, you may wish to visit some other blog site, that doesn't nag on about the same old realities. Yet, it will be executed with the same pride, that I had, when I first attempted to sit down with Bracebridge Town Council, and help them forge a relationship with the Washington Irving Museum, at Sunnyside, in New York, that could have, by now, meant many cultural, heritage connections, and sharing, because of one act of memorial respect, by Dr. William Dawson LeSueur.
I have no idea how many more years, I may be able to carry on this banner-waving, for the good will of Washington Irving, but I will never surrender the idea, that even the most stubborn mule, can be reformed, through time and patience. Join me August first, for column one. "What's in a Name?"
Thank you for joining today's blog. I greatly appreciate your support.
FROM MY BRACEBRIDGE ARCHIVES
MUSKOKA HISTORY AND ITS HEALTHY HARVEST OF FOLK TALES
CAPTAIN L. R. FRASER CIRCA 1942
I HAVE NO IDEA WHERE I GOT MY COPY OF CAPTAIN LEVI FRASER'S SELF-PUBLISHED HISTORY OF MUSKOKA, BUT IT LOOKS TO HAVE FIRST BEEN RAVAGED BY A LAWNMOWER BLADE, BEFORE IT BECAME PART OF MY ARCHIVES. IT HAS ENOUGH INTEGRITY LEFT THOUGH, TO MAKE A HELL OF A RESOURCE FOR MY SUNDRY HERITAGE PROJECTS.....BUT AS FOR RE-SALE, IT'S NOT WORTH MUCH. I USED TO BUY AND SELL BOOKS LIKE THIS, ON MUSKOKA HISTORY, BUT THE SUPPLY OF THE BEST ONES DRIED UP. THE LAST TIME I BOUGHT A LEVI FRASER BOOK, IT WAS OFF A FRIEND FOR FIFTY BUCKS. I SOLD IT A FEW WEEKS LATER FOR A HUNDRED. BY ANTIQUE BOOK SELLER RETAIL PROTOCOLS, A HUNDRED PERCENT PROFIT IS PRETTY MODEST, SEEING AS HIS WORK TODAY CAN SELL FOR TWO TO THREE HUNDRED OR MORE, ESPECIALLY VIA EBAY AUCTIONS.
WHAT I LIKE ABOUT LEVI'S WORK, IS THAT HE WASN'T SHY OF OFFERING AN OPINION, AND I'VE HAD A FEW FEMALE CONTEMPORARIES, WHO WERE OFFENDED AT WHAT THEY PERCEIVED WAS HIS SEXIST SLANT ON, FOR EXAMPLE, WOMEN BEING ABLE TO VOTE. IT'S ALL PART OF THE PACKAGE OF THE TIMES, I HAVE EXPLAINED OVER AND OVER, AND WHETHER YOU AGREE WITH HIS POINT OF VIEW OR NOT, WE'RE USING THIS BOOK FOR THE CAUSE OF HISTORICAL PRESERVATION, AND RE-DEVELOPMENT, NOT TO WRITE A PERSONAL BIOGRAPHY.
MY ONLY GRIEVANCE WITH HIS OVERVIEW, OF THE PIONEER PERIOD, IN OUR DISTRICT, IS THAT IT IS, WELL, JUST A NO FRILLS, SHALLOW RESEARCHEED GENERALIZATION, WITH A CONTRARY OPINION ATTACHED, OF WHICH I DON'T HAPPEN TO CONCUR. HE HAD A CLOSER GLIMPSE UPON THE PIONEER PERIOD, THAN I'VE HAD, SO HE HAD BETTER INSIGHT TO OFFER AS AN INFORMED JUDGEMENT. IN A RETROSPECTIVE DEBATE HOWEVER, HE WOULD UNDOUBTEDLY SIDE WITH MUSKOKA'S FIRST PUBLISHED AUTHOR, HISTORIAN, THOMAS MCMURRAY, WHEN IT COMES TO HIS ASSESSMENT, THAT THE PIONEER PERIOD WASN'T SO BAD AS IT WAS....., AND STILL IS PORTRAYED BY OTHERS; THOSE DISTRICT-HATERS, WHO MADE INTERPRETATIONS BASED ON THE MOST DEPRESSING OF HOMESTEADING ACCOUNTS. BASICALLY, CAPTAIN FRASER BELIEVES, THAT BECAUSE OF THE TYPE OF IMMIGRANT ATTRACTED TO THE HOMESTEAD GRANT LAND, OF THE 1860'S, THE OBSTACLES OF POVERTY, PHYSICAL INABILITY TO FARM, INEXPERIENCE AND SKULLDUGGERY, HAD NO SERIOUS IMPACT ON THE MISSION OF THE SETTLERS TO ESTABLISH PROSPEROUS FARMS AND THRIVING BUSINESSES.
LEVI FRASER WAS UNQUESTIONABLY A STALWART MUSKOKA ADVOCATE, AND WHETHER IT WAS IN BUSINESS, WITH HIS OWN STEAM BOAT, OR AS A LOCAL POLITICIAN, A FREQUENT NEWSPAPER CONTRIBUTOR, OR HISTORIAN, HE FIRMLY BELIEVED IN THE INHERENT ABILITY OF HOME-GROWN MUSKOKANS, TO WEATHER THE STORMS OF ADVERSITY. WHAT HE WAS ALLUDING TO, WAS THAT THE PIONEER PERIOD WAS MUCH LESS DIFFICULT AND TRAGIC, AS OTHER CRITICS, FROM THE 1860'S ONWARD, WERE CLAIMING, IN THEIR WIDELY PUBLISHED LETTERS, TO NEWSPAPERS, WITH SUCH BOLD HEADLINES AS "THE BLACK PICTURE IN THE DISTRICT."
I COULD NOT AGREE WITH CAPTAIN FRASER IN THIS REGARD, BUT I RESPECT HIS OPINION. HAVING RESEARCHED THIS PERIOD OF OUR HISTORY, FOR WELL MORE THAN THREE DECADES, MY IMPRESSION IS THE COMPLETE OPPOSITE, AND I'VE TRIED TO PRESENT SOME EVIDENCE, IN THIS REGARDS, OVER THE PAST FEW WEEKS. BUT THERE ARE NO STATISTICS TO BACK UP EITHER POINT OF VIEW. THE GOVERNMENT DIDN'T KEEP THE STATISTICS OF SUCCESS AND FAILURE ON THE HOMESTEADS, OR HOW MANY SETTLERS FROZE TO DEATH, STARVED, OR WERE KILLED AS A DIRECT RESULT OF FARMING ACCIDENTS, DUE TO INEXPERIENCE. WE ALSO KNOW THAT THE AGRICULTURAL DEPARTMENT, OF THE PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT, IN THE EARLY 1880'S, PUBLISHED A GLOWING COMMITTEE REPORT, ON THE PROGRESS OF SETTLEMENT IN THE FIRST TWENTY YEARS. INDICATING BASICALLY, AS A SUMMARY OF INVESTIGATION, THAT THE EXPERIMENT TO SETTLE THE MUSKOKA AND PARRY SOUND DISTRICTS, HAD ACHIEVED ENOUGH GAINS, SINCE THE 1860'S, WITH SUCCESSFUL, PROSPERING HOMESTEADS, TO DECLARE THE WHOLE INITIATIVE A POLITICAL TRIUMPH. IF YOU READ BETWEEN THE LINES, YOU'D RECOGNIZE THAT THE ONLY WAY THEY COULD ASSESS THIS, IS IF THE NUMBER OF FAILURES, AND THE DEATHS THEY KNEW ABOUT, FELL UNDER WHAT THEY BELIEVED WAS "ACCEPTABLE LOSS." IN OTHER WORDS, THEY HAD NO DOUBT FAILURES AND DEATH, AS A RESULT OF THEIR PROGRAM OF SETTLEMENT, WAS GOING TO OCCUR, BUT UPON SURVEY IN THE 1880'S, ASSUMED BY WHAT THEY SAW, LIFE ON THE WHOLE WAS GOOD AND PROSPEROUS....WHICH BY THE WAY, GAVE THE GOVERNMENT FUEL, TO COMMENCE SETTLEMENT INITIATIVES FURTHER NORTH, WHERE THE LANDSCAPE WAS EVEN MORE ADVERSE THAN IN MUSKOKA. IN MY OPINION THE REPORT WAS FUDGED TO READ BETTER THAN IT WAS, TO SERVE THE POLITICAL AMBITIONS OF THE POLITICAL PARTY IN POWER. IF THEY HAD DONE A PARALLEL REPORT, FOCUSING-IN ON THE DISGRUNTLED FARMERS, WHO FELT THE PROVINCE AND FEDERAL GOVERNMENTS HAD LIED TO THEM, AND FAILED TO LIVE UP TO PROMISES, IT WOULD HAVE PROVIDED A TRULY, NO HOLDS BARRED "BLACK PICTURE." INSTEAD, THEY ACCENTUATED THE POSITIVE. NOT MUCH HAS CHANGED, HAS IT?
BESIDES THIS, WHICH JUST HAPPENS TO BE A SOURCE OF CHAGRIN FOR ME, BECAUSE I KNOW MORE ABOUT THE CASUALITIES THAN CAPTAIN FRASER DID, IN 1942, WHEN THIS BOOK WAS RELEASED FOR LOCAL CONSUMPTION. LIKE MY FAVORITE MUSKOKA WRITER / HISTORIANS, LIKE BRACEBRIDGE'S REDMOND THOMAS, AND BERT SHEA, OF UFFORD, LEVI FRASER WISELY CONSERVED MANY IMPORTANT STORIES IN THIS BOOK, ABOUT EVENTS IN WHICH HE HAD BEEN INVOLVED.....WHICH RANK, IN MY OPINION, AS A RICH MINE OF HERITAGE FOLK TALES. I HAVE USED HIS WRITINGS, IN MY RESEARCH WORK, FOR AT LEAST THIRTY YEARS, AND FOUND SEVERAL OF HIS ACCOUNTS SOME OF THE FINEST, MOST INTERESTING, IN ALL OF MUSKOKA'S COLLECTION, OF WHAT CAN BE CONSIDERED "FOLK HISTORY." ONE OF MY FAVORITES INVOLVES THE EERIE ENCOUNTER OF TWO SMALL STEAMSHIPS, IN DARKNESS, THAT COULD WELL HAVE ENDED WITH SERIOUS LOSS OF LIFE. GOD'S WILL, IT SEEMS, SPARED ALL ON BOARD. BUT WHAT A GREAT STORY TO GRACE OUR HISTORY PAGES.
"I REMAINED IN CHARGE OF THE (STEAMER) 'SOUTHWOOD' FOR ANDY BOYD, AND LATER FOR THE LAKE ROSSEAU LUMBER COMPANY, FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS. DURING THOSE YEARS I BECAME VERY MUCH ATTACHED TO MY EMPLOYER, BOYD; I FOUND HIM TO BE A MAN OF STERLING QUALITIES, ALWAYS LOOKING ON THE BRIGHT SIDE OF LIFE, TRYING TO BE HAPPY AND MAKE OTHERS THE SAME. TO ANDY THE FUTURE ALWAYS SEEMED BRIGHT AND PROMISING BUT THEN THE PRESENT NEARLY ALWAYS HELD ITS DIFFICULTIES, BECAUSE HE WAS DOING A LITTLE MORE BUSINESS THAN HIS FINANCIAL SET-UP COULD COMFORTABLY STAND. ONE OF HIS PECULIARITIES WAS A HORROR OF BAD BUTTER.
CAPTAIN FRASER WRITES, "DURING THE WINTER HE AND I TRAVELLED A LOT TOGETHER, BUYING LOGS AND LOOKING AFTER CAMP OPERATIONS, FREQUENTLY STOPPING AT HOTELS. ANDY USUALLY SELECTED A TABLE WHERE WE WERE MORE OR LESS BY OURSELVES, AND HE PROCEEDED AT ONCE TO SMELL THE BUTTER, THEN TURNING TO THE WAITRESS WITH A GOOD NATURED GRIMACE, WOULD SAY, "SUSIE, LIKE A GOOD GIRL, SEE IF YOU CAN GET US A BIT OF GOOD BUTTER - THAT STUFF WOULD POISON ANY DOG IN TOWN.' SUSIE USUALLY RETURNED WITH A SMILE AND THE GOOD BUTTER.
"ALONG ABOUT 1900 ANDY, IN PARTNERSHIP WITH HIS BROTHER DAVE, OF GRAVENHURST, BOUGHT BIG ISLAND, THE LARGEST ISLAND IN MUSKOKA LAKE, CONTAINING ABOUT 1,200 ACRES. IT WAS WELL TIMBERED WITH HARD AND SOFT WOODS, AND HAD LARGE TRACTS OF GOOD FARM LAND AND SCORES OF BEAUTIFUL POINTS SUITABLE FOR TOURIST COTTAGES. ANDY SAW GREAT POSSIBITIES IN THIS VENTURE, LUMBERING, FARMING AND TOURIST DEVELOPMENT. WITHIN THE FOLLOWING FEW YEARS, HUNDREDS OF MEN FOUND EMPLOYMENT ON BIG ISLAND; WINTER AND SUMMER WORK WAS CARRIED ON. THE PLAN WAS TO REMOVE ALL THE MERCHANTABLE TIMBER FROM AN AREA SUITABLE FOR FARMING. THE TIMBER NOT SUITABLE FOR SAW-LOGS WAS CUT INTO CORDWOOD. (THERE WAS IN THOSE DAYS AN UNLIMITED DEMAND FOR ALMOST ANY GRADE OF CORDWOOD). THE LAND WAS THEN BURNED OVER, CLEARED UP AND SOWN OR PLANTED. SO IN COMPARATIVELY SHORT TIME, THE ESTABLISHMENT OF TWO FINE FARMS WAS STARTED. THE ISLAND WAS DIVIDED EQUALLY. ANDY KEEPING THE NORTH AND DAVE THE SOUTH. THE FINE LARGE FRAME BARNS WERE ERECTED, WITH STONE STABLES UNDERNEATH."
CAPTAIN FRASER NOTES, "WHILE THE ISLAND WAS OWNED BY THE BOYDS, WHO ALWAYS ENCOURAGED THE GENERAL PUBLIC, LARGE SCALE PICNICS WERE BECOMING AN ANNUAL AFFAIR; THE IDEA WAS TWO-FOLD - TO MAKE THE ISLAND A SPORTS CENTRE FOR BOTH GRAVENHURST AND BRACEBRIDGE, AND TO ATTRACT AND ACQUAINT POSSIBLE BUYERS OF THE TOURIST PROPERTY, WITH THE GENERAL LAYOUT OF THE ISLAND. THOSE PICNICS WERE BECOMING VERY POPULAR; THE NAVIGATION COMPANY CO-OPERATING TO THE EXTENT OF SENDING THE ISLANDER AND THE MUSKOKA, EACH LOADED TO CAPACITY. SOMETIMES THE ISLANDER MADE SEVERAL TRIPS. THERE WAS NO DOCK THEN IN WHAT WAS LATER CALLED ROWAN'S BAY. WE USUALLY MOORED A GOOD SIZE SCOW AT A CONVENIENT POINT, MAKING A VERY SATISFACTORY WHARF. THESE PICNICS CONTINUED TO BE HELD FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS BUT WHEN THE ISLAND CHANGED HANDS THESE GATHERINGS WERE DISCONTINUED. AMONG THOSE WHO HELD SUCH PICNICS WERE THE BRACEBRIDGE CITIZEN'S BAND.
"AN INCIDENT OCCURRED ON THE NIGHT OF ONE OF THESE PICNICS THAT NEARLY SENT THE SOUTHWOOD AND THE COMET TO DAVEY JONE'S LOCKER. THE COMET WAS RUNNING DOWN FROM THE ISLAND SHORTLY AFTER DARK, WITH A PARTY THAT HAD ATTENDED THE SPORTS; THE SOUTHWOOD COMING BACK FROM GRAVENHURST RUNNING ITS LIGHTS. THE RUSSO-JAPANESE WAR WAS IN FULL SWING AT THE TIME, AND AN ACCOUNT OF A FIERCE RUNNING NAVAL ENGAGEMENT WAS IN THAT DAY'S PAPER. I HAD SECURED A PAPER AT MUSKOKA WHARF AND AFTER CLEARING THE NARROWS LIGHT-HOUSE, I GAVE THE WHEEL TO THE MATE, ELWOOD IRELAND, AND WENT INTO MY ROOM BEHIND THE PILOT HOUSE, TO READ OF THE GREAT SEA BATTLE. IN A FEW MINUTES THE MATE CALLED TO ME THAT THERE WAS A BOAT'S LIGHTS AHEAD, AND ASKED AS TO WHICH SIDE HE WOULD KEEP. I TOLD HIM TO KEEP ON HIS OWN SIDE WHICH MEANT STARBOARD, AND CONTINUED TO READ THE WAR NEWS. TEN MINUTES LATER I WAS ALARMED AT HEARING THE EXTREMELY UNUSUAL TWO BELLS, A SIGNAL TO REVERSE ENGINE. RUSHING OUT ON DECK I WAS HORRIFIED TO SEE THE COMET, NOT MORE THAN THIRTY FEET AWAY, WITH OUR BOW POINTING DIRECTLY FOR FINE MIDSHIPS. SO CLOSE WE WERE THAT I HEARD DISTINCTLY THE COMET'S CLEARANCE BELL, AS THE CAPTAIN RANG FOR MORE SPEED AHEAD, AND HEARD THE ACCELERATED CHUG OF HER ENGINE. OUR HELM WENT HARD TO PORT, THE COMET'S HARD TO STARBOARD IN AN EFFORT TO LAY THEM ALONGSIDE, AND IF POSSIBLE, ESCAPE WITH A GLANCING BLOW; AND TO ADD TO THE INTENSE HORROR OF THE MOMENT, TWO WOMEN APPEARED AT THE COMET'S WINDOWS, THEN A SPLINTERING CRASH."
CAPTAIN FRASER STATES, OF THE COLLISION, "THE SOUTHWOOD'S BOW GRAZED THE COMET'S STERN AND SAVAGELY CRASHED INTO THE RIVER-DRIVERS LARGE PUNT THAT WAS BEING TOWED BEHIND THE COMET, CUTTING THE PUNT TO THE CENTRE. THE COMET AND THOSE ON BOARD WERE SAFE AND CONTINUED ON THEIR WAY. I RUSHED BELOW TO DETERMINE WHAT DAMAGE WE HAD SUFFERED BUT TO MY SURPRISE AND RELIEF, I FOUND NO SIGN OF A LEAK. THIS WAS THE ONLY NEAR COLLISION OR ACCIDENT INVOLVING ANOTHER VESSEL THAT I HAVE EVER HAD, AND THE ONLY TIME I HAVE EVER KNOWN FEAR IN A CRISIS. THE MUSKOKA LAKES SAILORS ARE JUST AS FEARLESS AS THE MEN WHO RECENTLY FACED HELL IN THE CLOUDS OR DESTRUCTION ON THE HIGH SEAS. NEITHER FIRE NOR FLOOD NOR TEMPEST WILL DISMAY THEM, SO LONG AS THEY HAVE A CHANCE TO FIGHT BACK. THIS HAS BEEN DEMONSTRATED ON MORE THAN ONE OCCASION.
"A NUMBER OF YEARS AGO, THE AHMIC, ON A COLD, SNOWY DAY IN LATE NOVEMBER, AT ST. ELMO (ISLAND - MOUTH OF THE MUSKOKA RIVER), AN OVERTURNED CANOE, WITH TWO MEN CLINGING TO IT, WAS SIGHTED. THE AHMIC AT ONCE SPED TO THE RESCUE. COMING ALONGSIDE, THE BOAT'S SWELL BROKE THE HOLD OF ONE OF THE BENUMBED MEN, AND HE BEGAN TO SINK. MATE (LATER CAPTAIN) JACK BIBBY, WITHOUT WAITING TO REMOVE HIS WINTER COAT, DOVE FROM THE UPPER DECK AND KEPT THE EXHAUSTED MAN AFLOAT, UNTIL THEY COULD BE TAKEN ABOARD. NO HERO IN ANY CASE WOULD HAVE DONE MORE. THEN THERE WAS THE CREW OF THE CAPSIZED STEAMER, WAOME, (BLOWN OVER BY A SUDDEN AND VIOLENT WINDSTORM ON LAKE MUSKOKA, NEAR BEAUMARIS). THEY DID JUST WHAT THE SAILORS ARE DOING TODAY (1942 NAVAL ENGAGEMENTS), SEIZED UPON THE WRECKAGE THAT WOULD FLOAT, ASSISTED AND ENCOURAGED EACH OTHER AND MANAGED TO GET TO SHORE; THE SURVIVORS WERE ENGINEER ALVIN SALTER, FIREMAN BOB BONIS, COOK REG. LEADER (SOON TO BE CAPTAN OF THE SAGAMO), AND PURSER, GEORGE HARVEY. THESE MEN DID ALL THAT SHIP-WRECKED SAILORS COULD DO, AND BY HELPING EACH OTHER, PERHAPS SAVED A LIFE. THEY HAD A CHANCE TO FIGHT BACK AND WON. BUT WITH US THINGS WERE DIFFERENT; THE CASE WAS HOPELESS BEFORE I BECAME AWARE OF DANGER, THE SIGNAL TO REVERSE ENGINES HAD ALREADY BEEN GIVEN, BUT AS A SINGLE ENGINE CANNOT BE REVERSED UNTIL THE VESSEL HAS LOST MOMENTUM, I KNEW THAT BEFORE THE ENGINE COULD BE REVERSED (IF THE COMET COULD NOT CLEAR) THE SOUTHWOOD'S RELENTLESS BOW WOULD PIERCE HER VERY VITALS AND SHE COULD NOT REMAIN AFLOAT FIVE MINUTES. THE IMPACT WOULD UNDOUBTEDLY HAVE LEFT THE SOUTHWOOD, ALSO IN A SINKING CONDITION. IT SEEMED TO ME THAT THOSE WOMEN AT THE WINDOW, WERE STANDING AT THE VERY PORTALS OF DEATH, AND THAT I, IN MY HELPLESSNESS, WAS IN SOME UNACCOUNTABLE WAY RESPONSIBLE. I LEARNED LATER THAT SEVERAL CHILDREN WERE PEACEFULLY SLEEPING IN THE COMET'S CABIN. TO THIS DAY I CANNOT ACCOUNT FOR HOW THIS NEAR COLLISION HAPPENED. CAPTAIN W. FINDLAY OF THE COMET, (A BROTHER OF R.A. FINDLAY, BRACEBRIDGE ASSESSOR), COULD SHED NO LIGHT ON THE CAUSE. BILL WAS ONE OF THE MOST TRUSTWORTHY FAITHFUL-TO-DUTY AND UPRIGHT MEN, THAT I HAVE EVER MET; AND ON HIS PASSING SOME YEARS AGO, I FELT I HAD LOST A REAL FRIEND."
THIS IS AN IMPORTANT INCLUSION, IN THE PROFILE OF MUSKOKA HISTORY; A STORY FULL OF PARALLELS TO OTHER WORLDLY EVENTS, INCLUDING THE EARLY YEARS OF WORLD WAR II. THANKFULLY, CAPTAIN FRASER DECIDED THIS WAS THE KIND OF STORY, FUTURE GENERATIONS WOULD FIND INTERESTING. FRASER MAY HAVE CREDITED A GUARDIAN ANGEL, FOR SPARING ALL THOSE LIVES, DURING THAT DANGEROUS ENCOUNTER BETWEEN TWO WELL KNOWN STEAM BOATS, PLYING THE MUSKOKA LAKES. WHAT A TERRIBLE WAY IT WOULD HAVE BEEN, TO END A DAY OF RECREATION WITH UNTOLD TRAGEDY
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