A look at the prominent local historical figure’s defence of the 1st Earl FitzHardinge Written by Mitchell Harris If you take a walk through Bellevue Park on a hot summer day, you will likely encounter something seemingly out of place among the vibrant, buzzing life of the playgrounds, the green fields, the river and the ponds: a lone gravesite. A few feet away, a plaque erected by the Ontario Archeological and Historic Sites Board will inform you that this is the final resting place of the “colourful and eccentric” John Prince (1796-1870), the first Judge of the Algoma District who lived in Sault Ste. Marie between 1860 and 1870.
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Written by Justin Brett Algoma Central Railway is one of the most common sights in Northern Ontario and particularly Sault Ste. Marie. It's very difficult to take a trip within the province or even make your way around town without seeing some evidence of the railway line. Establishing such an omnipresent line took the work of quite a few men who are less recognizable, however, including one with the impressive name of Edgar Barnes Barber.
Mr. Barber spent much or all of his career working for the Central Railway, as his name first appeared in an executive context all the way back in 1913, when the original Hudson Bay Railway was still around and associated with Algoma Central. This was at a board meeting where he was elected assistant comptroller (a person in charge of supervising finances) for the company. Written by Justin Brett You wouldn't necessarily expect a small city like Sault Ste. Marie to produce many authors, and you might not expect a story about the city itself to be particularly engaging, either. But you would be wrong on both counts. Not only has it produced several authors, but one in particular, Morley Torgov, wrote a very entertaining book about the Soo.
Born in 1927, Mr. Torgov grew up in Sault Ste. Marie as part of its small Jewish community. Jewish culture is in fact a large part of his writing, which includes the book most relevant to us, A Fine Place to Come From. As the title implies, it talks about his time growing up here as a young Jewish boy, through a series of short stories. Written by Justin Brett At the time of this writing, the Sault Museum is showing an exhibit in the Durham Gallery of the Bandettes, a local Drum-and-Bugle Corps, or more commonly referred to as a Marching Band. These are very common in cities or towns, and the Bandettes are a very notable part of the Sault's history. Much of that is thanks to a woman by the name of Mary Wilson.
Written by Justin Brett Throughout anyone's life they're bound to acquire some responsibilities or titles no matter what career they choose. It's just the nature of things. But occasionally some person comes along who manages to acquire a great deal of jobs and duties in their lifetime, either due to their quality as a person or from being in the right place at the right time. Joseph Wilson is one such individual.
Joseph's father George Wilson was a Lieutenant in the British Navy, who in Joseph's adolescent years retired from service and decided to move his family to Canada, where land was free for soldiers. They ended up settling in the Toronto area where Joseph followed in his father's footsteps by joining the local militia. He would then see combat during the conflict of 1837. Written by Justin Brett Sault Ste. Marie's City Hall recently had a name change: as of 2020 it is now known as the Ronald A. Irwin Civic Centre. Obviously, if someone has earned having their name on the building they must have done some impressive things, but who exactly was Ronald A. Irwin beyond simply being a former mayor? Let's find out.
Born here in 1936, Irwin was quick to educate himself by acquiring both an undergraduate degree from the University of Western Ontario, as well as a Law degree from Osgoode Hall Law School of York University. Later on in his life he would be elected to the position of Mayor of the Soo. He would keep this post from 1972 to 1974, and it did not take long for him to leave a mark on the city. Written by Justin Brett Sometimes a small town can be touched by a far more famous figure or event. We've seen that on this blog with the Red River Rebellion, where Sault Ste. Marie was the site of a dispute between Canada and America, one that ended up causing the creation of our own Lochs. One person who came by our town in its earliest years had his work become so famous it is now in the Smithsonian: George Catlin.
Catlin lived from July of 1796 to December of 1872, meaning he lived through what is now known as the 'Old West' period of North America, when the land was very new to settlers and interactions with natives were both common and full of problems. He had a short career as a lawyer, but that changed when he witnessed a delegation of Natives at Philidelphia. Feeling that they were a 'vanishing race', he decided to chronicle them himself, by recording their appearance and customs through paintings. Written by Justin Brett Being an educator is often a job that doesn't receive the respect it deserves. These people evaluate and inspire the next generation, but can end up being overlooked in many ways. To push back against this trend, today's blog post is about an educator who worked to mold the past generation, Gladys McNeice.
Mrs. McNeice was born and raised in the Port Stanley-St. Thomas area, and studied herself first at the Victoria College in Toronto, then the Ontario College of Education. After obtaining her teacher's credentials, McNeice would work in several positions across Ontario, including the Algoma College, before arriving at the Sault. Gladys was a teacher at Sault Collegiate, or Sault College as it's known today, from 1923 to 1969. She specialized in French, German and Modern History, and recalls teaching nearly every period of the day at the beginning of her time there. Written By: Justin Brett There are many famous people who lived in Sault Ste. Marie, many of whom have also appeared in this blog. People like Thomas Durham or Paul Kane are fairly well-known in this category, but one people may not know off-heart is Joseph Laderoute. Rather than being a politician or an explorer, he was a professional singer, and a very talented one at that.
Born in Sault Ste. Marie, Joseph seems to have led a normal life as a young boy, becoming one of many choir-singers at his local church at the age of five. This might have ended up being just a short chapter of Joseph's life if not for a twist of fate: as it so happens, a man named Arthur S. Somers, a Brooklyn educator in singing, happened to be at Sacred Heart Church that day on invitation. He was meant to sing himself, but claims to have been so overcome by Joseph's soprano voice, which he likened to an angel's, that he was unable to. Written by: Justin Brett A local television and radio broadcaster no longer seen today was CJIC-TV, which broadcast from 1955 to 2002. One personality who was especially prominent was Grace Pitt. She worked for over forty years at the station, long enough she became something of a local celebrity.
Her career began with her as a co-host of the morning show, before eventually becoming women's director at the station and hosting her own television program. As you can see by these photos, she would often interview people, help advertise products, and even did cooking shows. Outside of the station she was one of the founding members of the Great Tug Boat Race, an event that ran yearly in the summer from 1982 to 2015. |
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What is this page all about?This page is dedicated to the curious folks, history junkies, and SSM community lovers.
Dedicated to preserving our local history and displaying it for our community.
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