A Love For Connecticut, A Love For Muskoka

AUTHOR ODEL SHEPARD LOVED HIS CONNECTICUT - AND FEARED CHANGES TO THE LANDSCAPE

I'M NOT SURE WE REALLY APPRECIATE THE CHANGES MUSKOKA IS FACING

     " EVERY BIBLIOPHILE NEEDS A QUIXOTIC SEARCH IN LIFE, AND I GOT MINE ONE DAY AT WHITLOCK FARMS, A BOOK SELLER NEAR MY HOME IN CENTRAL CONNECTICUT. EVERETT AND GILBERT WHITLOCK, LOCAL LEGENDS, HAVE PLIED THEIR TRADE FOR THE PAST FORTY YEARS OUT OF TWO BARNS IN WHAT WAS FARM COUNTRY. STILL RELATIVELY RURAL, THE LAND HEREABOUTS HAS BEEN PRESERVED AS OPEN SPACE THROUGH THE GRACES OF CONSERVATION AND THE FACT MUCH OF IT HAS REMAINED IN THE OWNERSHIP OF THE SAME FAMILIES FOR GENERATIONS."
     The passage above was written by writer, Alan Bisbort, in the February 1999 issue, of the magazine, "Biblio," in an article entitled "The Last Connecticut Yankee's Books Tell All." Biblio was one of my favorite publications, catering to the persnickety bibliophiles out there, and Bisbort's article fascinated me so much, that I've kept it in my reference library from the first day it arrived here at Birch Hollow. What fascinates me, in particular, is the work of American author, Odell Shepard, and his son Willard, who co-authored books, such as "Holdfast Gaines." In particular, I enjoyed the examination by Mr. Brisbort, of Odell Shepard's love for his region of the United States. The passions of Shepard mirror my own life-long commitment to representing the heritage of Muskoka. I would have loved to meet the author and his son, and I'd like to shake the hand of Alan Brisbort, for conserving this important piece of literary biography.
     Under the heading "Boulders and Blue Air," Bisbort writes, "As Odell Shepard, author of 'Connecticut: Past and Present,' put it in 1939, 'I lost, awhile, the fear that my Connecticut may be dragged down by cruel claws. I let the heathen rage. What can they do to boulders and blue air? What force have they against a rock and a dream?" As the writer notes, about the elder Shepard, "Indeed, like a dream, Connecticut is still mostly a state of mind, and Odell Shepard was as close as anyone to having been its dream chaser."
     The author once claimed he was "in love with every tree and barn and old stone wall," in the state, adds Bisbort. The feature writer notes that, in the back of his book on Connecticut, Shepard penned, "I have a dream which, if it has any fault, is too severly practical - a dream about Connecticut in years to be. In every township there shall be a poet, appointed by the Governor. The duty of these poets, first and foremost, shall be to dynamite the filling stations within their several territories; then they shall begin to burn down all the bill-boards." Shepard went on to become lieutenant governor of Connecticut, and a co-founder of the "Thoreau Society of America," as well as an editor of Thoreau's journals.
     At Whitlock Farm, Mr. Bisbort found a large collection of Odell Shepard's books and associate copies, that had been sold to the book business by the author's family. "Perhaps they knew something of my happy accident of time: I arrived just after Odell's great-grandchildren had unloaded his prodigious book collection at Whitlock's. These books would be unloaded, in turn, in smaller increments over the next several months onto the sagging shelves of my office library."
     It's interesting to note, in the article by Alan Bisbort, that Shepard was not only a good friend but biographer, of Canadian poet, Bliss Carmen, entitled "Bliss Carmen; A Study Of His Poetry," published in 1923. "In his day and nation, Carmen was as big as Robert Frost. He was, in fact, Canada's poet laureate." Bliss Carmen was one of the participating poets at the writer's retreat, at Muskoka Assembly, in the 1920's and 30's, on Tobin's Island, Lake Rosseau, with well known authors such as Charles G.D. Roberts, Wilson MacDonald, Sir Gilbert Parker and Marshall Saunders.
     Shepard once said of his life-long writing interest, that it had been spent pursuing "the history of solitude," and he may have felt closer to David Thoreau, who he believed had known so much about this precious solitude in the alluring hinterland.
     Shepard wrote books you may have read, including, "The Harvest of A Quiet Eye," "The Lore of the Unicorn," and "Jenkin's Ear."
     In fact, I have felt this way about Muskoka since I arrived here in the winter of 1966, from the hustle, bustle and urban sprawl of Southern Ontario. When I lived in Toronto, while attending university, I arrived home to Muskoka every Friday afternoon, enthralled to be away from the city......which then, as today, I felt was true freedom. Even though my family helped expand the city, as building contractors, back in the Depression years, I have never been able to reside in Toronto for more than a few weeks at a stretch, before I start feeling the call of the wild. I am at home here, and in my neighborhood, I might see a fawn at daybreak, amidst the fern cover, or find a lone wolf ambling along the forest path before full sunrise. I like seeing the deer out in the Bog, across the lane, and the woodpeckers are a treat for the eyes, at mid-day, when everything is so colorful and dynamic. I love to hear the trickling of the myriad tiny creeks that snake through the bogland, and each squirrel and bird flitting about the evergreens, makes this place enchanted and a compelling oasis to come and write, as I do frequently these days. Even when I come home from a long drive, I can't wait to wander these little pathways to nowhere in particular, because of the pleasant solitude I find, only a few feet from the full vigor of an urban neighborhood.
    I have a blogsite I call "Muskoka as Walden," my own clear demonstration, of enduring respect for Thoreau, and this amazing embrace of nature; and for me it is in this charming ballywick of Gravenhurst, Ontario, in South Muskoka. Whenever I feel the need to escape, for even a temporary sojourn, the Bog welcomes me to its interior. I don't have a cabin in there, like the one Thoreau had on Walden Pond, but there are a couple of fallen logs that make a perfect place to lodge temporarily, to watch the natural world carry on its way.
     I do worry alot these days, as Shepard was concerned about the changing topography of Connecticut, about the way progress will intrude upon our hinterland. One might expect a surge of development interests in the next ten years, as more city influences spill over from the present urban boundaries.......stressing down with bulldozer blades, upon the open, wild areas of our district. It is hard to know just how dramatic those changes will be, and if we can influence progress, to meet our interests, and our passion to maintain the lakeland character that has been so important to the development and maintenance of the tourism industry......of which we dearly depend, and would suffer greatly if it was to falter.
    I do not believe the tourist-kind visit our region to joyfully shop, specifically at convenience-store strip malls, and box stores, when they have ample shopping opportunities in the urban areas of our province, and in the United States. While the local population benefit from some of these shopping opportunities, many sightseers wonder how conjested it might soon become, when urban developers regain their appetite for exploitation. I fear that more superfluous commercial sprawl will destroy the picturesque qualities of our region, while offering very little in return for the sacrifice of open space. Development and progress are good for the local economy, but the balance is precarious, and we should all know this ahead of welcoming new plans for subdivisions and commercial nodes, suitable for urban environs, but not the more rural lakeland setting. In the past, we have accepted development without much concern about the negative impacts this kind of progress can inspire.....and in fact, herald in the future. While developers have become very savvy about appealing to the advancement of the "job market," which they tout as reason enough for town councils to support expansion, we have found that many of these claims are shallow, to the point of being a mirage, and in large part, just another unsubstantiated claim.
     As a reporter, covering the municipal beat, I used to hear a wide variety of these claims of great future prosperity, and for most of the slick presentations, it was a case of "we will save you, if you sign on to our project." I'd always think to myself, while twiddling my pencil, about the moral story of "Jack and the Beanstalk," and those "magic beans," that were going to bring much prosperity. It usually boiled down to a sale's pitch and not much more. Accepting the developments meant, however, the sacrifice of forests, wetlands, and farm pastures. Well, you have to sacrifice something right? Even I accept that development is going to happen, and of this, there is no doubt, or law big enough to stop it. Our success in the future, will be to achieve a balance, that is achieved by sensible proportion and good planning. And the appreciation, that like the Connecticut that Odell Shepard knew and loved, Muskoka must has its areas of environmental protection, and stewardship.
     It has become somewhat of an urban legend, in the arts community, that in later life, Canadian Group of Seven Artist, A.J. Casson, once said, he could no longer find anything of interest to paint in Muskoka, as all the old interesting buildings had been torn down, and rebuilt without the character of the pioneer farmsteads. He may not have been impressed by the urban scenes either, but this is all hearsay. If he did make these claims, I would agree with him whole heartedly, and I can remember this landscape carnage, as the old landmark houses, storefronts, barns and boathouses were torn down to make room for modern architecture......which is fine by the way. But I know what the artist was saying.....if he said this in the first place.
     I also dream of a sensibly, environmentally-respectful development of Muskoka, for many years to come. It has been my writer's paradise for long and long, and I hope others feel the same as residents and visitors......that this solitude is precious, inspiring, and restorative, and of this, I'm so glad my parents introduced me to Muskoka in the first place. The only way I will leave this district, is kicking and screaming. Otherwise, they will be sprinkling me here.
     Thank you so much for visiting today's blog. Please join me another day.
     Our video is ready for publication on tomorrow's blog, which we hope will be a fitting tribute to the Town of Gravenhurst's 150th anniversary, of receiving its name, to adorn the post office of 1862. You will be able to access the music video on this site, on Wednesday evening, beginning at 8:30 p.m. The credit for the film goes to my son, Robert, and the music was provided by the group "City of Tiny Lights," a homegrown band, which includes both son Andrew and Robert. I'm pleased with the finished product, but the folks I'm trying to please, are the ones who visit this blog......hope you will like it.


     

The Fabulous Knockouts and The Gravenhurst History Yet To Come

 "Music on the Barge" Gull Lake Rotary Park, Gravenhurst will be presenting The Fabulous Knockouts on Sunday, August 5th commencing at 7:30 p.m.  These four talented guys in black jackets and skinny ties playing a mix of hits from the 60's will entertain you with their unique brand of rock and roll.  Enjoy their musical journey featuring hits from Johnny Rivers, The Troggs, The Searchers, The Buckinghams, The Dave Clarke Five, Del Shannon, CCR, and many more.

 

In the event of inclement weather, rain or lightning, the concert will be cancelled and not relocated to another venue for the safety of the audiences and the performers.

GRAVENHURST'S CALYDOR PRISONER OF WAR CAMP SHOULD BE HIGHLIGHTED AS A TOWN HISTORIC SITE

WOULD GERMAN VISITORS BE INTERESTED TO SEE THE SITE OF FORMER PRISON CAMP?

     AS A RESIDENT OF THE CALYDOR SUBDIVISION, WE ARE ON THE FRINGE OF THE FORMER NAZI PRISONER OF WAR CAMP, SITUATED A FULL BLOCK WEST, ON THE SHORE OF MUSKOKA BAY. WHEN WE FIRST MOVED HERE, BACK IN THE EARLY 1990'S, I USED TO OFFER ANYONE WHO WAS INTERESTED, A GUIDED TOUR OF THE WORLD WAR II CAMP, THE SUBJECT OF A RECENT BOOK WRITTEN BY GRAVENHURST HISTORIAN, CECIL PORTER, CALLED "THE GILDED CAGE."

     MY INTRODUCTION TO THE CAMP CAME MANY YEARS BEFORE PORTER'S BOOK WAS PUBLISHED, WHEN A REPORTER WORKING FOR US AT THE FORMER HERALD-GAZETTE, AND MUSKOKA SUN, IN BRACEBRIDGE, DECIDED TO DO A LENGTHY FEATURE COLUMN ON THE CAMP. SCOTT MCCLELLAN WORKED FOR ABOUT A MONTH, RESEARCHING THE NAZI PRISON CAMP, AND WHEN THE STORY WAS PUBLISHED, SOMETIME IN THE MID 1980'S, IT CAUSED QUITE A STIR. THERE WERE THOSE WHO WERE TRULY INTERESTED IN KNOWING MORE ABOUT THIS PREVIOUSLY UNDER-KNOWN CONTRIBUTION OF CANADA TO THE WAR EFFORT, AND THERE WERE THOSE WHO DIDN'T WANT THE STORY TO GET ANY INK WHATSOEVER. I NEVER FELT THIS WAY, AND I BEGAN DOING MY OWN RESEARCH OF THE CAMP, ONCE WE MOVED INTO THE NEIGHBORHOOD. IN FACT, I PLANNED TO DO MY OWN BOOK ON THE CAMP BUT OUR ANTIQUE BUSINESS NEEDED MORE ATTENTION AND I SIMPLY ABANDONED THE IDEA. IT IS AN FOUR STAR INTERNATIONAL STORY, THAT SOMEHOW WAS BURIED FOR MANY YEARS, OUT OF MISGUIDED POLITICAL CORRECTNESS.

     WHEN CECIL LET ME KNOW HE WAS WRITING THIS LONG OVER-DUE STORY, I WAS THRILLED BECAUSE IT IS A CRITICALLY IMPORTANT ASPECT OF GRAVENHURST HISTORY, THAT PUTS US ON THE WORLD STAGE OF HISTORIC SITES. CECIL PRESENTED ME WITH A COPY AND I READ IT COVER TO COVER ON THE FIRST NIGHT. IT WAS EVERYTHING I HAD WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT THE PRISONER OF WAR CAMP. THE ONLY THING MISSING? THERE ISN'T A PROPER HISTORIC PLAQUE, ON THE CALYDOR PROPERTY, AND WE'VE LARGELY AVOIDED PROMOTING IT, BECAUSE OF THE NEGATIVE REALITIES OF WAR-TIME IMPRISONMENT. WELL, I DON'T AGREE. WE SHOULD CELEBRATE THE HISTORY WE CONTRIBUTED TO, BY HELPING THE COMMONWEALTH, PARTICULARLY BRITAIN, BY HOUSING SOME OF THE MOST STALWART NAZIS……WHO WOULD HAVE POSED AN IMMEASURABLE THREAT TO THE SECURITY OF ENGLAND, IF A GERMAN INVASION HAD SET THEM LOOSE, WHICH WAS A MAJOR REASON FOR GETTING THEM OUT OF THE COUNTRY.

A SENSITIVE ISSUE? OF COURSE IT IS! BUT LIFE AND ITS HISTORY ARE FULL OF SENSITIVE STORIES THAT STILL HAVE TO BE TOLD

     I spoke with a German visitor to our town this morning, and we talked for almost an hour, about local history, and particularly the former Calydor Prison Camp. I have talked to elderly German-Canadians, who have a general interest in the camp's heritage, and each one I've chatted with, had a basic knowledge of Calydor, and some of the inmates who were imprisoned there. And they were acquainted with those German citizens, who after the war, wished to come back to Canada, Muskoka specifically, where they had served part of the war years incarcerated. I always found this so amazing, as an historian, that they thought enough of our town and the region, to leave their homeland for good, and take up residence here….living amongst those who were once their armed guards.

     I offered an apology, to this gentleman and his partner, that there was no historic plaque marking the site of the former camp, and that there was no brochure offering a walking tour of the new subdivision, that might be appreciated by those who may have even had family members at Calydor during the war. I asked him if German visitors today, would be offended to see a plaque, commemorating the years of Nazi incarceration, in Gravenhurst, and he answered that they wouldn't be upset by this type of identification, as there are similar World War II sites, with much more tragedy attached, than our small camp, patrolled by the Veteran's Guard, who never had to shoot a prisoner…..and for the most part, became friendly with most of the inmates. As to whether or not German tourists would visit such a site, if properly identified, he was noncommittal, but he did suggest that younger people from Germany, are less likely to attend such historic locations out of disinterest. But we had a good talk about life and times at the camp, and how the people first found out a POW facility was being located in their town……..when Gordon Sloan took that famous photograph, on the main street, of the parade of Nazi prisoners of all ranks, walking down the centre of Muskoka Road, under guard, journeying between the train station and the Calydor property which is quite a hike. He was quite interested in the two full-dress funerals held, and the parades from the camp to the Mickle Cemetery, and the two beautifully carved wooden grave markers, that adorned the plots. The German soldiers were exhumed in the late 1960's, and reburied in Kitchener, Ontario.

     I think we have been overly sensitive in this town, ever since the war, about offending Germans who visit as tourists. Yet there have been many former prisoners of the camp, who have re-visited the place they were once under armed-guard, and they had, up until the reclamation of the property for a new subdivision, been leaving small and large written messages on the former concrete ruins of camp buildings. There are some who have reportedly broken off portions of barbed wire leftover from the prison years, that were coiled up near a path just across Lorne Street. While it was there, our boys used to break-off chunks once a week, and keep them in a wooden box, because we expected that at any time, the property owner would dispose of the barbed wire, not really knowing its significance. The barb wire even made it to print, in a paragraph of the Canadian POW camp history, "Escape from Canada," noting that former POW's did claim some of the wire as souvenirs, many years after the war.

     This is an important location to be recognized. In fact, I believe it as important as the recognition of Dr. Norman Bethune, and it would be of even greater significance, if it had been acknowledged many decades before now, and given the respect it clearly deserves as a national heritage site. I think that most German visitors would acknowledge the same, that it is what it is! But I think to not recognize it, with a public plaque, or similar site identification, clearly points out, that as a town, we're kind of embarrassed the whole situation occurred in the first place. Why acknowledge the presence of a prisoner of war camp? The fact that the camp at Calydor, was a well run, and generally amicable arrangement for staff and prisoners; and was a credit to Canada and to the host community. Our town handled some of the most ardent, die-hard Nazi prisoners in Canada, and they handled the assignment capably, which should be recognized; not just by a book, but with public recognition, that this was an acreage on beautiful Muskoka Bay that made history every day it was in operation. Now think about this. Calydor began as a sanatorium for tubercular patients. It also treated some Canadian soldiers who had been injured by gas warfare in the trenches of France. Dr. Bethune was a patient at Calydor, before transferring to a sanatorium in New York. Then came the Nazi Prisoner of War Camp years, and then onto the Jewish Gateway Hotel, in its later years. Now its a nice, well treed subdivision, overlooking the sparkling water of a great Muskoka lake. There's a huge whack of history on that property, that does need to be properly addressed by this municipality, and Cecil Porter's book has led the way, to facing this perceived negative aspect of local history, with a proud outlook, about lessons learned……and obstacles overcome.

     I don't expect the homeowners of the new waterfront subdivision, will appreciate tourists walking constantly through their subdivision, and I can understand this. I do believe however, most who have built on the site, know the history of the acreage, and have some reverence of what the land uses have meant to local history. There weren't many camps in Canada, and we had one of them. We had tunnels, we had escapes, and we had lots of drama. Yes you could make a movie about Calydor, and it would be interesting without a doubt.

     I would have liked to take my German friend for a visit to the camp property, but alas we both ran out of free time to wander about the town. He seemed pleased a local citizen was willing to talk candidly about the circumstances of Calydor, without fear of upsetting him with details of camp life, armed guards and failed attempts at escapes. I think other German and European visitors might feel the same, and want to see where the camp was located, and learn more about its history, from tour guides interested in promoting local heritage. I believe, in fact, many folks would like to have this option, and know more about our small town's big role in the Second World War. I always enjoyed giving my tours, and many of those folks, after this, ran their own tours of the sprawling lakeside property. I think it's time to stop fearing that the public recognition of the Calydor Camp, will be detrimental or insulting to our German visitors, and show respect for the fact that even in the most desperate times of world crisis, friendships were being made here in Canada that would last a lifetime, and encourage many Germans to emigrate to our country and region, when given the post war climate of forgiveness.

     I am certainly not suggesting that a museum be constructed and outfitted with memorabilia and articles from the period. I'm not recommending that a huge bill board be erected at the property to acknowledge Camp Calydor, or that a highway sign direct traffic up Lorne Street to see the place Nazis used to reside. I am most definitely suggesting, that a respectful and interpretative marker be considered, at various locations, to at the very least, let those interested in seeing the property, learn more about the years of its service to country and home. I think it should be the subject of special historical walking tours of the town, and can also be respectfully acknowledged in town promotional material, informing the public of our heritage attractions. We are avoiding a huge chunk of international heritage, and those who are part of the "let's leave it alone" group, are doing the community a disservice, at the same time, as they are trying to sanitize heritage on the mistaken hunch, a POW camp can't possibly offer anything positive, and advantageous, so therefore, it should be ignored. If it was a good enough bit of history to base a book, then it is worthy of full town recognition, that it is part of our history……and for our effort as a community, to help the war effort, it should be proudly acknowledged;  credited to our ever-watchful citizens, at the time, who had to contend with the burden of Nazis in their midst, while they listened to the nightly war updates from Europe, on their crackling, static interrupted tube radios. From 1939 to 1946, our town played host to German Prisoners of War. It's fact. So let's get on with our own liberation from the fear of its public recognition, in case someone gets offended. It is wrong-minded to think that this part of our history is either negative, or best forgotten.

     Thanks so much for reading today's blog. Please join me again soon. Son Robert has finished his music (heritage) video, to accompany my upcoming series of article on the 150th anniversary of the naming of Gravenhurst, by postal authority, William Dawson LeSueur, as a tribute to British writer, literary critic, William Henry Smith, in August 1862. The video will be published, with article one, on the good Mr. Smith, at approx. 8:30 p.m. Wednesday evening….August Ist. Hope you will visit my site, to take a gander at Rob's contemporary look at an historic milestone.

Freddie Vette and The Flames Ignite Good Time At Gull Lake

 A BIG AUDIENCE, A BIG NIGHT OF ENTERTAINMENT, AND A BIG WEEKEND FOR GRAVENHURST

     I DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH TIME I'VE GOT BEFORE I DRIFT AWAY FROM THIS MORTAL COIL. I THINK ABOUT IT EVERY NOW AND AGAIN, MOST OFTEN WHEN I'M HAVING A GOOD TIME, AND I KNOW THAT SOONER OR LATER, WE'LL COME TO THE END OF AN EVENT, A REALLY GOOD DAY, AND A FABULOUS WEEKEND. EVEN AS A KID, I DREADED THE "END" OF THINGS. I HATED LEAVING THE CARNIVAL, THE HOCKEY RINK, THE BALL DIAMOND, AND THOSE NEAT AND NOSTALGIC BIRTHDAY PARTIES I WAS INVITED. AND I KNOW ONE THING FOR SURE. IF I ONLY HAD HOURS TO LIVE, AND MY DOCTOR TOLD ME TO GO OUT AND HAVE A BLAST, I COULD ONLY PRAY IT WOULD HAPPEN ON A SUMMER SUNDAY, SO I COULD SPEND THOSE LAST MOMENTS IN THE COMFORTING, SOOTHING, ENTERTAINING BOSUM OF ROTARY GULL LAKE PARK, AND THE CONCERTS ON THE BARGE. DID I MENTION THAT I WOULD ALSO ASK FOR A REALLY NICE PICNIC HAMPER SELECTION OF DELICACIES THAT SUZANNE WON'T LET ME HAVE, EXCEPT AT CHRISTMAS.

     BUT REALLY FOLKS, TONIGHT (SUNDAY EVENING), WAS A NIGHT WORTH LIVING FOR, AND YOU KNOW, WE SHOULD BE SO PROUD IN THIS TOWN, TO HAVE SUCH A FANTASTIC OPEN-AIR, OPEN-LAKE VENUE, THAT ATTRACTS FOLKS FROM ALL OVER THE PLACE. TOWNSFOLK DESERVE TO BE PROUD OF WHAT WE HAVE IN OUR TOWN THAT OTHERS WANT A PIECE OF……AND FOR MUSIC ON THE BARGE, BY GOLLY, THEY WANT MORE THAN JUST A SLICE. I CAN'T DESCRIBE THE EXCITEMENT I HAVE, EACH SUNDAY NIGHT, KNOWING THAT PEOPLE ARE LITERALLY FLOCKING TO OUR LITTLE BALLYWICK, BECAUSE OF THE TRADITION THAT HAS BEEN PRESERVED ONWARD TOWARD ITS NEW FUTURE, BUILDING ON WHAT BEGAN IN THE LATE 1940'S. WHAT AN AMAZING WEEKEND IN GRAVENHURST GENERALLY. RIB-FEST AT THE WHARF, DAN HILL AT THE OPERA HOUSE, AND FREDDY VETTE AND THE FLAMES AT GULL LAKE PARK.

     TONIGHT, SUZANNE AND I COULD HAVE BEEN CAMPING, UP ON OUR FAVORITE SITE, ON ALGONQUIN'S ROCK LAKE. HECK, WE MIGHT HAVE FLOWN TO ENGLAND TO TAKE IN THE OLYMPICS. WE THOUGHT IT MIGHT BE NICE TO VISIT THE EAST COAST, AND FIND SOME TALL SHIP TO TAKE US BACK IN HISTORY. BUT WE DECIDED THAT NOTHING COULD TRULY TAKE THE PLACE OF A SUNDAY NIGHT ON GULL LAKE. CALL US CRAZY, BUT THERE WERE A LOT OF FOLKS….NEARLY 3,000, STUFFED INTO THAT BEAUTIFUL LITTLE PARK IN THE MIDDLE OF URBAN GRAVENHURST…..THAT FELT EXACTLY THE SAME AS US. AND FREDDY VETTE AND THE FLAMES PUT ON AN ENERGY-FILLED SHOW THAT GOT THE AUDIENCE INVOLVED IN THE FIRST TWO MINUTES OF THE PERFORMANCE, AND THAT, OF COURSE, IS THE GAME CHANGER FOR ANY PERFORMER. FREDDY HAD THEM HOOKED ALL NIGHT. EVEN WHEN HE RAN AROUND THE SHORE, THROUGH THE CROWD, HALF-TRIPPING OVER HIS OWN ONSHORE SOUND-CABLES, NARROWLY MISSING MY EARS, (WITH THE HEAD-STOCK OF HIS GUITAR) ON TWO CLOSE PASSES, THEN ALMOST WALKING ON WATER…..BUT NOT QUITE, THE CROWD WATCHED AND BRISKLY APPLAUDED HIS EVERY MOVE. WE THINK FREDDY AND HIS FLAMES WILL BE MAKING A RETURN TRIP TO GRAVENHURST NEXT SUMMER. AT LEAST IF FRED SCHULZ WAS MEASURING CROWD ENTHUSIASM…..WHICH I KNOW HE STUDIES LIKE A RHODES SCHOLAR.

BALDING MAN'S FRINGE OVERLOOKING GULL LAKE

     The embankment overlooking The Barge, (with no unkind reference to Fred Schulz or myself, for that matter), I call "Balding Man's Fringe." Well, by 5:30 p.m., two full hours before the concert was to start, the hill already had its "fringe," of spectators. A half hour after this, there were three rows along the top, and the fringe was getting bushy. By 7 p.m., the fringe had become a full toupee, and by 7:30 a mop-top, with the beach more than half full of lawn chairs, and the newly exposed beach-front was getting built-upon by every type of lawn chair on the market. The crowd on the top of the hill was also thick, and the grounds were full up to the snack bar. It was another huge crowd and may have come close to breaking the 3,000 mark. Hopefully this would translate into dollars in the donation bucket.

     What can you say about the effervescent Freddie Vette and the Flames, other than to say they worked side by side mother nature, to give the fans of Music on the Barge another perfect occasion. The audience didn't want the show to end, and they told both Freds, on The Barge, they wanted more…..much more. It was just one of those magic nostalgic moments, when everything comes together so beautifully, and memorably, that you don't want to lose the momentum of good graces. If Fred Schulz ever thought the Music on the Barge program was getting a little tired, and losing its base of support, he's been re-introduced to the very reason he gives up his summer Sundays in the first place…….to bring some good cheer to those who don't seem to ever get bored of being entertained by class acts, like Freddy Vette. I can tell you, that when Fred gets reports, from his Barge staff, about the size, depth and breadth, of the night's crowd, the smile on that face of his, does in fact, tell the whole story. It is the face of unspecified victory, of having gone through the tough times and negotiations to restore the venue this spring, which very nearly didn't happen. For those of you who didn't believe we were close to losing the venue entirely, and actually, take a trip down to Gull Lake before the next big rain, and look at the sheared-off iron support posts. With the low water level of the lake, you can see the front four or so posts, and the way the whole Barge structure has shifted several inches toward the shore. This structure could have slipped off those posts under the right circumstances of uneven weight distribution…… or with a heavy summer storm.

     I jotted down a lot of notes this evening. None of them come to the point, as bluntly, as I now want to make. Even though it cost a fair amount of money to upgrade, and a behemoth effort of volunteers from Beaver Creek Correctional Institution, plus grant money, helping immensely, it is clear from the attendance already this summer, the tax expense was justified. I'm not just saying that as a regular concert-goer. Truth be known, and I'm sure it is, I hate paying taxes. This time, I could withstand another increase, to keep this wonderful wooden and fiberglass platform out there on Gull Lake.

     It was a night to remember. Just as all the ones before. It is Muskoka at its best. Gravenhurst as the perfect host. Gull Lake at its most picturesque. You can't upgrade perfection. This was it. And what an entertainment coup for Gravenhurst this weekend, with so much good stuff going on. We need to remember these important milestone moments in November, when we're back to doomsaying again.

     I don't know how much time I've got to live. But if I was to die at the end of a Sunday show, at Gull Lake Park, even the Grim Reaper would have to say……"Man oh man, your exit was spectacular.

     Come out next week, to see what all the fuss is about. I'll profile the Civic Holiday weekend group on Tuesday. Hope to see at Gull Lake Park…….and I'm really hoping God gives me just a little more time. I hate endings, don't you? I expect God to be like Fred Schulz, and just as I'm taking my last breath, he'll stand over me and ask in a pleasant voice, "Say, would you like just a little bit more?" And I would say, "that would be nice, and thanks for asking."

SEEING THE TOWN THROUGH A LENS - WITH THE VIDEOGRAPHER

SEEING THE TOWN THROUGH A LENS - WITH THE VIDEOGRAPHER

YOUNG ROBERT THE RISING CECIL B. DEMILLE - A GRAVENHURST BOOSTER ON A MISSION

     AS A WRITER, I SEE THINGS IN OUR TOWN QUITE DIFFERENTLY, OR SO I'M TOLD, ACCORDING TO MY VIDEOGRAPHER SON, ROBERT, WHO HAS BEEN WORKING WITH ME ON THE WILLIAM HENRY SMITH PROJECT.
     ROBERT HAS BECOME QUITE A TALENTED PHOTOGRAPHER, WHO HAS BEEN SUPPLEMENTING MY ONLINE WRITING PROJECTS, WITH APPROPRIATE GRAPHICS, FROM TIME TO TIME.....PARTICULARLY WHEN WE WERE WORKING ON THE RICHARD KARON BIOGRAPHY BACK IN THE SPRING. HE CREATED THE MUSIC VIDEO FOR THE KARON BLOG-SITE AND BEFORE THIS, HE WORKED ON A TIGHT BUDGET OF TIME, TO LAUNCH THE SKOKIE SONG, TO HELP OUT THE GRAVENHURST WINTER CARNIVAL BACK IN FEBRUARY, WITH SINGER DANI O'CONNOR, AND THE GROUP OF MUSICIANS THEY CALL "PRESSURE POINT." I'M NOT SAYING THE LAD IS HOLLYWOOD BOUND, BUT HE'S BEEN GREAT COMPANY ON SOME OF MY HISTORICAL PROJECTS AND PROMOTIONS THAT ABSOLUTELY NEEDED A GRAPHIC COMPONENT TO MAKE ANY SENSE AT ALL. THIS ISN'T EASY FOR A WRITER TO ADMIT. WE ALL LIKE TO THINK WE CAN STAND ALONE IN THE STORM, AND PREVAIL WITH OUR WORDS. NOT SO! WELL AT LEAST NOT ME.
     SEVERAL MONTHS AGO, WHEN I GOT THE IDEA TO DO SOMETHING TO MARK THE 15OTH ANNIVERSARY OF THE NAMING OF GRAVENHURST, 1862-2012, I FIGURED THAT THE ONLY WAY TO MARKET THE OCCASION, WITHOUT ANY ENTHUSIASM FROM THE TOWN, WAS TO ASK ROBERT IF HE COULD.....OUT OF THE GOODNESS OF HIS HEART, CREATE A MUSIC VIDEO TO COMMEMORATE THE ANNIVERSARY ON AUGUST IST. ROB ALWAYS PLAYS A LITTLE HARD TO GET, BUT YOU'D BE SURPRISED WHAT I HAVE AT MY BECK AND CALL, TO USE AS BAIT. ACTUALLY, HE LIKES THE PUBLICITY THAT GOES ALONG WITH SOME OF THE BIGGER PROJECTS, SO I DON'T USUALLY HAVE TO BRIBE TOO MUCH, TO GET HIM ONBOARD.

I SEE A LOT OF NEAT STUFF ON A CAMERA SCREEN (NOT REALLY A LENS ANY MORE)

     On this project, I've been driving around with him, and standing at his side as he videos scenes of particular interest, to both of us, and although it perplexes me a little, and I'm not sure if I like it or not, it has finally begun to interest me, and frankly, each shoot that I attend with the "director", I get new ideas for more visual projects down the road. I hate to use the word "fascinating," but I've actually shifted my opinion about the use of supporting film / video, to make a writing project more substantial and dimensional, for any one viewing, and or reading along. I can't really explain this, other than to suggest, I've been an old-school writer for far too long, and I had certainly, before now, constructed and nailed myself into a box......believing that there was only one way for a writer to operate........without a crutch. I never wanted to have a companion video out-perform what I was writing about, and the same could be said for accompanying photographs I used in the news business, especially on features. In fact, I used to get mad if a staff photographer wanted to get a few extra images published, with a news piece I was working on......of for example, a recent fire in town. The photographers thought the coverage should be all graphic, with a couple of meaty cutlines, and that would be fine. Hell they would have taken over the whole paper if the writing staff hadn't possessed a higher managerial authority.
     Old habits. So greedy me, I got kind of weird, when I'd watch some of the video Robert was splicing together, to support my story, feeling that it was more attention-grabbing than what I had composed in print. Getting jealous of my son's capabilities to capture what I couldn't document in print, was pretty pathetic, and I have offered apology after apology, for being snarly about the shortfalls of videography to "tell the story." I'm beginning to feel pretty lowly, that I didn't turn to video myself years ago, and train in the art of film, and today, of course, video. I did take a lot of photographs as a news reporter for the local press, but I certainly never impressed the photographic staff with my prowess. I used to hear a lot of screaming from the darkroom when my photographs were being developed, and images printed, because the technicians always had to do a lot of "dodging and burning," to get my work up to publishing grade. The problem was that a lot of the photographs were "must" breaking-news images for the paper, so there wasn't much choice but to take weak photographs and make them better. I cost a lot of photographers their hair, in those days, because I refused to follow their instruction before heading out on assignment. So I've had an age-old standoffish approach to photographers who want to help me, by crowding out my editorial copy. Robert is anything but intrusive, and with this latest compilation of video and editorial, we have been abundantly aware of the sensitivity of each other's feelings. While he doesn't give-in when I put on a snit, about something getting missed, he is pretty good about negotiating....and has never refused a little tweaking of the video if I lobby hard and long enough. He's a good sport and I'm an old fart, just now getting out of my rut.
     I have enjoyed looking at Gravenhurst through the framing of the camera screen.....which is a lot better than the old days, having a tiny little view-finder to see the world as it unfolds. I stood behind Robert, while taking video, and I've actually started to feel comfortable with what is being captured, versus what is being cut out of the frame. If I sit down at the lake, to get a feeling for the actuality of the day, or the event, I'm scanning all over the place, trying to take it all in, because honestly, to me, it's all important to whatever story I'm composing. So it has been a major adjustment, trying to stick to what the camera is pointed at, and focused on, at any one time. This may seem ridiculous, in this day and age, but I have always been very conservative about my approach, and it's been only in recent history that I've abandoned a manual typewriter, writing copy by hand  (just ask the Muskoka Sun editorial department), and hand delivering my finished copy (ready for typesetting) to the editor's desk. Robert decided that it was time to teach the old dog some new tricks, and in a short time, I was introduced to a computer keyboard and flickering screen, a fax machine, a scanner, and now a laptop that I'm using in my temporary day-office, here in the old Muskoka Theatre building, on Muskoka Road. So this should explain my chagrin, adjusting to videography......and how to work a balance between the two art forms to make a sensible, readable, entertaining final product, that does service to the mission at hand.....of recognizing the 150th anniversary of the naming of the Gravenhurst Post Office, after the title of a book, written by British writer, William Henry Smith. But here's the thing. I had to surrender somewhat, but I did so willingly, after sensing that to be contemporary, and have any kind of shelf life, and appeal to the younger generation, the video would have to carry the weight of the story.
     A year or two ago, the purist in me, would have demanded my video buddy, take a very conservative and almost pious perspective of the legends of literature, that were to be profiled in my companion blog-series. It would have to be low-key, with maybe soft music.....a flute or harpist as an accompaniest, with almost sepia-tone pre-aging of the video, to make it look as if the images were on century old film. In other words, it would appear void of life and enthusiasm, but be respectful to every old way there ever was. That's how boring I was as an historian, before I found the free-wheeling of a young videographer, who has not yet built himself a box to climb into, to avoid being a little controversial. So I told him, that I wanted him to abandon all my other ridiculous protocols, and come up with something that shows the excitement of 2012, in the hometown, William Dawson LeSueur named in 1862, as a tribute to a fledgling settlement in South Muskoka, and an author in Britain, he happened to be particularly fond.......the book "Gravenhurst; or Thoughts on Good and Evil," was first published in 1862, and LeSueur, had received a copy for review. He may have been a civil servant with the federal post office during the work week, but he was a revered literary critic, published widely in North American periodicals. Giving our town the name "Gravenhurst," should have been considered an honor, but it didn't really impact this way. LeSueur had insulted the citizens, of the hamlet, who had wanted the name "McCabe's Landing," to adorn their new post office.
     The music video had to be upbeat in our opinion, and to be considered relevant at all, especially by the younger citizens of our community, being overly conservative, would destine it to wind-up archived with a lot of other good intentions, but largely wasted efforts. The last thing I needed, was to put my son to all this additional work, and have nothing to show for it at the end, except a video proving just how dull history can be....when documented badly. The video I've watched him creating, will upset those ultra-conservative historians, who have no use for loud, aggressive music, to promote anything, or weird camera angles to captivate an audience. A couple of years ago, I might have wrestled the lad, to temper it all down, but today it just seems so much more appropriate, to make something that has some spark and life to it, even if the subjects have been in the grave for long and long. What I wanted to do, with my camera-at-the-ready son, was to provide something that our town council might look at, and feel somewhat more at ease, embracing the idea a poet / philosopher / literary critic is responsible for the name of our town. I wanted people to see the video, and read the material, and feel at ease with all the historic facts and attachments of the literary provenance. Not to fear and loathe it, because it is too dry and interwoven, to meet modern expectations. Gads, what would be served by going to all this work, and finding at the conclusion, that the only buzz the project will generate, is from the electrical current feeding computer and video, without one snapping spark, to generate future interest in a history we know very little about. So we worked on a presentation that may rub some folks wrong......that may irritate the already irritable, and content and music that may raise the dead, to come after us, for adding pizazz to the inherently dull nature of history.
     If this video and accompanying history, of the naming of Gravenhurst, one hundred and fifty years ago, turns out to be a dog, well, please don't blame the videographer. It wasn't his fault, being born into the family of a writer. He has had a fair bit of room to roam but he still knows his pop is a stickler for detail, and even though I was a hippy in my day, and almost made it to Woodstock, I'm persnickety about the way the final product hits the proverbial water....not doing a belly-flop in front of a large crowd of spectators. But at my middle-age crazy, there doesn't seem much point in holding back on things, simply because of fears "contemporary," won't mix with "historic." They have to. We need our young folks to bring history to modern perspective, and I'm afraid so much is tucked away in archives, and not part of contemporary life and times, that it will be conveniently forgotten, and become irrelevant at best. I have more fear of this than offending the memory of William Henry Smith and William Dawson LeSueur, two folks I respect immensely. Equally, we did not want to show any disrespect to the fine folks of Gravenhurst either, such that they might believe we are less than serious about honoring the town's many accomplishments, and rich social, cultural heritage. I would hope that viewers and readers will immediately sense our mutual respect for our hometown, and show our ongoing interest, to promote the legacy we have found between two well known and internationally significant authors, and the town that has benefitted from the honor of a shared title......"Gravenhurst."
     Robert is editing the video as I write today's blog. So far, I have only watched portions, and heard the companion music he wrote and recorded, with his group, "City of Tiny Lights," a truly Gravenhurst production from beginning to end. This is a homegrown project, no doubt about it, and if this one goes well, and folks think it's credible enough, well, you never know what we may target next, for our film and writing collaboration. I'm not sure if Robert will ever want to work with his dad again, because I can be a pain in the ass with my barrage of questioning, and my deadline strictness. Maybe a couple of months from now, we'll feel there's still some possibilities to explore, and seeing as we never actually came to blows (we have boxing gloves in the shop right now) during the project, hey, we've got some commitment obviously to get the job done.....disagree in retrospect.
     The music video and the feature series on William Henry Smith, will be ready to go on Wednesday, August Ist, at about 9:00 p.m. If you want to brush up on William Dawson LeSueur, the postal authority / author, who actually gave us the name, you can archive back to yesterday's blog.
     Hope you can find the time to join me for this little trip back to 1862.....but in a very lively fashion, thanks to son Robert......musician, film maker, sound technician, and fun guy to be with.

Freddy Vette and the Flames

     It looks like another clear summer night, in South Muskoka, for "Freddy Vette and the Flames," appearing on The Barge, and Rotary Gull Lake Park, Sunday night, at 7:30 p.m. My only advice. Geez, get there early, because if last week was any example, there is going to be a large crowd in attendance for this popular group. Last week was a near modern-day record for Concerts on the Barge, with some patrons actually sitting back in the parking lot, to enjoy the concert. It was great to see, and the promoters of the summer program love to break records. So maybe we'll set a new one this week. Let's rock 'n roll.
     See you there.

A Man Worth Knowning

A MAN OF LETTERS WE SHOULD KNOW - IN THE HISTORY OF OUR FAIR TOWN

AUTHOR, HISTORIAN, LITERARY CRITIC - A CIVIL SERVANT

     "WHEN COUNT FRONTENAC LANDED AT QUEBEC, IN THE MONTH OF SEPTEMBER, 1672, TO ADMINISTER THE GOVERNMENT OF CANADA OR, AS IT WAS MORE GENERALLY CALLED, NEW FRANCE, THE COUNTRY HAD BEEN FOR A PERIOD OF A LITTLE OVER SIXTY YEARS UNDER CONTINUOUS FRENCH RULE. THE PERIOD MAY, INDEED, BE LIMITED TO EXACTLY SIXTY YEARS IF WE TAKE AS THE STARTING POINT THE COMMISSION ISSUED TO SAMUEL DE CHAMPLAIN, ON THE 15TH OF OCTOBER 1612, AS 'COMMANDER IN NEW FRANCE,' UNDER THE AUTHORITY OF THE COUNT DE SOISSONS, WHO HAD BEEN APPOINTED BY THE QUEEN REGENT, MARIE DE MEDICIS, AS LIEUTENANT-GENERAL OF THAT TERRITORY. WHAT HAD BEEN ACCOMPLISHED DURING THOSE SIXTY ODD YEARS? HOW HAD THE COUNTRY DEVELOPED, AND WHAT WERE THE ELEMENTS OF THE SITUATION WHICH CONFRONTED FRONTENAC ON HIS ARRIVAL? ANSWERS TO THESE QUESTIONS MAY BE GATHERED, IT IS HOPED, FROM THE FOLLOWING BRIEF INTRODUCTORY NARRATIVE."
     "The territorial claims of France in the gulf valley of the St. Lawrence were founded on the discoveries made in the name of the French king, Francis I, by that brave Breton mariner, Jacques Cartier, in the celebrated voyages undertaken by him in the years 1534 and 1535. An attempt at colonizaton made in the latter year, the site chosen being the left bank of the St. Charles near Quebec, failed miserably; nor were similar attempts made in 1541 by Cartier and in 1542 by Roberval any more successful. Cartier did not again return to Canada, and all efforts in the direction of colonization were suspended for sixty years, though French fishermen continued to visit the Gulf of St. Lawrence. In the year 1603 a notable figure appears upon the scene, Samuel Champlain, the true founder of French power on the continent of America."
     I love when historians have, in the past, referred to William Dawson LeSueur as a postal authority, without even a wee footnote to explain something a little more about this brilliant man of letters, who yes, was also a civil servant during the work week. It was LeSueur who wrote the passages above, in his well respected biography for the Makers of Canada series, on "Count Frontenac," published in 1910 by Morang & Co., of Toronto. DR. LeSueur, of course, was the postal authority in charge of granting and naming new post offices in the fledgling country, and it was his handiwork that gave us the name "Gravenhurst," instead of what the citizens had asked for........McCabe's Landing. There was no reason given, why LeSueur ruled-out the chosen name, and very thin information on why he selected "Gravenhurst" instead, to adorn the post office in August, 1862. With the background we have on LeSueur today, we know he was also a respected literary critic, and his articles on authors, books, and current literature, were published in many periodicals and other magazines. William Henry Smith had just published his book, "Gravenhurst; or Thoughts on Good and Evil," in 1862, and LeSueur was very likely reviewing a copy of the first edition. He must have liked the content of the book, because he borrowed its title. He wasn't the kind to play pranks, so he did this as a tribute to the author, the text, and the hamlet tucked between two lakes in South Muskoka.
     Smith was also a well established literary critic in Britain, working for internationally recognized magazines, such as "Blackwoods," and he reviewed works by many of the world's finest authors. LeSueur would have seen Smith as a colleague and kindred spirit, reviewing the literature of the day and period.
     "William Dawson LeSueur was the most wide-ranging Canadian-born intellectual of his generation. A controversial essayist and historian, who dedicated himself to the spirit of critical enquiry, he probed relentlessly into the dominating concerns of the age of Macdonald and Laurier," wrote biographer A.B. McKillop, in his book, "A Critical Spirit - The Thought of William Dawson LeSueur," published in 1977, part of the Carleton Library Originals.  "This volume contains the major writings of this neglected figure in the intellectual history of Canada: his defense of the intellectual life; his advocacy of  scientific, evolutionary ethics; his indictment of the political morality and popular government of his day; and his application of critical spirit to the writing of Canadian history. LeSueur's work constituted a major response to the transatlantic currents of late nineteenth-century thought."
     "W.D. LeSueur's connection with the Literary and Scientific Society of Ottawa, was also a long one. Almost every year from 1871 until the turn of the twentieth century, LeSueur held an executive position with the group, either as Librarian, Vice President, or (most frequently) President. This long association with an organization dedicated to the joint study of literature and science indicates that while LeSueur's occupation was that of a civil servant, his preoccupations far transcended the normal concerns of the administrator. Much of his biography must therefore be seen as an inner one, for his significant life was primarily, that of the mind," notes McKillop.
    This is the chap who gave our town its name. Two years later, when Bracebridge applied for its post office title, LeSueur tossed out their choice of "North Falls," as being too general and plain, instead awarding them the name, "Bracebridge," taken from the title of a book written by American author, Washington Irving. There were citizens, even up to a few years ago, who were still angry LeSueur had imposed his values on the hamlet. What LeSueur failed to do, of course, was explain the honor he was bestowing, to both Gravenhurst and Bracebridge, both named after accomplished and revered authors. The negative aspect of this, is that the respective communities have long neglected the honors that were bestowed by LeSueur.....particularly so in Gravenhurst where there is very little known about William Henry Smith. I intend to correct this, on the first of August, when I'll present a more complete biography of Smith and some of his better known books. Bracebridge occasionally sponosor a "Christmas at Bracebridge Hall," dinner, with all the trimmings of an English manor-house, as written about by Washington Irving, but it is about 1/ 100th of the potential the literary connection should inspire......even from the business community.
     In Gravenhurst, for example, the Town has acknowledged and supported the celebrations of the 125th anniversary of town incorporation, which is largely a government-milestone. Yet there is no municipal or even postal recognition of the 150th anniversary of the naming of our town.......by a noted author / historian, as a tribute to a well received book and author. By the way, "Gravenhurst; or Thoughts on Good and Evil," is still in demand, and being sold as a reprint at present. It is also on Googlebooks, if you are interested.
     "It would be a great mistake to suppose that the critic finds all the materials for his criticism in the work before him," wrote LeSueur. "Far from it: he has materials in his own mind, derived from his wide experience of human thought; he knows the ways of men, and has grasped so many relations that nothing can touch his mind that does not awaken countless associations and vibrate along a thousand lives. So that in interpreting an author he takes of his own and weaves it in with his presentation of the author's thoughts. To know what critics have done and can do for the illustration of great texts, and the cultivation of the minds of the educated classes, let any one run through a number of volumes of the Revue des Deux Mondes, and try to do justice to a few of the numberless essays that will there be found under such names as De Remusat, Scherer, Janet St. Rene-Tailandier, Renan, Reville, to mention only a few of the more prominent ones. The work of these men is immense, and executed with a faithfulness that is an honor to them and to French letters. Our own Review literature will show the same thing, but in a less striking form. It is not the work of broken-down literary men that we see in such periodicals, but work, in many cases, vastly better than any that the brilliant phrase-maker to whom the sneer to which we allude is due, ever put off his hands.
     "Criticism should be the voice of impartial and enlightened reason. Too often what passes for criticism is the voice of hireling adulation or hirely enmity. Illustrations of this will occur to everyone, but there is no use in blaming criticism, which, as has been said, is an intellectual necessity of the age. The foregoing remarks have been made in the hope that they may help to clear away some prevalent misconceptions by showing the organic connection, so to speak, that exists between criticism as a function, or as a mode of intellectual activity, and the very simplest intellectual processes. Such a mode of regarding it should do away with the odium that in so many minds attaches to the idea of criticism. Let us all try to be critics according to the measure of our abilities and opportunities. Let us aim at seeing all we can, at gaining as many points of view as possible. Let us compare carefully and judge impartially; and we may depend upon it, we shall be the better for the effort."
     When I gave a lecture on LeSueur, at the Muskoka Lake Museum, in Port Carling, some years back, a member of the audience asked what I expected the community should do, to recognize the man who gave Bracebridge and Gravenhurst their names. I answered that, while I didn't expect that a bronze statue would ever be erected to this civil servant, I would think it worth the effort, for local historians to give greater emphasis to this unique heritage, and the amazing literary connections LeSueur provided us in 1862, and 1864 respectively. I do think more should be done to recognize Washington Irving, in Bracebridge, and William Henry Smith, in Gravenhurst......because there are untold benefits of doing so....and cultivating the pride we should possess, having such an international provenance with world literature.
     In Gravenhurst, can the 150th anniversary trump the 125th of incorporation? It should but it won't. Suffice that there will be, at the very least, a little bit more information online, for historians to reference in the future......with nary a cent of public money being used to create the information resource. And, well, I really like this story. We're always searching for connections and attractions to brand our communities, for the visiting public. Here we have an untapped resource, that could, if used correctly, create a nice future connection with the Smith and LeSueur names. It's a long shot, but I'm willing to pitch the idea.
     Thanks so much for joining today's blog tribute to W.D. LeSueur. On August Ist, I will have much more biographical information about William Henry Smith, and show you a contemporary Gravenhurst video, commemorating the 150th anniversary of the naming of our town. Please visit again. I do appreciate your ongoing support.

Agricultural Report of 1881 Sucked For Homesteaders in Muskoka

NOW HEADING TO 21,000 HITS - NOT EXACTLY BIG BUT NOT TOO SHABBY

     AT TIMES IN MY WRITING CAREER, I'VE HAD A CIRCULATION OF WELL OVER 120,000 POTENTIAL READERS, EACH WEEK, WORKING FOR THE VARIOUS REGIONAL AND PROVINCIAL PUBLICATIONS I'VE CONTRIBUTED COLUMNS. EVEN ON A WEEKLY BASIS, I COULD GET UP TO THIRTY OR FORTY THOUSAND WITH THE MUSKOKA SUN, AND THE MUSKOKAN, PLUS MY COLUMNS AND FEATURES PUBLISHED IN THE HOME-DELIVERED "MUSKOKA ADVANCE." IT DOESN'T MEAN EVERYBODY WHO PICKED UP A COPY OF THOSE PUBLICATIONS READ MY WORK, BUT THERE WERE VERY FEW WEEKS WHEN OUR DELIVERY PEOPLE BROUGHT BACK SIGNIFICANT RETURNS. IT MEANT TO OUR ADVERTISERS, THAT READERS LIKED WHAT WE PRODUCED....GIVING THEIR ADS MORE SHELF LIFE, AS COPIES OF THE SUMMER PAPERS IN PARTICULAR, WERE PASSED COTTAGE TO COTTAGE.
     IN THE MUSKOKA SUN, BACK IN THE LATE 1980'S WHEN I WAS ASSISTANT EDITOR, I WOULD HAVE TWENTY OR MORE EDITORIAL PIECES IN ONE ISSUE, AND I EVEN ASKED THE MANAGING EDITOR, ROBERT BOYER, TO CUT MY BYLINES OFF SOME OF THE PIECES, BECAUSE IT WAS LOOKING LIKE WE HAD A STAFF OF TWO. I USED TO WRITE ALL WINTER, TO HAVE COPY FOR THE SUN, FROM THE FIRST OF MAY UNTIL THE THANKSGIVING EDITION. BOB LIKED IT THAT WAY. UNFORTUNATELY, WHEN WE HAD A BIGGER PAPER, HE USED TO PASTE IN A LOT MORE COPY THAN I HAD BUDGETED FOR, THAT WEEK OR MONTH. BOB WOULD PHONE UP, AND ASK IF I COULD PLEASE COME UP WITH SOME MORE MATERIAL, AS WE WERE GETTING SHORT. THIS WAS OKAY IN SEPTEMBER, BUT NOT BY THE MIDDLE OF JUNE. THAT'S WHEN OUR ANTIQUE BUSINESS WAS BOOMING. BOB GAVE ME LOTS OF EXPOSURE BUT HE WAS KILLING ME AT THE SAME TIME.
     OCCASIONALLY A READER WILL ASK IF ALL I DO IS EAT AND WRITE; TODAY I JUST ANSWER, "YUP, I'VE GOT ENOUGH TIME TO WRITE." IN FACT, EVEN IN MY HEYDAY, I NEVER WROTE AS MUCH AS TODAY. BOB BOYER, GOD REST HIS SOUL, WOULD BE IMPRESSED THAT I'M PRODUCING WITHOUT BEING HOUNDED. WHILE I ONLY WRITE FOR TWO MAIN PUBLICATIONS, "CURIOUS; THE TOURIST GUIDE," AND "THE GREAT NORTH ARROW," BOTH OF WHICH I ADORE AS WRITING OUTLETS, THE BLOGS HAVE CHANGED A LOT OF MY WRITING INTERESTS AND HABITS......FOR THE BETTER, I THINK. "CURIOUS; THE TOURIST GUIDE," IS ONLINE, AND IT GETS A LOT OF ACTION, SO I'M PRETTY SURE MY READERSHIP POTENTIAL HAS ALSO INCREASED. MY SPECIAL RESEARCH PROJECTS, SUCH AS THE BIOGRAPHY OF MUSKOKA ARTIST RICHARD KARON, PUBLISHED ON-LINE BACK IN THE SPRING, IS GETTING A LOT OF ATTENTION, AND WILL BE THE SUBJECT OF A FEATURE ARTICLE IN THE MUSKOKAN THIS WEEK, I BELIEVE. WE HAVE JUST COMPLETED A SEPARATE BLOGSITE FOR RICHARD KARON; WHICH WILL HOPEFULL PROVIDE EASY ACCESS BY PAINTING OWNERS AND ART RESEARCHERS.
      WELL, THIS IS ALL PRETTY SELF-SERVING, BUT THEN IT'S KIND OF IMPORTANT, WHEN I TELL YOU, HUMBLY, BUT WITH EXCITEMENT, THAT I HAVE NOW SURPASSED 20,000 HITS ON THIS GRAVENHURST BLOG, WHICH HAS BEEN HUGE SINCE NOVEMBER OF LAST YEAR, WHEN I BEGAN WRITING DAILY FOR THIS ONLINE SITE. EVEN THOUGH I HAD BEEN WRITING FOR ABOUT THREE YEARS ON THE SITE, I HAD MUSTERED ONLY A MODEST NUMBER OF HITS, AND WAS ACTUALLY THINKING ABOUT ABANDONING IT, AND CONCENTRATING ON MY BRACEBRIDGE BLOG, AND GHOSTS OF MUSKOKA, WHICH WERE BOTH DOING MUCH BETTER.
     SO THANKS TO YOU KIND FOLKS, I'VE HIT MY GOAL MONTHS AHEAD OF TIME, AND HOPE THAT BY THE ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY, OF DAILY PUBLISHING, I WILL HIT 25,000 OR MORE. WELL, IT'S TRUE! I COULDN'T HAVE DONE IT WITHOUT YOU.
     I AM NOW DOING A MAJORITY OF MY WRITING WORK, HERE IN THE OLD MUSKOKA THEATRE BUILDING, ON MUSKOKA ROAD, ACROSS FROM THE OPERA HOUSE, IN UPTOWN GRAVENHURST.....AND LOVING EVERY MOMENT OF IT. I HAVE BEEN EXPERIMENTING FOR ABOUT THREE WEEKS, BECAUSE I'M PERSNICKETY ABOUT MY WRITING NOOKS, BUT BY GOLLY, THIS SEEMS TO BE WORKING FINE. SO IN THE FALL, WHEN SUZANNE GOES BACK TO HER TEACHING JOB, AND I TAKE OVER BEHIND THE COUNTER, AT ANDREW CURRIE'S MUSIC AND COLLECTIBLES.....AND THE NEWLY EXPANDED ANTIQUE WING, WELL SIR, I WILL BE WRITING AND HELPING TO SELL STUFF.......AS I DID A LOT OF YEARS AGO, WHEN WE HAD A MAIN STREET ANTIQUE SHOP ON MANITOBA STREET, IN BRACEBRIDGE......WHICH WAS CALLED BIRCH HOLLOW. WE STILL USE THAT NAME FOR OUR HOMESTEAD HERE IN GRAVENHURST.
     HAVING 20,000 HITS IN LESS THAN A YEAR, IS PRETTY SMALL, IN COMPARISON TO CELEBRITY BLOGGERS, WHO WOULD CONSIDER THIS A "POCKET CHANGE AUDIENCE." WELL AS YOU KNOW, I DON'T WRITE ABOUT CELEBRITIES TO GET AN AUDIENCE. I WRITE BIOGRAPHIES OF THE DEAD.....TELL STORIES OF SPIRITS AND THEIR TRAVELS, ABOUT HISTORY AND LOCAL POLITICS, AND SOME TIMES FOLKS WITH A POLITICAL PERSUASION MIGHT FIND MY COMMENTS INFLAMMATORY AND CONTROVERSIAL. THAT'S BECAUSE THEY DON'T KNOW ME. REALLY, IT'S JUST THE WAY I AM. I DON'T WAX CONTROVERSIAL TO WIN AN AUDIENCE. I JUST LET FOLKS KNOW THAT A FIGHT IS BREWING, AND THAT IT WOULD BE GREAT IF WE COULD FIND AN AMICABLE ARRANGEMENT, TO SATISY THE COMMUNITY INTERESTS. OCCASIONALLY I FLUSTER A NEWSPAPER EDITOR, WHO'S NERVOUS OF RUNNING MY EDITORIALS IN PRINT, AND ANGER A LOCAL POLITICIAN, WHO HAD AN IDEA CHALLENGED, ON THE PREMISE IT WASN'T A GOOD IDEA IN THE FIRST PLACE. I LIKE TO CHALLENGE THOSE WHO DON'T THINK THEY SHOULD BE FORCED TO ACCCOUNT FOR THEIR ACTIONS. FROM THE EMAILS I RECEIVE, A LOT OF READERS FEEL THE SAME.
     I WANT TO THANK THOSE OF YOU WHO HAVE JOINED THIS WRITING ADVENTURE, IN AN OLD AUTHOR'S LIFE, AND I HOPE YOU WILL STICK AROUND FOR SOME MORE INTERESTING LOCAL TALES, AND MY SPECIAL ESSAY AND MUSIC VIDEO ON THE NAMING OF GRAVENHURST, ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS AGO. IT WILL BE READY TO GO, ON THE EVENING OF AUGUST FIRST, AND WILL HOPEFULLY SHED SOME LIGHT ON THE CHAP WE HAVE NEVER REALLY KNOWN.......WILLIAM HENRY SMITH, AUTHOR OF THE BOOK, "GRAVENHURST; OR THOUGHTS ON GOOD AND EVIL." IT WAS IN THE YEAR 1862 THAT WE WERE HONORED WITH THE NAME. AND IT CAN BE SAID WITH SOME ACCURACY, THAT IN 150 YEARS, THE PROVENANCE OF THE NAME, AND ITS SIGNIFICANCE TO US, AS A COMMUNITY, HAS BEEN LARGELY IGNORED.....WHICH HAS DENIED OUR TOWN A WONDERFUL CONNECTION WITH LITERATURE AND OLD ENGLAND......AND THE THOUGHFUL BUT MEDDLING HISTORIAN, WILLIAM DAWSON LESUEUR......WHO MEANT WELL WHEN HE AFFORDED US THE NAME "GRAVENHURST." HE JUST DIDN'T EXPLAIN WHY HE CHOSE THE NAME FOR THE HAMLET'S POST OFFICE. LET'S SEE IF WE CAN RIGHT SOME WRONGS OF THE PAST.
     HOPE YOU CAN JOIN ME FOR THIS MULTI-PART SERIES.

THE MUSKOKA EXPERIMENT CIRCA 1861 - THE COMMISSION REPORT

     I have frequently referenced the Ontario Agricultural Commission report of 1881, when I write about the homesteaders and the free land grants; most recently in the stories about Granny Bowers journal, and then the Icelandic settlement, in Hekkla, in North Cardwell, in the District of Muskoka. The report confirms in my opinion, that the fact a majority of settlers survived on the frontier, and created moderately successful homesteads, and commenced somewhat prosperous businesses, meant that the government's hunch had been correct. The poorly outfitted settlers would take just about any land, and at least clear the timber and roads, helping the cause of settlement down the road. What it also meant for them, was that there was more boglands, rocks and densely forested areas further north, and if the Muskoka grant program worked, so would a similar free land offer, in even more adverse northern districts. The settlers, however, didn't know they were part of a government strategy, to settle the country sea to sea. They (government land agents) knew some would perish trying to homestead, and there is no evidence they were particularly concerned about this negative side of the story.
      "Coupled with the suggestion that the attention of the Government should be directed to this matter, with the view of affording facilities for the class of settlers, or occupiers of the land, indicated the Commissioners desire at the same time respectfully, to urge the preservation of the more valuable hardwood timber of our still remaining Crown lands, should be the subject of special and particular attention. In the District of Muskoka and Parry Sound large quantities of such timber exist, and every day brings nearer the time when, either from its possession or destruction, its real value will be recognized.
     "The water communication existing, supplemented by colonization roads already constructed, and still more by the projected railway through the length and very heart of the district, will afford means for marketing its products or shipping them to market at many convenient points, and of rendering the hardwood accessible with little difficulty. Nor can the Commissioners overlook the fact, that, if the lands of the Muskoka and Parry Sound District can be made available for the purpose already as above proposed, a key may be found to the solution of the question, what is to be done with regions still more remote and to all appearance unfitted for settlement in the ordinary sense, but still within the boundaries of Ontario. The subject is too large to be touched upon further here, but it is one well worthy of the attention of all who have the future of this Province most dearly at heart."
     There is more concern about the welfare of the valuable hardwood stand, than interest in the settlers' living standard and welfare generally. The settlers they habitually abused with misinformation, when government land agents attempted, with great fanfare and promotion, to attract immigrants to the free land grants. They, without shame, suggest that crappy land is abundant in Northern Ontario, at least in the interest of farming, but because of the Muskoka and Parry Sound improvements, obviously there were more brave and desparate souls to occupy the environs, to help make the province prosperous, and the mission to settle the north and west......a resounding success, despite the casualties. To meet the government's objective, lives would have to be sacrificed.....and lives were most definitely lost due to the hardships these largely ill-prepared immigrants faced. As I've asked before, what was the "acceptable loss," to get the unsettled lands "occupied." Was it okay to lose a hundred souls each year? A thousand? Did they care, accept for the reason of statistics and economics, if 5,000 had perished? The deal was, how did the province fare in all this? Seeing as the general public wasn't going to get a copy of this commission's report, they could allude to anything they wanted.......and apparently, hardwood was more important than human life. As an historian, it makes me cringe to think how much suffering was directly proportional to government deceit, and overall misrepresentation of homestead possibilities in the Muskoka wilds. Who was held to account for the falsehoods....the fraud? The final line of the summation, is the one that knocks me over, and reminds me of so many other government interests......"The subject is too large to be touched upon further here, but it is one well worthy of the attention of all who have the future of this Province most nearly at heart." Geez, I'd enjoy the retrospective of meeting with the folks who were at this commission meeting.
     So in today's monetary terms, what was the homesteaders' pain and suffering worth? How about a class-action lawsuit, on behalf of family members today, who possess records of just how much hardship was endured, based in large part, on the lies of those they trusted. Government representatives. Just to meet quota, they told the stories, these poor souls wanted to hear......of the promised land. Many didn't survive the voyage across the Atlantic, succumbing to illnesses, passed from contaminated passengers on the crossing. Steerage in many cases, was pretty much a hell on water. Then to arrive here, with next to nothing, and find out that there was even less to be pleased about, due to the shortage of provisions, the expense of life-sustaining materials, transportation, and temporary shelter. For the government to admit this was a trial, and some good came from it, well......what can an old historian say, than never trust the government to give you the straight goods, without crossed fingers........hoping you'll just take their word and disappear into the rank and file of citizenry.
     "While the older settled portions of the Province naturally demanded the largest share of attention from the Agricultural Commission, it was obviously proper that some of the newer and outlying sections should not be altogether overlooked.  Having regard to the circumstances generally under which the electoral district of Muskoka-Parry Sound had been settled, it was thought most expedient that some members of the Commission should make a personal visit to that district, and thus obtain, not only from oral testimony, but also by personal observation, a much larger amount of information than could be had by summoning a limited number of the settlers to give evidence at Toronto," notes the report.
     "The lumbering industry is carried on to a considerable extent, several townships having been placed under license from 1871 up to the present time. A large proportion of the settlers have been, as may be supposed, persons without means or with very little means indeed. The Commissioners remark upon this fact, and point out that the general effect of the Free Grant policy has necessarily been to people Muskoka to a very great extent in the way least likely, early, to show large results. The country is densely wooded; consequently, every foot of cultivable ground has had to be cleared with the axe; and, but for the lumbering industry, already referred to, not a few of the settlers would have found subsistence impossible. Having regard in fact, to the nature of the country, and the class to which the majority of the settlers belong, the progress made has been not only satisfactory but even, in some respects, surprising. The district is traversed by bands of Laurentian rock, and the cultivable area is thereby considerably broken up." Which means a thin soil on top of rock.
     The report was published in 1881. The homesteaders needed their help and guidance in the 1860's. It took decades to decide to investigate the situation in Muskoka and Parry Sound, and even then, it wasn't much more than cursory, like a barber giving a basic trim. By the 1880's, much of the carnage to the pioneers had already been experienced, and the graves long grown-over, by time there was any attention to their plight.
    Just so you know, I am the only historian in this region, to my knowledge, to place a huge weight on this report, to explain why homesteaders to this region, suffered so greatly. And our family was amongst those first settlers, in the Ufford, Three Mile Lake area of the present Township of Muskoka Lakes, who came to Canada, because of the free land grants' promotion of a better life in a new land. They survived and prospered, the result of back-breaking labor and fierce determination to succeed. Many of their neighbors didn't fare quite so well. A substantial number simply succumbed to a lifestyle they were not accustomed, and definitely not prepared.
     So what's my point. Well, as we all enjoy the exceptional and abundant recreations of Muskoka in this new century, and occasionally complain about taxes, inconveniences, things and options we don't have here.....like they have in the city......maybe a little reflection on the way it was......might be insightfully refreshing; and validate the hard work and sacrifice those folks made for us, so that we could enjoy the modern version of a wild frontier, they found so painfully discouraging in pioneer Canada. Should you be out for a countryside hike, and come upon, all of a sudden, a rectangular depression in the ground, the size of a coffin, well, offer a little thanks to the pioneer who gave up his life to make a better one for his or her family.......and ultimately the survivors of those rigors.....us!
     Thanks for joining today's blog. Please visit again soon. And thanks so much for helping me achieve this little goal of hitting 20,000 views. I've got some good stuff for you, coming up.

Birds Woollen Mill Picture with Names, Freddy Vette

Freddy Vette and The Flames Perform at “Music on the Barge” Gull Lake Rotary Park – Gravenhurst

“Jukebox Hits Live with Freddy Vette & the Flames” is an experience unlike any other oldies show and you can experience this high-energy show on Sunday, July 29th commencing at 7:30 p.m.  at “Music on the Barge” Gull Lake Rotary Park, Gravenhurst.

With the appealing sounds of a saxophone and a thumping stand-up base, the eight piece band led by entertainer, Freddy Vette, pays tribute to the music that started it all, ‘50s Rock & Roll !!!

The band comes alive and immerses the audience with music from Elvis, Jerry Lee Lewis, Buddy Holly, Fats Domino, Church Berry, Brenda Lee, the Shirelles and more.

Freddy and his Flames physically transport back to the 50s during a passion-filled, raucous show that grabs you by the shirt sleeves and takes you with it.  The band is swell and the girls are sweet.  And no one performs like Freddy.  A true showman.  

He prides himself on the authenticity of the show.  “We try to give this music and the artists the respect they deserve.  When people see our show that witnessed the original rock & roll explosion, they say “You guys go it, that’s the way it REALLY was.” That’s very gratifying.”

That authenticity comes from letter-perfect musical arrangements of the biggest hits form the biggest artists like Bill Haley & his Comets, Elvis Presley, Buddy Holly, Jerry Lee Lewis, Fats Domino, to name a few.  Also, Betty Vette (Freddy’s beloved) leads the band’s own “girl group” covering those fantastic hits like “He’s a Rebel”, “It’s My Party (and I’ll cry if I want to), “Chapel of Love” and other anthems from the likes of Brenda Lee, and even Patsy Cline. 

Capture the excitement, the electricity, and the sheer FUN of ‘50s Rock & Roll with an absolute “Must See’ 50s rock Show with Freddy Vette and the Flames at “Music on the Barge” Gull Lake Rotary Park on Sunday, July 29th commencing at 7:30 p.m.

Collection will be taken during the evening.  In the event of rain, the concert will be cancelled and not relocated to another venue for the safety of the audience and the performers.

HOBBY HISTORIAN HELPS THE OLD PRO - BIRD'S MILL PHOTOGRAPH NOW HAS NAMES

FAMILY MEMBERS IN PHOTOGRAPH

     I USED TO WORK WITH CHRIS THOMPSON, OF GRAVENHURST, AT THE FORMER HERALD-GAZETTE, IN BRACEBRIDGE, WHERE WE WERE SURROUNDED BY HISTORY, AND EMPLOYED BY ONE OF MUSKOKA'S WELL KNOWN HISTORIANS, ROBERT J. BOYER. CHRIS HELPED ME GATHER SOME NAMES, TO GO WITH A PHOTOGRAPH SUZANNE PURCHASED THIS PAST WEEKEND, AT THE MUSKOKA ANTIQUE SHOW, IN PORT CARLING. THE 1925 GROUP PHOTOGRAPH, PROFILES THE STAFF OF THE WELL KNOWN BIRD'S WOOLLEN MILL, WHICH WAS SITUATED ON THE BRINK OF THE TOWN FALLS (AT THE SILVER BRIDGE).
     THE PHOTOGRAPH RAN IN THE HERALD-GAZETTE, JUST BEFORE I WAS EMPLOYED THERE, IN APRIL 1ST, 1976. ALL THE NAMES WERE INCLUDED WITH THE PHOTOGRAPH SUPPLIED TO MR. BOYER, COURTESY MRS. HOCKRIDGE, OF BRACEBRIDGE. HER FATHER, JOHN KIRKNESS IS INCLUDED IN THE PHOTOGRAPH. WHAT I FIND A LITTLE UNUSUAL, IS THAT WHEN BOB AND I WERE WORKING ON A SOUVENIR BOOKLET, WHEN WOODCHESTER VILLA AND MUSEUM OFFICIALLY OPENED, IN THE EARLY 1980'S, THIS PICTURE WASN'T USED.....BUT SHOULD HAVE BEEN, BECAUSE OF THE NAMES INCLUDED. THERE IS ANOTHER GROUP PHOTOGRAPH OF THE EMPLOYEES, TAKEN OUTSIDE THE MILL, BUT THERE AREN'T ANY NAMES REPRODUCED. WOODCHESTER VILLA, OF COURSE, IS THE FORMER HOME OF HENRY BIRD SR., AND WAS BUILT ABOVE THE MILL, FOR THE OWNER'S CONVENIENCE. FROM HIS OFFICE OR UP ON THE BALCONEY, MR. BIRD COULD LOOK DOWN ON THE PLANT......AND CHECK FOR ANY UNOFFICIAL COFFEE OR LUNCH BREAKS TAKEN BY STAFF. I CAN'T EXPLAIN WHY THIS PHOTOGRAPH DIDN'T MAKE THE CUT, BUT BOB WAS THE SENIOR WRITER, AND I WAS HIS KEEN APPRENTICE. HE MADE THE CHOICES AND I NODDED MY HEAD IN APPROVAL. THAT WHAT AN APPRENTICE HISTORIAN DOES!
     WE WERE VERY GLAD TO GET AN ORIGINAL PHOTOGRAPH OF THE MILL GROUPING, AND DELIGHTED THAT CHRIS HAD A COPY OF THE 1976 RE-PUBLICATION OF THE 1925 IMAGE. HERE IS THE INFORMATION THAT WENT WITH THE PHOTOGRAPH, OBVIOUSLY BEEFED-UP WITH COMMENTS FROM MR. BOYER.
     "STAFF AT BIRD'S WOOLLEN MILL:  The Herald-Gazette is indebted to Mrs. Lorne Hockridge for lending the above picture for publication. It is a picture of the staff at the Bird Woollen Mills Company Limited, and Mrs. Hockridge's father, the late John Kirkness, is third from the left in the front row. The Hockridges of course, ran the well known grocery store, on Manitoba Street, known as "Lornes Marketeria" where my parents shopped every Friday night in the 1960's.
     The founder of the mill, Henry J. Bird, Sr., is at the left of the second row, (smoking cigar, with dog), and in that row in the centre are his sons, Henry J. Bird and Thomas Bird, who were in charge of the management. The former Bird Woollen Mill was for more than eighty years, a prominent industry of the town, being established when Mr. Bird Sr., came to Bracebridge in 1872. Its products of yarns and blankets were widely known. In World War I, the mill's production of blankets was purchased by the Canadian, British and French armies.
     "From the people in the picture, our guess is that it was taken about 1929 or 1930. (The date written on the back of our photograph is 1925). Those in the photograph, from left to right, as listed by Mrs. Hockridge:  Back row, left to right, Jean Gibbs, Flossie Hayes, Dorothy Bombay, Elizabeth Banks, Eva Mackenzie, Millie Mason, Nora Newark, Wilmetta Mereweather, Rachael Hammond, Amelia Burbridge, Leo Couture, Milton Bailey, Earl Vincent, Emma Ashdown, Bertha Smith, Winnie Newark, Wilma Wesley, Ethel Green, Stella Leeder. Second row, left to right; Henry Bird Sr., Lillian Henderson, Muriel Rawson, Carmen Hewitt, Irene Wesley, Grace Pearson, Henry J. Bird Jr., Tom Bird, Dorothy Clarey, Edna Hammond, Oscar "Pete" Simmons, Marg Wyman, Vi Green, Ethel Goheen. Front row, left to right; Wilson Wadsworth, Alf Coleman, John Kirkness, Ernie Collins, Bill Forth, Bill Furlong, Archie Arbic, Tom Robinson, Elwood Campbell, Charles Hampson, Lem Davis, Henry Chamberlain, Ed Brazier, John Schiach, Norm Simmons, Bert Banks, and Bill Ross."
     Suzanne picked up a bargain Bird's blanket at the same antique show, from the same folks who sold us the photograph, and she now has the challenge of repairing a small hole. She buys a lot of vintage wool and threads to match colors of the old quilts and blankets she repairs each year. We are looking to buy more Bird's blankets in the future, as her repairs are getting caught up......and we really feel a part of the whole Bird's industry. As I mentioned in a previous column, and a whole series of articles on my Bracebridge blog, our family was part of the Woodchester and Museum start-up, and I go all the way back to the late 1970's, when I was one of the directors on the first board of the Bracebridge Historical Society.....with a mission of saving the octagonal Bird family home, on the hillside above the falls. I was president in the late 1980's, and its operating manager for the last two years of the decade, before resigning due to unbelievably serious issues with Town Council, about the museum operation......which we did largely without a staff. I got tired trying to operate a terrific musuem on a shoe-string budget. I was however, successful during this time, of working out an agreement with Muskoka Arts and Crafts, for the opening of the Chapel Gallery, in the rebuilt former Presbyterian Church on the property......a gallery that is still operating today, much to my pleasure. This move helped shave off a lot of costs for the museum each year, but in the end, it didn't save it from structural problems on the exterior, that have kept the museum closed for most of the past four years. What a shame. I offered to help as a volunteer, but seeing as I'm kind of a mouth-piece "activist," they figured it would be a tempest in a teapot, having me anywhere close to town councillors, who I might lecture about the protocols of historical conservation. They would be right to have thought this. But there is a time to be conciliatory, and it is certainly now, when the museum hangs in limbo.
     So the next best thing, seeing as they don't want me nosing around the site, is to become more involved in the care, restoration and re-sale of the Bird familys' great blankets, that were, by the way, incredibly durable......and it should be no surprise that they've survived into this new century. I haven't owned a military Bird's blanket, but I'm hopeful one will show up some day, even if it's in rough shape. I remember, quite a few years back, a family brought me in a portion of a rare black plaid-type Bird's blanket that had been in a fire which had completely destroyed the house. They saved a portion of the blanket for me, because they knew we sold them at our little shop, on upper Manitoba Street, in Bracebridge. I was delighted they did this, and we have shown this example hundreds of times over the years, to explain Bird's diversity, and expertise in the blanket-making industry. This same family gave us a dozen skeins of original Bird's Wool, all with the company label. Suzanne is using some of it right now, to border a blanket she has been restoring here in the back rooms of Andrew's Music and Collectibles, on Muskoka Road. Talk about historic re-enactments.
    How many main streets in Canada, can boast having a blanket and quilt restorer working within the contemporary businesses. Of course, how many communities have a Civil War re-enactor, riding his horse through town on a regular basis. I'm referring to our Civil War Historian, Tom Brooks, who I have enormous respect, for all the research he has compiled on the Canadians / British citizens who fought in the Civil War, on both sides of the conflict. He often travels to the United States, and will take small Canadian flags, to adorn those soldiers' graves, who died in battle, or the result of injuries sustained during the conflict. Of course he was also in the movie Gettysburg, and actually is shot twice, in two different charges. Tom told me to watch for this, and sure enough. I was so pleased to have him sign our copy of the movie video, which is one of my favorites.
     I digress as usual. Thanks so much for joining today's blog. And many thanks to those readers who took the time to send messages about our recent loss of Smokey-the-fat-cat, who died peacefully in my arms, on Tuesday afternoon at about this time.......just after 2 p.m. Your kindnesses bestowed, means a lot to us. Named after one of our favorite Algonquin Lakes, "Smoke Lake," Smokey looked like what a chimney sweep would have on the end of his long cleaning brush. He purred almost to the end, and that gave me some peace as well. Smokey used to sit at my side while I wrote my columns for the regional press, and I must admit, his purring then, always calmed me down, especially if I was on a tight deadline, and trying to rush copy to the editor. We have other cats, but none of them with the purring power of the late, great, Smokey.
      Please visit again soon. The William Henry Smith music video, to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the naming of Gravenhurst, will be published online in time for August Ist, along with a brief history of the relationship between our town and a British poet, philosopher. Please join me for this special presentation. Not a dime of taxpayer's money was used to fund it either.

  

Smokey The Cat is No More

EIGHT AND A HALF LIVES - WHAT A GOOD LIFE SMOKEY HAS ENJOYED

WE'LL PARTNER FOR A FEW MORE STORIES YET

     WE ADOPTED SMOKEY THE CAT ABOUT ELEVEN YEARS AGO, TO KEEP OUR KITTEN "FESTER II" COMPANY. FESTER HAD NOT ENJOYED A VERY GOOD KITTEN-LIFE, AND IT WAS ON ITS WAY TO THE HUMANE SOCIETY SHELTER, FROM A HOME NEAR BALA......WHEN SUZANNE WAS APPROACHED BY A STUDENT, AND ASKED IF SHE "WOULD PLEASE ADOPT HER CAT." HER FATHER HAD SERIOUS ALLERGIES AND THE CAT COULD NOT LIVE IN THE HOUSE ANY LONGER.....AND IT WAS TOO YOUNG TO BE SET LOOSE OUTSIDE. WE HAD JUST LOST A CAT......FESTER I, AND TO BE HONEST, WE DIDN'T THINK IT WAS THE RIGHT TIME TO GO BACK INTO FELINE-MINDING AGAIN.
     SUZANNE FELT SORRY FOR THE STUDENT, AS WELL AS THE KITTEN, AND SHE FIGURED IT MUST BE PROVIDENTIAL AND A LAST HOPE FOR THE BANDY LEGGED WEE BEASTIE. WE ADOPTED HER BUT SHE SEEMED QUITE LONELY, AND TOOK OUT HER FRUSTRATION ON EVERYTHING WITH A CLOTH COVERING. SOMEONE TOLD US WE SHOULD GET A SECOND CAT, AND IT WOULD BALANCE OUT THE BAD BEHAVIOUR. I SHOULD HAVE THOUGHT ABOUT THAT A LITTLE MORE, ESPECIALLY THE BALANCE PART. ADOPTING SMOKEY MEANT WE HAD TWICE AS MUCH SHREDDING OF THE CLOTH, AND RIPPING THE ARMS OF EVERY UPHOLSTERED CHAIR IN THE HOUSE. THEY WERE CUTE, RIGHT? WE HAD BEEN A HOUSEHOLD OF CATS PREVIOUSLY, THREE IN FACT, BUT THE TWO ADULT CATS POLICED THE KITTEN.....WHICH WAS GOOD.
     THIS TIME THERE WERE TWO KITTENS TEARING AROUND THE HOUSE AND IT TOOK A LOT OF PATIENCE TO DEAL WITH.....AND PATCHES ON EVERYTHING FROM THE LIVINGROOM CURTAINS TO THE BEDSPREADS THEY LIKED TO SINK THEIR CLAWS INTO. I DON'T KNOW WHETHER WE HAD FUN OR NOT, BUT THEY WERE PART OF THE CURRIE CLAN, AND THEY WERE ENTITLED TO THE SAME RIGHTS AND PRIVILGES AS THE HUMAN OCCUPANTS.
     SMOKY WAS ADOPTED FROM A HOME IN HUNTSVILLE, AND IT CAME HOME IN THE PALM OF SON ROBERT'S HAND. IT WAS A GREY PUFF-BALL OF A CRITTER, AND IT HAD A SHOE FETISH OF ALL THINGS. IT WOULD SLEEP WITH ITS HEAD IN THE SHOES, SLIPPERS OR EVEN FLIP-FLOPS IF THAT WAS ALL THAT WAS AVAILABLE. AND THE FOOD DISH. WE HAD AN OBESE CAT IN THE MAKING, AND I'M AFRAID WE DIDN'T MAKE VERY GOOD PET OWNERS IN THAT REGARD. SMOKEY WAS BOUND AND DETERMINED TO EAT EVERYTHING. AND WHEN WE GOT A TAPE OF CLASSICAL MUSIC, DONE OVER BY AMERICAN STORY TELLER, GARRISON KEILOR, WITH AN ENTIRE CAT THEME.......WE COULD SEE THE PORTRAIT OF SMOKEY EACH AND EVERY TIME WE HEARD THE MUSIC; ESPECIALLY ONE ABOUT A HUGE, RAVENOUS CAT THAT PUT ITS OWNER, OUT OF FRIGHT, ON TOP OF THE OLD FRIGIDAIRE, IN QUEST OF MORE FOOD!

SMOKEY HAS RUN OUT OF VIM, AND THE VINEGAR

     Fester II was twelve years old when she died this past April. Smokey, at just over eleven years, has been winding down as well, and lately has been exhausted after only a short hike from the food dish to the litter box. In the past two days, we've all recognized that carrying around all that weight, has taken its toll in the past decade. We didn't have the heart to put him on a diet, and I guess we are guilty of hurting his real, pumping heart with over-kindness. I think we tried to budget the food a few times, but he would get up on Suzanne's knee, and slap her on the end of the nose.....if the food dish wasn't up to snuff. She'd hit her, jump down, and head to the kitchen. When Suzanne didn't follow, he'd repeat the act, and in fact, might do the same thing for an hour, if there was no greater food provision, or his provider didn't get up and handle the perceived crisis. Or she would just sit in the doorway, and stare at whoever looked like the guilty party, denying him the rations deserved. We often surrendered because frankly, it was a lot easier than lasting out the persecution. I know we were wrong, but in a hospitable sense. We tried to make him happy, and it may just have cost his health.
     I  have shifted this laptop unit out to the front porch, where Smokey is resting comfortably, occasionally opening an eye to see where I've moved to, just in case I've forgotten our pact to stay together to the end. I feel the same way about him, as he has, by the look in his eye just now, acknowledged that he'd never leave my side either. Smokey is most likely going to pass before me, and of this I'm very sorry. We have been pretty good friends since he stopped tearing apart the sofa and the rugs, and we've met his food interests, which has always been enormously fickle.
     Smokey was named after Algonquin Park's, "Smoke Lake," where we used to paddle our two Currie canoes, when our clan camped at Tea Lake. Actually, Smokey looks like he's been dropped through a dirty chimney, and swished around inside. He's got about three inches of fur before you get to his hide, and when we trim him up in the summer months, to deal with the heat, he looks at us as if terribly embarassed, and will jump on a chair, under the harvest table to sulk. Smokey is also a very communicative cat, beyond the reality it will slap you on the end of the nose. He will sit and meow at you for an hour, even when it's contently fed. I don't know what message it's trying to convey, but we just hit our knee with our hands, and watch which family member he chooses to partner with, at that particular time.
     He has just this minute offered a gentle meow, and is staring at me, as if to say, "well, old chap, it's been a short time, but a good time. Thanks for the memories." Of course I have no choice but to look away, because I refuse to acknowledge that our time together is winding down. I will stop on occasion and sing a song that I used to, when he was a kitten, and we needed him to have a nap to halt, at least temporarily, the carnage he and Fester used to get up to, as best buddies in play.....just not at the food dish.
     I have no right to deny this dear old cat the privilege of passing into eternal bliss......feline heaven. I know it is wrong to make promises to God, that I will be a better person, if only he could please spare my cat. I don't think God should be intruded upon in this way, to heal my heart that feels as if it's breaking. There are so many other more dire consequences facing God and the angels in today's world, to bother heaven with what is natural and expected of life's coil. I suppose it's more a case of feeling sorry for myself, more than for the old cat. This is what my mother would say, whenever one of these life and death issues arose, when I was a pondering, often regretful kid. I hated to see things die. Even a grasshopper in my hand, or a butterfly with a torn-off wing. I didn't understand death then and I sure as heck don't now. Why is it so cruel to the survivors? "That's life buddy, get used to it," my dad would say, and then pass me a glass of ginger ale, which he used to treat everything from an infection, a cut, a headache and a sad heart. He used it so often that I actually started to believe its medicinal properties, and would soon start to feel upbeat and healed again. My cut would still be bleeding a bit. I had just stopped worrying about it, and went back to the baseball or hockey game I had left.
     I'm not happy about these last moments together but I've been in this situation many times before. I am concerned that Smokey knows that our time together has been memorable, and despite some of the calamity, all has been forgiven. Of course it has been forgiven. How could I ever stay mad at a fluffy old cat that has been at my side all these years? I remember, on one occasion, when Robert had an emergency trip to the hospital, and an over-nighter for tests, Smoky cuddled into my stomach on the sofa where I slept that night (next to the phone), and I fell asleep as a result of his purring away the night. Strangely, just as he is easing me right now, with his barely audible purring, with one eye open to make sure I don't leave suddenly......without letting him know I'll be right back. I do feel calm seeing the way he's slumbering away the final hours, as if he is sending me the message, that I must not grieve for him now, but carry on with his brother and sister cats, all once homeless and hungry. They all got along pretty well, although the kitten stage for our other formerly abandoned cats was a little tough on the old trooper. He even shared space at the food dish, which was more than he did for Fester I. They'd even curl up on occasions, in one big furry ball, and we liked to see this on the kitchen floor, or on the sofa where we didn't dare to disturb such a peaceful occasion.
     Smokey and I still have some memories to re-kindle, and seeing as we both have a little time on our hands (and paw), I plan to carry-on writing with this partnership, however failing it becomes in the next few days or weeks. He's not suffering, and is very peaceful when looking about the yard, but it's apparent, that even for a mouse, there is no vigor left to make even a ceremonial chase, for old time's sake. I hate saying goodbyes, so I'm not going to, until the inevitable occurs sometime in the future. I will refuse to give up one moment of our time together, so if a confessional is needed to cleanse the soul, of man or beast, we will have the occasion to clear our respective consciences.
     Like all our critters here at Birch Hollow, they play an active role in just about everything I write or create, and it is natural for me to feel forlorned under such circumstances, fearing very much, my writing career will cease, without the infusion of life they all provide, when I'm looking for help, on yet another editorial, essay or blog. They have never disappointed me. Just made me sad, when they have to leave our company, because their time has ended so unceremoniously, and inconveniently. It is always inconvenient for me. I need them all. I can't spare a single one of these wonderful, heart-warming little creatures, that are the blood of family......and that's the way we have always treated these residents of our modest homestead. They are all important beings, with strong spirits and forgiving souls.
     I must stop now, and settle down to deck level, to comfort my buddy here, and pat that glorious fur that my hands sink deep into, and still feel warmed by the last part of the ninth life, for Smokey the cat. My muse. My friend for long and long, through good times and bad.......but mostly good.
     I'm  sorry to cut this blog short today. My friend needs me close by, and I shall do as I'm asked. It's the least I can do, for all the fun and companionship she has afforded all members of our family. Thank you for joining today's blog. Please visit again.

A FEW FINAL WORDS

     As I wonder each time a pet of ours passes, whether I will ever feel the same good vibes around here, at Birch Hollow, ……..the ones that make me want to sit down for several hours to write.  Well, once again, I have found out something positive about the love for pets and what matters most to a writer. I can still write, you see, and I have found this out by application, of fingers on a keyboard, and a heart still beating in my old chest. I have just finished holding Smoky one last time. He had much less life left than I had thought, earlier today. He is now buried beneath a cluster of birches and evergreens, next to Fester I and Fester II, and how peaceful it all was, when I set down the little marker on the grave……the birds chirping above, and the chipmunks on the woodpile scratching then eating, then scratching some more. Life hadn't stopped for funerary observances. It was the continuation of the cycle, and now it has darkened over the woodlot, and the crickets have taken over the chorus of daily living.
     I will miss Smoky, like all the other critters we have taken into our home…..because they didn't have one. I hope they liked us, as much as we liked them.