March 19, 2010 Powassan Main Street Good News

I wrote recently about the demolition of the Windsor Hotel on Powassan’s Main Street. I also wrote about the closing of the Pat Moore’s Appliance and Furniture Store on Main St. in 2008 (Article #311 Oct 10, 2008). The store was absorbed by Home Hardware (see photo).

Main Street Powassan showing restored Stillar building and expanded Home Hardware. D. Mackey photo.

On a more positive heritage note I was reminded of the remarkable restoration of the 1891 store next to the Home Hardware. Gary Stillar and his wife Lori won an Ontario Heritage Award for the project (see online articles #2 April 14, 2000 & #35 December 15, 2000). (Google Heritage Perspectives for index and click on title of article.) The Glenn Pharmacy in the heritage building across the street from Stillars has moved next door to a larger newer building that will enliven Main Street. It will be interesting to see what happens on the Windsor Hotel site.

Nipissing Junction Heritage Designation

Eva MacWilliams wrote about the effort by Deryk Hagar of North Bay to acquire a heritage designation for the remarkable confluence of heritage activity at Nipissing Junction in North Bay. I attended one of Derek’s presentations and I show here a fascinating surveyors’ drawing from the presentation of how the village was to look before history pushed North Bay’s centre to the west. It’s a great project and deserves full municipal and heritage community support. If you have any information that may be of interest contact Deryk at 478-7481.

Surveyors’ drawing of proposed Nipissing Junction Village. Roy Summers image

Alligators of the North

I have written about the remarkable steam warping tug – better known as an alligator – that changed the face of logging in the late 1800s and early decades of the 1900s.
There has never been a definitive book on the subject until now. The late Clarence Coons an outstanding historian researched a book before he died. The Canadian Forestry Association has overseen the publishing of it. It is available now from the Association at a reduced price prior to going into stores soon.

Cover of Alligator of the North book. Submitted photo.

The steam powered tug could crawl over ground using cables to get at logs and could haul them quickly across water to the mills. John West and James Peachey from Simcoe designed and produced the vessel and the West & Peachey name became part of the logging vocabulary.
Historian Harry Barrett from the Simcoe area oversaw the organization of the book and Dundurn Press published it.

The coffee table book has a Tom Thompson painting of an abandoned alligator on the cover and has 80 photos. The Canadian Forestry Association is selling advanced copies for $30 + $5 for shipping. Send cheque to Canadian Forestry Association 200-1027 Pembroke Street, Pembroke, Ontario, K8A 3M4. (1-866-441-4006 toll free). Two of my columns are referenced in the book,( March 2 & March 9, 2000.)