November 5, 2004 Looking back to past and forward to future

The following are some items related to previous Heritage Perspectives articles that may be of interest. 

Powassan Park 

Powassan’s 100^th Anniversary in 2005 is shaping up with plans for a book, a homecoming with a big celebration and big improvement to the town square, etc. The Powassan Horticultural Society developed a plan with the help of Commanda Country Gardens to add fencing, a garden of heritage plants, trees purchased by families, school plots, and a wedding garden, etc.  The photo shows some of the society workers building a new garden entrance to the Park.  A bandstand is also proposed.  The park currently a veterans Memorial Park with a cenotaph and signage will now provide additional memories of the past and be a practical and beautiful memorial to the first 100 years. 

Members of the Powassan Horticulturalociety working on the new gardens in Memorial Park.  D. Mackey photo.

 50^th Birthday Project 

A group of area people who will be 50 years old next year – half of the 100 years of Powassan’s history - are planning a birthday party/high school reunion for people in the Almaguin Highlands.  In September 2005 there will be a Saturday afternoon birthday party and dinner for people born in 1955 and their spouses.  There will be a dance in the evening for former students of the area.  More information can be found at www.niftyfifty.ca/1955.com. 

The drained Hydro pond from the shore of the swim beach showing the Purdon Line and old bridge foundations across the South River that were under water.  D. Mackey photo.

Pond Life 

Powassan’s Hydro Pond at the Elliot Chute on the South River has caused a stir over its sudden draining.  From an historical point of view the absence of water provided some interesting historical insight.  Hundreds of tree stumps, an old boat and the flooded extension of the Purdon Line etc. have been exposed.  The photo shows the old road and the foundations of the old bridge.  When the dam was built in 1928 several farms including the homes and outbuildings were lost as the river expanded over a huge area. 

Music Movie 

In an article on the historical music movie Festival Express featuring some of the stars of the 70’s I mentioned that the movie may be coming to North Bay. The North Bay Film Club will have one showing on December 8^th at the Galaxy Cinemas on the Lakeshore.  Watch your papers for further information.  The CD of the movie will be available on December 15^th, 2004.  Check Amazon.com. 

Ontario Heritage Foundation Awards 

The Ontario Heritage Foundation has recognized many Ontarians for their volunteer contributions to built, cultural, natural and heritage garden preservation.  Recipients receive a certificate of achievement and a pin.  There was a new Lifetime Award in 2004.  There have been many recipients in the Community Voices area over the years and I have written about them before.  The only area recipient this year was Elizabeth Gill, descendent of the original Nipissing Village and area founder John Beatty who received it posthumously for her work on the Nipissing History Book and many years of support for the Museum including many on the Board. 

The Cameron Township Finnlanders 

 I recently received a letter from an 88 year old Finnlander Suoma Luoma (nee Hill) who lives in Toronto and saw my article on Cameron Township on the internet with her son.  She felt more could have been written about the Finnish community in Cameron and sent an excellent translation of an article in a 1979 book Canadian Finnish History.  It’s an interesting detailed story that I will provide here in detail in a future article.  I spoke to Suoma , the only living child of 9 children of Sanna and Herman Hill (Keltamaki) recently and she gave me the names of several local relatives.  She will send some photos which I will include in the article. 

Kayaks You Can Build 

I wrote about the Bear Mountain Canoe Company owned by Ted Moores and his wife Joan in 2002 mentioning his recently revised book Canoecraft which has sold 200,000 copies and his contribution to the new book The Canoe: A Living Tradition (Firefly Books).  Ted has recently published a new book called Kayaks You Can Build (Firefly Books) which gives complete instructions on how to build beautiful plywood kayaks.  The book is available at Gulliver’s and other bookstores or your local library. 

Hurricane Hazel 

Roy Baldwin from Redbridge called to tell me his experience with Hurricane Hazel after my article on the subject on October 15, 50 years to the day after the storm.  Roy, a trucker, was working on contract for the Inspiration Mining Co. on Newman Island in the Manitou Islands of North Bay in Lake Nipissing the fall of 1954 when the mine closed.  Roy’s truck and another truck owned by L. Johnson of Redbridge were brought over on an ONR barge when they were originally hired.  Some 30 men that were brought back and forth to their residence on Calder Island by a First Nations gentleman with a large canoe were ready to leave.  They usually took their trips to shore on a launch called the Elitist.  As they were ready to leave at 5:00 on October 15^th the weather was getting so bad the Elitist was unavailable and the men joined the 2 trucks on the barge for the trip to the North Bay dock.  The trip which usually took a few minutes took until 2:30am as the barge kept drifty off course and was pummeled by huge waves. 

When they finally got to shore the ONR wanted to leave the trucks on the barge tied to the dock.  The truckers insisted and their trucks were removed.  The other workers were put up in hotels or otherwise dispersed.  Roy and his friend got home to Redbridge about 5am, after moving several trees out of the way on Cassells Street on the way.  The next morning it was discovered that the barge had broken loose and was in Callander Bay and that the Elitist and a police launch were sunk at the dock.  Roy told the story as if it happened yesterday – quite the storm.