One of the joys of living in a home with some history under its belt is the occasional appearance of folks who have lived in the house at a point in the past. Over the years, we’ve had the privilege of meeting three of the previous owners, or at least members of their families — from Archie McRae and Rev. Kris Jensen to representatives of the Baxter clan. In hindsight, I should have been wearing a body cam to record their recollections as we explored the touchpoints of their youth. Otherwise it’s like pouring water into a leaky vessel.
One such memory was of a special apple tree that was no more. I can’t recall who told me about it, but on one such tour I was shown where once it had stood; there was even the remains of a gnarled stump with a tin patch. What stuck with me was the size of the fruit the tree allegedly bore: apples the size of grapefruit, large grapefruit. I assumed this was partially the product of childish exaggeration. Nevertheless, I felt a small pang of regret at never having seen its wonders as I passed by the stump on the way back to the pond.
So you can appreciate my surprise when, just a few weeks ago, loyal reader Ken McEwen wrote the following in one of the ‘memory dumps’ I am so lucky to receive from him about life in the Dunvegan region back in the 30s and 40s. “I’m back again. When the mind gets set on old stuff, memories keep coming back. Lots 33, 34, 36, and 37 or 38 of the 7th concession and Lot 34 in 8th concession all had big and mature apple orchards, with a wide variety of trees. Many of these varieties are not grown today, as… some of these old species were not long keepers. One I remember in Alex MacKinnon’s orchard was a Wolf River apple. Huge fruit; and of course the largest apple was unreachable, high on the treetop.”
And there it was. The tall tale of a tree with giant apples was rooted in fact and, thanks to Ken, I finally had the species’ name. It turns out the Wolf River variety has a well documented past. In the mid 1800’s, William Springer, a lumberman from Quebec, moved his family to the American mid-west. On the way, he purchased a bushel of Alexander apples, a similarly large-fruited species, and planted the seeds along the banks of the Wolf River on his new holding near Fremont, Wisconsin. In 1880, Springer demonstrated what he called his ‘monster apple’, a Wolf River that weighed 1.3 pounds.
While I have no aspirations to match Mr. Jensen’s feat of planting 150 fruit trees — only a few of which remain today — I would like to stick a couple of Wolf River seedlings in the ground as soon as I can. Whether Terry and I will ever get to sample the fruit from these new trees is anyone’s guess. But I’ll leave this story for future stewards of this corner of Dunvegan. Who knows, perhaps they’ll be able to confirm the boast of old-time proponents of the Wolf River variety: “one apple, one pie.”
Valley Towns: part 4
This marks the fourth and final instalment in the feature Fred Inglis wrote on Dunvegan as a part of his Valley Town series for Ottawa’s Evening Citizen in 1953. In reading the article, I learned that it was the late Sherrill Trottier’s sister, Shelia Kippen, who invited Fred to our hamlet. She was an ardent fan of the Valley Town series and thought Dunvegan should be included. Shelia and Sherrill lived with their mom and dad, Martin and Olive Ferguson in what was then a large general store and post office immediately to the east of Robert Campbell’s house. Apparently, soon after hitting town, Fred was treated to a tour of the sights in the Ferguson family’s “$10 Car.” Mr. Ferguson had won the new vehicle when the $10 ticket he’d purchased at the Maxville Fair was picked from the 400 that had been sold. As you read this concluding chapter on Fred’s 1953 visit to Dunvegan, try to see today’s commercially comatose hamlet as it once was.
“Every man who operates a seed-cleaning plant in Ontario knows John D. MacLeod of Dunvegan. He is considered one of the most outstanding weed and seed authorities in the province… From 1929 until 1934 he was district weed inspector for 22 counties east of Toronto… In 1927 Mr. MacLeod started out with a three-car demonstration train of seed cleaning-equipment and displays. For six years he toured the province, three months each spring. The purpose was to encourage the installation of seed cleaning plants in each center… Since all plants have to be licensed and inspected, this keeps Mr. MacLeod busy during the winter months, travelling an area from Belleville to Windsor. It takes him three years to cover it. In his ‘spare time,’ Mr. MacLeod works a modern farm on the south-west edge of the village and operates his own seed cleaning plant in Dunvegan…
It was D. K. MacLeod who kept the corner store here for 41 years until he died about 1934. ‘D. K.’ as he is still referred to, clerked for Alex MacRae in a store that stood between the corner and the Orange Hall until it burned down one day. Today the former store of D. K. MacLeod is operated by D. A. MacLeod who came here from Avonmore.
Dunvegan Post Office is located in the big general store of Martin Ferguson, a few doors east of the corner. Here too are three rural telephones, side by side. One connects with Lochiel, 12 miles east and two lines are of Roxboro Rural from Moose Creek…
A few generations ago, Dunvegan men wore suits made from cloth woven by John Dickson the weaver. He spun the yarn and made his own dye from such raw material as golden rod and butternut tree bark…
‘This was a busy place at one time,’ Reeve Donald Duncan MacKinnon told me. The sawmill, cheese factory, tinsmith, and blacksmith — they all brought a lot of business to the village. Only the cheese factory is left and it has suffered greatly from competition by the condensories.’
Pleasant, silvery haired Mrs. George Austin who had two sons .who served in the last war, still speaks Gaelic. ‘I never forgot it,’ she smiled. ‘It was a shame when they tore down the old log church.’
Donald Fletcher, 85-year-old retired stone mason and bricklayer is another who loves to speak Gaelic. With a sharp, clear memory he told me of the trades and industries here over 75 years ago. He played the violin in Duncan Fletcher’s orchestra — still plays and does a step dance for the boys…
William Blyth, farmer and former councillor, now in his 70s, told me how the earliest settlers went to Lancaster for their supplies. He recalled the flourmill and the ashery and many other things which lack of space prevents the telling here.
But most of all I remember Dunvegan as the friendly community where men, women and even children extend the hand in greeting, never let you out of their house without a temperate refreshment and bid you a sincere farewell. It’s an old saying here that: ‘You never go hungry in Dunvegan.’
Streamlining the GPM membership system
I just received notice that the Glengarry Pioneer Museum is implementing a new Membership and Event Management system. The goal is to streamline membership renewals and allow for online event ticketing. As an added bonus, the system promises to simplify online monetary donations and gift shop purchases. This is good news. Last year’s retirement of the volunteer who looked after this portfolio, plus Covid-19 restrictions, had a significant impact on membership sales and renewals.
I will go into more details about the new system next week, after I’ve had a chance to take it out for a “test drive.” In the meantime, please keep in mind that membership in the Glengarry Pioneer Museum is a win-win situation. A strong membership base demonstrates a community support and helps maintain the museum’s charitable status. As well, membership offers you a number of perks. I’ll expand on these benefits in next week’s column.
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