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GC fri i rn a 125th ANNIVERSARY COMMEMORATIVE ISSUE PORT PERRY STAR - Tuesday, October 1, 1991 - § oF tip i HHH iii, Hi i HHH HITTIN HH HH He, HHT Hitt LT Train replaces daily stagecoach from Whitby Although the first railway locomotive ran in 1804 in Wales and the first rail passengers to pay, did so in 1807, also in Wales, it was not until 1835 that Canada's first railway line was constructed. By the 1850s, the commercial advantages of rail- ways were making an impact on Canada's economy. Toronto's railway lines in- cluding the Northern Railway link with Georgian Bay and the north had produced a significant increase in population, trade and employment. It was the construction of the transcontinental railway that had enticed British Colum- bie 0 join Confederation in Plans for Scugog Talk of a railway to link Lake Ontario with Lake Huron from Whitby through Scugog be- gan in the early 1850s. The first public meeting to discuss this proposition took place in Whitby in 1852. This first meeting and subsequent meetings were moti- vated by a desire to help Whitb torival Toronto in the trade wit the Georgian Bay, Lake Huron regions. W. S. SEXTON Building railways was an extremely expensive challenge. The real money makers in rail- ways were not the builders but the merchants at the ends of the railway lines. The municipal elections of 1854 focussed on the issue of the railway since the municipalities themselves would have to be largely responsible for the fi- nancing of the building of the railway. Although Ontario County representatives from Reach and Scugog voted for the purchase of shares in the capital stock of the Port Whitby, Lake Huron Rail- way Company, the representa- tives from Oshawa, Pickering, Brock, Scott and Uxbridge voted against it in November 1857. The Depression of 1867-68 put the issue of railway investment out of the question. In 1864 a new and less am- bitious scheme of linking Lake Scugog with Whitby seemed more realistic. The two prime promoters at the Port Whitby and Port Perry THOMAS PAXTON Railway Company were Chester Draper who owned Whitby Har- bour and Thomas Paxton who had extensive land holdings in Port Perry including a lumber mill. In the late 1860s Joseph Bigelow joined their ranks. His businesses included banking, a wide range of retail goods and lumber in Port Perry. Since 1852 a daily stage coach had travelled from Whitby to Scugog village (Port Perry}. In 1853 a second, rival stage coach operated the same route bring- ing mail, passengers and a limit- ed amount of goods to and from the growing community. The need to bring large quantities of Foods and produce quickly to and from distribution centres was essential to the sur- vival of those centres. Port Perry needed to move its lumber and grain. In 1867 the Port Hope and Lindsay Railway was so busy that its directors talked of link- ing Lindsay with Beaverton. To make matters worse, the Toron- to Nipissing Railway gained ap- proval and financing to estab- lish aline to Uxbridge in 1868. Whitby and Ontario County were being surrounded and cut off from trade to their northern communities. These events seemed to pro- vide the needed impetus for the PWPPR. In March 1868, the Ontario Legislature granted a charter to the Port Whitby and Port Perry Railway Company. The following directors were appointed: Chester Drap- er, Thomas Paxton, Joseph Bige- low, Charles Marsh, Edward Major, James Holden, A. Fare- well, W.S. Sexton, Dr. Foot, Dr. Gunn and Sheriff Reynolds. Big- elow was elected president. Financing the PWPPR The greatest challenge now lay ahead: financing the 18 mile railway. Estimated cost: $500,000. Bigelow, Paxton and Sexton each subscribed $10,000. The Corporation of Whitby gave $50,000, Reach Twp. $30,000, Please Turn to page 6 Ms 83 Li The famous "Nip and Tuck" in Port Perry after the Whitby, Port Perry and Lindsay Railway was purchased by the Grand Trunk Railway Co. The Port Perry Station before the turn of the century. It was located in what is now Palmer Park at Port Perry's wa- terfront. Its location can be judged by the present day mill in oo G. T. R. Station, Port Perry, Ont. the background. The main station building seen above was turned 90 degrees and pushed back to Water Street, now forming part of Ives Florist Shop. i Hc lotic ee ha 2 a A A AU i il iN JOM i os i