By Ken Godfrey

This article is from the LCGS newsletter, May, 1996.

           During my Feb 19/96 visit to the Archives of Ontario in Toronto, I chanced to discover a collection of 270 old “gelatin print” photos listed in their index. I subsequently went to the second floor (where old maps and photos are stored) and requested the 4 albums listed under file numbers C224-0-0-16 to -19. It seems that the unknown photographer ranged over a good part of southern Ontario during the late 1800s and early 1900s, and following are some of my notes on the photo numbers and a brief description, should any of our members be interested in obtaining a copy for themselves. (These are produced by making another photo, and are $8.85 each plus tax.)Box B-716 – Album #1 Early numbers prior to 20 – several photos of Dalhousie Lake 20 – Geddes saw mill, Mississippi River 31 – Log chute (or timber slide), High Falls, Mississippi River 38 – Boys in old style swim suits playing leap-frog 39/40/41 – Canoe race, possibly in Mississippi River at Carleton Place 42 – Pipe band in parade, possibly on Perth main street 48 – Railroad engine, with large funnel 58 – Beautiful photo of an Ojibway papoose 80 – YMCA basketball team – 1905 (where?)

Box B-716 - Album #1
    Early numbers prior to 20 - several photos of Dalhousie Lake 
    20 - Geddes saw mill, Mississippi River 
    31 - Log chute (or timber slide), High Falls, Mississippi River 
    38 - Boys in old style swim suits playing leap-frog 
    39/40/41 - Canoe race, possibly in Mississippi River at Carleton Place 
    42 - Pipe band in parade, possibly on Perth main street 
    48 - Railroad engine, with large funnel 
    58 - Beautiful photo of an Ojibway papoose 
    80 - YMCA basketball team - 1905 (where?)

Box B-717 - Album #2
    In this box there is a separate envelope of about 25 5"x7" photos of the Canada Gold Mine Co., Shoal Lake, 1896. 
    7 - Ringling Bros. Circus Show - elephant parade on a main street. The shops in the background are (from l.to r.): Jas. Dow, Jeffrey Bros., J.L. Bradshaw, R. White and Co. (My guess is that it was taken in Stratford, Ont.) 
    16/17/18 - Sunday school picnic at Blakeman's Woods (Stratford?) 
    21 - Stratford Collegiate Institute 
    24 - St. Mary's Quarry - 6 ladies in photo 
    33 - 36 - Monteith's wood 
    37 - 41 - Girl's basketball team - 1903 (where?) 
    63 - A family in a gazebo 
    64 - Girl, with doll in crib 
    67 - Reception for Lord and Lady Minto, Stratford C.I. - 1903 
    84/85 - Male photo-club outing

Box B-178 - Album #3
    1 - Muskoka wharf 
    7 - Steamer "Medora" at dock, with train engine #810 alongside 
    10-12 - Canoe trippers 
    15 - Small canal lock (possibly at Port Carling) 
    16 - Lovely photo of "Medora" steaming on lake with flags flying

Box B-178 - Album #4
    5 - Christy's Lake, picnic group 
    7 - Christy's Lake, sandy beach 
    15 - Saw mill at Carleton Place 
    16 - Mississippi River at Carleton Place (looks like below the old Bates and Innis Bridge) 
    18 - Camp of tents on Mississippi Lake 
    19 - Ebbs Bay 
    20 - Tay River 
    21/22 - Otty Lake (from Farmer's and from Kenyon's) 
    24 - Otty Lake - Watt's shore 
    25/26 - Otty Lake - Watt's cottage 
    27 - Otty Lake - Ruby Island 
    28 - Otty Lake - Farmer's cottage and family 
    34 - Otty Lake - Mary Miller's 
    38 - Otty Lake - "Tommy" (young boy on a bike) 
    39 - "Dewey" pet dog sitting in a cane chair 
    40 - Farmyard shot of sheep, dated Jan 1, 1900 
    44 - Warehouses at Depot Harbour, near Parry Sound 
    47 - Hole in the Wall, near Parry Sound 
    48 - Grain elevator at Depot Harbour 
    49 - Parry Sound Lumber Co. sawmill 
    54 - A 3-storey hotel at Depot Harbour

           There is also a collection of fiche cards, with small positive film pieces which can be viewed. I was lucky enough to find one of special interest to me (Acc. 4915, S7447) dated 1909, Carleton Place. Although it was unidentified in their records, I recognized it to be the former high school on High Street, which was known as the Prince of Wales School when I attended Grades 3- 8 there between 1950 and 1955. It was torn down to make way for a seniors’ home.

           Also, I was visiting my aunt Marjorie (Gilmour) Coulter recently, and looking through some of my grandmother’s (Rose Gilmour) photo albums, when I saw some which my aunt said I could have. These are of some of her class-mates and teachers of the OLC (Ottawa Ladies College) which my grandmother attended in 1904 at age 23.

           If any of our members recognize the following names as relatives, and would like a copy of the photo, they can contact me at kegod@attglobal.net. All photos were originally taken by “Topley, Ottawa”. Teachers: Anna Ross – Principal; Mrs. MacFarlane – teacher; Miss Kier, Ottawa – stenography teacher; Students: Blanche Lindsay, Kars; Susie Sutherland, Lillie Lunam and her sister; Ethel V. Kerr, Montreal; Edna Guthrie; Sybil Hackett; Fern Kerr; Geraldine Craig/Gertrude Ferguson, Renfrew; Elsie Tye (later to be Mrs. Thomas); Elva Jardine.