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7 cash accounts be paig A. Cum. e finan. told the standing * totalleg per cent cted. The al grant . Cum dit would e feder it will be Thursday, March 2, 1950 THE OAKVILLE-TRAFALGAR JOURNAL ary play. our open. ice-Chair who pre. Chairman n't know dled it af He als) issell an work af ng cere a wide d sizes y assure saving have been, was probably not wrote it. But it was considered an apt The author of this flowery effusion, whoever, he ma; TURNING THE HANDS BACK ROUND FOR Glimpses of Lesteoprar By P. W. THOMPSON "The wandering mariner, whose eye explores The wealthiest isles, the. most enchanting shores, Views not aj realm so bountiful and fair, Nor breathes the spirit of a purer air." thinking of Oakville when he introduction to "Beautiful Oakville," an ambitious and profusely illustra- ted brochure which made its The odd copy of this now historic appearance back about 1897. production doubtless still survives among the keepsakes of some of the town's older families. Through the kindness of the family of the late Mr. and Mrs. Alfred Hillmer, privileged to borrow a copy of whose pages is preserved a the Journal has been "Beautiful Oakville," in wealth of information of the Oakville of an earlier, more leisurely age. Voluble Nineties The preamble to this' intriguing work is a choice specimen of the art of the publicity man of the nineties. It opens with the follow- ing paragraph: "Where the Six- teen Mile creek empties into Lake Ontario, forming an excel- lent harbor, and midway between Toronto and Hamilton, twenty miles from either of the two prin- cipal cities of the province, is situated this charming summer resort, the subject of our sketch." The reader is then informed that "Oakville is an incorporated town with a population of about three thousand, and noted for its many attractions." There follows a description of the harbor, which concludes thus: "On approaching. the harbor, the stranger is im- pressed with the beauty of the bright shingle beach backed up by. sloping green terraces, and above all can be seen what appears to ibe a forest of maples which line 0 the broad and well-kept streets i Berries Even Then Qakville in those days was widely known as a fruit-growing (centre. "It was in this district that the cultivation of straw- berries on a large scale was first Wintroduced into this province," Wwe read, "and to such proportions has this industry grown, that the annual ouptut is said to exceed three-quarters of a million quart baskets, and during the berry Wseason it is not unusual for as uch as three carloads to be Salad Days But if fruit growing was much ne 1268 to the fore in the Oakville of Wthose ' days, industry was very far from its present status. Oalcvilley being essentially a immer resort, manufacturing ot encouraged to the ex- Went that it is in less favored 'Mlocalities," reads the brochure. ere are, however several ex- ensive works conducted here, he tannery of Marlatt and strong, and the Oakville asket Factory each requiring Ehe services of a large number of en during the entire year. There also lumber: mills, planing Il and factory, two roller flour lls, the Star newspaper and inting house, carriage factory, d electric light plant." Not bad r a town that made no pretense being an industrial centre! "The streets are shaded by rows of maple trees, many of which were planted nearly half a century ago, by men to whose foresight. Oakville is indebted for. the reputation which it now enjoys of being one of the most beautiful and picturesque towns on the continent," glowingly con- cludes the section headed "The Town." Stress Scenery Under the heading Livery And Boating the * reader is advised that "Those desirious of visiting the many beautiful drives in the LE eu cree me Fashion's Finest They Walked Then vicinity will always find suitable carriages at moderate prices. Pleasure boats are also kept to rent, and a pleasant evening can be spent on the river or on the lake in one of the numerous small craft to be had for a trifle. The Steamer Greyhound makes three round trips daily during the en- tire summer season between Oak- ville and Toronto, and is a favor- ite with those who enjoy a trip by water." Not only the town, but also its surroundings, moved the author of "Beautiful Oakville" to an out- pouring of lush prose. "In addit- ion to the suburban residences of. retired business men and others, can be seen many magnificent farm houses, nestling cosily in pretty groves, which with well Vanished Calling The Anvil Rang Y | Forster. R. Balmer les F, Doty, deputy-reeve. Coun- cillors were W. H. Morden, D. Ford, George Hillmer, H. Shaw, G. H. Morden, E. Hillmer, James Hunter, James Ford and A. S. was town clerk, As far as we know Mr. Doty is the sole surviving mem- ber of that council of 53 years ago. Departed Buildings The hundred and one pictures which adorn the compact little booklet are of a nature to move many an old Oakvilleite to nos- talgic yearnings and reminiscen- ces. There is a sketch of Com- mins Music Hall, showing a building of florid, grotesque de- sign with bulbous pinnacles sug- gesting a Russian church. This popular centre of entertainment stood on the north-east corner of Colborne and Dundas streets during its brief four-year car- eer, which was terminated by fire, Views of Colborne Street show a wide dirt road flanked by buildings of which some are quite recognizable today. The only tra- fic consisted of one or two hdrse- drawn vehicles. At the north- west corner of Colborne and Dunn streets stood the Queen's Hotel, a two-storey frame building. An- other' of the town's "five good hotels" was. the Royal Exchange, a long, rambling structure which occupied the site of the present post office and the gasoline sta- tion next to it. Both these hos- telries vanished from the local scene long since. But another ho- tel pictured in the booklet is still with us--the Oakville House. It appears very much as it is now. The name of the proprietor of the day, Murray H_ Williams, is painted in large letters across the front of the structure, which, in- cidentally, was built in the year 1829. Two of Hillmer's horse- drawn buses are standing out- side the hotel. Among the business establish- ments shown are Robinson Bros., General Dry Goods, Ordered Clothing; W. H. Young's furni- ture store; the office of C. W. Anderson and Son,, Bankers; J. Barclay's General Store, estab- lished 1853; H. 'Wilson, Groceries and Provisions; Store of E. H. Gulledge, Boots and Shoes, Har- ness, Collars, Trunks, Whips; Store and Residence of Wm, Busby, Jeweler; Dr. J. Urqu- hart, Oakville . Medical Hall; John Kelley, Hardware; Oakville Bus and Livery Stables, Alf. and Geo. Hillmers, Props. Every one of these firms has vanished from the scene. Stiff Habiliments Many fine residences of the community's leading citizens grace the pages of "Beautiful Oakville." Nearly all of them have fancy names. There is "Glen Prosen," residence of Thos. Patterson, J. P.; "Cedarhurst," residence of Robt, Howes; "Lawn leigh," residence of Mus. Fors- ters; "Oaklands," residence of Mayor W. H. Young; '"Arch- lawn," residence of T. Foulds; and " 2 of C. For... * Cigarettes * Tobacco * Soft Drinks * Ice Cream * Magazines | * Hot Coffee | --Drop In At-- | Ed. Slater's kept lawns and beautiful flow- ers present ever-varying scenery that excites the admiration of thousands of visitors. The excel- lent farming lands in the vicinity are utilized in dairying, the pro- duction of fruits, grain and fat stock. Familiar Names The names of the members of the town council for 1897 are listed. W. H. Young was mayor, 38 Colborne St. W. Armstrong. All of these substan- tial houses are still here and very little changed, externally at least. There are more homes, toa, with equally pretentious names. Sitting and standing on lawns and verandas may be seen the proud owners and their families, clad in the stiff habiliments of those bygone days. Two events depicted are the steamer "Greyhound," landing an A. D. Chisholm, reeve, and Char- excursion party of holiday mak- (Continued on Page 12) Does Memory Go Back This Far? Only qualified individ- uals who have been certi- fied by the province work in our prescription depart- ment. These registered pharmacists have had long experience. They are on duty dur- ing our regular store hours and on call during the rest of the time to give you fast and efficient prescrip- tion service. MECHANICAL CRAFTSMEN OF ANOTHER ERA did not enjoy the working quarters their grandsons take for granted today, but they were Johnny-on-the-spot when it came to servicing a Model T. This is an early photo of the William Whitaker carriage works that became the modern garage of today, and as the ancient vehicle indicates, was even then in the early process of relegating the horse to pasture or the race track. DUNN'S DRUG STORE John R. Dunn, Phm. B: Phone 650 oe Geri aas Sih Sh i Th LGARRNY Su lis 4 IIE y : RN \ WN Wy ll Hull il Wm J 7) WW aw vy, Tn y Awe +. . Canadians, with the war of 1812 fresh in their minds, built a grim fortress on the. St. Lawrence, near Kingston. Its name: Fort Heary. Its avowed Purpose; to "keep out the Yankees." But never a shot was fired from Fort Henry. Its limestone walls crumbled into ruin s - . until a century later, when it was restored as an historic site where thousands of Yankees" are welcomed as friendly visitors, every year. Fort Henry is fort in name only because two great nations live side by side, in peace, in friendship, in mutual help. Can it be coincidence that both these nations are ruled by the will of the majority? Between nations where the people speak freely, peace will be maintained. So Fort Henry is an historic reminder that . . . When YOU cast your secret ballot at every election--municipal, provincial, federal--you exercise a duty and privilege planned, worked and fought Jor by your forefathers. Your vote Protects the future of your children. To fail in this duty is to be less than a good citizen. 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