Electric washers, canoes, snowshoes, radios, coal, lumber, 'Everything for Everybody' at Smith and Chapple

Arthur Grout, one of Chapleau's best known citizens, had only one employer in his lifetime which was Smith and Chapple Ltd.

In an article contained in the Richard Brownlee papers, loaned to me by Margaret Rose (Payette) and Bobby Fortin, Mr. Grout writes that D.T. Chapple asked his parents if he would like to learn the hardware business. His parents said "Yes"; he said "No" but he soon realized it was time for him to get a job. 

On March 30, 1916, Mr. Grout started work at Smith and Chapple Ltd. "The miracle of it is that this is the only job I ever had. I say miracle because when I think of the way I did things in those early days it's a miracle that I wasn't fired immediately ..."

Sharing some of the history of the retail business in Chapleau, Mr. Grout noted that the store was the first to sell "electric washers" in Chapleau and "I really think I have done a washing in half the homes in Chapleau demonstrating how the old wooden tub washers worked."  

Reeve Bubs Zufelt, Art Grout as Rotary chefs

After World War I ended in 1918, trappers and First Nations people were "plentifully supplied with money from the fur sales and it was nothing for a trapper to make from three to five thousand dollars from his winter's work and they way they bought canoes, tents, snowshoes, traps, etc., was a salesman's dream."

He wrote that radio "started as a novelty item about 1923 and it grew into something big". 

On the side he had been "playing around with these contraptions" with Charles W. Collins  "but the work grew so much that I had to consider going after it seriously or dropping it." (I assume they were working on making radios)

Charles W Collins

However,  they decided to sell radios in the store and eventually carried most major brands.

As an aside, Mr. Collins became Chapleau's other major retailer, purchasing the Alex Langis share of Langis and Wolfe, and changing the name to Wolfe and Collins in 1928. According to Vince Crichton in 'Pioneering in Northern Ontario', it became Collins and Matters in 1934, and by 1940, had become Charles W. Collins Stores Ltd.

Despite being business competitors Mr. Grout and Mr. Collins served together to assist the community such as the board of Lady Minto Hospital and St. John's Anglican Church. They both were very active community supporters.

Mr. Grout also noted that working hours had improved by the 1930s. When he first started they came to work at seven a.m. and worked every other night until eight p.m. with eleven p.m. being closing time On Saturday. By the 1930s store hours were eight a.m. to 6:15 p.m.  and 11:30 p.m. on Saturdays. However, in the summer the store closed at noon on Wednesdays.

In 1930, Mr. Grout and D.O. Payette took over the store with Mr. Payette as president, and Mr. Grout as vice president. 

The Great Depression started and it was not the best time to be taking over a business.

Mr. Grout outlined their situation. The general offices of the Canadian Pacific Railway were moved which was their "first blow" Then business steadily got worse as operators, section men and the B and B workers were reduced. Lumber offices moved and highway work was stopped and "it seemed like Job and his troubles had nothing on us."

But they survived. "They say that necessity is the mother of invention and it must be so for during those depressing days we cast about to try and find some means to help bolster up the business."

Coal was added and became a major product sold by the store. They became involved in the tourist business and took up contracting, doing home renovations, and as a result adding  lumber and other products. They also started selling gasoline.

Eventually, the Smith and Chapple logo became "Everything for Everybody" and as I read Mr. Grout's article, It struck me that as boy growing up in Chapleau, it sure seemed they had "everything". In fact I worked in the men's wear, furniture, grocery and service station part-time while attending high school and university.

Mr. Grout added that he and Mr. Payette had tried to maintain the firm's hard won reputation of "fair dealing, good quality and good service." In 1987, Smith and Chapple Ltd. became Chapleau Village Shops. My email is mj.morris@live.ca

Ian Macdonald argues 'thinking outside box' required to save remaining Chapleau heritage buildings

Chapleau CPR Depot 1900 CP Corporate Archives

Here is part two of Ian Macdonald's thoughts on Chapleau's heritage buildings. I appreciate so much the time and hours of research Ian did to write these two articles. In the beginning, I thought I might just ask him a few questions. Ian has a sincere interest in the community , like so many of us who are Chapleau "boys and girls" but no longer live there. Ian is retired head of the department of architecture at the University of Manitoba and Professor Emeritus.  Thanks Ian.... MJM

By Ian Macdonald
Buildings are an important part of Chapleau’s cultural heritage including the original CPR depot opened in 1886 that was described in a previous article and presently located on Monk Street. In most instances, historically important buildings like this can be given a second or third life through adaptive-use or adaptive re-use. Adaptive re-use is an approach where the original major elements ( window types, door types, finishes etc.) of the original building are maintained but modifications are made to accommodate a completely different occupancy than the original.

Below is Stirling Rotary Club facility. Stirling Rotary Club

One example of imaginative adaptive re-use is the Rotary Club facility in Stirling Ontario ( population 2139 ). This building was originally one of the first T-1 type railway depots in Canada very similar to the first CPR depot built in Chapleau. A new foundation was built for the old Stirling Grand Trunk depot on a more central site in the community and the building was literally picked up and relocated there. A barrier free ramp was constructed to meet present day building code requirements .

The restored Stirling facility includes a tourist information centre and an antiques and collectibles shop. Downstairs is the Rotary Hall, where the Stirling Rotary Club meets every week. The hall is rented out for parties, business events and meetings. This was part of the business plan that was developed to make the facility economically sustainable.

Below is Dubreuiville restoration construction R.I.Macdonald collection

Another example of adaptive re-use closer to home was carried out by an ambitious group in the small town of Dubreuiville, Ontario ( population 635 ). 

Below is Franz station 1940

The former CPR/ ACR depot at Franz was acquired and moved approximately twelve miles from Franz to Dubreuiville where it was placed on a new foundation, restored and is now a fully functional tourist information/ souvenir shop.

Below is completed Dubreuville project

The Hudson’s Bay Company played an important role in the early days of Chapleau. The Chapleau post was, for a brief time, the headquarters of the Michipicoten district of the HBC. However, the first building constructed by the HBC was in 1884 as CPR construction was approaching what is now Chapleau. It was a small log sub-post (post with two outbuildings) on the Nebskwashi River approximately a mile south of the community on what is now IR 61 of the Chapleau Ojibwe First Nation.

 HBC Chapleau store HBC Archives

The next buildings, which were built in 1886, were a retail store on the southwest corner of Birch and Young Streets (site of the old Algoma Hotel) and a residence for their post manager at the west end of Pine Street. The log sub post south of town was abandoned in 1889 and the retail store apparently burned in 1895. The residence was sold by the HBC shortly thereafter and still exists to the present day.

Below is HBC Post Manager’s house 1886 HBC Archives

The style of the HBC house isn’t particularly unique and is similar to the majority of the first homes built in Chapleau in the late nineteenth century. It is, however, significant because of its relationship to the Hudson’s Bay Company era and was one of the first houses built in Chapleau in the early days of 1885 and 1886. The location of this house adjacent to one of Chapleau’s main intersections obviously provides the potential for restoration as a tourist information centre or other similar function.

Below is HBC house 2015 Michael McMullen

Many Important Chapleau buildings have been demolished but those remaining include St.John’s Anglican Church completed in 1908, the Legion Hall opened in 1920 and the Post Office building completed in 1950. Each of these buildings has historical significance.
There is no established formula as to how to breathe life into an older building but one has to accept that the task is never easy. Church restorations in particular are complicated. St.John’s Church, for instance, obviously has to be saved despite not having a large enough congregation to support it. 

In this case, sentimental association with former times and traditions has to be abandoned to ensure that a wide range of development possibilities is revealed regardless of the discomfort that this might first create. A good measure of thinking “outside the box” will be required to sustain the social usefulness of this building for future generations. The good news is that many churches in Canada have had to deal with the same challenge and developed a wide variety of innovative, practical and successful solutions.
One can only hope that the people on Council, CDEC and other positions of influence in the community recognize that older buildings can offer opportunities a for a community’s future.

LINK TO FIRST COLUMN http://michaeljmorrisreports.blogspot.ca/2015/09/cultural-heritage-important-to-chapleau.html

Bed push 'record' set over 71.3 miles from London to Kitchener by Waterloo College students in 1961

Bed pushers MJ behind Tom in black coat Other names below

Sitting around in Willison Hall, the men's residence and at the time, seminary and library too,  just before the first winter carnival in 1961, we were looking for some activity we could undertake.

The dining room was also attached. 

I don't recall who said "Let's push a bed" but once said the project started to become reality,

For the most part, the participants were  were first year students at Waterloo College later Waterloo University College of Waterloo Lutheran University, now Wilfrid Laurier University.

In no time, we had a hospital bed with wheels -- and my memory fails me on who actually prepared the bed, but it happened pretty quickly, and off we went in a cavalcade of cars, including my mother's, which I had at university with me.

We started from London at about midnight determined to set the world bed push 'record' over a distance of 71.3 miles. We did it in 8 hours 23 minutes, and set an unofficial record. I really don't recall if anyone else ever pushed a bed that distance. We pushed in teams of four in a relay -- accompanying cars drove us to our next point. 

Remember now, this was all happening on a two-lane highway.

There were no mishaps. although in due course there were more Ontario Provincial Police cruisers appearing on the highway. We had not bothered to seek permission from anyone - including the university to undertake the bed push.

As we approached Waterloo, it was decided to end the bed push at Kitchener City Hall, rather than head into Waterloo -- we were a bit concerned that we all may be expelled from the university for this antic. The university was owned by the Lutherans.

No need to worry as the media had picked up on our push and reporters from the newspapers, radio stations and CBC Television appeared.

The college public relations people saw the publicity benefits and we were greeted by the president, Dr. H.M. Axford, at Kitchener City Hall where he extended congratulations, and the winter carnival was officially opened. No way were we on the carnival program when we set out.

Although most of us who lived in Willison Hall were involved, other students also joined us.

In the photo I discovered while looking for something else entirely on Google, here are the names. From left  Tom Kinnear, Foster Stark,Paul Barton, Tom Ramautarsingh, Mike Morris, Steve Underhill,Eric Renman, Collin Campbell, Art Pollock, Jim Wilgar, John Saso, Ralph Reichert. The photo was taken by the Kitchener-Waterloo Record but copyright has expired now.

As an aside, the bed push was featured on CBC National television news, the next night, and my mother, Muriel E Morris was out playing bridge when the news came on and the university's name was mentioned. As Mom looked at the television, her car happened to appear on screen, and moments later she saw me -- but i was not driving the car, I was pushing the bed. Mom's bridge partners were Mrs. Aldythe Pellow, Mrs. Beth Goldstein and Mrs. Opal Simpson.

We did not have television at home at that time. I had some explaining to do.

MJ on right bed in helmet

In the 1970s after I returned home to teach at Chapleau High School, and became involved in the community, we added bed pushes to our Summer community celebrations. I was involved in one on a team composed of Chapleau Intermediate A Huskies players, but they made me sit on the bed and wear a helmet.

Fire department won

Great memories folks. If anyone sees this post and has more information on the great bed push, I would love to hear from you. My email is mj.morris@live.ca