Richard and Susan Rideout and their children Mark and Angie enjoy living in their historic home once boarding house for the Smith and Baker Durham Lumber Company that operated steam History and scenery abound in tour of Lake ouchiching By BRIAN BAKER Examiner orresjmndent RILLIA tour around Lake ouchiching which in In dian means The Lake With Its Waters Squeezed ut we discovered that this lake is hard to beat when it comes to sheer prettincss and the historic gems that abound around its shoreline At Couchiching Park with its lovely trees view of the blue water and its colorful bands tand stands the magnificent statue of explorer Samuel dc Champlain atop lBtoii block of granite gazing out across the lake while at the base on one side is grouping of Huron Indians listening to the words of missionary and on the other side llurons bargaining with French trader It is described as one of the most impressive pieces of bronze statuary in anada IIMILIN HONORED historic plaque at the base reads 16151915 Erected to commemorate the event into Ontario of the white race under the leadership of Samuel de Champlain the intrepid French explorer and colonizer who with 13 companions arrived in these parts in the summer of 1615 and spent the following winter with the Indians making his headquarters at Cahiague the chief village of the Hurons which was near this place The symbol of good will between the French and English speaking people of Canada Heavy sixinch bore cannons point defensively out over the water They are imprinted with the Royal ER crown of England and marked 705 ARRM mvlltl Another story is told in the Surrender of Indian Lands pla que Ry treaties made in 1798 1815 and 1818 the Indian tribes surrendered the ancient coliti try of the lliirons north and west of Lake Simcoe From this area grants were made in fulfillment of the earlier pledges to children of Loyalists and to many retired officers and discharged soldiers Chiet William Yellowhead born about 1769 served with the British during the War of 1812 Named chief of the Deer Tribe of Ojibway in 1816 he settled with his band at the site of Orillia in 1830 in accordance with Lt Gov Colbornes plan for gathering nomanics onto reserves Pressure from white settlers forced the Indians to relinquish their land and Yellowheads band moved to Rama in 183839 It is believed that the Muskoka District which embraced his hunting grounds was named after this greatly respected chief Mus quakiet who died in 1864 and is buried in St James Anglican churchyard in Orillia TEACHING iIRl In gleaming white alabaster is the monument of woman comforting and teaching girl Entitled Soniebodys Mother it is dedicated In memory of my Mother Emily Begg by Ralph Begg It refers to her benevolent efforts to help those in need On Old Brewery Bay with its tranquil waters and surroun ding trees we visited the home of the late rollicking good natured Canadian humorist Stephen Leaco*ck It was in this multiroomed stuccoed man sion that Leaco*ck put Orillia on the world map with his Sun shine Sketches of Little Town Nonsense Novels Literary Lapses and many other writings We wandered around the gardens under arbors stood in the shade of the big leaved catalpa tree planted by Leaco*cks own hands stopped at the sundial he so lovingly made looked in on his writing room and smiled at the pail hanging under the leak in the roof which he explained away with When it is dry the leak in the roof does not need fixing and when it is raining it is too wet to fix it great view up along the lake is afforded from the Ttidhope Memorial Park ROSSESCIIANNEL The new Jake Gaudaur high At the Stephen Leaco*ck memorial home on Old Brewery Bay of Lake Couchiching guide Mary Bingham shows the sundial that the great Cana dian humorist built with his own hands level bridge crosses the historic channel between Lake Simcoe and Lake Couchiching known as The Narrows Here crossed one of the important routes bet ween Huronia and Eastern On tario From this bridge we look ed north up this section of the busy TrentSevern Waterway as pleasure boats of every size and description winded their way up through the islands like strings of highway traffic At the marina beside the nor thwest pier we read the Huron Fish Weirs plaque In the ad jacent Narrows joining Lakes Simcoe and Couchiching are the remains of Indian fish Weirs They were noted by Samuel de Champlain when he passed here on Sept 1615 with know your school board Education key to helping native people By educating their children the lives of Canadas native peoples will be improved says Fred Jackson the county school board trustee for the Chris tian Island and Rama reserves But he says along with the new ways the reserves must also pay homage to the old ways The only way reserves can raise their standards of living is by having the native children going to outside schools and getting formal educat ion Jackson told The Examiner during recent iii eiv ew Traditionally society has used Indians in lltlllsktllttl jobs but change is taking hold and reserves now have skilled native people to utilize Jackson said IEDERAI FlNDS Thirteen Christian Island residents are enrolled at postsecondary institutions under federally funded pro gram administered by the band council he said We area minority and we realize that we have to move ahead in order to get by The two reserves have combined population of 1200 Illementary school aged children attend schools on the reserve while high school students attend Simcoe County Board of Education schools at Midland and Penetanguishene Both programs are funded by Ottawa The cuiiiciiluiii used in the reserve schools is based on that used by the county board and continuity is guaranteed Jackson said Our schools FRED Jl must nioye ahead Huron war party enroute to attack the Iroquois south of Lake Ontario The weirs con sisted of large numbers of stakes driven into the bottom of the narrows with openings at which nets were placed to catch fish These Weirs claies caus ed Lake Simcoe to be named Lac Aux Claies during the French Regime Their remains were noted by archeologists as early as 1887 and their location was partially charted in 1855 At the intersection of County Roads 44 and 15 north of Atherlcy is plaque on huge granite boulder com memorating the completion of the Moan Road in 1873 bet ween the Lake Couehiching link with the Upper Great Lakes are feeder schools countyssystem to the He said the native people took the chance when it was offered several years ago to join the board in an effort to advance the process of in tegrating the Indian children into the society that sur rounds them Its good to know the road has been open to us to ex press concerns the board has been very helpful TERM EXPIRES Jacksons term as trustee expires near Christmas hen representative from Rania will take his place The reserves divide the two year term between them to allow for equal access Many motions and issues dealt with by the board dont lumber tramway between Lake St John and Lake Couchiching as early as l868 Photos by Brian and Ottawa via Bancroft It was opened up as military and colonization road MODERN HOMES At the interesting Ojibway village of Rama we noted the Indian council house communi ty hall United Church quite modern homes all part of the Indian reservation plaque notes that Chief Yellowhead moved his Ojibway band to this site in 183839 where the band purchased 1600 acres of land after having been forced off more suitable land west of Lake Couchiching by landhungry whites It was story that oc curred all over the country From Mrs Grace Cote and her daughter Cindy we pur chased some colorful Indian beadwork hand crafted by them including necklaces and bead choker in leather and blue and white beads lettered by coincidence MARG first letters of my wifes name Opposite Lake St John Jim and Susan Rideout showed us their home the Portage House built in 1868 by timber mer chants Smith and Durham as boarding house for 40 lumbermen Dents from their hobnailed boots can still be seen in the floor boards at one place upstairs The Rideouts still use the original cookstovc with copper sidetanks to partially heat their home In the lumbering days an unusual steampowered cable and grapple tramway was used to haul logs from the Black River and Lake St John Sin jun over the Lake Couchiching We found Washago extremely pretty with its deep rocky rivers at the southern edge of the Canadian Shield granite rock secluded village streets and old mill sites and chann ing little Anglican Church Located on bay at the head of Lake Couchiching is the Township of Orillia Centennial Park with its stone gatehouse warm sandy beaches secluded bays shallows and little islands relate to us he said And theproblems faced by the native people are different in many instances from those facing society at large High on the list is the desire to maintain link with the past and promote both the heritage and use of the peoples traditional language Ojibway Lack of funds however limits the reserves ability to develop cultural and linguistic programs As result the children have limited understanding of their background Jackson said It is very important to us to maintain our language and culture This is the final instalment in the series of 11 Know Your School Board IIllllll Simcoe county the examiner Tuesday Oct 30 1979 Strong 4H turnout expected for Queen Guinea competition By RICHARD THOMAS Of The Examiner With just over week left un til the opening of the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair in Toronto farmers in Simcoe County may be preparing their entries but it is still difficult to estimate what kind of represen tation will be made from the county say Ontario Agriculture Ministry officials here Because entries are made on an individual basis you dont know who will enter until you see them there says Keith McRuer agricultural represen tative with the ministrys Alliston office However there has been good turnout from the countys 4H clubs for the Queens Guineas Competition held on Nov the fairs opening day says McRuer There have been 29 entries from 4H clubs in South Simcoe alone he says and these clubs have previously taken their share of prizes over the years for breed sections even though they have never won the Queens Guineas FIRST PRIZE The competiton specifically designed for 4H clubs offers first prize of 59 guineas receiv ed from the Queen tradition handed down since the early days of the fair There are six more nomina tions for the competition from Simcoe North says Steve Dolson assistant agricultural representative with the ministrys Elmvale office who adds the number is down from last year This is only about half what we sent last year he says Dolson says it is hard to pin point the reason for the low number but partly attributesit to an increase in the number of heifers raised by 4H club members this year The Queens Guineas is open to beef steers only from the traditonal breeds such as Aber deen Angus Herefords Shor thorns Charolais Simmental Limousin and some crossbreeds made up of these To qualify the animals must be certain weight on the date of the show says Dolson in other words they must be at optimum shape or ready for market Total entries from 25 counties in the Queens Guineas stand at 410 down from last years record of 465 and with 35 nominees Simcoe County is well represented says Clive Tisdale public relations direc tor forthe fair It is almost 10 per cent of the provincial total with is pretty good for one county but Simcoe County has always been well represented in the Queens Guineas ALSO REPRESENTED The county will also be represented by its young Ken Braden last year reserve grand champion winner will also be back again to try for the top prize this year Now in its Slst year the fair sometimes called the world series of North American fall and winter festivals will run from Nov to Nov 17 in the coliseum of Torontos Exhibi tion Place This year according to the ministry of industry and tourism The Royal as it is popularly known is expected to attract about 20000 entries of endless varietv from steers to farmers in the Seventh Junior Barrow Show starting Nov Five contestants three from South Simcoe and two from North Simcoe will be among the total of 35 exhibiting more than 130 pigs in the competi tion Mary Lynn Gallaugher of Alliston will be one of the South Simcoe entrants trying to follow in the footstepsof her brother Brian who was last years grand champion winner saysTisdale Another Alliston resident tropical fish by thousands of ex hibitors from all parts of Canada the United States and several foreign countries WELCOMED VISITORS And last year The Royal welcomed visitors from 45 countries as well as 38 states of the US according to registra tions made at the Guest of Canada booth Its Royal Horse Show highlight has become major sporting event for 50 years acclaimed throughout the world attracting the leading international riders jumpers hunters hackneys palominos and draft horses competing for Canadas top awards The Royals traditional pageantry and opulence make it one of the most elegant events on the Canadian social calendar says one spokesman for the ministry but its still basically farm show Under one roof are 27 acres of champions demonstrating to the nation where its food originates and how it is produc ed Discussions with Snow raise hope for paving Oro sideroad Following meeting with Minister of Transportation and Communications James Snow Oro Township council is optimistic the MIC will pave an 11mile strip of the townships 1516 sideroad Reeve Howard Campbell says Reeve Campbell said council had met with the ministery late last month and had been given every encouragement that the ministry will consider the project However the minister advis ed council the project could not be done in one year but would have to be spread out over couple of years Reeve Camp bell said which would suit us Council also asked the minister for another flyover on Highway 11 at Concession and there is hope he will give it good consideration Reeve Campbell said We told him we would be back next year if he didnt Reeve Campbell said council its ak has been yelling for this since 1977 when the ministry started construction of series of flyover along Highway in the township NO FLYOVERS There are currently no flyovers between Concessions and 11 distance of about four miles This lack of flyover has created problem for township residents who live both north and south of the highway bet ween the two concessions and who must drive to either one or the other to have access to the highway in both directions Reeve Campbell said If they use one of the conces sions in between as access to the highway they are forced to go in one direction only because barrier dividing the highway prevents them from crossing and turning he said As result of the barrier and the lack of flyover much of the normal traffic on Highway 11 including trucks and service vehicles is using the 1516 22 st sideroad as an alternative because it runs parallel to the highway They are using the sideroad as the service road which the MTC did not put in Reeve Campbell said Several residents who live near the sideroad have com plained to council about the amount of dust created by the additional traffic and described it as safety health and agricultural hazard COMPENSATION Paving the sideroad would act as some compensation for the inconvenience they said Council has asked the ministry to undertake the pav ing as special project and pay 100 per cent of the cost which one councillor estimated would be close to $500000 Reeve Campbell said council was hoping for something on it next year but did not know what percentage of the cost the ministry would pay Cattle teedlots in Canada have been struggling with high costs and low returns this year and some industry spokesmen believe the situation could lead to higher beet prices or even shortages in the months ahead CP Laserphoto Landmark proposal submitted The Simcoe Metis and Non status Indian Association has come up with proposal for the Orillia and District Chamber of Commerce that outlines the first steps towards having site believed to have been the harm Indian capital developed as an historic landmark Jim Hoffman vicepresident of the association says the pro posal which contains recom mendation for feasibility study of the site known as Cahiague has already been submitted to the chamber The association along with representatives of the Simcoe Chapter of the Ontario Arv cheological Society had already met with chamber of ficials late in September to discuss the future of the site located near Warminister about 11 km west of Orillia but both groups had been told to submit written proposals for the sites development and how it would be financed II APPROVED Hoffman says if the chamber approves the feasibility study would be carried out this winter to find out what has been done so far and what can be done The study would include estimates of the cost of develop ment the development of site plan as well as tourist impact survey of the area he says The actual format of the development Hoffman says will depend on the results of the study Hoffmans wife Betty presi dent of the association told The Examiner earlier she would like to see the site developed along the lines of original reconstruction similar to SainteMarie among the Ilurons near Midland Chamber of commerce man ager Clare Shaver however has already said such plan would be too ambitious and Hot fman agrees The Chambers involvciiiciii in the site stems from its pur chase in 1953 of about seven acres of the land The province owns the remainder of about 60 acres The chamber has previously considered handing its portion over to the province on the understanding that the site would be developed as tourist attraction but the association is hoping it will hand the land over to the Indians instead because it doesnt believe the province will act quickly on any development of the site Hoffman says federal funding is available right now to get started on the project He says the money would come through Employment and Immigration Canada from $19 million Canada Works fund set aside for native groups in Ontario The likelihood of getting the funds looks very favorable he says and although the association has discussed several projects with employ ment officials the Cahiague development was given top priority They say it is worthwhile prOJect he adds but we have to wait and see if we get the site from the chamber The association sent follow up letter to the chamber asking it to make decision by last Friday but Shaver says there is no way the Chambers directors will rush into yes or nodecision Besides Shaver says the chamber has promised to make no decision until it has also received proposal from the members of the archeological spcwty and is still awaiting is know your county rn Dorothy Fitzsimmons of Churchill correctly iden tified last weeks entry as the Churchill United Church and wins two free steaks courtesy of and Super Discount stores in Barrie Alliston or Angus It you know the answer to this weeks contest send your name address and phone number to Know Your Contest The Ex aminer Box 370 Barrie L4M 4T6 Winners are notified by mail AAWA
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