Algoma was vast wilderness when Bishop Edward Sullivan started missionary work as CPR was being built

 As the Canadian Pacific Railway was being completed Rt, Rev. Edward Sullivan, the Church of England (Anglican) Bishop of Algoma was carrying out missionary work in his vast diocese.

When Bishop Sullivan took office in 1882, Algoma was a vast wilderness. He described it as "a land of Christmas trees and rocks of ages" which as I reflect on my growing up years in Chapleau pretty adequately sums it up even in the 1940s.

Let me just note though that the good Bishop surely did not realize the vast wealth among the trees and rocks of his diocese. But I digress.

To do his missionary work he was faced with  a lack of funds so he went on what was called a "begging tour" of England speaking at fashionable churches all over the country to raise money. This was a common practice.

He advertised the needs of Algoma as an illustration of the missionary work among English settlers and others in Canada. If you had ancestors living in Chapleau circa 1885, like I did, even though the first of mine Patrick Mulligan and other family members were Roman Catholic, Bishop Sullivan was reaching out for them. 

The Bishop also recognized the need to minister to construction workers along the line of the Canadian Pacific Railway. A special kind of person was needed and the Bishop found him in Rev. Gowan Gillmor who delighted in his nickname 'The Tramp'. 

On many occasions Rev. Gillmor walked the railway line from Sudbury to Chapleau and on to Missanabie. On one of his journeys he apparently walked the entire CPR line from North Bay to Port Arthur and return  - a distance of some 2000 mikes.

He described his work  long the CPR. He ministered to the construction people numbering about 5000 men holding services as he went along in camps, shanties and box cars and sleeping in them overnight. His experiences were the roughest. These people were from all parts of America and Europe. Typhoid fever was the scourge of railway construction. 

Archbishop R. J. Renison later said that Gillmor was the best railway missionary that ever lived. For years this missionary priest literally lived with the railway men or pushed a handcar from section house to section house, ate greem bacon from the same plate and often slept under the same blanket.

He brought food or clothing to the needy or nursed and prayed with the sick for thirty years

Rev. Gillmor also conducted the first church service for the early settlers of Chapleau in October 1884 and was instrumental in founding St John's Church a year later. 

Rev. John Sanders perhaps the first indigenous person ordained priest in the Church of England in Canada conducted the first Church of England service at Chapleau in 1882 on the banks of the river. Descendants of Rev. Sanders still live in the Chapleau area.

John Sanders

Rev. Sanders was responsible for building several churches.

In !982 when the late Rev. William Ivey was Rector of St. John's there was a re-enactment of this service with Rev. Canon Redfern Louttit playing the part of Rev. Sanders, Canon Louttit graduated from St John's Residential School and attended Wycliffe College. He was ordained in St. John's Church. 

In 1985 to mark the 100th anniversary of St John's, Rev E Roy Haddon, a former Rector returned to play Rev. Gowan Gillmor. Rev. Jerry Smith was the rector. Jerry is now Rector of Holy Comforter Episcopal Church in Tallahassee FL

The Roman Catholic Church also had "railway missionaries" and I am looking into them. If anyone has information on them please feel free to contact me. My email is mj.morris@live.ca

F.A. 'Nick Card left legacy of public service to Chapleau

When Fred "Nick" Card died he left a "legacy of public service" to Chapleau according to an article in the Chapleau Sentinel.

Born in Lady Minto Hospital in 1914 shortly after it opened, "Nick" as he was most commonly called, served the community well including terms as councillor and reeve. Before going further my father Jim Morris were friends starting ng in 1914 when they were both born in Chapleau's new hospital  - a few months older than my father. Dr. G.E. "Ted" Young and Clyde Fife were among their contemporaries.

One of my unfinished projects is to identify everyone who was born in Lady Minto during its first year of operation. Yes I should have done it years ago, but ... you know. Please email me if you can help!

Nick graduated from Chapleau Public and Chapleau High School in the 1930s and for a time afterwards worked for Collins and Matters, later Charles W. Collins Stores Ltd.

I noticed in the photo of the staff of Collins and Matters that Olive Vezina was also working in the store same time as Nick. She and Nick later married and they had one son William.

Nick's father, William Card, was also involved in Chapleau affairs  serving  for eight years on the municipal council between 1922 and 1934.

1930s Staff of Collins and Matters: Back row left to right: Fred Card, Fred Matters, Charles W. Collins, Herbie Vezina. Front row left to right: Olive Vezina, Beth Inges, Gertrude Currie (Curry)

Nick served as reeve from 1963 to 1966 and several years as a councillor.

As part of his legacy he was a member of the Chapleau Volunteer Fire Department, St. John's Anglican Church, Independent Order of Oddfellows Lodge 266 for 45 years and Branch #5 of the Royal Canadian Legion. He was also on the board of Chapleau Credit Union.

In the 1970s Nick became a founding member of the board of Cedar Grove Lodge, and of the Chapleau General Hospital.

When the Ontario provincial government formed district health councils in the 1970s and the Sudbury District Health Council excluded Chapleau, after township council battled to have membership and won, Nick accepted the position as Chapleau representative on the advisory council.

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In due course Nick became an engineer on the Canadian Pacific Railway, and I believe a story written by his nephew Neil Morris sums up his uncle and the kind of person he was. I shared Neil's story written when he was a reporter at the  London Free Press years ago but went back to my files to find it. 

Here is part of Neil's story written about his uncle after taking his first train ride with him when he was eleven. When published it was called 'Moments of Childhood Ecstasy'

Neil wrote that his uncle to him as "a giant of a man."

"His engineer's cap shoved shoved back on his prematurely balding head he'd toss that enormous plumber's tool box that was really his next 24 hour's meals onto to the steel doorway. Then he was up the ladder and through the doorway."

Then it was time for Neil to join him.

"Up you come fella," his uncle would say "with a grin, arms reaching down to me when what I really needed wasn't a help up the ladder but something to hold a kid's pounding heart from exploding."

And Neil added:

"His heart was in his mouth as his own headlight reflected back at him of a snow-covered evergreen on a curve  - his moment of  terror that he was meeting another engine head on.

"Gone are the days when he climbed back into an engine, his coveralls ice coated after a water tender spout took a crazy turn and drenched him in freezing  January weather.

"And gone are the nights of the 'call boy' shouting at the front door that he was called for this train and that.

His Uncle Nick would be home for Christmas and would not have to leave until his 'call' arrived just as the aroma of turkey was starting to emerge from the oven.

"And then he would be gone into the snow without a grumble - just a grinning wish for a happy Christmas for all"

Neil noted this was the railroad life and his uncle loved it adding he hoped other uncles or dads would continue to slip a son or daughter, a nephew or niece onto one of those big diesels for Their "moment of childhood ecstasy." 

 I don't know if it would be possible today but Neil's story sure brings back memories of train travel.

Nick retired from the CPR in 1978 and died in 1985. There was an "ecumenical service" for him at St. John's Anglican Church.

Chapleau Rotary Club supported several projects in 1962 as well as naming Jim Lane president

Angelo Bucciarelli, Jack Shoup, governor, Art Grout, Bubs Zufelt chrter members

In 1962, the Chapleau Rotary Club announced its support of various projects as well as introducing its new executive

The club had officially been established on December 3, 1951 and charter members included president Rev. E. Roy Haddon, vice president Dr. G.E. Young, secretary Newt Pellow, treasurer Bob Serre,sergeant at arms B.W. 'Bubs' Zufelt, Gordon Bailey, Charles W Collins, Lionel Moorey, Ross Thornton, Angelo Bucciarelli, Ernie Collins, Bob James, Cecil Smith, Dr. Bill Young, Harold Cahill, John McClellan, Earle Sootheran and J.M. Shoup.

In its first year with Mr. Haddon as president the club held its first canvas for the Crippled Children's Fund as well as establishing a Ladies Night, and took over a Halloween celebration for all Chapleau children.The club continued to do "good works" in the community which has continued to the present day.

Roy Haddon

In 1962 a Sudbury Star story said that club president Gene Bernier distributed funds as follows: J.M. Shoup, chairman of the Chapleau Recreation Committee $200 for the beach; C.B. Greenlaw, president of the Lady Minto Hospital Board, $300; Les Jones of the Canadian National Institute for the Blind. $300 for its hall; J.F. Hodgins, chairman of the Rotary Student Loan Fund, $1,500; J. R. Keddie, district forester of the Department of Lands and Forests, $30.00 for a project; Margaret Costello, member of the Chapleau Public Library Board, $100 for the library, and Richard Avison, chairman of the Boy Scouts committee, $200. 

As an aside, by 1952 Chapleau had a recreation committee often referred to as the "Beach Committee". The beach had actually been created by Dr. G. E. Young using his own funds after he returned home to practise medicine in 1944. Dr. Young was the second president of the Rotary Club.

In 1962, total donations from the club reached $4,000 -- a pretty significant amount for the times in a small town.

Commenting on the CNIB donation, Les Jones noted that the club had never failed the organization.

At the same meeting four charter members were presented with charter member pins by President Bernier. They were Cecil Smith, Jack Shoup, Angelo Bucciarelli and Arthur Grout.

Reg Thrush paid "high tribute" to Gene Bernier for his leadership of the club and was presented with a past president's plaque.Arthur Grout presented him with a past president's plaque.

The new executive saw Jim Lane as president with Jack Scrowther as vivce president; Ross Perrigard as secretary, and RegThrush as treasurer.

J.R. Keddie became chair of club services; Ken Stephenson, vocation services; J.D Macfarlane, international services, and Bob Warren, community services.

For many years the Senior WA of St. John's Anglican Church catered to the Rotary Club dinner each week. Both my grandmothers Lil Morris and Edith Hunt were WA members and helped with the meal. Looking back fondly on my growing up  years until 1960 when I was at university, I never missed an opportunity to visit my grandmothers and have some dessert..  My email is mj.morris@live.ca