.,.. ;': . ·,\ .. I .·.- ,, THE CHAMPLAIN MONUMENT AT ORILLIA" ...... ·s11 THIS BROCHURE is published in response to an insistent demand for a history of the Monument to Samuel de Champlain unveiled ....._==---=--' at Orillia on Dominion D ay, 1925. Public in- __, terest in the monument has as far exceeded the highest anticipations of the promoters as the praise of its -artistic merit has gone beyond their fondest hopes. The Committee feel that the monument is attaining the two-fold object which prompted its erection: The placing in Huronia of a worthy memorial to the great explorer who led the advance guard of white civilisation into Ontario; and the promotion of good feeling between the English and French-speaking people of Ontario and Quebec. .... To the further development of this spirit of inter-provincial and inter-racial goodwill this modest booklet is dedicated. 1("il- !ftn#i! LIJI ',.'o' , o,.' ·CHRISTIANITY· \ SCENES FRQM OF THE Champlain and Darontal, Huron Chief. 2. Vernon March and Three" Squaws." 3. Landing of Champlain. 4 . "Adonwah '' Dance. 5. Hon. R. Lemieux Delivering Oration. 6. Chief BigCanoe (age 94). Sir William Mulock, Vernon March and Ovide Sioui, Chief of the Hurons at Lorette. 7 . Squaws Tanning Skins . 8. Milli ng Corn . 9. Gambling with Plum Stones . 10. H on . Mr. Justice Fabrc-Surveyer and Dr. Bedard, representing Prov­ ince and City of Quebec. 11 . Section of the Crowd. 12. Sir George Foster and Dr. J ohn Dearness, of London . The Unveiling Ceremonies J. By Wray R. Patterson, Publicity Secretary ~~~~ T \\'AS an inspiring a nd 2 the thrilling, vilJrant m elody, while the fitting celebration that on braves, ha vt ng p lanted t heir ceremonial Do minio n Day. 1925. com­ s pears in a circle, dance round t hem in memorated the ad,·ent oi s uif, jerky motion . the white race into O ntario. Then came t he brill.iant oration by the Concei\'ed o n a large scale. .I-Jon. Rodo lphe L emieux, Speaker ol t he with a fin e appreciatio n of H ouse of <...,omm o ns, and the un\'eiling of tne dramatic possibilities. the un,·eiling cere­ t11 e monument l)y him. Fo llo wing t he cere­ monies were \\'ell worthy o f the epochal mo ny, :\lr. (;eorge H . Clark, chairman of e,·ent commemorated and oi the intrepid tl1e co mmittee, presented to t he Yas t as­ and noble explo rer who was honoured. semblage the creato r of the memorial, ~ L r. The celebration opened at Couch ic b­ \ crnon ~I arch. ing Beach Park with the s inging of patriot­ ln the evening the armoury was the ic song: by a cho rus o[ 500 school cllildre11. scene o f a nofa l)le banquet. 'fhere four massecl i11 a specia l s tand. Then came the lmndrecl people listened to half a dozen histo rical spectacle. \\'eeks of patient toil speeches, any one of w hich woul<l have o f the (Jrillia \\'om en's Canad ian Club, neen outsta nding on any ordinary oc..:asio n. linked with the directing g enius of :\Jr. R oy Here 1t is only possible to record that i\tlayor \!l itchell, o f T oronto . were crowned with a :\lcL ean pres id ed, and that t he toas t to pageant that mus t be placed in the front .. O ntario ,. was proposed by t he H o n. Ro­ rank of his to rical 1·eproductio 11 s l:\ er at­ dolphe L emi eux and respo nded to by the tempted in Canada. \\'ith life-like s imili­ Hon. <_;. S. H enry, acting P rime Minister. tuclc, the coming o f the great explorer was The toast to Queocc was proposed by the re-e11acted. And nearby o n the grassy slope . Rt. H o n. Sir William i\lulock, Chief Jus tice Chief Q ,·ide Sioui a nd three o ther modern of Ontario, in F rench and E 11 glis h, a 11J was represen ta ti ,-es o f t he Huron race. g uests o i eloquently responded to by tne H on. ~Ir. Mr. I ~ . \\'. Beatty, President of the C. P.R., Ju s t1.ce 1•z,bre-Su rveyer, representing the together with 10.0 00 twentieth century Go\'ernrnent of Que l)ec, a nd by Dr. J? . H. cl"·eller · in Huronia . were. in imagina Lio n. Bedard. representing the a 11 cient city of carried back to Aug us t 17. 16 r5 . Q uebec... Canada " was proposed by D r. \\'ith o \·er 250 men. women and child­ ::, tephen Leacock, \\·hose summer ho me is ren in the cost umes of aborig inal times, the a t Urillia, and drew from Sir George Fos ter scene lacked nothing in t he picturesque. a masterly response. The s peeches, like the There were children playing, braves lvai­ music o f the Hunts,·il le Band in the after­ ing and gambling, and squaws busy at noon, w ere successfully broadcast by remote the w ork of the camp- cooking. g rinding control by C.F .C.A., T oro nto. corn. tanning skins. or repairing canoes. Meanwhile, from all the s urrounding Sometimes as they "·orked. t he "·omen took di strict cro \\'ds poured in to O rillia by auto­ up an ] ndan melody. F rom group to group mobile; and a thro ng estimated at 18,000 it passed. s trange, rhymthic. in tense music , g athered in Couchi ch1ng Beach .Park fo r the crooned in unison. e\'ening programme there. T he famous Suddenly Champla in and his ten .-\ ng lo-Canadian Concert Band o[ Hunts­ companio ns and lndian escort arri,·e in ,·ille. the leading organisation o f its kind canoes. and the firi ng o[ a s hot creates con­ in Canada. again delighted the vast crowd. sternation among the women and children, A n elaborate pyrotechnic d isplay broug ht to followed later by curious inspection o f their a close an inter-pn)\·incial relebratio n which strange Yis ito rs. The Indians w elcome worthily honoured the firs t g reat Canadian. their white allies with the festive "Adon­ rnd co ntributed, it is hoped. to t he promo tion wah " dance, in w hi ch the squaws croon o f natio nal unity and good-wil l. The Stor)) of The Monument By C. Harold Hale, Corresponding Secretary [;z~~iiiiiliiiii~~ H E Ch a 111 pl a i n !vi o 11u111 en t Satisfied t ha t t he nece ·sary fu nds at O rillia had its g enesis could be obtained , the Com mit tee next in the ,·isit o f t he writer turned t heir attention to choo ing an artist. to St. John. N ew B runs­ I t was cons id ered ad1·isa ble to in vite com­ w ick, and Quebec. in the petit i,·e designs from culptors in Canada, summer o f 191 2. There he Great Brit ain a nd F rance. T he response saw the mo nu ments erect­ gave e\·idence that t he project had excited e<t to commemorate Cha m plain's connec­ m uch in terest in a rtistic circles. \\.he n the tion w ith t hose cities ; a nd it occ urred to competition closed 0 11 the 20th of A ug ust, the traYeller that it \\'ould be a ppropriate 19 q, no fewer than twenty-two models t hat O ntario should pay a t ri bu te to the had been recei\'ed. or were o n their w ay . man w hose Yision and e nergy firs t broug ht O f these s ix came irom F ra nce a nd seven representa ti,·es o f the w hite race into from E ngland . T he exigencies o f w ar O ntario. T he log ical loca tion for t he ca used some delay, but early in October, memorial seemed to be O ri llia. the to wn i9q , t<he ·' Jury o[ A wa rd" assembled in nearest to the site of Cahiagu e, the capi tal Orillia to pass upon t hem. The ju ry w as o f the H u ron nation. composed of Sir Edmu nd \ \Ta lker, C hair­ man; ::vi r. William Brymner, P resident of The id ea was presented to the oificers the Royal Canadian J\ cacl cmy o[ A rts; Mr. o f the O rillia Canadia n C lu b. a n cl the pro­ Eric Brow n, D irector o f t he National A rt ject was o ffi cially launched by that body at Call ery. O tta wa; Dr. 1\ lexan <l er Fraser. a meeting held on t he 6th nf Februa ry. Pro,·incial A rc hivist : the l{e \'. Cano n 19 13. At t hat meeti ng. at which the chief Greene, a nd i\l essrs. F . L . i\ lacl;ache n, a nd speakers \\· ere i\fr. J o hn H. Hone. l'resi­ J . P. D o ,y11 ey. A lthoug h some o f the lea<l­ clent o f t he Canadian Press 1\ ssocia tio n. Dr. mg F rench sculptors submitted desig ns, the F raser. Pro,·incial A rchi,·ist. a nd :\lr. I. P. una nimous and almost instant choice o f t he Do wney, resolutio ns were passed e nclors­ Jury fell upon a model w hi ch.