Olive Warren who started teaching career at Nicholson honoured at retirement party from Chapleau Public School staff in 1971

Frank Coulter, Olive Warren

Tributes were paid to Olive Warren, a long-time member of the Chapleau Public School teaching  staff when she retired in 1971.

Born and raised in Chapleau she was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Walter Leigh, one of the community's pioneer families. She attended Chapleau Public and Chapleau High schools.

After attending North Bay Teachers College then called Normal School, Mrs. Warren recalled that her first teaching position was in 1934-35 during the Great Depression at Nicholson Siding on the Canadian Pacific Railway 22 miles west of Chapleau. In those days Nicholson was a "flourishing community, with a two classroom school, complete with a wood burning stove, "... a far cry" from facilities available in most schools of 1971.

Her salary?: "$600 a year."

Mrs. Warren worked as a supply teacher at Chapleau Public School from 1935 to 1941, then became full time. She took some years off to raise her children, Leigh and Bert, then was fulltime until she retired. She married R.L. "Bob" Warren.

For most of her teaching career she taught Grades 3 and 4.

The decor in the Trinity United Church Hall where the retirement party took place was "hearts and flowers"  created by Maartje Doornekamp and Gail Poulin, with the assistance of students.

Referring to the decor, Rev. Murray Arnill, chair of the Chapleau Board of Education,  commented that it was suitable for "a happy and sad occasion" paying tribute to Mrs. Warren's contribution as a teacher, but adding she would be missed.

Public school principal Foy Wright said that Chapleau can be grateful for the contribution that Mrs. Warren had made to the teaching profession, adding that she was "always trying to think of something new, always striving for improvement."

Names not with photo about 1969 though

Board of education member Frank Coulter made a presentation on behalf of the board while Lillian Robinson presented a gift on behalf of the teachers. Both paid tribute to Mrs. Warren in their remarks.

In her remarks, Mrs. Warren said that kindness and understanding play an important part in molding and developing desirable characteristics in pupils, and that proper attitudes must be taught. To accomplish this teachers must always seeking new methods to make it happen, she added in a Sault Star story about her retirement.

Mrs. Robinson greeted the guests who filled the church hall to pay tribute to Mrs. Warren, while Mrs. Jack Cockburn, Mrs. Opal Simpson, and my mother, Muriel E. Morris, who had retired from the public school staff in 1970, served them.  My email is mj.morris@live.ca

Living in 'grand old days' of Chapleau after CPR arrived in boxcars and tents during 1885-86

Photo credit below

Looking back at Chapleau's early days in 1885-86, after the arrival of the Canadian Pacific Railway, an unidentified writer of several articles included in the Richard Brownlee Papers, talks about Old and New Chapleau which seem to have had little contact with each other.

Apparently written in 1935 to mark the 50th anniversary of the community (not the incorporation of Chapleau as a municipality in 1901), the writer refers to the time  as "those grand old days".

"Old Chapleau was on the hill but a few company houses were built for the employees near the railway." There were also some boxcars.

At first read I could not figure out where the hill was, then recalled that Mr. Brownlee's first barber shop was in a tent on the hill near where the Lady Minto Hospital was built at Elm and Queen Streets.

The writer noted that the "first time a small group of people went to view where the (Roman Catholic) church was to be built ... they thought they would never get there. It was a long tedious tramp through the bush (to where Collins furniture store at Birch and Lorne Streets is now). They were living in tents in Old Chapleau.

Also, at this time they were "doing most of their shopping at the Hudson's Bay store" which was then located at what is now commonly referred to as the Memegos Property near the intersection of Highway 101 to Timmins, and Highway 129.

This meant that during the winter of 1885-86. those living in Old Chapleau would walk on present Elm. but a trail through the bush then,  to the CPR tracks, and along them, then crossed the Nebskwashi River to the Hudson's Bay store, and then back home. Amazing.

There has been some dispute by Chapleau researchers over the years about where the Hudson's Bay store was actually located before being relocated into the community, but this article, adds more credibility to the work done by Michael McMullen and Ian Macdonald. They placed it on the Memegos Property. Both Ian and Michael have also written about Chapleau's early years.

Also interestingly, the article notes: "Strange as it may seem, the young people living in company houses seldom went tp Chapleau on the hill, as they were barely acquainted with the residents up there."

Turning to "New Chapleau" the article notes that at the same time, some of the first settlers lived in tents located at about where the old overhead bridge was located, while others lived in two rows of boxcars -- on streets called Godin Avenue and Stovepipe Avenue.

Meanwhile, as I wrote in my 1984 book 'Sons of Thunder ... Apostles of Love' the history of St. John's Anglican Church, by the end of 1885, the CPR had built a roundhouse with turntable, and a water tank. The first station was in a boxcar but one was under construction. "Chapleau had become a town made up of surplus boxcars and tents. The population consisted of about 400 people, ninety-five percent of them men."

I also wrote that the winter of 1885 was very strenuous for the early citizens of the fledgling community. They had left their old way of life to build a new one far from any comforts they might have known. It was apparently a very cold winter and disease was rampant.

Yet, despite the obstacles, folks in Old and New Chapleau came together and created a thriving community very quickly. Just imagine, if you will, early citizens like J.T. Serre, Richard Brownlee and others would also party at the Hudson's Bay store on the Memegos Property walking there and back. 

Amazing people. Again my thanks to Margaret Rose (Payette) and Bobby Fortin, who by the way are both members of Chapleau pioneer families. for loaning me the Richard Brownlee papers. Thanks as well to Ian and Michael for their research. My email is mj.morris@live.ca

Photo credit  

          HBC Chapleau Outpost under Construction (1884) CP Archives and Ian Macdonald

Chapleau Fire Brigade officially founded in 1910 providing excellent service for over 100 years

Fire Chiefs Ad Andrews, George Collinson, D.O. Payette

Officially the Chapleau Fire Brigade came into being on May 25, 1910, as the community's water works system was being installed, but "quite primitive" fire protection had been provided from the earliest days following the arrival of the Canadian Pacific Railway in 1885.

In a report written when he retired as fire chief in 1946, D.O. Payette noted that prior to 1910, fire fighting equipment was "quite primitive and consisted of two hand reels of two and a half inch hose, 500 feet on each reel."

It was first  housed in a small shed in the vicinity of Birch and Young streets, and when a fire occurred water was pumped from a well below the building -- with four men at a time pumping, much like on a hand car on the railway.

However, in 1910, 43 hydrants and 10 alarm boxes were installed in conjunction with the installation of the water works system. and the fire brigade was established, complete with a constitution and bylaws. 

They obtained more equipment but it had to be hauled by hand or behind a horse and wagon -- the first person to arrive with a horse received $4.00 and the second $2.00.

Then a fire hall was built at Pine and Lorne streets with a hose drying tower, equipment storage on the first floor and club room on second, with a bedroom where two firefighters slept. There was a hole in the floor with a pipe to slide down. In the basement was the town jail.

J. B. Dexter was the first fire chief, and the brigade had 20 members. Other officers included: T.J. Godfrey, captain; G.J. Collinson, first lieutenant, and Mr. Payette, captain hook and ladder.

Mr. Payette noted that the first fire after the brigade was established was at a bakery near Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church. he added that it was a "spectacular fire" and although it was about three a.m,, "most of the town was up to watch it,"

Apparently there had been significant opposition to the waterworks project in the community and G.B. Nicholson, Chapleau's first and only reeve since the community was incorporated in 1901 was on the scene. 

The fire department got the blaze under control quickly which prompted Mr. Nicholson to comment to the crowd on hand: "What's the matter with the waterworks now?"  The reeve was very happy.

By 1916, the fire brigade had its first truck which immensely helped. 

Regular practices were undertaken for the firefighters who received $4.00 per call if the water was turned on and $2.00 otherwise. In later years this was changed to a point system.

It was difficult to get firefighters to sleep at the fire hall so the upper floor was turned into an apartment and the town clerk also became the fire truck driver. T.R. Serre was the first to live there and Vern Goldstein the second.

An auxiliary brigade was formed with Chapleau High School boys who undertook regular training, and later many became regular fire brigade members.

Mr. Dexter, who was also town foreman, retired as chief in 1934, and was succeeded by Mr. Payette. As an aside, Mr. Dexter was one of Chapleau's well beloved citizens, arriving in 1885, and contributing greatly to the development of the community. 

He was instrumental in the founding of the first town band and served on council from 1901 to 1912. He died in 1936, and is buried in the old Protestant cemetery on Birch Street,

In 1943, the new fire truck was purchased, and about 1960 (I think) was given to Chapleau Hydro.

Fire prevention activities became an important part of the brigade's activities and a highlight in its history came in 1942 when it won second prize for its program for municipalities under 5000 population in Ontario. Mr. Payette. modest as always, wrote that it received many "honourable mentions" over the years.

When Mr. Payette retired as fire chief in 1946, after serving on the department since it was established, he received a letter of thanks signed by Reeve Frank Edwards, members of council, and firefiighters.

It read in part: "Whether night or day you answered the call so that you might not only be  a good fireman but help to save lives and property of others..." 

He was succeeded by Mr. Collinson, who was also a member of the first brigade. When Mr. Collinson retired in 1958, Mr. Payette was present and paid tribute to his successor who had also been a member since 1910  but with a break during World War I when he was overseas in the Canadian armed forces.

Adam Andrews succeeded Mr. Collinson as fire chief. Other chiefs included Conrad Tremblay, Pete Barbour, Harold Casson, Dan Lemieux, Ron Fortier, Ken Groves, and Graham Bertrand, from 2005 to the present.

I have only scratched the surface of the outstanding contribution made to Chapleau by the fire brigade from its earliest years until today providing excellent fire protection, as well as being involved in fire prevention activities.  A more complete history can be found on the Chapleau Public Library web site, compiled by Doug Greig. My email is mj.morris@live.ca