Dixie: Orchards to Industry Kathleen A. Hicks DIXIE: ORCHARDS TO INDUSTRY is published by The Friends of the Mississauga Library System 301 Burnhamthorpe Road West, Mississauga, Ontario L5B 3Y3 Canada Copyright © 2006 Mississauga Library System Dixie: Orchards to Industry All rights reserved. II ISBN 0-9697873-8-3 Written by Kathleen A. Hicks Edited by Michael Nix Graphic layout by Joe and Joyce Melito Cover design by Stephen Wahl Front cover photos - The Region of Peel Archives Back cover photo by Stephen Wahl No part of this publication may be produced in any form without the written permission of the Mississauga Library System. Brief passages may be quoted for books, newspaper or magazine articles, crediting the author and title. For photographs contact the source. Extreme care has been taken where copyright of pictures is concerned and if any errors have occurred, the author extends her utmost apology. Care has also been taken with research material. If anyone encounters any discrepancy with the facts contained herein, please send Upper Canada Map (Frederick R. Bercham) your written information to the author in care of the Mississauga Library System. Dixie: Orchards to Industry (Kathleen A. Hicks) (Kathleen Other Books by Kathleen Hicks III The Silverthorns: Ten Generations in America Kathleen Hicks’ V.I.P.s of Mississauga The Life & Times of the Silverthorns of Cherry Hill Clarkson and Its Many Corners Meadowvale: Mills to Millennium Lakeview: A Journey From Yesterday Cooksville: Country to City VIDEO Riverwood: The Estate Dreams Are Made Of Dedication IV dedicate this book to all the people I know and have known who have hailed from Dixie, whom I have shared many inter- esting stories with over the years and have admired tremen- dously for their community dedication: William Teggart, the Kennedys, Dave and Laurie Pallett, Jim McCarthy, Colonel IHarland Sanders, Gord Stanfield, Mildred and Jack Bellegham and Dave Cook to mention a few. (Region of Peel Archives) Dixie: Orchards to Industry V Acknowledgements (Buffalo Bill Historical Centre) Bill Historical (Buffalo irst I want to thank God for setting me on this path of discov- ery. It has become a fabulous learning experience and an interesting journey covering 200 years of life and history of the city where I was born. To uncover the history down through the years from other generations to today is an incredible Fopportunity and adventure that few people have. For that I am deeply grateful and I hope my readers benefit from what I have learned and revealed in these books. Thanks to the City of Mississauga, and Mayor Hazel McCallion especially for seeing the historical possibilities of such a marvelous beneficial project. Thank you to my many sponsors who jumped into the void to make this financially possible, especially The Friends of the Mississauga Library System. My appreciation is extended to Mississauga Library Administrator Don Mills for seeing the big picture and supporting this project; to the many Library staffers, who assisted in finding research material and photos; the staffs of the Region of Peel Archives, the Mississauga Heritage Foundation and the Land Payton, St. John’s the Baptist Anglican Church; Loren White, Registry for their invaluable assistance; a big round of applause to Transportation and Works, for street info; Kathy Brookes, Rubbermaid Grant Clarkson, the late Jim McCarthy, William Teggart, Bill Barber, (Canada) Limited; Colleen Monks Lee, Caterpillar of Canada Limited; David Pallett, Gayle Pallett Rutherford, Harold Shipp, Rick Martin, Richard Irvine, Cryovac Canada Limited; Peter Baines, Samuel, Son Jean Gill; Shirley Grice, Anna Stanfield Carr, Arthur and Harold and Company; Edward Camillen, Tonolli; Danita MacNeil, Brunswick Kennedy for their interviews and family histories; thank you to Bowl; Peter Ribeiro and Deb Garnish, Canada Post Gateway; Fred Lavina Nablo for her input with the Girl Guides and Phil Frost for his Gunther, Dixie Lions Club; Les Stoch, Food Path; Andrea Shaw, assistance with the Boy Scouts information; Dave Cook for his history Stage West Hotel; Colonel John Carew, Salvation Army; Jane Watt for of his family and the Applewood community; my deepest gratitude to cemetery information; my gratitude is extended to Councillor Carmen three marvelous artists, whom I admire immensely, the late C. W. Corbassen and Dave Cook for their promptness to my request of a Jefferys (my contact, Robert Stacey), Frederick Bercham and Vernon new Cody Lane sign for my photo; thanks to T. L. Kennedy’s Vice Mould for allowing me to utilize their wonderful work; Lorraine Principal, Rick Tredwell, for his help with the metric conversion; a Croxen, Bell Canada Archives; Cindy Monoco, GO Transit, Paul and big thank you to all the people who shared their photos, especially Michael Higgins for sharing their family history of Mother Parker’s; Ron Lenyk, The Mississauga News, Diane Allengame, the Region of Peter McCarthy and Mike Acheson of Dixie Growers Limited; Ann Peel Archives, Mathew Wilkinson, the Mississauga Heritage Sayers for the beneficial information on the history of the Applewood Foundation and Dorothy Kew and Alex Oman, the Mississauga United Church; Father Rudy Volk of St. Patrick’s Catholic Church; Library System; to all the people who shared their reminiscences, Pat Gunning for the Dixie Presbyterian Church; Reverend Robert thanks for the “Memories.” VI Dixie: Orchards to Industry Thank you to the following sponsors Harold Shipp, Iggy Kaneff with the Author for their support of this historical (Stephen Wahl) project VII Friends of the Mississauga Library System S. B. (Bruce) McLaughlin The Shipp Corporation Ignat (Iggy) Kaneff chairman of the Kaneff Group of Properties Grant Clarkson Mother Parker’s Tea and Coffee Inc. The Holmes Family Rubbermaid Canada Stage West Hotel and Theatre Restaurant Samuel, Son & Company DEDICATION . IV ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS . V FOREWORD . IX INTRODUCTION . X TRIBUTE TO THE KENNEDY FAMILY . XVI YEARS: 1805-1850 . 1 PHILIP CODY AND BUFFALO BILL . 7 THE WILLCOX FAMILY . 11 JOHANN SCHILLER . 18 DIXIE UNION CHAPEL. 23 Contents YEARS: 1851-1900 . 73 VIII THE WILLCOX BLACKSMITH SHOP . 89 THE CREDIT VALLEY RAILWAY . 98 YEARS: 1901-1950 . 109 THE MCCARTHY FAMILY. 118 THE DIXIE WOMEN’S INSTITUTE . 126 YEARS: 1951-2000 . 161 DIXIE INDUSTRIES . 182 BURNHAMTHORPE . 242 SUMMERVILLE . 250 BIBLIOGRAPHY . 258 The Kennedy Kids (Art Kennedy) INDEX . 260 Dixie: Orchards to Industry had the great fortune of being born on the McCarthy farm in Dixie Dixie Arena was torn down. There are in 1930, shortly after my parents arrival from Ireland. The still a few old apple trees to be seen IMcCarthy family were wonderful caring and supportive people here and there in the subdivisions, from Irish stock, who knew the plight of the penniless new arrivals. however they are simply remnants and They taught my father the fundamentals of the market gardening and reminders of the past. Sometimes when I orchard business, which allowed him to raise five sons during the drive through my old neighbourhood depression. and turn back the pages of time, I recall this virtual “Garden of Eden” in the Foreword landscape of my mind, and I say to myself, “It was Dixie then, it is Dixie I have fond recollections of travelling to Queen’s Park as a young now and it will be Dixie forever – the boy with my father to see our neighbour, Thomas L. Kennedy, who place where I was born.” was Minister of Agriculture, and discuss with him the farm loans Over 150 years ago, wise old issue. I can recall his welcoming us in a most friendly manner and Longfellow must have been thinking his giving my father the details about obtaining a farm loan. He was about interesting writers like Kathleen William J. Teggart an extraordinary individual and a great Canadian. Hicks when he declared, “Books are the Back in the 1930s, many of the orchard farmers in Dixie sold their with the Author sepulchers of thought.” The author of (Kathleen A. Hicks) produce at a large market located on Dundas Street just west of Jane this book takes us for a walk through Street opposite the railroad roundhouse. My uncle, my brothers and I the history of Dixie. She takes us on this walk through the voice of IX went to the market on many occasions to sell vegetables my father others and tells us who we were and who we are in an extraordinary had grown and I recall seeing Victor Stanfield selling apples off the and candid straightforward fashion. back of his truck to the store owners from Toronto. During those The much quoted Ralph Waldo Emerson, who obviously did not depression days, you never could sell all your produce and Vic would believe in pseudonyms, also had it right in the same era when he said, end up giving us several bushels of apples. We sold tomatoes six-six “It takes more than talent to make a writer, there must be a person quart baskets for a dollar. I remember eating at the Highway behind the book.” As an author, Kathleen works with enthusiasm and Restaurant across the road and paying 25¢ for bacon, eggs, toast and conducts her interviews and research with professionalism, good will tea. and good conscience. She is fast becoming one of the most prolific I recall Gordon Stanfield driving past our place in his milk truck researchers and writers. I had the great privilege of taking research and waving at my brothers and I. I learned later that he was on the as part of the Police administration course at Northwestern University Police Force at the time and had two jobs to help support his large and have a full understanding of the extraordinary work required to family. Little did I know then that Gord would one day hire me as a produce her books.