Pioneer Days in Old Ontario
by Dave Hanes
Let's step back in time to the days of the first immigrants that settled the interior forests of our province once named Upper Canada. We will not dwell on those fortunate enough to be former members of the British Military and Navy. These lucky people were awarded land grants along the St. Lawrence River, the Ottawa Valley and the best fertile land around Southern Ontario.
Impoverished and destitute immigrants from the British Isles and other European countries came by the boat load to begin a new life in the land of plenty. They were given parcels of land along Colonization Roads leading to the vast interior of Upper Canada. When all parts of the agreement were completed by the homesteader then he would receive the land title. Much of the land was worthless and unusable for farming. Many were abandoned and left to revert back to the Crown Land Agent. Only the strong survived this unforgiving wilderness.
Many of the men were without money and had to seek employment away from their small cabin. This left the wife, often times with small children, to look after the farm and raise the family. These women toiled in the house looking after the cooking and cleaning and the children. When that was done they went to the fields and worked breaking ground and planting crops. Water had to be carried to the cabin. Wood had to be cut and brought inside for the wood stove. In winter the back breaking chores became tenfold as snow and winds whipped through tiny cracks between the logs, doors and any crack around the few windows they had. What they endured was not a television drama or movie. It was real!
Life alone in the wilderness was heart-breaking and unbearable for some. Many gave up, perished or returned home. Others, the determined and strong-willed women remained and took up the challenges God and Nature had thrown at them. These are the women many present day citizens are descended from: good, tough, honest Pioneer Women!
This is the story of determination and total faith in the Man above to watch over them. Hardships were never far away but many pioneer women managed to carve out a life in this new world, of Old Ontario.
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ISBN: 978-1-894747-65-3 | WMPub#1064 | 8" x 8" | 116 pages, gloss paper trade paperback | $24.95
Table of Contents Title
3 Old Log Barn
3 INTRODUCTION
5 Old Cabin Hamlyn's Bessemer Road
7 The Old Stable, Hamlyn's on Bessemer Road
8 Pine Logs and Cedar Shingles
9 Tiny Cabin in the Woods
10 Gnarled Trees and Neglected Log Barn
11 The One Room School
12 Old Barn Overlooking Farm In Valley
13 Rutledge Farm Village of Musclow, Musclow Greenview Road
14 Old White Church, Lower Faraday Road
15 The Door is Locked
16 The Single Seater Outhouse
17 The Log Outhouse, North of Markstay Ontario
18 Rocks, Beams, and Broken Boards
19 The McMunn Farm, Bessemer Road
20 One of the Old Barns, McMunn Farm Bessemer Road
21 Blacksmith Shop, Village of L'Amable
22 The Reeves Farm, An Early Pioneer Homestead and Farm Near Upper Hermon
23 Log Homestead Under Blanket of Snow
24 Large Barn, Small Barn, Hartsmere Road, near McArthur's Mills
25 Broken Boards, Sagging Doors, Peacock's Farm Lower Faraday Road
26 Little Cabin in Shambles, Bronson Road Area
27 Rutledge Farm, Musclow-Greenview Road At Edge of Old Village of Musclow
28 Log Camp Buildings, South Keora Mining, South Lorrain Township
29 Musclow United Church Village of Musclow
30 Church on Detlor Road Near Highway 28 East
31 Old Log Bridge, Snake Road Highway 28 East of McArthur Mills
32 A Cluster of Old Buildings, 28 East Then Onto Highway 41 A Short Distance
33 Log Homestead and Small Barn, Highway 41 Denbigh Area
34 Same Picture, Different Look
35 The Old McGibbon Barn, Detlor Road Near L'Amable
36 McGibbon Barns and Chicken House, Detlor Road, L'Amable
37 McMunn Homestead, Bessemer Road Near
37 Upper Hermon
38 Square Timber Home, Monck Road, Former Military and Colonization Road
39 Old Silo, Highway 2 Between Gananoque and Kingston
41 Picturesque Farm, South of Highway 17 Near Corbeil
42 Barn in Overgrown Field, Corbeil Area South of Highway 17 East
43 Birch Lake Hunt Club, Forest Access Road, East of Bessemer
44 Entrance to Old Mine Adit, Wilberforce Area, approximately 25 miles west of Bancroft.
45 Remains of Mine Office Childs Mine Within A Stone's Throw of the Old Bessemer Road
46 Massive Old Mansion, Prince Edward County near Picton
47 Headframe and Ore Bin, near Wilberforce, Ontario
48 Wood Timber Headframe, Blue Rock Mine Old Hadlington Road, Tory Hill Ontario
49 Tiny Log Stable, Maxwell Settlement Road
50 The Home and The Outhouse, Overlooking a Small Lake near Wilberforce, Ontario
51 Narrow Boards and Rickety Fence
52 Square Timber Walls and Cedar Shingle Roof, Highway 41 Near Denbigh, Ontario
53 Large Stylish Farm House, Located in the Denbigh Area on Highway 41
54 Just the Walls Stand, Maxwell Settlement Road
55 The Barn is Falling Down, The Trees Are Growing Tall, Detlor Road
56 Pole Barn and Drive Shed, Swampy Area on Highway 41, North of Kaladar
57 Stone Home Gutted by Fire, Highway #2 Near Kingston, Ontario
58 Just Needs a Little T. L. C., Highway 41
59 Neat Log Home, Highway 28 East of Bancroft
60 Neat Log House and Hip Roof Barn, Highway 41, Road of Abandoned Dreams
61 The Apple Trees, the Old Outhouse and the Row of Rhubarb Gone Wild, McMunn Farm, Bessemer Road
63 Log Barns, McMunn Farm, Bessemer Road, East of Highway 28
64 The Maple Syrup Boiling Shack, Bonfield, Ontario
65 The Barn and the Buzz Saw, Maxwell Settlement Road, Bancroft Ontario
66 In Need of Some Repairs, Barn South of L'Amable on Highway 62 South
67 Early Log Barn McMunn Farm, Bessemer Road Near Upper Hermon
68 The Chicken Coop, McGibbon Farm, Detlor Road Near L'Amable
69 Pioneer Cabin One of many old pioneer cabins along Highway 41
70 Square Timbers, Boards and Cedar Shingles, St. Ola Road East of Highway 62 South
71 Barn or House? This Old Log Building Was on the St. Ola Road
72 Log Home with Tar Paper Over Boards on Roof, Near McArthur Mills, Old Highway 500 East
73 Tiny Log Home, Another Smaller Cabin on the St. Ola Road
74 The Drive Shed on Side Road Near Rutherglen
75 Hip Roof Barn, East of Bonfield On The Road To Rutherglen
76 Where Snow Meets the Sky, Perched On A Hill Near Rutherglen
77 The Barn, The Shed and the Lightning Rods, Road To Rutherglen
78 Barn at Edge of Marsh, Highway 17 Near North Bay
79 Little Cabin on Point of Land, Near Worthington Mine, West of Sudbury Old Highway 17 West
80 Old Timber Railway Bridge to Inco's Worthington Mine, Worthington Road West of Sudbury
81 Turn of Century Barns, Old Highway 17 West of Lively, Sudbury Area
82 Old Barn and Implements, Old Highway 17 West of Sudbury
83 Steel Wheeled Manure Spreader, Old Highway 17 West of Sudbury
84 Turn of the Century Barn Still in Use, Old Highway 17 West of Lively
85 Tin Covered Home, Highway 400 South of Barrie
86 Only The Silo Stands, Highway 400 South of Barrie
87 Hip Roof Barn, 400 South of Barrie
88 The Red Brick School House, Corner of Highway 89 and 3rd Line of Mono Township
89 Simple Stone and Board Barn, North Side Highway 89 and 3rd Line Mono Township
90 Old Barn and Bare Trees Near Highway, Acton Area
91 Old Barn & Shed, Wanup Road South of Sudbury
92 Implement Shed, Along The Wanup Road
93 Small Log Cabin, Wanup Road
94 Board and Log Shed, Old Wanup Road
95 The Skeleton! 3rd Line Mono Township
96 Old Church, Clarke Lake Road, Bancroft
97 Small Pioneer Buildings, Rutherglen Road
98 The Small Silo, 3rd Line Mono Township
99 Small Barn and Tiny Brook, Country Road Near Rutherglen
100 A Barn, Two Silos and a Field of Dead Grass, Highway 89 West of Alliston
101 Square Timbers, Round Logs and Narrow Boards, Country Road Near Bonfield
102 The Mystery Building, Rutherglen
103 Manure Spreaders and Strange Barn Boards, Near Rutherglen
104 Barns and Rows of Hay, Cookstown, Highway 89, West of Highway 27
105 Small Log Stable, Highway 17 Near North Bay
106 THE LORRAIN VALLEY ROAD
107 Prospectors Log Cabins, Lorrian Valley Road Near Silver Centre
108 New Roof, Old Boards, and Lots of Open Holes, Lorrain Valley Road
109 Old Barns in Historic Setting, Lorrain Valley Road
110 Old Log Blacksmith Shop, Lorrain Valley Road
111 Pictured above is the old blacksmiths anvil
111 Here we see the old steel vise sitting atop the rotting floor boards
112 Old Pioneer Cabin, Lorrian Valley Road
113 Unique Barn and Wooden Silo, Lorrain Valley Road
114 LETS REMEMBER WHY AND HOW WE ARE HERE. A tribute to those who came before us and toiled in this foreboding land with unforgiving nature.
114 Hard Days, Long Lonely Nights. The Pioneer Women Of Old Ontario