February 2016 Volume 8: Issue 4 Side Roads of Burnt River II the Victoria Railway Was to Run from the Lindsay Businessmen Decided to Take the Inside This Issue
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Kinmount Gazette KINMOUNT GAZETTE THE KINMOUNT COMMITTEE FOR PLANNING AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT February 2016 Volume 8: Issue 4 Side Roads of Burnt River II The Victoria Railway was to run from The Lindsay businessmen decided to take the Inside this issue: Lindsay, then a growing railway centre, initiative and run a railway north into the hin- FRIENDS & NEIGHBOURS: 2 to Haliburton Village and then beyond to terland to forestall the TNR from continuing MEET ME AT THE STATION 4 reach the Ottawa Valley. The line was northeast into the back townships. designed to tap the prosperity of the Thus the Victoria Railway was planned to run FEBRUARY HIGH FIVE CLUB 4 ―back townships‖ of Victoria and Peter- out of Lindsay and serve the back townships. KINMOUNT BURSARY 6 borough Counties. Colonization Roads The biggest obstacle was crossing the Ka- UNDER THE RED ROOF: OUR COMMUNITY CTR. 6 had been built to open this section of wartha Lakes chain of waterways. There were Ontario, but the real path to prosperity 3 practical sites: Bobcaygeon, Fenelon Falls COUNCILLOR’S CORNER 7 and Rosedale. Bobcaygeon refused to grant a lay with the iron horse. The Toronto- SPOT THE SHOT RECAPTURED 7 Nipissing railway had reached Coboconk bonus to the railway, so they were ruled out. SKATING PARTY INVITATION 8 in 1872, but had dead-ended there. This Rosedale was too close to the competing line KID’S CORNER 9 line ran from Toronto through Uxbridge in Coboconk. But Fenelon Falls was both and Kirkfield to open up western Victo- generous and willing so the Victoria Railway THE HOT STOVE 10 JC’S CUTS & MORE NEW LOCATION 11 ria County. To the residents of the county crossed the lakes at Fenelon Falls. This was a LETTER TO THE EDITOR 12 seat in Lindsay and the communities in big bonus to residents of the future Burnt Riv- 109TH BATTILION RE-ENACTMENT 13 er area. Somerville Township had granted the eastern section of the county, this was BETTY HOPKINS-SOVEREIGN 14 a sin. Uxbridge was to siphon off the $15,000 to the Toronto-Nipissing Railway CANADA IN OUR POCKET 2017 15 prosperity of large sections of Victoria despite the fact it didn‘t enter the township. OROTHY S ELIGHTS 15 County and leave Lindsay a backwater. D ’ D Continued p. 3 ROYAL CANADIAN LEGION BRANCH 441 16 IN THE LIONS DEN 16 THE LIBRARY LINK 16 Free Family EDITORIAL 19 KINMOUNT Snowflake Ball Get Results! Sat. Feb. 20 ADVERTISE IN Come dressed in your finest! THE GAZETTE! 6:30 - 9 pm Rates per issue: Business Card Size $15 Kinmount Community Centre 2 x Business Card $30 Snack Bar by Donation 1/4 Page $40 Sunday, Feb. 21 Pancake Breakfast 1/2 Page $75 Full Page $150 8:30 am - 11 am Kinmount Community Centre [email protected] 705 - 488 - 2919 Free Family Fun The Gazette is a non profit monthly 11 am - 3 pm Kinmount Arena & Fairgrounds publication produced by volunteers. The Gazette depends on advertising HORSE DRAWN SLEIGH RIDES sales & donations to remain operating. CARDBOARD TOBOGGAN RACE See pg. 9 We are very grateful for the continuing support of area businesses & patrons. HOMEMADE STAR WARS KITE CONTEST See pg. 9 Do you enjoy the Gazette? GAMES - BONFIRE - SKATING - FUR HARVESTERS Send a donation! Kinmount Gazette, c/o KCPED, ANTIQUE SNOWMOBILES - FIREFIGHTERS P.O. Box 17, Kinmount, On K0M 2A0 MAPLE SYRUP - CHILI CONTEST - SNACK BAR Make cheques payable to K.C.P.E.D. Your name will appear in our See page 11 for more information Thank You to Our Patrons Section Follow us on Twitter @kinmount Visit kinmount.ca Tax Receipts issued for Donations $25+ Kinmount Gazette Kinmount Committee for Planning and Economic Development Friends and Neighbours: Bewdley At the western end of Rice The whole of Northumberland Braund Port, 20km Collison Heights, 21km Lake lies the small village of and Durham Counties are laced Mathers Corners, 18km Drummond, 20km Bewdley. The village was with numerous small cross-roads Yankee Bonnet, 20km Glamorgan, 16km established in the early 1800s; settlements. Most of these settle- Creighton Heights, 16km Fairmount, Peterborough area, it being situated at the point ments were founded in the early Crawford's Grove, 21km 20km the Cobourg – Peterborough 1800s when travel was more Wesleyville, 20km Coldsprings, 22km Road skirted the shore of Rice difficult, and most people did not Assumption, 21km Kawartha Heights, 22km Lake. The road was the major travel far to attend church, shop link to Peterborough, but was or collect mail. Here is a list of upstaged by the routes that these minor settlements and their crossed Rice Lake (except in distance from Bewdley. Most of winter). Bewdley was also a the names are unfamiliar, and ―port‖ on Rice Lake, similar many were not even post offices. to Harwood and Gore‘s Land- But it is interesting to see how ing. This Road is now High- many there were and how close- way #28 and was aligned with ly they were to each other. the Bobcaygeon Road. The first business was Black‘s Halstead Beach, 3km Tavern (circa 1820s) which Rossmount, 5km catered to travellers on the Pengelly Landing, 5km Road and those using Rice Taits Beach, 4km Lake. The first sawmill on Davidson's Corners, 7km Rice Lake was at Bewdley, Perrytown, 7km cashing in on its proximity to Hall Landing, 8km the Cobourg Road. In 1833, South Monaghan, 8km local landowner William Thomstown, 7km Blank renamed the hamlet Garden Hill, 7km Bewdley, after his former Canton, 10km residence Bewdley in Bensfort Corners, 10km Worcester, England. Plainville, 8km The little hamlet sputtered Wallace Point, 11km along as a port on Rice Lake Dale, 11km and a mill town throughout Carmel, Bewdley area, 9km the 1800s. The Rice Lake Camborne, 10km Railway through Harwood Cold Springs, Cobourg area, drew off some business, but 9km the Cobourg-Peterborough Welcome, 13km Road kept the traffic percolat- Cedar Valley, Peterborough area, ing through the area. Along 12km with other hamlets along the Bensfort Bridge, 14km south shore of Rice Lake, Port Hope, 14km Bewdley established itself as Crystal Springs, 15km a tourist destination. Osaca, 13km The most famous ―character‖ Stewart Hall, 16km in the bewdley area was Jo- Morrish, 15km sepg Scrivens, an eccentric Precious Corners, 13km Englishman who was a wan- Hiawatha, 14km dering preacher and tutor for Elizabethville, 12km the ―landed gentry‖ of the Campbelltown, 16km area. He is best remembered Port Britain, 17km as a writer of hymns, espe- Kendry, 17km cially the famous ―What A Decker Hollow, 14km Friend We Have In Jesus‖. Zion, Lucknow area, 16km Today Bewdley is still a Zion, Peterborough area, 18km ―tourist town‖ on scenic Rice Cavan Station, 17km Lake. Springville, Peterborough area, 18km Page 2 Kinmount Gazette Kinmount Committee for Planning and Economic Development Side Roads of Burnt River, cont. from p. 1 Somerville felt obligated to grant the was too rough and moved same sum to the Victoria Line which a mile up the tracks to Lot ran the full length of the township and 12 in the 6th concession had 4 stations within its boundaries! and built a new station The line was planned to cut across the complex. The name was middle of Somerville Township, hug- soon changed to Burnt ging the level ground in the Burnt River. River Valley all the way to Kinmount, Settlement began to clus- and even beyond to Haliburton Vil- ter around the new station lage, still on the Burnt River Valley. in the lots 12 and 13 in the The Victoria Railway ran north from 6th and 7th concession. The Fenelon Falls, crossed the Burnt River road between the lots was on the 4th concession and ran right already part of the Fenelon through the middle of the future ham- Colonization Road and it let of Burnt River. became known as ―Main It is safe to say the Victoria Railway Street‖. The point where created the hamlet of Burnt River. The this road intersected with railway passed through the area in the rail line became the 1875 and reached Kinmount by the centre of the hamlet. Sev- end of 1876. Proper stations were eral businesses were set up planned along its route at existing vil- in this core. Residences lages or hamlets. At intervals between spread up and down the the hamlets, flag stations were created. road both north and south These were unmanned stops along the of the station. Another line. A flag was placed on a pole by a bridge (East Line Bridge) customer if the train needed to stop. It was built to allow traffic was stop by demand. Sometimes a from Union Creek to reach siding was built where box cars could the hamlet. Eventually several be left to fill with freight. Coming sawmills were set up in the vi- Tell our advertisers north from the Fenelon Falls Station, a cinity of the railway station. A you saw their ad in the flag station was created at Fell‘s on quarry was started along the the Burys Green Road. The next des- track. The hamlet of Burnt River Kinmount Gazette! ignated stop was at Rettie‘s farm was created! where the existing road to Coboconk Burnt River station became a full and a bridge across the Burnt River station with a station house, were located. The first station was sheds for storing freight, a siding located north of the Rettie Farm be- and wood yard to allow for prod- tween the Coboconk Road and the uct loading and a station agent Quarry. A station house and a fore- and section crew.