Canadian History
- Food Prices, Have They Changed!
- Battle of the Atlantic, 65yrs ago
- History of Canada, Fact by Fact
- A Buttery Yellow Margarine
- Book was Waiting for Right Person
- Train Station Disintegrating
- End of Canadian Tire Catalogue
- Coffee for Me, Please
- St. Patrick's Day in Canada
- Resilience of Family Immigrants
Food Prices, Have They Changed!
Posted by
Susanna McLeod
Susanna McLeod
The cost of food in the supermarkets is about to rise for many reasons – shortages, differences in usage, population growth. Let's have a llook at prices a century ago.
A hundred years ago, the governments of Canada and the United States made a reciprocity agreement, with natural goods, such as grain, vegetables and fruits having no tariffs, and canned items and flour having a very low rate of duty. Using the 1908 Sears Roebuck Catalogue, let’s have a look at prices. (You’ll have to compare them to your own store flyers for local prices.) It might be surprising.
(Not all listings in the catalogue contained sizes, unfortunately.)
And most interesting, the average wage for men in 1908 was about $400 per year.
Those great prices don’t look quite so cheap from that view, do they?
(Not all listings in the catalogue contained sizes, unfortunately.)
- Princess Pineapple, 3 cans for 63 cents
- Choice Red Alaska Salmon, 6 cans for 79 cents
- Iris Brand Ground Black Pepper, 1-pound tin for 25 cents
- Thompson Seedless Raisins, 5-pound package for 44 cents
- Matoma Brand Rice, 10-pound sack for 65 cents
- Sugar Corn, 6 cans for 41 cents
- Iris Brand Baking Powder, 1-pound can for 35 cents
- Malden Blend Coffee, 5-pound canister for 95 cents
- Apalda Brand Tea, 1-pound canister for 30 cents
And most interesting, the average wage for men in 1908 was about $400 per year.
Those great prices don’t look quite so cheap from that view, do they?
Battle of the Atlantic, 65yrs ago
Posted by
Susanna McLeod
Susanna McLeod
From September 1939 to May 1943, the Canadians fought for the freedom of the seas from German control. The longest-running battle was a turning point in the War
This weekend, ceremonies were held across Canada to mark the end of the Battle of the Atlantic, 65 years ago. Fought in the waters of the Atlantic Ocean, the battle began with the attack of a German U-boat on a ship bound for Montreal off the coast of Ireland on September 3, 1939. The ship sank. It was the rare happening of an attack on Canada.
The Canadian Navy underwent changes during the Battle of the Atlantic, from a very small fleet of ships to third largest navy in the world. The Corvette ship became renowned as a quick ship, fast and cheap to build, and successful in skirmishes with U-boats until the heavier frigates could arrive.
By April, the Canadians got the upper hand over the brutal enemy, becoming hunters of the submarines and sinking those underwater vessels that spelled certain death for other ships in the vicinity. The Germans surrendered water supremacy, but not the war, on May 8, 1943.
We are proud of, and awed by, the Canadian seamen who tackled the enemy lurking beneath the Atlantic waters, month after dreadful month, year after year, and didn’t let go. They were defending the right of access to the seas while suffering miserable seasickness, vicious storms, injury, loss of lives and ships in battle. And most of the seamen were young, according to The Torch: Battle of Atlantic, aged 17 to 26. Most who survived the battle have now passed away.
Imagine how the world would have changed without them.
The Canadian Navy underwent changes during the Battle of the Atlantic, from a very small fleet of ships to third largest navy in the world. The Corvette ship became renowned as a quick ship, fast and cheap to build, and successful in skirmishes with U-boats until the heavier frigates could arrive.
By April, the Canadians got the upper hand over the brutal enemy, becoming hunters of the submarines and sinking those underwater vessels that spelled certain death for other ships in the vicinity. The Germans surrendered water supremacy, but not the war, on May 8, 1943.
We are proud of, and awed by, the Canadian seamen who tackled the enemy lurking beneath the Atlantic waters, month after dreadful month, year after year, and didn’t let go. They were defending the right of access to the seas while suffering miserable seasickness, vicious storms, injury, loss of lives and ships in battle. And most of the seamen were young, according to The Torch: Battle of Atlantic, aged 17 to 26. Most who survived the battle have now passed away.
Imagine how the world would have changed without them.
History of Canada, Fact by Fact
Posted by
Susanna McLeod
Susanna McLeod
Detailing Canadian history, date by date, ‘Canadian Facts and Dates’ presents the country’s spirit and transformation year over year in appealing form.
Browsing the library book shelves to find inspiring books on Canada’s history, I spotted an old copy of Fitzhenry and Whiteside Book of Canadian Facts and Dates. A small, older volume with a white cover, inside was a truckload of information on Canada. It was the perfect place for a history buff to find ideas and begin nosing around for the true story. I was so thrilled with the discovery of this book that I immediately ordered my own new copy.
The latest version of Canadian Facts and Dates is much larger than the first publication. Edited by Richard W. Pound, it was published in 2005 by Fitzhenry and Whiteside, and is rich in detail. Before the book jumps into Canadian history, the first couple of pages covers the “Beginning of a Planet” then moves into a short examination of native peoples of the continent from as far back as 11,000. Their movements across the land are traced, along with visits by the Norse, settling in the Maritimes. It’s fascinating stuff.
Thumbing through, almost every page has an interesting tidbit. For example, in June of 1720, the pirate Black Bart sailed into the port at Trepassey, Newfoundland with the Jolly Roger flag flying high. In May 1803, slavery was declared “inconsistent with Canadian laws” and the “3” by 1” rubber disc” was “the official puck” of the Amateur Hockey Association, instead of the usual wooden puck. (Ouch!) Canada Post honoured the Chinese Year of the Ox in February 1997 with a 45 cent stamp.
Pioneers, political events, musicians, artists, scientific innovations, business growth and failure, winners and losers, it is in the Fitzhenry and Whiteside Book of Canadian Facts and Dates. The book is a satisfying link to our past and a treasure trove of great information.
The latest version of Canadian Facts and Dates is much larger than the first publication. Edited by Richard W. Pound, it was published in 2005 by Fitzhenry and Whiteside, and is rich in detail. Before the book jumps into Canadian history, the first couple of pages covers the “Beginning of a Planet” then moves into a short examination of native peoples of the continent from as far back as 11,000. Their movements across the land are traced, along with visits by the Norse, settling in the Maritimes. It’s fascinating stuff.
Thumbing through, almost every page has an interesting tidbit. For example, in June of 1720, the pirate Black Bart sailed into the port at Trepassey, Newfoundland with the Jolly Roger flag flying high. In May 1803, slavery was declared “inconsistent with Canadian laws” and the “3” by 1” rubber disc” was “the official puck” of the Amateur Hockey Association, instead of the usual wooden puck. (Ouch!) Canada Post honoured the Chinese Year of the Ox in February 1997 with a 45 cent stamp.
Pioneers, political events, musicians, artists, scientific innovations, business growth and failure, winners and losers, it is in the Fitzhenry and Whiteside Book of Canadian Facts and Dates. The book is a satisfying link to our past and a treasure trove of great information.
Posted by
Susanna McLeod
Susanna McLeod
In the 1960s, margarine was sold as a white product, looking much like shortening. The package also contained a packet of colouring to be blended ourselves.
Butter was not a particularly affordable luxury when I was a little girl, about age 6 or 7 in the mid-1960s. It still is classed as an extravagance to use for baking delicious chocolate chip cookies in my home. Mainly, we purchase margarine as the “butter” to add flavour to warm toast, fresh buns, a heap of mashed potatoes or anything that needs it. With the new blends, it is very near to the taste of real butter and still costs less.
Though margarine was legalized in 1948 after its banning in 1886, there was still a provincial ban on colouring the food product in Ontario in the 1960s. I remember my mother bringing out a large bowl and filling it with the white margarine. She opened a packet of colouring – I think it was a liquid, but I’m a bit fuzzy on that – and then with a wooden spoon, pressing and mixing the reddish-orange colouring into the margarine. It wasn’t an easy task. The spread was stiff and since it was a vegetable oil, it was difficult to get it to accept the colour. Poking at it myself, I gave up in short order.
The competitive dairy farmers of the time would have been very happy. There was no fear of confusing butter with the spread. At the end of all that mixing, the margarine was definitely not a light butter colour at all; it was more of a bright, sunshine-yellow shade.
Though margarine was legalized in 1948 after its banning in 1886, there was still a provincial ban on colouring the food product in Ontario in the 1960s. I remember my mother bringing out a large bowl and filling it with the white margarine. She opened a packet of colouring – I think it was a liquid, but I’m a bit fuzzy on that – and then with a wooden spoon, pressing and mixing the reddish-orange colouring into the margarine. It wasn’t an easy task. The spread was stiff and since it was a vegetable oil, it was difficult to get it to accept the colour. Poking at it myself, I gave up in short order.
The competitive dairy farmers of the time would have been very happy. There was no fear of confusing butter with the spread. At the end of all that mixing, the margarine was definitely not a light butter colour at all; it was more of a bright, sunshine-yellow shade.
Book was Waiting for Right Person
Posted by
Susanna McLeod
Susanna McLeod
Often quoted, a local history book was difficult to find anywhere but the library. Then, browsing through an antiques furniture store, I spotted a treasure.
Though a history buff, I don’t browse through antiques stores very often. It’s not that I don’t like the beautiful old pieces of furniture; it’s just that I don’t want to fill my home up with stuff. I’m not a shopper until, ahem… it comes to books.
Unable to find my own copy of a particular history book that I used for background material to write several local articles, I would trudge to the library to find information and note down page numbers. I couldn’t even take it out of the library; the book was in the reference section only. “Buckskin to Broadloom: Kingston Grows Up” is a collection of newspaper articles by historian author Alvin Armstrong, spanning from 1673 to 1973. It is a fascinating glimpse of how the area evolved, and I could not take it home. Sigh.
But then a downtown antiques store caught my eye. It had the most lovely old bureau in the window, of dark polished wood with big fancy drawer handles. It was a beauty. After full examination and admiration, I took a glimpse at the small selection of used books. The “Buckskin to Broadloom” book almost leapt into my hands from its place on the shelf. Dust cover fully intact, pages barely thumbed, I picked it up and hugged it tight. I took my treasure home for the grand price of $10. It’s like the book was just waiting for me. Providence or chance, I’m tickled to have it.
The library is still one of my favourite places, of course. Since there are a few other reference books that captivate my attention, perhaps I need another trip to the antiques store. Just in case.
Unable to find my own copy of a particular history book that I used for background material to write several local articles, I would trudge to the library to find information and note down page numbers. I couldn’t even take it out of the library; the book was in the reference section only. “Buckskin to Broadloom: Kingston Grows Up” is a collection of newspaper articles by historian author Alvin Armstrong, spanning from 1673 to 1973. It is a fascinating glimpse of how the area evolved, and I could not take it home. Sigh.
But then a downtown antiques store caught my eye. It had the most lovely old bureau in the window, of dark polished wood with big fancy drawer handles. It was a beauty. After full examination and admiration, I took a glimpse at the small selection of used books. The “Buckskin to Broadloom” book almost leapt into my hands from its place on the shelf. Dust cover fully intact, pages barely thumbed, I picked it up and hugged it tight. I took my treasure home for the grand price of $10. It’s like the book was just waiting for me. Providence or chance, I’m tickled to have it.
The library is still one of my favourite places, of course. Since there are a few other reference books that captivate my attention, perhaps I need another trip to the antiques store. Just in case.
Posted by
Susanna McLeod
Susanna McLeod
Abandoned for decades, the old train station is crumbling from weather, fire and age. It is sad to see a once-stately limestone buildng deteriorate from disuse
The train station sits with huge blue tarps hanging at odd angles, flapping and snapping in the wind. Fire damage has caused the roof to cave in here and there, and shattered windows with rotting frames exude a sorrowful loneliness from the deserted building. It used to be an elegant two-storey limestone structure featuring large arched windows with crisp, white frames, set off by a black roof. Lower ancillary buildings are still attached but not in much better shape.
Once a bustling, busy train station built in 1860 for the rail line through Kingston, the limestone building was replaced decades ago by the new modern train station on the other side of town. The lower buildings of the old station were used for several years as a Pig and Whistle Restaurant, but the good times did not last. The restaurant closed and the building sat empty, a temptation to damaging interlopers, the eroding weather and the march of time.
There have been recent rumours of a sale by the owner, CN. Costing more than $1.5 million to fix up the train station, it seems the company prefers to put the task in fresh hands. Apparently, a recent newspaper article stated, the building’s heritage designation and red tape has prevented CN from even putting on a new roof to prevent further decay. That’s pretty sad, since this beautiful, unusual piece of history is collapsing before our eyes.
Let’s hope the new owners will have more success with restoration of the 148-year-old train station, before it is too late to bring a spark of life back to the darkened windows.
Once a bustling, busy train station built in 1860 for the rail line through Kingston, the limestone building was replaced decades ago by the new modern train station on the other side of town. The lower buildings of the old station were used for several years as a Pig and Whistle Restaurant, but the good times did not last. The restaurant closed and the building sat empty, a temptation to damaging interlopers, the eroding weather and the march of time.
There have been recent rumours of a sale by the owner, CN. Costing more than $1.5 million to fix up the train station, it seems the company prefers to put the task in fresh hands. Apparently, a recent newspaper article stated, the building’s heritage designation and red tape has prevented CN from even putting on a new roof to prevent further decay. That’s pretty sad, since this beautiful, unusual piece of history is collapsing before our eyes.
Let’s hope the new owners will have more success with restoration of the 148-year-old train station, before it is too late to bring a spark of life back to the darkened windows.
End of Canadian Tire Catalogue
Posted by
Susanna McLeod
Susanna McLeod
While it makes environmental sense to not print the Canadian Tire Catalogue any more, it is also a loss. Not everyone prefers to look items up on the Web.
Sometimes I just don’t want to look at a computer screen. Sometimes I just like to sit outside with a catalogue that I can hold in my hands, turning the pages one by one and holding it up close to get a better look if need be. Sure, I could take a laptop for the same purpose, but the whole event just is not the same. And I can’t fold over the screen to mark the spot and take it to the store with me to find the items I’m looking for. Such is the loss of the glossy Canadian Tire Catalogue. Just announced this week, the catalogue published for nearly 80 years has gone the way of the wind to save costs on printing copies for 9 million households.
Canadian Tire began publishing a catalogue in 1928 to sell automotive supplies to distant customers. It was a superior idea for the times. The Billes brothers John and Alfred, owners of the young Canadian Tire store in Toronto, were considered early leaders in the mail-order industry. Their catalogue of auto merchandise was a big success and sales grew year after year.
I understand the environmental and transportation concerns of manufacturing and distributing catalogues to every household. Not everyone wants to shop by the Internet. Sometimes doing something without electricity use is good, too. How about getting a list of customers who really want the Canadian Tire Catalogue? Or have a certain supply of catalogues in-store that could be picked up? These methods would save money and forests, and yet still satisfy the needs of customers. Well, at least I still have last year’s catalogue to browse through. It looks like I should start treating it like the rarity it’s about to become.
Canadian Tire began publishing a catalogue in 1928 to sell automotive supplies to distant customers. It was a superior idea for the times. The Billes brothers John and Alfred, owners of the young Canadian Tire store in Toronto, were considered early leaders in the mail-order industry. Their catalogue of auto merchandise was a big success and sales grew year after year.
I understand the environmental and transportation concerns of manufacturing and distributing catalogues to every household. Not everyone wants to shop by the Internet. Sometimes doing something without electricity use is good, too. How about getting a list of customers who really want the Canadian Tire Catalogue? Or have a certain supply of catalogues in-store that could be picked up? These methods would save money and forests, and yet still satisfy the needs of customers. Well, at least I still have last year’s catalogue to browse through. It looks like I should start treating it like the rarity it’s about to become.
Posted by
Susanna McLeod
Susanna McLeod
Coffee shops in Canada are the place to be, with what seems like one on nearly every busy corner. And the best part is, they were “Made in Canada”.
Let’s not be shy about it here – I enjoy a good cup of coffee or a nice cuppa tea several times a day. One day the news is good about the beverages –health benefits, protection against disease. The next day, the news could be the opposite – damaging to health, causing disease of organs. Let’s just have our favourite coffees or teas in moderation and not worry about such things. Life is much too short and much too long to deprive ourselves of good things, don’t you think?
The great thing about our local coffee and tea establishments is that they were made in Canada. The Tim Hortons franchise began operation in Hamilton, Ontario in 1964, when hockey player Tim Horton needed an off-season way to make income. Three years and three restaurants later, he partnered with former police officer Ron Joyce. Horton died in a car accident in 1974, but under the guidance of Joyce, the chain has grown phenomenally across Canada and slowly making headway into the US. The coffee is delicious, the sandwiches and doughnuts scrumptious and the restaurants are clean and inviting. Plus there are several of them in walking distance!
The Second Cup started business as a kiosk in a mall, selling only coffee in 1975. There are now at least 360 Second Cup shops in Canada, offering the tastiest coffees, a wide assortment of tantalizing teas, and comfortable places to enjoy them. The café in our downtown has a delightful music theme painted on the walls. Just sticking one’s nose in the door is a sensory treat – inhaling the brewing coffees and teas pulls me right in the door.
Though their corporate ownerships may change from time to time, these coffee shops will always have a Canadian-made flavour to me.
The great thing about our local coffee and tea establishments is that they were made in Canada. The Tim Hortons franchise began operation in Hamilton, Ontario in 1964, when hockey player Tim Horton needed an off-season way to make income. Three years and three restaurants later, he partnered with former police officer Ron Joyce. Horton died in a car accident in 1974, but under the guidance of Joyce, the chain has grown phenomenally across Canada and slowly making headway into the US. The coffee is delicious, the sandwiches and doughnuts scrumptious and the restaurants are clean and inviting. Plus there are several of them in walking distance!
The Second Cup started business as a kiosk in a mall, selling only coffee in 1975. There are now at least 360 Second Cup shops in Canada, offering the tastiest coffees, a wide assortment of tantalizing teas, and comfortable places to enjoy them. The café in our downtown has a delightful music theme painted on the walls. Just sticking one’s nose in the door is a sensory treat – inhaling the brewing coffees and teas pulls me right in the door.
Though their corporate ownerships may change from time to time, these coffee shops will always have a Canadian-made flavour to me.
Posted by
Susanna McLeod
Susanna McLeod
St. Patrick’s Day has become nearly a national event, with more than the Irish celebrating on March 17th. Perhaps it's a remembrance of survivors of Potato Famine, too.
With a large Irish population across the country, St. Patrick’s Day festivities are almost a national pastime in Canada. And more people, with tongue in cheek, claim “Irish” heritage on March 17th, just to join in on the fun. It has become a day of joyous revelry and high spirits for all.
Celebrated as early as 1759 as a Catholic holiday by Irish soldiers stationed in a Montreal garrison, the St. Patrick’s Day parade has been a staple in Quebec since 1824, according to Answers.com. The day is recognized as an official provincial holiday in Newfoundland and Labrador, and is celebrated informally but with zest almost everywhere else.
A large influx of Irish citizens immigrated to Canada during the overwhelming Potato Famine of the mid-1800s. Potatoes were the largest part of the Irish food supply at the time, but the plant disease of blight completely wiped out the crops, leaving little for the Irish people to eat. Many starved to death while others boarded ships to new lands. Sadly, a large number of those taking flight from starvation were struck with typhus, cholera and dysentery on the ships. Of 100,000 that left Ireland in 1847, 37,000 died either onboard or just after reaching Canada, said Genealogical Gleanings. Celtic Crosses mark gravesites and historic areas in respect of the tragedies.
Perhaps St. Patrick’s Day in Canada is more than the festival of a significant saint. Maybe it is also a celebration of the life and strength of a people who survived one of the most devastating eras in Irish history. Don your green sweater, pin on your shamrock and raise your glass of green beer in their honour. Cheers!
Read about the history of St. Patrick’s Day.
Celebrated as early as 1759 as a Catholic holiday by Irish soldiers stationed in a Montreal garrison, the St. Patrick’s Day parade has been a staple in Quebec since 1824, according to Answers.com. The day is recognized as an official provincial holiday in Newfoundland and Labrador, and is celebrated informally but with zest almost everywhere else.
A large influx of Irish citizens immigrated to Canada during the overwhelming Potato Famine of the mid-1800s. Potatoes were the largest part of the Irish food supply at the time, but the plant disease of blight completely wiped out the crops, leaving little for the Irish people to eat. Many starved to death while others boarded ships to new lands. Sadly, a large number of those taking flight from starvation were struck with typhus, cholera and dysentery on the ships. Of 100,000 that left Ireland in 1847, 37,000 died either onboard or just after reaching Canada, said Genealogical Gleanings. Celtic Crosses mark gravesites and historic areas in respect of the tragedies.
Perhaps St. Patrick’s Day in Canada is more than the festival of a significant saint. Maybe it is also a celebration of the life and strength of a people who survived one of the most devastating eras in Irish history. Don your green sweater, pin on your shamrock and raise your glass of green beer in their honour. Cheers!
Read about the history of St. Patrick’s Day.
Resilience of Family Immigrants
Posted by
Susanna McLeod
Susanna McLeod
Among many miseries of the New World, the long months of winter must have been a tremendous strain. I’m awed by the strength of their spirit and determination to succeed
As I sit here in my home office, listening to the freezing rain batter against the window, my mind wanders to newly-uncovered family history. Imagine stepping off the grimy ship that has just crossed the churning ocean and sailed up the St. Lawrence River. Your foot springs onto the terrain of the New World in summer or fall. Canada was a strikingly beautiful, raw land. Trees and rocks and rivers were a pleasant change from the dusty, mucky streets of Europe, England and France. The air of this new territory smelled, well… fresh.
The temperatures may have been slowly cooling, but an extra wrap would do for warmth. Then winter arrives, with freezing ice pellets dashing against tender skin, coats that permitted vicious winds to bite through to the soul and footwear that soaked up the moisture from deep snow or puddles from rain. Woodstoves may have kept part of the single-room house warm, but the chill and dampness that blew in through the uninsulated walls settled into bedding and clothing. The good thing about the woodstove was that the kettle was always steaming with boiling hot water. But was there any tea left to enjoy? Was there any food to prepare?
A dear cousin of mine has been doing family research, finding that our ancestors came to the shores of Canada in the mid-1600s. How, I wonder, did these people not only survive the desperate hardships, but thrive to produce children that also survived and continued for generations? How did they find enough food, fight disease, or defend themselves from hungry animals or hostile attackers? How did they stay warm and dry, or was it impossible? Were these particular people helped by natives?
I can’t even imagine how they managed, but I’m certainly glad they did.
The temperatures may have been slowly cooling, but an extra wrap would do for warmth. Then winter arrives, with freezing ice pellets dashing against tender skin, coats that permitted vicious winds to bite through to the soul and footwear that soaked up the moisture from deep snow or puddles from rain. Woodstoves may have kept part of the single-room house warm, but the chill and dampness that blew in through the uninsulated walls settled into bedding and clothing. The good thing about the woodstove was that the kettle was always steaming with boiling hot water. But was there any tea left to enjoy? Was there any food to prepare?
A dear cousin of mine has been doing family research, finding that our ancestors came to the shores of Canada in the mid-1600s. How, I wonder, did these people not only survive the desperate hardships, but thrive to produce children that also survived and continued for generations? How did they find enough food, fight disease, or defend themselves from hungry animals or hostile attackers? How did they stay warm and dry, or was it impossible? Were these particular people helped by natives?
I can’t even imagine how they managed, but I’m certainly glad they did.