The Great Fire of 1922 cover

The Great Fire of 1922
A Centennial Retrospective

The Great Fire of 1922 left an indelible mark on the history of the Temiskaming area; 44 people died, many more injured and scarred for life, the fire burned 2,000 square miles (517,998 hectares) of land and left almost 11,000 people homeless overnight in a matter of hours. The devastation made it one of the ten worst disasters in Canadian history.

This book preserves the memories of that historic event, mainly from the first person accounts of the survivors. On this 100th anniversary of the fire we salute those who survived and rebuilt Temiskaming into the incredible place we have today.

Available in Hard Cover as well as more affordable soft cover.

Go Here for Table of Contents | Go here for a look at the Index

Hard Cover [HC] ISBN: 978-1-989615-63-8 | WMPub#1245 | 8½" x 11" | 368 pages; hard cover 160 photos and diagrams | $79.95


Soft Cover [SC] ISBN: 978-1-989615-64-5 | WMPub#1246 | 8½" x 11" | 368 pages; soft cover 160 photos and diagrams | $49.95


Map of the Great Fire's devastation

Table of Contents

3 Dedication

3 The Pioneers’ Prayer

4 Acknowledgements

11 Introduction

13 Early Temiskaming

19 The Days Before the Great Fire

22 October 4th: Starting at Sunrise

22 ROBILLARD TOWNSHIP

22 Dave Attwater

26 The Pummel Family

26 Liz Campbell

27 Frank Henebery

28 Lily (Tessier) Haviland

28 Captain Claude Nelson

29 JAMES TOWNSHIP

29 Elk Lake

29 Mel Giles

29 Stanley Belanger

32 BEAUCHAMP TOWNSHIP

32 Edna (Milkie) Nowry

32 DACK TOWNSHIP

32 Ernest L. Edwards

33 Ethel (Charlton) Edwards

34 Ernest Newton-White

35 Muriel Newton-White

36 October 4: Mid-day, The Wind Starts to Shift

38 Charlton

38 Mary Frances Saunders

40 Sadie (Thib) Brittain

41 James H. Brace

41 Charlotte R. Wegg

44 Grace (Edwards) Johnston

44 Vera McKenzie

47 EVANTUREL TOWNSHIP

47 Map of the Township of Evanturel as at October 4, 1922

49 Shipley And Webb Families

51 Englehart

51 Elsie (Bailey) Neal

52 Laurel Bowman

52 Walter Hill

53 Billie Weeks

56 Edwards Family

58 Brentha

58 Herb Kiehna

58 Heaslip

58 Hugh Naismith

58 Austin Houghton

60 Mrs. Austin Houghton

60 Dorothy (Bates) Fanning

61 Gordon Emerick

62 Will Webb

62 Eileen (Smith) Campbell

62 Thomas Oswald

62 Dora (Harman) Simpkins

63 Jean (Gibson) Black

64 Cliff Briggs

64 Hilda Winlaw

65 Ray (George) Frazer

65 Sid Elliot

66 Jessie (Smith) Rowlandson

67 Florence (Jack) Dudgeon

68 Estella (Nelson) Allen

68 Walter Harman

70 Arnold Edwards

70 Cameron Barstead

71 Ernest Grise

72 Earl Marshall

72 Estella (George) Marshall

72 Mrs. Alex Spence

73 Myrrill Allen

74 Merlin Black

75 Georgina (Campbell) McRoberts

76 Mrs. Georgina Downard

76 Mrs. Jim McNeil and Mrs. Wes. Shortt, Hilda and Marjorie Rowlandson

76 The Bates Twins

77 Harry Mills

77 Lizzie (Elliott) Peever

78 William Gibbens

79 John M. Elliott

80 Mrs. Albert S. Neal (May Rooney)

81 Josephine Tellier George

82 Cameron Plaunt

82 Doris (Emerick) Waldruff

83 Billie Fyfe

83 Edna (Smith) Chuter

83 Ernie Gedney

84 Eunice (McBride) Dudgeon

84 Mrs. Addie (Ed) Scott

84 Mrs. Hugh Jack

85 Mrs. Tom Houston

86 John Linton

86 Savoie Family

87 Milford Black

87 Estella (George) Marshall

87 Beatrice (Porter) Couillard

88 The Fire In Heaslip by Hartley Houston

91 INGRAM TOWNSHIP

91 Gordon Knight

92 ARMSTRONG TOWNSHIP

92 Dave Barlow

93 Merlin Black

94 Yvonne (Leguen) Robert

94 Spencer Family

94 Florence (Jack) Dudgeon

95 William & Esther Semple

95 Evelyn Burns

96 Alfred Spencer

96 Thornloe

96 Frances A. Ross

100 Moddle Family

103 The Railway At Thornloe

104 Thornloe's Telephone Service

104 Sadie A. (Bourton) Horne

105 William Henry Foster

105 The Foster Family

107 Myrtle (Winters) Doughty

107 The Rice Family

107 Henry John Jenkinson

108 Agnes Edwards

108 Grace Beatrice (Edwards) Johnston

108 Mabel (Barlow) Sutton

109 Ronald Alfred Bartlett

109 Violet M. Burnett-Davie

112 The Roach Family

112 HILLIARD TOWNSHIP

112 Jean (Armstrong) Grierson

113 Lorraine (Briggs) Dixon

114 Myrtle (Edwards) Campbell

115 Muriel Ethel Rice

115 Wilmot Briggs

116 Wilda (Roach) Gibson

116 Hilliardton

116 Norman Stubbs

118 Leonard H. Tucker

119 Mae (Clement) McMahon

120 Nellie (Janes) Mills

122 The Batty Family

122 The Sparling Family

122 The Favron Family

125 Whitewood Grove

125 Campbell Semple

127 Alma (Kerr) Stevens

128 Osborne Kerr

130 Brethour Township

130 The Fire Of 1922 In Brethour Township (By Harold and Elizabeth Hie)

130 Tom Josefowich

131 Simone (Belanger) Dodge

132 Montreuil Township, Quebec

132 James Donald McLaren

132 Nédélec, QC

132 Annette St. Onge

135 Early Afternoon: The Wind Shifts Again

136 HENWOOD TOWNSHIP

136 Mandy (Sherritt) Goddard

136 Myrtle (Gelling) Sparling

137 Ernest & Eleanor Crowe

138 Kenabeek

138 Hazel (Alberta) Skinner

138 Daniel Ruttan

140 KERNS TOWNSHIP

140 Susan (Bradley) Miller

140 Bill Jarvis

141 Harry E. Jibb

141 Bill Kramp

142 Annie Bennett

142 Alice Jibb

142 Marg (Cook) Villneff

142 HARLEY TOWNSHIP

142 Margaret (McClung) Stratford

143 Cecilia G. (Black) Daley

145 Edith (Miller) Henshaw

146 Raymond Hilts

146 The Cline Family

146 The Hearn Family

147 The Jackson Family

147 Margaret Anne (Jackson) Marriott

147 Elsie (Logan) Tucker

147 Mabel (Overton) Mason

150 Dora (Foley) Field

150 Eva (Marriott) Doupe

150 Couttsville

150 Bertha (Aikens) Greer

152 Maybrook

152 John Labine

152 Hanbury

152 Don Fowler

153 CASEY TOWNSHIP

153 Mary Elsie Clara (Logan) Tucker

154 Twaites

154 Thomas Twaites

154 HARRIS TOWNSHIP

154 Annie (Snider) Proud

155 QUEBEC

155 Quinze River

155 Eugene Caza

156 Mrs. Yvonne Henri

156 Nôtre dame du Nord

156 Hilaire Damphousse

158 HUDSON TOWNSHIP

158 Marian (Campsall) Brayford

159 Isabella (Bowers) Smith-Leveille

160 Emma Ann(Morrow) Swartz

160 Jean Elizabeth (Boland) Bowen

160 Ileen Margaret (Morrow) Cook

161 Eric Clark Campsall

161 DYMOND TOWNSHIP

161 Don Gannon

161 Charles Burnett

162 The Glassford Family

163 Mildred (Robinson) Brooks

163 Henry Barr

164 The Sumbler Family

164 Margaret Jane (Barr) Scott

165 Walter Thornloe Hobbs

165 Uno Park

165 Mrs. Tom Briscoe

165 Ina Ruth (McFayden) Carter

166 New Liskeard

166 Peter & Caroline (Wilson) McIntosh

167 Sarah (McIntosh) Ruttan

167 Don McKelvie

168 Earl Walsh

168 Nora (Frisby) Carragher

169 Percy Randolph Craven

169 Frank Edward Kemp

170 Edra Beatrice Pringle

170 Hazel (Pringle) Spangler

170 Clair Shepherdson

170 Bob Beardmore

171 Coral (Welch) Edwards

173 Mid-Late Afternoon, The Inferno Increases

173 BUCKE TOWNSHIP

173 Clover Valley

173 Violet (Heard) Michiel

174 The Rice Family

175 John & Mary MacLean

178 The Olson Family

179 Merle Campbell

180 Martin Oslund

183 Helga (Nelson) Carlson

184 Arnold Nelson

185 West Road

185 Georgina Emily (Blackwall) Little

187 Rescued Union Jack

188 Haileybury

194 Adela Fleming

195 Lillian (Oslund) Soderstrom

196 Kathleen Keddie

198 Dorothy (Davis) Gagnon

198 Zaida (Adair) Wright

201 Napoleon & Melvina Villeneuve

201 Bogart Leslie

202 The Dickson Family

202 Bruce Seymour

203 Brent Wilson

205 Margaret (Dunbar) Atchison

205 Helene (Jory) Currie

206 Russ Murphy

207 Robert Jenkins Family

208 Helen (Caldbick) Brennan

210 Gladys (Anderson) Aubrey

213 Ernest Todd

214 Velma (Labranche) O'Donnell

216 Frances (Charbonneau) Kelly

216 Rose (Slywchuk) Leskew

218 Blanche (Sister Bernadette) Boivin

220 The Killoran Family

223 Margaret (MacFarlane) Ouimet

223 Rev. F. H. Hincks

224 Florence (Woods) Rennie

225 Cecilia Somerville

226 The Mitchell Family

227 Annie (Mayhew) Douglas

228 Edith (Mitchell) MacFie

230 Kathleen (MacGregor) Stoodley

232 Cy Elkins

232 Ruby (Creighton) Stevenson

234 Eva Sutherland-Burke

236 Alphonse Blain

237 Irene Vachon

238 Albert E. Morgan

238 Paul Liscumb

239 William T. A. (Ted) Windsor

239 Jim Wigle

240 Mrs. Paul A. Cobbold

240 Paul A. Cobbold

241 Charles H. Belec

241 Aline (Dupuis) Barker

242 Marion (Lyttle) Heard-Ansley

243 Melburne Doyle

243 Evelyn (Doyle) Dyment

244 Bill Scott

244 Felix Desjardins

245 Earline (Ross) Buffam

247 Mary D. (Gowans) Riddell

248 Annie Daniell & Mary (Daniell) MacPherson

249 Mrs. Florence (Laframboise) Joyal

249 Dr. Hector Joyal’s wife

250 Gilles Mayer

250 Rachel C. (Munroe) MacFarlane

251 Servais Family

254 Agnes Specht

255 Horace Whorley

256 Larry (Laurier) Gareau

256 Helen (Dolan) Fernholm-Van De Kraats

258 Una Ruth (Howard) Campbell

259 S. A. Boone

260 Haileybury, Before the Fire

262 Haileybury, After the Fire

271 North Cobalt

272 Carmen (Christo) Stubinski

272 Olga (Sirr) MacMillan

274 Gordon Davies

276 Evelyn (Grace) DeJonghe

277 Verena (McPhee) Ruddy

277 Ralph Shepherd

277 Harold Kenty

278 Argentite

278 Pauline (Sullivan) Cochrane

279 Miss Margaret Wright

282 Robert Pipe

282 Therese Muriel (Villeneuve) Despres

283 Cobalt

284 The Day After

285 Started In Potato Patch

289 Swastika Ministry of Natural Resources District Weekly Release

290 Casualties

292 The News Spreads

292 Marge Jerome

293 The Aftermath

297 Relief

298 O. P. P. STAFF INSPECTOR A. T. PAXTON'S REPORT ON NORTHERN ONTARIO FIRE RELIEF

302 Northern Ontario Fire Relief Committee

303 Rose (Mrs. Frank) Clemens

309 Streetcars

309 “STREETCARS” AGED TORONTO CARS TO BE SHIPPED NORTH Toronto Daily Star - October Curios From T. T. C. "Boneyard" Will Likely Shelter Fire Sufferers

310 Thanksgiving Dinner In Street Car Home

312 The Street Car

315 Time and Industry Are Erasing Fire Scars of a Year Ago

322 Personal Reactions

322 The Great Fire Of 1922 by Hartley Houston

324 Memories of Al Grace by Evelyn Sackrider

325 The Charlton Song by Daphne Demarell

326 We Are Survivors by Norm Abraham

326 In Each Child by Brian Beaudry

327 The Morning After The Haileybury Fire by Mary Sparling Muscroft

328 Hot Ashes And Smoke And Snow! by Ethel (Foster) Richards

330 The Great Haileybury Fire October 4, 1922 by Norman O. Webb

333 The Nineteen Twenty-Two Fire by Dave McLaren

334 The Great North Fire of 1922 by Wendy Barrick Rhead

325 The Survivors Of '22 by Dan Lavigne

336 Commemorations

336 1972- The 50th Anniversary

336 Dorothy Houston's Speech On October 4, 1972

339 Willing Workers of Heaslip Committee Members

340 1997 The 75th Anniversary Commemoration

340 The Great Fire Weekend

342 Commentary By John R. Hunt

344 Dedication Of Alarm Bell On October 3, 1997

345 75th Anniversary Committee Members

346 2002 The 80th Anniversary Commemoration

347 2022 The 100th Anniversary Commemoration

350 Bibliography

351-368 Index