Ian Macdonald reports on St. John's Chapleau as project draws international attention at 2019 National Trust Conference as Jason Rioux wins award for transformation of church into vibrant, socially useful and profitable facility

JASON RIOUX

Note from MJM: I am delighted that Ian Macdonald, retired head of the department of architecture and professor emeritus at the University of Manitoba agreed to write a column on the award that Jason Rioux won for his efforts in transforming St. John's Church into the "Chapleau Hub" bringing international attention to the project and to Chapleau. Most readers know that Ian is a Chapleau boy having attended Chapleau Public and High Schools as well as working on the Canadian Pacific Railway before becoming a distinguished professor of architecture and architect. He took the time to attend the National Trust Conference where Jason accepted the award.


Ian's continuing interest in Chapleau reminds me of the maxim that you can take the boy (or girl) out of Chapleau, but you can't take Chapleau out of them!!!! Thank you so much Ian.  MJM






BY IAN MACDONALD




Chapleau, Ontario was recently the centre of international attention at the 2019 National Trust Conference held in Winnipeg from October 17 to 19. One of the main conference events was recognition of a selected number of significant heritage projects in Canada including the remarkable efforts of Jason Rioux in transforming St. John’s Church in Chapleau into a vibrant, socially useful and profitable facility.


The National Trust for Canada in association with the Canadian Association of Heritage Professionals function as major advocates for promoting Canadian heritage including historic architecture, artifacts, landscapes and a multitude of specialized areas including railway heritage. Planning and community development across the country now includes heritage as a major factor in developing healthy and sustainable communities. Major international meetings such as the Winnipeg conference provide an opportunity for a wide range of successful project case studies to be presented, discussed and honoured.


 Conferences of this type remain an important part of keeping abreast of the times for planners and designers. Despite to-day’s ease of access to information, there is still no substitute for sharing experience on a personal basis. Jason Rioux, in addition to the formalities of receiving his award also had the opportunity to present the Chapleau St. John’s project in two working sessions where lessons and problem-solving strategies were shared.


Transformation from St. John’s Anglican Church to “The Hub”


The important historic cultural role of St. John’s Anglican church cannot be understated. Thanks to Michael Morris’ articles and publications, the history of the church is generally well known. The Anglicans established themselves in Chapleau even prior to the completion of the Canadian Pacific Railway in 1885 with services being conducted in such unlikely places as an empty boxcar and a partially completed railway depot. The first permanent church structure which was opened and consecrated on July 1 1886 was located on the south west corner of Pine and Young St. The rapidly growing community, however, would soon generate a demand for a much larger church to be built opposite the original. Plans for the building were thus developed in 1905 and construction was completed on March 29, 1908 at a cost of $18,000.00. St. John’s, in addition to serving the spiritual needs of the community, functioned in a broader role as the pro-cathedral of the Diocese of Moosonee until 1913. It would gradually play a significant and integral part of the cultural life of the community for the next century.

The church is a classic heritage building originally built in the traditional gothic revival style which was consistent with Anglican churches of the day constructed of masonry bearing walls on a rubble stone foundation. The roof structure is a vaulted timber joist roof assembly supported by distinctive specially fabricated timber hammer trusses. Interiors of the church were elegantly finished and carefully restored in the 1950’s. The basement area which was known then as Renison Hall functioned as a church hall and was used for a variety of community social activities. The church itself could accommodate congregations of over 250 parishioners.


Changing economic conditions coupled with unfortunate ideological division within the broader national Anglican community led to a steady decline in church membership beginning in the 1960s. The dwindling congregation thus found it increasingly difficult to generate funds necessary to
to maintain a building of this size properly.


Specialized work would be required to replace mechanical, heating and ventilation equipment and rehabilitate the building to allow it to accommodate new uses and meet more stringent building code requirements. Unfortunately, neither the Anglican Church of Canada nor the Township of Chapleau was prepared to step up and take responsibility and demolition seemed to be the only option. The challenge for Jason Rioux upon acquiring the building was to retain the original spirit of the building while adapting it to new purposes. The financial risk in addition to the business acumen necessary to develop a strategy for creative and innovative rehabilitation were all factors in selecting the project as an award winner.


Heritage can be a complex factor in the planning and development of communities and not always completely understood and appreciated. We are too easily prone to defaulting to demolition as an easy fix rather than face up to the more complicated task of rehabilitation. Architecture, since the earliest human settlements, has provided commodity and shelter but has at the same time been an enduring expression of cultural beliefs and values.


It is an expression of who we are. Buildings like St. John’s, in this sense, are important historical markers in this case expressing a particular set of Christian values and beliefs of the era. St. John’s along with the other Chapleau churches have co-existed beside one another reflecting a community of diverse cultural backgrounds and values. The fact that beliefs and values change over time does not automatically render something obsolete that has to be destroyed. Buildings, like all of us, can be transformed and adapt to modified values and conditions. Jason Rioux was cited nationally for his personal courage in absorbing financial risk and for mustering the imagination and innovation required to make the Hub project a reality.



Video Link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VY-pbRvLr6k&feature=youtu.be

Ian Macdonald on distinctive face of Smith and Chapple successfully adapted to the many different eras of retailing concepts in the Chapleau region.

Note: Ian Macdonald shares the story of Smith and Chapple in Chapleau. Ian is professor emeritus and retired head of the departmnent of architecture at the University of Manitoba. Thanks Ian. MJM My email is mj.morris@live.ca


By Ian Macdonald
Commercial retail activity is a significant part of the cultural heritage of a community through speaking to the way people bought and sold goods and services. Communities along the height of land, compared to other Northern Ontario communities, remained comparatively remote except for the railroad until the 1960’s.


Image: McNamara shop interior

The region became progressively less isolated when Highway 129 from Chapleau to Thessalon on Lake Huron was opened in 1949 and Highway 101 connecting the community with Timmins and Wawa was finally completed in 1967 including the Highway 651 connection from Highway 101 to Missanabie. Goods and services until then were provided almost exclusively within the community itself. Mail order outlets facilitated catalogue shopping but for the most part, businesses were independent and mostly family owned enterprises which extended in many cases over several generations. Competition was thus not only spirited but also very very personal.


General store buildings in those early days were simple and straightforward with gable or shed roofs. They were generally one and a half or two storey structures with the sales floor on the main floor. Granite bedrock in most locations lurked only a few feet below ground level forcing the main floor to be two to five feet above grade if basement space was required. Second floors were typically residential and occasionally commercial office space depending on the building location. Internal organization of the stores were mostly symmetrical with a clearly defined main entrance located on the main axis and recessed to form an entry alcove. This allowed for increased window area and larger displays.

Shop areas had high ceilings and the front façade included large plate glass display windows. Long counters were located on one or both sides of the main customer circulation area and business was mostly conducted over the counter. Timber construction was predominant for both structural and decorative purposes with little option but to use local labour skills and resourceful use of materials. The store front, however, was different and was seen to be one of the main factors in establishing a competitive edge in a highly competitive market.

Image: Beamish and Smith store

The importance of the store front in commercial retailing is best illustrated in one of the first stores built in Chapleau by James McNiece Austin in Chapleau in the 1890’s on the north east corner of Birch and Young Street. The original business had been established on a site 100 feet to the east by T.A.Austin in 1885 and sold to his brother, James McNiece Austin in 1888 who operated the business for five years before selling out in 1903 to R.A. Beamish and Stuart Smith. This new enterprise became known as Beamish and Smith and lasted four years before it was acquired in 1907 by the partnership of Stuart Smith and V.T.Chapple and became Smith and Chapple.

The original store building facing Birch Street was approximately thirty feet wide, a hundred feet deep and typical of most general stores of that era. The structure was of rudimentary wood frame construction with a flat roof slightly sloping south to north. The plan organization of the building was symmetrical around a glazed double door main entrance. It was similar to most other commercial buildings in the newcommunity with the exception of the Birch Street store front that incorporated enough architectural features to fill a history text book.


Image: architectural drawing of Smith and Chapple

The Birch Street store front was consistent with established principles associated with highly urban areas like London, England where the shop is usually part of an established urban streetscape rather than a single free standing corner building on the Canadian frontier. These architectural features included overly large wood panelled corner pilasters to establish physical separation from neighbouring buildings and supported a bold and complex cornice at roof level. Bold cornice detailing was also an established way of providing clear definition between the shop front and the upper floor. The store also had the advantage of a large blank wall surface facing Young Street that allowed for additional signage. Entrance to the store was a recessed glazed double door that provided a strongly defined entrance alcove and additional plate glass display area.

Image: Smith and Chapple original storefront

The store had changed owners three times before it became Smith and Chapple in 1907. There were no changes to the architectural features of the original store front during these changes in proprietorship. The name of the respective owners was simply repainted on the second-floor wall facing Birch Street and minor changes were made in the signage over the plate glass display windows.
Image: Smith and Chapple 1915 Expansion

V.T. Chapple who is recorded as being the most energetic and ambitious of the Smith and Chapple partners, tripled the size of the original store with a building expansion in 1915. The expansion was effectively the double replication of the original building which faithfully maintained and repeated the same distinctive features of the original.

Image: Smith and Chapple final Expansion

The store would be further expanded one more time during the depression years with the addition of a butcher shop, groceteria and basement level snack bar and shop. This renovation included removal of most of the distinctive architectural features of the original building. Decorative ornament was eliminated and the building surfaces were smoothed out to give a more “modern” appearance and a large Smith and Chapple sign would stretch over the entire length of the building facing Birch Street.

Image: Village Shops exterior image

The store remained this way until 1987 when it was acquired by the Bignucolo family who renovated the building and rebranded the business as “The Village Shops” . This renovation, responding to more open and contemporary retailing principles, Included removal of Interior walls and partitions and conversion of second floor commercial retail space to eight apartment units.

 Image 8 Village Shops interior image

This venerable old building is one of the few early commercial retail buildings that has endured the ravages of time and successfully adapted to the many different eras of retailing concepts in the region.


Ian advised that Images in this article are from the Vincent Crichton Sr. Chapleau Historical Photo Collection are published with the kind permission of Dr. Vince Crichton Jr.
Photos 7 and 8 of the Village Shops are provided by Lucy Bignucolo

Chapleau winters described as 'long, cold and exhilarating" included skating parties to Mulligan's Bay

On the pond circa 1954

In the beginning, back in the Winter of 1885-86 when Chapleau was a community made up of surplus boxcars and tents, a topic of conversation was most assuredly the weather when any of the about 400 first citizens gathered to chat.

Apparently, as I wrote in my 1984 book 'Sons of Thunder ... Apostles of Love' the winter of 1885-86, was "very strenuous for the early citizens of the fledgling community."

It must have been for they had left their old way of life to build a new one from any comforts they might have known. It was a "bitterly cold winter" and disease was rampant.

Bill Atkinson outside Brownlee Block cirac 1917

How many times did I hear, and make a comment about the "bitter cold" while living in Chapleau. No idea but I got thinking about winter back home recently as another winter approaches, and several of my Facebook friends give a weather report from where they live now. I never miss reading them, as it is so typically Canadian -  the weather is a major topic of conversation no matter where we are in the country.

Even Rev. O.W. Nickle, who was Rector of St. John's Anglican Church from 1938 to 1941 seemed to enjoy Chapleau winters. He commented regularly in the Vestry Book -- "a lovely cold and very cold winter's day", a lovely cold day" and after travelling to Sultan for a service he wrote, " a most wonderful winter's day, bright, clear and  cold".

Interestingly, his next parish was in Arizona!!!

Domiinion Day 1901

However, Chapleau people were busy as winter approached not only with their work but in gathering cordwood to keep the fires burning in their wood stoves and furnaces. As a boy growing up in Chapleau as late as the 1940s, our house was primarily heated by a wood stove, and Mr. Fortin would bring a supply each Fall. My grandmother Edith Hunt also did all the cooking and baking on the wood stove.

In his book "Pioneering in Northern Ontario" Vince Crichton noted that the first big event of the winter was the opening of the skating rink --- natural ice from 1885 to 1965. "One was never too old to skate in those days..." He mentioned Walter Leigh who was still skating at 74.

Birch Street winter 1947. George Collins collection

But Vince also noted that hockey was being played on the river (Both back and front) into the evenings. That continued into the 1950s at least.

There was also organized hockey with the earliest road trip I ever found was to Sudbury in 1891 ... Chapleau lost.

I learn something all the time and never knew until I was researching this column.

Vince wrote that in the early 1920s "under the light of a full moon boys and girls would skate arm in arm in groups to Mulligan's Bay, some difficulty being encountered crossing the weedy part of the river just east of the town as the river channel was never too safe in this section."

Skating to Mulligan's Bay! Wow.  Those folks who did it joined Dr. G.E. "Ted' Young who swam from town to his family's camp on Mulligan's Bay in Chapleau folklore.

In the 1920s there was also a toboggan slide on the hill right beside the golf course clubhouse. In the 1930s a slide was located on Slaughterhouse Hill and then back to golf course hill in 1956.

Toboggan slide Slaughterhouse Hill 1930s

Vince also notes snowshoes parties were held as part of winter recreation activities.

Back to 1886. Curling was underway on a sheet of ice on Lorne Street across from the CPR shops. By 1890 Chapleau had a brass band, soccer and lacrosse and baseball teams

I have included some random photos including downtown Chapleau in the early years as well as the Dominion Day celebration in 1903.

Last word to Vince: "The winters were long, cold and exhilarating but as a general rule very pleasant." My email is mj.morris@live.ca

'Fun to eat in the dining car' a highlight of trip on Canadian Pacific Railway passenger trains for young travellers

Back in the days when passenger trains were the major way to travel across this vast and magnificent land, a meal in the dining car, whether it was breakfast, lunch supper, or all three, was always a highlight of the trip -- at least it was for me!

I recently came across dining car menus from 'The Dominion' in 1953, and having enjoyed my own trip down memory lane, decided to share some of the results. I don't recall my first trip from Chapleau to Toronto on a Canadian Pacific Railway train but it would have been shortly after the end of World War II in 1945 with my mother Muriel (Hunt) Morris and continued for years.

Along with the porter shining my shoes which we left out at bedtime to find sparkling clean in the morning, as we arrived in Toronto (for others Montreal), a trip to the dining car was the highlight of the trip for me.

The dining car steward would come through the train advising "First call for dinner" then second and third in due course after the train departed Chapleau for the overnight trip.

Based on the ' Dining Car Service for Young Travellers Menu" in 1953, here are the messages the CPR provided. The writer was trying to be poetic.

Ian Macdonald collection

The first message to young travellers: "It's fun to eat in the dining car as you rush along by CPR, Breakfast, lunch and supper too, Inside there's something good for you."

Breakfast: " Healthy Billy Beaver, napkin pulled in tight, Sits close to the table, eats with all his might. Juicy brick pancakes give Billy a treat, but we'll have  crisp bacon and such things to eat. The juice of an orange, milk by the glassful make you glad that so early we're up."

Lunch: "First call for lunch in the diner, the waiter announces. No news could be finer. So let's walk quickly through the train, and sit at the fresh white table again. Soup, meat, potatoes, perhaps some pie, or salad and jelly, there's lots to try."

Ian Macdonald collection

Supper: "It's lots of fun on the CPR train. That's why we eat with might and main. For supper there's always something nice. Fish or steak, tapioca or rice. And the friendly waiter is so polite as he pulls back the chair and says good night."

For breakfast on the young travellers menu cereal seemed to be the mainstay, while for lunch soup and maybe a sandwich were in order while an omelet. scrambled eggs or cold sliced chicken were main suggestions for supper. Prices ranged from a 35 cent breakfast to $1.50 for the chicken dinner for supper.

Turning to the adult dinner menus there were two -- 'Table D'Hote Dinner' and 'A La Carte'

Table D'Hote: Some items included a choice of fruit cocktail, celery with olives, cream of mushroom soup or consommé with a main course of baked Pacific coast salmon with dressing ($2.60), Roast prime rib of beef ($3.00), Sliced cold chicken and ham with potato salad ($2.70), or individual pot chicken pie ($2.70). All these meals included potatoes, vegetables, dessert and tea or coffee.

Ian Macdonald collection

A la Carte: Charcoal broiled 'red brand' small sirloin steak ($3.00), charcoal broiled fresh fish with tartar sauce ($1.25), prime ribs of beef ($1.75), and all other items were extra.

I don't recall my favourite dining car meal although it may have been chicken but I do recall vividly the outstanding service there.  I would love to hear your memories of eating there while travelling back in the day.

The CPR included the following statement on its menu: "It is with pleasure that we call attention to the desire and willingness of all our employees to give their utmost in service and special attention, and they as well as ourselves would appreciate your criticism as well as your commendations."

 They most assuredly, at least in my view, gave their utmost in service and special attention,  and I forgive them for the bad poetry!!!

Thanks to Ian Macdonald for providing photos. My email is mj.morris@live.ca

Aging better and enjoying the ride as the merry-go-round slows down with each week a new adventure of Chapleau Moments

Gosh, with all the really big stories floating around the twitterverse recently, I thought that I would pontificate on at least one of them.

But to mark the eighth anniversary of Chapleau Moments I will leave them alone, and share some thoughts based on a column written by Virginia Bell for Huffington Post on "aging better", particularly as it relates to doing the column all these years.

Bell claims it gets better as you get older "You get better. Life gets better. The merry-go-round slows down and you can finally enjoy the ride..."

I really am not the one to judge if the columns have improved at all over the years, but on a very personal basis, I have really been enjoying the ride --- I have learned so much about Chapleau, its life, its times and, most wonderfully, its people since 1885 or so. And folks, in eight years, I am the first to admit I have only scratched the surface.

As far as life goes, I agree with Bell wholeheartedly as  my merry-go-round slows down and I enjoy the ride. For example, each week is a new adventure as I research a column. and so often say to myself, "I never knew that..."

But before I continue with my metaphor mashing, I need to thank some of those people without whom I would never have been able keep the column going. And I know naming names is always risky, as my memory sometimes fades, but I will mention at least a few.

Mario Lafreniere, the publisher of the Chapleau Express has been totally supportive since Day One, and I appreciate the opportunity he gave me to do the column. And I would never have been able to co-author 'The Chapleau Boys Go To War" with my cousin Michael McMullen if I had not been writing it.

I also appreciate Michael's assistance with other columns, as well as filling in for me along with Ian Macdonald earlier this year with columns while I was away in Orlando --- and both Michael and Ian have been part of it all for the entire eight years. Both are Chapleau boys who continue to have a keen interest in the community.

Mike and Ian have produced some real insights into Chapleau's history, and I hope they will continue to do so.

Harry 'Butch' Pellow my lifelong friend died on December 13, 2016, and I often go back and read some of his contributions. Despite living in Toronto most of his life, Butch never forgot his roots, and shared his memories. I miss him greatly. Butch's brother Dr Bill Pellow has also been a great help.

Butch

Doug Greig, researcher extraordinaire, is also gone now, but all of us interested in Chapleau's history, owe him a deep debt of gratitude for his work in compiling  the community's history.

My cousin Anne (Zufelt) McGoldrick, has been so helpful too. There is little she does not know about Chapleau people, and if she doesn't, she finds it very quickly. Thanks Anne.

When I first started the column, I relied heavily on the collections of my mother, Muriel (Hunt) Morris, and my aunt, Marion (Morris) Kennedy.

The Richard Brownlee Papers have also been a great source of information, and I am so thankful to Margaret Rose (Payette) and Bobby Fortin for kindly loaning them to me.

Over the past eight years, I have heard from so many people, and I thank all of you so much.

 My two trips home for the 90th anniversary reunion of Chapleau High School in 2012 and to launch "The Chapleau Boys Go To War" in 2015 were awesome experiences as I wandered about town, and chatted with so many folks. I must mention my back lane tour in 2015 with my lifelong friend Ken Schroeder --- wonderful memories from our growing up years, and Ken has a great memory.


I have spent almost all my life doing and teaching communications, media and so on starting with a play when I was in Grade 4 at Chapleau Public School.

I recall that after retiring from College of the Rockies faculty  in 2000, the phone didn't ring as much; I was no longer the centre of attention as the sage on the the stage in front of the classroom, which I had, at least in my own mind, been for more than 30 years. It was downright depressing and I recall chatting over coffee with Dr Berry Calder, the college president about it.

Berry laughed and gave  me the solution. "Come up here and and get a cup of coffee from my pot which you have been doing for years, wander the halls and chat." I did and soon I drifted away from the college, gradually making the adjustment. I hardly ever visit now.

MJM a Michael Pelzer photo

Back to Virginia Bell who offers good advice on aging better: "The projects we pursue and the life we lead need to reflect ...and be aligned with who we are now and not who we once were. If we're able to make that transition then getting older can be a rich and fulfilling experience."

Writing Chapleau Moments reflects part of me "aging better"  as my merry go round  has slowed and each week I am able to share a bit of the life, times and people of Chapleau. Yes, Virginia, getting older is a rich and fulfilling experience!.

P.S. I have provided photos of some of the Chapleau gang at a party in 2014 at the home of Butch and Brigitte Pellow in Toronto.

My email is mj.morris@live.ca

Photo Info

Butch, Dr Bill, Ian, MJM

Mike McMullen and MJM in serious chat about book

Butch

All these guys played hockey in Chapleau.Back Jim Machan, Vince Crichton, Ian Macdonald, Geoffrey Hong, Mike McMullen. Front. MJM (briefly), Frank Broomhead, Bill Hong, Butch, Jim Hong, Bill Hong, Yen Hong, Aldee Martel, Ken Schroeder

All the girls were In CHS Cadet Corps. Neil Ritchie was commanding officer. Back Donna Lane, Betty Anne O'Brien, Doreen Cormier, Anne Keays, Naomi Mizuguchi, Gemma Ouellet, Shirley Cormier, Dorothy Honda. Front Neil. Diane Dowsley, Butch, Alison McMillan, Joy Evans, Jean Hong

Early Tourism in the Chapleau Region: The 1905 Canoe Trip Of Dr. Howard A. Kelly

1 Canoe Trip Staging Area at Old CPR Winnebago Siding (1905) Dr. Howard Kelly

Note --- Thanks to Ian and Mike for their articles on some of the early history of the Chapleau region. This is the final one in the series for the moment. Much appreciated that they had them set to go while I was in Orlando -- enjoying my longest stay ever there. I am back in Cranbrook now.My email is mj.morris@live.ca  MJM

By Ian Macdonald and Mike McMullen 

We normally associate American tourism in Chapleau with the opening of Highway 129 in 1949 when vehicles with licence plates from the northern United States gradually began to appear on Chapleau streets. The fact is that the challenge of exploring the remote Northern Ontario wilderness had attracted visitors from the United States long before that time.

The year is 1905. The natural and undisturbed wilderness of the Laurentian shield remains much as it has been for the past century.  It would be another five years until Olie Evinrude’s newly invented outboard motor would violate the pristine solitude of this country and challenge the canoe as the prime mode of wilderness travel. It would be a further 10 years until the Ontario Provincial Air Service would introduce Northern Ontario to the first amphibious aircraft in 1919.

Chapleau in 1905 is just approaching the end of the first wave of building associated with construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) and will wait yet another four years until the village is introduced to electricity in 1909. Early negotiations leading to the creation of Treaty 9 (James Bay Treaty) with the Cree Nation have just begun. A land surveyor from Little Current, Ontario by the name of T.J. Patten has submitted an official land survey of a 220 acre parcel of land, which includes the site of an abandoned HBC sub post, a mile south of Chapleau, which becomes Indian Reserve (I.R.) 61 for the Michipicoten Ojibwe.

1905 was also an important year for Dr. Howard A. Kelly of Baltimore, Maryland, who along with two sons, two nephews, a professional colleague and his son, planned an 18-day journey in the Canadian wilderness travelling by canoe from the height of land near present day Sultan, south to the Mississagi River and from there to where it empties into Lake Huron at Blind River, Ontario. For the children, it must have been the trip of a lifetime.

Dr. Kelly had already acquired property at Ahmic Lake near Burk’s Falls in the early 1890s, which is where this trip originated. He joined Dr.Angell at his summer camp near Restoule, boarded the steamer which crossed Lake Nipissing to North Bay, where they caught a westbound CPR passenger train. They likely met up with their guides in Biscotasing. The Mississagi River can be reached from Biscotasing, but Dr. Kelly opted to travel further west up the CPR to a railway siding named Winnebago where the CPR crosses the Wakami River approximately 43 miles east of Chapleau (Photo 1).

Lumbering activity had not yet begun in the Wakami region in 1905 and the future village of Sultan did not yet exist. This was still classic unspoiled Laurentian Shield country and Dr. Kelly would be one of the first American visitors to attempt such a journey. At the end of their journey they would have caught a CPR train at Blind River for their return to the east.
 
It is most fortunate for us that he brought a camera with him and recorded the trip with photographs cross referenced to a meticulous detailed diary of the journey. Besides the journey, it provides us with a rare record of traditional Ojibwe culture in the Chapleau region that was rapidly disappearing.

According to Dr. Kelly’s great grandson, Steve Davis, “As far as I can tell, there were twelve people for 18 days on the trip. These were: Dr. Howard A. Kelly, age 47 and two of his sons, Henry (age 12) and Fritz (age 10) and his two nephews (children of his sister Dora) Bob Lewis (age 19), Shippen Lewis (age 18), and a Dr. Angell, and Montg, who is Dr. Angell's son, Montgomery (age 16) and guides, Phillipe, Octave, Tom, Ian, and Jim who may have been a ranger who was only with them a few days. The guide, Tom appears to have been the guide-in-charge. There seems to have been 5 canoes, one a Peterborough, one an Old Town, the rest unknown.”

The Wakami River is approximately 1440 feet above sea level where it flows under the CPR tracks at the old Winnebago siding. This canoe journey of probably over 150 miles will descend 840 feet through a network of rivers, lakes, rapids, waterfalls and numerous portages through the Mississagi River system to Blind River on Lake Huron. The canoe route taken by Dr. Kelly’s party in September 1905 began at Winnebago Siding, up the Wakami River to Wakami Lake, portaging over the height of land from Wakami Lake into Kebskwasheshi Lake and down the Kebskwasheshi River into the Wenebegon River. The Wenebegon River eventually joins the Mississagi River near Aubrey Falls (Photo 2).

2 Aubrey Falls, Mississagi River (1905) Dr. Howard Kelly

A similar trip today would take 13 or 14 days, cover about 155 miles with 18 portages. The reservoirs created by the large hydroelectric dams at Aubrey Falls and Wharncliffe have significantly impacted the original topography of the Wenebegon and Mississagi Rivers existing at the time of the 1905 canoe trip and submerged many of the distinctive geographic features documented by Dr. Kelly.

During this trip, Dr. Kelly encounters a number of Ojibwe families and settlements, which he photographs and describes in his extraordinary journal. (Photo 3). His documentation of the journey reflects a genuine interest and sensitivity to native culture, is specific and at the same time poetic. His writing reflects professional attention to detail and his respect for Ojibwe property is evident as the group explores abdandoned Ojibwe encampments. The following two entries from his diary describe general observations of Ojibwe settlements and of items at a site where recent canoe making has evidently taken place. (Photo 4)

Ojibwe Settlements

“Camped Wednesday night in an Indian camp on the left of the entrance of the river from Round Lake. These Indian camps show many interesting details of Indian lives. The character of their dwellings, large tepees, double lean-tos, cooking arrangements are 3 poles with hooks of alder. Dog house, arrangements for smoking hides, arrangements for smoking meat, arrangements for fleshing hides, for tacking out bearskins.”

3 Henry and Fritz Kelly with Ojibwe Family near Wenebegon River (1905) Dr. Howard Kelly

Canoe Making and Other Items

“ Carpentering 
making canoes 
numerous frames
slats for sides
cross pieces 
birch bank in rolls covered well  
stakes of cedar for holding the canoe in place 
shavings from the draw knife all over the place, bushels and bushels of them
papoose holder 
float sticks for nets  
stones on shore tied with spruce roots for sinking nets 
numerous bundles of long strips of spruce roots tied up 
numerous birch bark receptacles of all sizes  holding from a bushel to a quart made of one piece tied with root
Cedar brush (flat) for a flat surface
Cedar brush round form for scrubbing”

4 Ojibwe Canoe Framing (1905) Dr. Howard Kelly

Dr. Kelly has provided an extensive detailed record of his journey down the Mississagi and we have been able to provide only a brief synopsis of his journey in this article.  We plan to do detailed research into much of the material covered in his diary for future publication.   We are fortunate that Dr. Kelly has provided descriptions and rare insight of what can be best characterized as the cultural landscape of the Mississagi River system that remains a significant part of the cultural heritage of the Chapleau region.

Dr. Howard A. Kelly
Dr. Howard A. Kelly was an internationally renowned surgeon and medical pioneer, medical educator and author. He is the founder of Kensington Hospital in Philadelphia and one of the “Big Four” founding professors at the world famous Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland.
All photographs in this article are the property of the Kelly family.  Dr. Kelly’s original journal has been donated to and is in the hands of the Chesney Medical Archives of Hopkins.

We are especially grateful to Dr. Kelly’s great grandson, Mr. Dave Davis, who initiated contact with us and generously made this rare material available for our use. We are equally grateful to Mr. Woollcott Kelly, grandson and family historian of Dr. Kelly, who gave us permission to publish this material.

We also acknowledge the assistance of Professor Niigaanwewidam James Sinclair, Head of the Department of Native Studies, University of Manitoba and Professor Jacqueline Romanow, Department  Chair, Department of Indigenous Studies, University of Winnipeg for their expert comment and advice.

Michipicoten Ojibwe: A Permanent Home at Chapleau

Ojibwe families at HBC Sub Post (1884) CP Archives and Ian Macdonald 

Based on ongoing research, Mike McMullen and Ian Macdonald have prepared  a series of three articles relating to early Chapleau history. Here is the first: 'Michipicoten Ojibwe: A Permanent Home at Chapleau'. I extend my sincere thanks to Mike and Ian for having these articles ready for while I am in Orlando on one of my periodic visits. My email is mj.morris@live.ca

By Mike McMullen and Ian Macdonald
In a letter dated September 1, 1903, William L. Nichols, Indian Agent located in Sault Ste. Marie, wrote to the Department of Indian Affairs in Ottawa outlining a request on behalf of 16 adult male members of the Ojibwe group living at or near the village of Chapleau. They desired that a small portion of land be acquired for them in this area as this was where they obtained most of their livelihood.  The sixteen, representing a total of 52 family members, wanted to establish permanent homes for their families and cultivate small plots of land. Furthermore, they were prepared to pay for this land out of their Robinson-Superior Treaty annuities.  

The names of the 16 Ojibwe who made this request for land, with the total family units in brackets, were:

Chessewahninie, Simon Sr. (1+1=2)
Quemzause   (1+3=4)
Manawassin, John  (1+1=2)
Penewajisik   (1+2=3)
Kebekmaise, Peter  (1+5=6)
Manawassin   (1+1=2)
Chessewahninie, Simon Jr. (1+2=3)
Ashtijizik   (1+2=3)
Caudissa, Jacob   (1+2=3)
Maymayguess, Moses  (1+2=3)
Johnston, John   (1+4=5)
Maymayguess, Joseph  (1+2=3)
Caudissa, Joseph  (1+1=2)
Maymayguess, Ignatious (1+3=4)
Manawassin, Peter  (1+2=3)
Okeemahbinasie or Grosse Jambetta  (1+3=4)

The 52 persons represented on this list were on the Michipicoten pay list of the Robinson-Superior Treaty. The annuity at this time was $4.00 per person per year.

These Ojibwe were part of the Michipicoten Ojibwe Band (also referred to as Robinson Treaty Indians) located near Michipicoten Harbour on eastern Lake Superior, but were a separate inland group or branch of the band.  They tended to camp in the interior near Chapleau, where they hunted, fished and trapped on both sides of the nearby height of land. They would travel back to the Michipicoten River area to trade furs at the Hudson’s Bay Company (HBC) Michipicoten post.  Another inland branch of the Michipicoten Ojibwe Band was located near the village of Missanabie (Missinaibi). 

In the fall of 1884, a Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) survey crew came to a site on the east side of the Nebskwashi River where a three-building HBC sub post was being built. The southeast boundary marker of the town site for the future village of Chapleau would be located nearby.  One of the photographs taken that day shows a group of indigenous people with their teepees (Photo 1). We believe that they were members of the Michipicoten Ojibwe inland group that some 19 years later would make representations in September 1903 with Indian Agent Nichols for a parcel of land at Chapleau.  

With the completion of this HBC Chapleau sub post in late 1884, we believe that the Michipicoten Ojibwe group began to stay in the Chapleau area for most of the year. Carrying out their traditional activities, they were able to trade their furs with HBC at Chapleau without having to go specifically to Michipicoten.  There were increasing opportunities for work in the local regional Chapleau economy. These included working in the bush doing such activities as guiding, tree cutting and survey line cutting. At Chapleau, there would have been general labourer activities associated with the CPR and the growing village.   Also, by early 1887, there were merchants now located in Chapleau providing competition to HBC for their furs. Perhaps, these Michipicoten Ojibwe realized that their future now depended upon living in the Chapleau area and this required a permanent settlement on land of their own.

The Nichols letter of September 1903 clearly received a favourable response as correspondence showed that the decision to begin the process for granting this Ojibwe request was made within a month of receiving it. Then in October, Indian Affairs informed the Ontario Department of Crown Lands of its intention to purchase land at Chapleau on behalf of the Michipicoten Ojibwe group.  Ontario Crown Lands was agreeable subject to an evaluation of any lands in question and a survey.
Perhaps, as a requirement of the process, Nichols, in July 1904, prepared a more formal petition addressed to the Dominion of Canada on behalf of the Michipicoten Ojibwe group.  A hand-written document, dated July 20, 1904, with 16 names and witnessed signatures (they signed with Xs), outlined their reasons for wanting land at Chapleau. The group identified themselves as members of the Michipicoten Band, and had just met in Council at Chapleau under local chief Chessewahninie (Simon Sr.) for the purposes of this petition. They requested that land be “set apart for own use and the use of our families while we are absent on voyaging trips or in other work so that we could build small buildings which we could use from year to year.”  They wanted it situated near Chapleau so “our children and wives could attend school & church.” In follow-up correspondence, Nichols indicated that the group was currently camping on CPR lands and was concerned about being ordered off at any time. It is evident that Nichols was sympathetic to their situation and wanted a land transaction completed for them as soon as possible.

Shortly after submitting the petition, Nichols suggested land on the east side of the Nebskwashi River, southeast of Chapleau, which he estimated at about 160 acres. He wrote that on this property “the Hudson Bay had a temporary post, but it has all gone to decay” (the sub post constructed in late 1884). Indian Affairs accepted his selection of land for the Michipicoten Ojibwe group.  A review and evaluation  by Ontario Crown Lands in October determined that this land was not subject to any prior claims, was of little value and the timber was only of use for firewood.  Shortly thereafter, arrangements were then made for a survey of the property, which was completed in November 1904 with the official survey submitted in early 1905. The size of the surveyed property was 220 acres.
The land transaction was completed in 1905. In May, Indian Affairs purchased the 220 acre property ($1.00/acre) from Ontario Crown Lands in trust for the Michipicoten Ojibwe group at Chapleau. An Ontario Order-In-Council, dated October 18, 1905, confirmed the transaction.  The property was transferred to the Michipicoten Ojibwe Band and designated as Indian Reserve (I.R.) 61.

The purchase of this reserve by the band was paid out of its general funds and reimbursed over time by the Michipicoten Ojibwe group at Chapleau out of their Robinson Treaty annuities
This Michipicoten Ojibwe group now had their land and the opportunity to build their own settlement close to the village of Chapleau.  We believe that they would have quickly made efforts to salvage and restore the three HBC buildings on their property before constructing additional structures to house their members. They apparently made noticeable progress in a short period of time. The Treaty 9 Commissioners, who were in Chapleau in July 1906, wrote at that time that the land purchased by the Robinson Treaty Indians (I.R. 61) “has already been substantially improved.”  Over time this settlement became commonly known in the area as the Memegos (Maymayguess) site. 

In 1906, a picture was taken of Chief Chessequinn (Chessewahninie) being painted by portrait artist Edmund Morris.  Morris was accompanying the Treaty Commissioners negotiating Treaty 9. The location would have been at the Memegos site with the Nebskwashi River in the near background and the CPR line in the far background along the far shore.

The Painting of Chief Cheesequin (1906) Library and Archives Canada 

A 1924 photograph of the site, taken from across the River on the CPR line, shows about 7-8 buildings and maybe there were more. At some point in time, there were two small churches at this site: one Anglican and one Roman Catholic.

Memegos Site on I.R. 61 on east bank of Nebskwashi River (1924) Vince Crichton  collection

However, by late 1965, only 14 Ojibwe lived on the site with 13 of them being Memegos family members. About 1970, the site was abandoned as a new settlement south of Chapleau, off Highway 129 on I.R. 74A, was established.

On the Memegos Site on east bank of Nebskwashi River (2014) Mike McMullen

We visited the Memegos site in May 2013 and partial remains of three buildings were the only reminder of the first permanent site of the Michipicoten Ojibwe at Chapleau.

Harry Alexander 'Butch' Pellow lasting memories of the most special of Chapleau friends

Butch and Brigitte 2014

Several years ago I wrote a story about "finding a good stick", and even spoke about it at the 90th anniversary reunion of Chapleau High School in 2012.

I hadn't thought about it much recently, until I received huge box from my lifelong friend Harry 'Butch' Pellow early in 2016. Upon opening it. Butch had sent me a walking stick.

It was the enclosed letter that made me fully realize the metaphor of the "good stick". Harry wrote that it was sent with best wishes "as you carry it."

He added: "As our frailties become more evident, we need to be mindful of every step going forward -- be reminded of your friend many years ago who explained "good stick theory."

My friend of many years ago when I still lived in Chapleau and would go for a walk to the Memegos Property was a man I met along the way who told me "I hope you find your good stick."

All these years later, I realized that I had, in great measure my "good stick" in my friend Butch from the time we were about five years playing at the Big Rock in the Louis Dube Peace Park. 

MJM with 'good stick'

 In the past few years I was able to visit with him in 2012 at the 90th anniversary of Chapleau High School, then in Toronto in 2014 at a fantastic party in Toronto by Butch and his wife Brigitte. It was attended by over 60 Chapleau friends, some of whom I had not seen in more than a long time.

Tout le gang at Butch and Brigitte's 2014 party

In 2015, Butch and Brigitte travelled to Chapleau for the launch of "The Chapleau Boys Go To War" which my cousin Michael McMullen and I wrote.

Alison,Joyand Henry Heft, Butch, Mike, Brigitte 2015

Harry Alexander 'Butch' Pellow died on December 13, 2016. Although he he lived most of his adult life in Toronto, he remained close to his roots, always a Chapleau boy from a family who arrived shortly after the Canadian Pacific Railway did in 1885.

He became one of Canada's most distinguished architects, and Chapleau is included among his projects. He was the architect for the Chapleau General Hospital, Chapleau Civic Centre, Chapleau Recreation Centre, Cedar Grove Lodge and the golf club house. He also made the plans for Trinity United Church.

In paying tribute to Butch I decided to share some excerpts from articles he has written in recent years about Chapleau.

CHS play 1956-57 names below

First: "Chapleau was born of the railway" by Butch

 "Our grandfathers and their children, then their children, their children’s children and now even another generation are still closely aligned with Chapleau and the railroad and it is so disappointing to read of the demise of industry, connectivity which the railway provided, personal attachment to life in the north and Chapleau in particular; and a loss of identity and personality that the community was once known for.  It is time for Chapleau as a community to refocus before it is too late.

"Chapleau was born of the Railway and nurtured by its pioneers in search of opportunity, unafraid of the unknown and adventuresome in the extreme. There is an enormous story still  to be told.

"In these early days men and families were focused on a new beginning. They were building their own homes, creating new industries and businesses as exemplified for example by the entrepreneurial drive of Edgar Pellow. Hotels for labourers, employees and travellers were constructed and schools were built and churches were constructed for several denominations.

CHS Girls Platoon 1950s with Neil Ritchie, CO and Butch 2014

"The railway was the catalyst and it all started with the construction of the rail yard, the station building and maintenance and servicing facilities. Circa 1886, the essentials had only begun with broadly spaced trackage, an original station and a water tower.

"By 1910 things were in full swing and by 1911 there was a formal station building in the CPR style. Chapleau was a divisional point, housed train crews, provided housekeeping and maintenance for trains, marshalled trains and was a stopping point for passengers moving back and forth across the country."

At The Boston names below

"Playing road and pond hockey" by Butch

"I only recall the famous strip between Birch and Cedar but I did play on the pond on the back river once or twice. Both times I froze my toes and fingers and decided that it was too cold for me.

"But on Aberdeen Street it was warmer and much closer to home to play road hockey. Frequently, snow piles were pretty high; often stained with dog urine and rarely without many deep holes in them where the pucks had been lost and had been recovered either by probing sticks or urgent kicks from various team players.

"Players were randomly gathered either by purposeful visits to the destination or picked up on the way by. The skill level was indeterminate but the enthusiasm was always at a critical pitch.

 CHS and other team players from 1950s and beyond in 2014

"Frequently the more proficient and sometimes the more senior amongst us effected a team selection process which created lop-sided weighting of skill and ability resulting in long periods when goals were only scored from one direction. By the way, I was not one of the more senior amongst us if you know what I mean.

 "But there was another venue too and it was on the front river just west of the concrete swimming pier where so many gathered this past July (in 2012)  during the Chapleau High School 90th Anniversary Reunion to celebrate the homecoming and watch the fireworks. 

Butch and Harry 'Boo' Hong

"Like the pond, it arrived when the ice did but it was far more accessible, and collecting a group required far less planning and organization to pull together enough players for shinny. It was often after school and on weekends and as you recall surfaced one Christmas holiday and maybe George 'Ice' Sanders was unable to make a rink on the ‘clinker’ surface of the public school grounds. 

Butch, Joy Evans Heft, Sharon Swanson CHS reunion 2012

"Pickup included anyone who could get enough equipment together to make it worthwhile and at the same time wear warm clothes. Warm clothes because the west wind, however mildly blowing, was cold on that open river front and by the end of a school day

or an early winter weekend evening the sky was grey, sunless and foreboding; and, had it not been for wild enthusiasm why would anyone choose the river over The Boston 

 Cafe

Jean, Butch, Yen

"The wonderful thing about river hockey in Chapleau that I think we all need to think about a lot as we get into the season of joy and remembrances is that it had no religious, racial, language or nationalistic perimeters; there were no upper town or lower town distinctions and I don’t recall there being good players or bad players; albeit there were little ones and big ones too. 

CHS hockey team 1956-57 names below

We were all players and it was a game, a spontaneous moment, a gleeful opportunity to engage in role playing and in doing what northern boys and girls and their parents had done for decades before us. It was about entertaining ourselves, laughter, being out of doors, pushing the limits and building relationships."

"The Big Rock was just that" by Butch

Butch and MJM ready  to play at Big Rock circa 1947

"Emerging from the coarse grass and somewhere from the centre of the universe this seemingly giant granite boulder sat waiting for us to creep up on it as the sun rose on any weekend on a spring, summer or fall morning.  Beside it, the ground was exposed by the regular weekend scraping of heels, the rock’s movement due to frost heave in the winter and erosion along the edge of the hillock. 

"In the early mornings as the sun rose low from the east with dew on the grass it had a crystalline appearance that quickly faded as the shadows shortened, and by evening it was dark and foreboding.  We hid from passersby and calls to dinner from whatever origin in the east of downtown and from the river to lower town.  

"It was our place, and we shared it only infrequently with new friends or others who we would invite in because we needed reinforcements for the cavalry or our posse.

There were the usuals including Morris, Evans, Schroeder, Bolduc, Stein, Hong, Fink, Pellow, Cachagee and other guys too; and even on occasion a few girls who for now will remain nameless, but they would saunter in to see what going on and wanting to be part of the intrigue and never at the early hour we were there.

"It was our time, and it remains a mystery to me today that I would even be able to have this incredibly vivid visual and olfactory recollection of the cool, fresh morning air being carried on the breeze over the windy, weedy, Nebskwashi River with its sparkling water creating a glare over the rock that was blinding.   

"There were other rocks too, other players, and other intrigue, but it was always the cowboys and the other guys; the good guys and the bad guys; and until I saw “Shane” I don’t recall anything meaningful but the out of doors in the movies of the day, and never really seeing the kitchen or parlour of a good guy’s family home.  For sure they lived somewhere besides behind a big rock, but in those days at the big rock we really didn’t care."

Butch, Ian, Jim Evans, Brigitte 2014

Ian Macdonald, retired head of the department of architecture and professor emeritus at the University of Manitoba: "I knew Harry since 1947 when my family moved to Chapleau. We went through Public and High School together, shared an apartment in academic session 1962-63 when we were both attending Ryerson University, were classmates for a year at the University of Manitoba and interned as professional architects at the same office in Toronto.

"Despite taking different paths upon gaining professional registration, we stayed constantly in touch in subsequent years. The professional work that he provided oversight for is well documented, impressive and will remain his permanent professional legacy. Harry’s engaging personality and boundless energy was also his professional style and the style of his distinctive architectural practice.

"It should also be a matter of record that Harry, in his professional activity, always publicly acknowledged the consultants and team members that contributed to the success of his large project work.  

"My enduring memory of Harry, however, will remain his basic decency as a human being.  He was continually generous with his time and always made himself available for a host of reasons. He was supportive of me professionally on many occasions whenever needed . From my position as an architectural educator, I was particularly, sensitive to the importance he assigned to quality mentoring and the opportunities he provided in his office for the personal growth and development of a generation of young architects. While some might argue that this may not have been a cost effective use of employee time, he accepted that this was an important and fundamental part of his professional responsibility . Harry was and will always remain the most special of friends."

Thanks Butch. May you rest in peace.

Butch, his brother Dr Bill, Ian, MJM at book launch 201

Note: I extend my most sincere thanks to Michael and Alison (McMillan) McMullen, Ian Macdonald, and all those who assisted me with this column. My email is mj.morris@live.ca

Names for photos

Dolly' Doughnuts CHS play 1956-57 From left back Phyllis Chrusoskie, Butch, Margaret Rose Fortin, David McMillan, Lorraine Leclair: Front Mary Serre, Dr Karl Hackstetter (director), Donna Viet, Jim Evans, Michael Leigh

At the Boston Café from left Georgette Cormier, Rita O'Hearn, Shirley Cormier, Butch, Donna Lane, Joy Evans, Harry 'Boo' Hong, Sparky the restaurant dog

The CHS team of 1956 . Back row from left: David McMillan, Doug Sleivert, Stan Barty,Thane Crozier, Clarence Fiaschetti (teacher and coach), George Lemon (principal) Second row: Doug Espaniel, Roger Mizuguchi, Bill Cachagee . Front are Jim Hong, Bert Lemon, Harry Pellow, Ken Schroeder, Robbie Pellow (Mascot) Marc Boulard, Harry Hong, Jim Machan, Ron Morris.