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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