Chapleau's second reeve Thomas Godfrey 'pioneer builder of the north' dies as Highway 129 opened in 1949

Although best known for his role in the construction of the Chapleau end of Highway 129, and his untimely death from a heart attack just as it was completed in January 1949, Thomas J. Godfrey served as the second reeve and was otherwise greatly involved in community life in its early years.

Writing in Chapleau Trails, edited and published by the late Dr. W.R. "Bill" Pellow, Betty (Good) Godfrey, the wife of Thomas Godfrey Jr, his son,  wrote the following about her father-in-law and the completion of Highway 129.

"Tom Sr. lived to see his beloved Chapleau highway completed in 1949 and he was a member of the party that drove the first automobile across those last one hundred yards to join Chapleau to the outside world by uniting two primitive bush roads. It was winter. 

"The snow was heavy and deep. It was a bitter cold day. The drive had been long and arduous, excitement was high, anticipation of this moment was trying on the healthiest and bravest, however it proved too much for Tom Godfrey and on that day when he was experiencing fulfillment, ultimate pleasure and satisfaction, he had a heart attack and died."

The Chapleau Post reported that Mr. Godfrey had commented that it was the "happiest moment of my life" just before he died.

Mr. Godfrey had succeeded G.B. Nicholson who had served as reeve from 1901 when Chapleau was incorporated until he chose to retire. Mr. Godfrey was reeve from 1914 to 1916.

Born in Godfrey, Ontario, he arrived in Chapleau in 1898 to work for the Canadian Pacific Railway. 

Like so many of Chapleau's early pioneers he quickly became involved in community life playing hockey, baseball, curling, golf as well as becoming a member of the Chapleau Town Band. He became a big asset as he was already a violin player but switched to cornet and euphonium.

In 1916, Mr. Godfrey played baseball on the 'Young Elephants' coached by Father Romeo Gascon of Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church. My grandfather Harry Morris also played on it.

In fact, when I was a a child walking past his house at the intersection of Birch and Lansdowne streets where the Louis Hemon Cultural Centre is now, I still recall him practising on his front porch.

Earle Sootheran, Mr Godfrey, Oliver Korpela

Mr. Godfrey became Indian Agent in 1916, a position he held for many years, but he also became an entreprenur owning a pool room established circa 1910, and for a time the "old old rink" on Lorne Street.

But his first love was to complete the "big gap in the middle" which would result in Highway 129 with Thessalon. Until it was opened, Chapleau was really only accessible by the Canadian Pacific Railway. The highway was also under construction from the Thessalon end.

The newspaper referred to him as " a pioneer builder of the north" well known as Indian Agent and road superintendent from 1923 into the 1930s and the Great Depression.

On that January day in 1949 when he died, the Chapleau Post reoprted that the Chapleau contingent was "battling snowdrifts and biting winds over a rugged trail where no cars had ever passed he had driven completely over the Chapleau end of the road."

As Mr. Godfrey celebrated the "happiest moment" of his life, he had a heart attack and died on Highway 129. He was 74. My email is mj.morris@live.ca

Stanley Deluce inducted into Canadian Aviation Hall of fame put 'incredible entrepreneurial stamp on aviation'

Stanley Deluce, born and raised in Chapleau,was "a genuine aviation pioneer", according to Michael Posner of The Globe and Mail, in an article written about him after his death on January 27, 2010.

Predeceased by Angela, his wife of 59 years, and his parents John and Elizabeth Deluce, in World War II, he joined the Royal Canadian Air Force becoming a Flight Officer in Squadron  126. 

At the end of the war he returned to his employment as a locomotive engineer at Chapleau with the Canadian Pacific Railway. He retired in 1976. Mr. Deluce was born in Chapleau on July 20, 1923.

In 1947, he married he married Angela Spadoni, and by 1949, he had bought a Flight Canuck aircraft to combine "his love of flying with his love of hunting and fishing", according to article about him.

Soon therafter White River Air Service was established, and over the years it led to Mr. Deluce putting an "incredible entrepreneurial stamp" on aviation, Mr. Posner wrote.

In 1970, as the Chapleau Aiport was under construction, Mr. Deluce with passenger Yvon Martel made the first official landing there. Gene Bernier, the chair of the airport commission, after whom the airport is now named, greeted them on arrival.

After Mr. Deluce was inducted into the Canadian Aviation Hall of Fame, his profile stated in part : "His development of a small commuter airline in Northern Ontario, which led to one of the largest regional airlines in Canada ... has been of great benefit to aviation in Canada".

As well as being inducted into the aviation hall of fame, he was member of the Civil Aviation Tribunal, a director of the Air Transport Association and was selected as an outstanding aviation pioneer of 1993 by the Rusty Blakey Heritage Aviation Group. He was also an honourary Life Member of ATAC.

His obituary in the Toronto Star, notes that "Stan oversaw the growth of White River Air Services with its acquisition of Sault Airways, Kapuskasing Air Service, Austin Airways, Superior Airways, Air Manitoba, Air Ontario and the startup of both NorOntair and Air Creebec. At one point in the mid 1970's after further relocating to Timmins, Stan's companies were doing charter and scheduled operations all over North America and were supplying planes, pilots and services to places as far away as Denmark, France (Reunion Island), Tunisia and Nepal."

Mr. Posner wrote that "There was never, Mr. Deluce once explained to an interviewer, any grand, master plan. 'It seemed to just come naturally. When you see opportunities you take them, but I never really had ambitions past doing things in Northern Ontario. I guess we grew because of the boys [among nine children, seven were sons, all of whom acquired commercial pilot licenses]coming into the business. Other than that, I probably never would have bothered, because after a certain point you're just adding headaches.'"

Mr. Posner noted that "As the large family and many friends gathered to pay final respects a Harvard AT-6 made a slow tributary pass over the cemetery in a fitting salute. Mr. Deluce trained on precisely such an aircraft" after joining the RCAF. A friend had arranged for the flight.

Mr. Posner also wrote that as the funeral cortage was making its way to the cemetery from the church, it was forced to stop at a railway crossing as a Canadian Pacific Railway train passed through it. All so very fitting!  My email is mj.morris@live.ca

Airplanes to the rescue as gold rush fever at Swayze affects Chapleau in 1930s

As gold rush fever hit the Swayze area in the early 1930s, Chapleau became "quite famous", according to a handwritten report included in the Richard Brownlee Papers.

Although the writer of a section called "Chapleau" has great insights into the early years of the community, it does not look like Mr. Brownlee's handwriting.

The article says that prospectors and mining companies "rushed from the United States and all parts of Canada" to Chapleau in the early 1930s during the early years of the Great Depression.

However, there was a major problem.

How were they to get into Swayze? There was no railway or highway leading into the settlement. The only means of entrance to the settlement had been by canoe from Ridout which was a 30-minute train ride on the Canadian Pacific Railway east of Chapleau.

Travelling by canoe was found to be "crude" according to the writer.

Canoe travel presented obstacles as a means of trasnportation. It proved to be an "impossible method" to bring the necessary machinery to work the mines as the Ridout River was apparently too shallow in places for a canoe to pass.

Everything had to be carried over portages one of which was a mile long.

The Solution?

Airplanes arrived on the scene operating from bases in Chapleau on the Kebsquasheshing River. Three companies had bases at Chapleau -- Eclipse, General and Canadian. The writer says they were "fine planes" with "best pilots".

As an aside, let me share an anecdote involving my father Jim Morris, who would have been a student at Chapleau High School in those years as the airplanes arrived and started flying from Chapleau..

My father

He told my grandparents Lil (Mulligan) and Harry Morris that he was at the waterfront helping the pilots load and unload planes as well as going for plane rides. Partly true but he was also learning to fly planes. My grandfather told me he thought my grandmother did not know he was taking flying lessons, but she did. Mothers always know!

My father got his first private pilot's license at the Fort William Flying Club in 1937. As most readers know he was killed on active service in World War II while serving in the Royal Canadian Air Force in 1943.

Edgar Pellow, who had arrived in Chapleau in 1900, a successful entrepreneur and merchant, was running for reeve of Chapleau, in 1936,and promised to build a road to Swayze. Mr. Pellow was elected and apparently got some money for the project from the government. 

Edgar Pellow

D.O. Payette and Arthur Grout, who had taken over Smith and Chapple Ltd.in 1930, (now Chapleau Village Shops) were also actively involved in flying supplies to Swayze.

However, by 1937, interest in the Swayze project was waning, and Chapleau did not become a mining centre but the efforts of some did help the local economy during the Great Depression.

Once again my thanks to Margaret Rose (Payette) and Bobby Fortin for kindly loaning me the Richard Brownlee Papers. My email is mj.morris@live.ca

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