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

Chapleau Methodist Mission later Trinity United Church established in 1886 by pioneer missionary Rev. Silas Huntington

When construction crews were pushing westward in Canada building the Canadian Pacific Railway, the "Methodists were not far behind", according to a history of Trinity United Church in Chapleau. 

The Methodists sent missionaries  "to minister to the spiritual needs of the men engaged in the construction business". The Church of England (Anglican) and Roman Catholic Church were doing the same thing.

In June 1886, one of the great missionaries of the Methodist church, Rev. Silas Huntington, arrived in Chapleau and conducted services in a partially completed store on Birch Street. Apparently he stayed at the home of Thomas Nicholson, which may have been the first real "private residence" in the fledgling community.

The Huntington University in Sudbury web site says: Our namesake, Silas Huntington, was an itinerant Methodist minister who established more than 100 churches throughout Northeastern Ontario from 1880 to 1905. He explored this region by canoe and train in order to reach out to the loggers, Native peoples, rail road workers and settler families from many parts of the world. He was active in community development throughout the north

He returned about six weeks later with W.P. Boshart, a student minister, who conducted his first services in a large tent at Lorne and Birch Streets. The first Chapleau Methodist Mission church was built where Trinity United Church is today , a small frame building heated by a wood stove with a small vestry at the back where the minister lived.

By 1889. plans were made to build "a large brick parsonage" which was subsequently done, and the house still stands beside the church on Beech Street. 

A Ladies Aid Society was established in 1898 and it undertook many projects to assist the church, including the furniture and furnace for the parsonage, later called the manse.

In 1904, Rev. J.J. Coulter noted that "Chapleau was then almost entirely a railroad town without sewer, running water or electricity." 

However, Chapleau moved forward in the next 10 years significantly in all areas, under the leadership of its first reeve G.B. Nicholson -- although a sewage plant and system were not undertaken until 1950 when B.W. Zufelt was reeve.

A new church was planned by 1906 and in 1908 the cornerstone had been laid for the "cement block church" at Lorne and Beech streets. The original church was moved to Lorne and Pine Streets and became the Doig family residence for many years.

A highlight of the early years occurred in 1919 when a memorial pipe organ was installed. At the service of dedication and unveiling of memorial tablet, Miss Stancil Pellow, a member of one of the community's early families, was the organist and served for over 40 years. She married Tommy Rose. 

Music was so important in those early years, and Trinity United, as it came to be called in 1925 after a merger of four churches, always had a wonderful choir --- as did Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church and St. John's Anglican Church.

The first Sunday School was started about 1889, and in due course, its "Hustlers Class" became very popular over many years. Its activities included social events, skiing parties, and even a cabin built at Fox Lake. 

Renovations were undertaken in 1955, and in 1969, the Christian Education Wing was added when Rev. Murray Arnill was the minister.  

Rev. Arnill later became the Chancellor of Huntington University, then Chaplain. He died in April 1914.

On a weekend, the coffee houses in the basement of the church were the place to be for young people of all denominations to be found, and after returning to Chapleau in 1969, to teach at Chapleau High School, I spent many great evenings there --- and later at Murray's kitchen table drinking coffee into the wee small hours. 

In fact, the coffee houses, in part, launched the career of Canadian filmmaker Peter Elliott, who would show his productions to coffee house audiences.,

In the 1970s, it was decided that the cement block church had to be replaced. The Chapleau Sentinel reported that the the new church came into being when Rev. Doug Maclean was minister. "The structure was found unfit for renovation and the congregation had to embark on a new building program." Harry Pellow, the nephew of Stancil Pellow, prepared plans.  Harry was also the architect for the Chapleau General Hospital, Chapleau Civic Centre, Chapleau Recreation Centre, Cedar Grove Lodgel and the golf club house.  The "new" church was dedicated on April 18, 1978.

Happy Easter to all!  My email is mj.morris@live.ca

Mr. Fife Goes to Washington: Watch Out Mr. President, Bob is on the Premises

As the official visit of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau  was getting underway, Alexander Panetta, the Washington correspondent of the Canadian Press issued a "warning" to President Barack Obama on Twitter.

It read: "Warning, Mr. President - @RobertFife is on the premises." Gerald Butts, the principal secretary to the prime minister "liked" it.

Actually it was high praise for Bob, and a mark of respect for his reporting abilities from one of his fellow journalists. Bob, as Chapleau folks know him, was in Washington as Ottawa Bureau Chief of The Globe and Mail to report on the prime minister's visit. Bob joined the Globe in January this year but remains host of CTV's Question Period.

Mr. Panetta was likely warning Mr. Obama that he best watch out as he may be in danger of getting "Fifed" by Bob -- a term I was not aware of until now, even though I have followed Bob's journalism career since 1978 when it began.

Although others may have used the term, I discovered an article on Buzzfeed by Craig Silverman, the Founding Editor Canada, from August 2015 entitled "Why Getting Fifed by CTV Reporter Robert Fife is the Worst Thing That Can Happen to You".

Mr. Silverman also provides a definition: "Fifed. (v.) to strike terror into the hearts of Canadian politicians by Robert Fife." He goes on to provide examples mostly centred on the Senate scandal surrounding Senator Mike Duffy.

It was Bob who broke the scandal wide open, and when I saw the tweet that once again Robert Fife had proven why he is simply the best, it immediately captured my attention. Kevin Newman, was retweeting a comment by Rosa Hwang, senior broadcast producer with CTV National News. "Once again Robert Fife proves why he's simply the best." Bob has received several awards for his reporting.

Bob on Bantam team

"What had Fife done now?  I wrote in my Cranbrook Guardian column that Bob had broken the story that Nigel Wright, the chief of staff to Stephen Harper, then the prime minister, had written a personal cheque to Mike Duffy, the senator appointed by Harper,  for $90,172 to pay back expenses to which the senator was not entitled. 

The Duffy scandal was placed squarely in the office of the prime minister by Bob Fife,

In November 2008, Deborah Howell, the ombudsperson at the Washington Post wrote that "good reporters are the heart of news gathering. If it's news, they have to know it. Without them, the public wouldn't have the news and information essential to running a democracy -- or our lives. Whether the story is local, national or foreign, it has to be gathered on the ground by a reporter." 

Ms Powell added in answering the question about what makes a good reporter, "Endless curiosity and a deep need to know what is happening. Then, the ability to hear a small clue and follow it."

Bob Pres of CHS Student Council seated 2nd on right

That's Bob.

Bob is one of those reporters who certainly fits the comment by former Washington Post Post executive editor Ben Bradlee who thought that a reporter's most important quality is energy: "They've got to love what they're doing; they've got to be serious about turning over rocks, opening doors. The story drives you. It's part of your soul."

In the interests of full disclosure Bob was in Grade Nine when I arrived  to teach at Chapleau High School in 1969, and once he learned I had been a daily newspaper reporter, he never stopped asking me questions throughout his high school years. And when he was attending the University of Toronto, he challenged me on every issue when he came home on vacation or to spend the summers. Maybe I was one of  the first people to to be "Fifed". 

Happy St. Patrick's Day. My email is mj.morris@live.ca

NAMES  CHS Student Council of 1972-73 when Bob Fife was president. Front row from left Jamie Doyle, Eileen McCrea, Tom Tangie, Bob, Patty Desbois. Middle row from left Rusty Deluce, Joan Lapointe, Walter Sonego, Dan Plouffe, Michael Dillon, Mary Ann Morris, Doris Delaney. Back row Robert Doyle, Gary Legros, Leslie Doig, Maurice Blais, Pat Connelly, Keith Marsh