Malton: Farms to Flying Kathleen A. Hicks MALTON: FARMS TO FLYING is published by Friends of the Mississauga Library System 301 Burnhamthorpe Road West, Mississauga, Ontario L5B 3Y3 Malton: Farms to Flying Canada Copyright © 2006 Mississauga Library System All rights reserved. ISBN 0-9697873-9-1 II Written by Kathleen A. Hicks Designed by Joe and Joyce Melito Cover design by Stephen Wahl 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 also has been taken with research material. If anyone encounters any discrepancy with the facts contained herein, please send your written information to the author in care of the Mississauga Library System. (Phyllis Williams) Malton: Farms to Flying (Kathleen A. Hicks) (Kathleen Other Books by Kathleen A. Hicks The Silverthorns: Ten Generations in America III 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: Journey from Yesterday Cooksville: Country to City Dixie: Orchards to Industry VIDEO Riverwood: The Estate Dreams Are Made Of Dedication dedicate this book to all the people who saw fit over the years to preserve and keep the Village of Malton within the bound- IV aries of Toronto Township when other municipalities tried to annex it for their own gain and greed. And to the people who did not allow it to separate itself from the township. I would Ihave hated to have been deprived of writing about the history of this interesting corner of our city that harbours the biggest and best amenity of all – the Airport, where Mississauga joins hands with every country in the world through flight. (Region of Peel Archives) Malton: Farms to Flying Acknowledgements V ith each book I launch in this ten-book series, I realize Toronto Township Centennial Committee, 1950 just how close I am coming to the end of this mar- (Viola Herridge) velous journey the Good Lord has set me on. It is a privilege to have had the opportunity to pursue this magnificent goal. I have to say that little documenta- Wtion has been done on Malton and at first I wondered if I would be able to give the Malton area residents a substantial book as I have the other communities that made up Mississauga. There is lots of information, and there are many articles and books on the Airport and aviation history accomplished there, but only the small Trinity United Church booklet has been written on Malton’s beginnings. When word got around about my writing a book on Malton’s history, the residents and people from the organizations, businesses and churches came to my aid and they have made it happen and within these pages is the end result. So, I am very grateful to a lot of people whom I have met along this path of historical documentation. I have had the good fortune to add many new friends and acquaintances to my life since I began five years ago. Without the input of these people it would not be possible to complete this work. Wood and Pearl Wedgewood, who all shared their reminiscences; So I thank you all for coming into my life and adding the tremendous much gratitude to Diane Beedham for info and photos on the contribution that you have. I extend a thank you of gratitude to Don McAllisters, the Galbraiths, Johnstone and Watt families; Donald Mills, Chief Executive Officer of the Mississauga Library System, for Tomlinson for his family’s history and genealogies on Malton’s pioneer his constant support of this project; Michael Jones and the Friends of families; Judy Drysdale for Mount Charles info; Jean Franz for the Library for believing this was a worthwhile project to sponsor; to Malton schools; Robert Brander for Grahamsville school’s history; Joe and Joyce Melito and Stephen Wahl for their graphics expertise Randall Reid for info and photos on the Shaw family; Joan Conrad, and work on all my books - it is a joy working with you; Ted Sharpe Girl Guides, and Phil Frost for Boy Scouts. For supplying documen- and his staff, especially Dorothy Kew, in the Canadiana Room and tation and permission to use photos for all my books, my thanks to: History Department for their kindness and generosity of time in shar- Dommi Freestone, Hydro One Archives; Julia of the Ministry of ing their expertise and photos; Diane Allengame and her staff at the Transportation Archives; Sandra Notarianni, Ford Historical consult- Region of Peel Archives; Jayme Gaspar and Mathew Wilkinson of ant; Lorraine Croxen, Bell Canada Archives; and Cindy Monoco, GO Mississauga Heritage Foundation; Jacqueline M. Ward and her Malton Transit. For assisting with information and proofing articles, much Library staff; my appreciation to David Culham and his family for appreciation is extended to: Deputy Chief Ian Laing, Mississauga their efforts with gathering the Culham history - impressive research; Fire and Emergency Services; Natalie Wilkins, marketing for the thanks to my dear friend and author/publisher, Charlie Humber, for International Centre; Darrell Currey, Malton Community Centre; Sid introducing me to the influential gentlemen of the airwaves, James Weir, Black Development Association; Don Smith, Malton Legion Floyd and Carl Millard; thanks to James Floyd for giving of his valu- #582; Jim Cameron, Mississauga Transit; Jean Armstrong, Malton able time to let me interview him and learn about his days in Malton Trinity United Church; Sophie Lewis, Malton Baptist Church; VI and his expertise and adventures with the Jetliner and the Avro Reverend Kathy Brownlea, St. Mark’s Presbyterian Church; Father Arrow; to Carl Millard for sharing his adventures of flying and his Jerome Khelawan, St. Hugh and St. Edmund Anglican Church; Joyce business Millardair; Mark Warrack, of the City of Mississauga Temple-Smith, Malton Neighbourhood Services; Kathleen Dickinson, Community Services, for sharing his photos of heritage houses and Orenda Aerospace Corporation; Dave McIsaac, Westwood Mall; and information; Mike Wilson, City of Mississauga Community Services, Rosanne Longo, Longo’s Fruit Market; Richard MacFarlane for Ned for Park information; Russ Pooley, Community Services, for contact Hanlan research material and photos. names; Ed and Jean Armstrong for their family history and leads to To all the people who contributed their “Memories” and supplied many other Malton residents; Susie McCoy of the Malton Seniors, who photographs, I appreciate your input; to everyone else who has assisted gave me a list of seniors to interview, and I thank Vera Etheridge, me in this venture accept my deepest gratitude. I am humbly in your Anne Cliche, Gertie Dillman, Etta Garbett, Doug Lewis, Jean debt. Livingston, June MacDonald, Win Palmer, Jean Mashinter, Georgie Malton: Farms to Flying Thank you to the following sponsors VII for their support of this heritage (Wayne Millard) (Wayne Taken on August 30, 1999, at the project. Brampton Flying Club. L. to R.: The Friends of the Mississauga Library System Wayne, Dellen and Carl Millard S. B. (Bruce) McLaughlin Dellen had just completed a solo flight on his 14th birthday. At this time, he was the youngest The Shipp Corporation Canadian pilot and his grandfather, Carl, was Ignat (Iggy) Kaneff, chairman of the Kaneff Group of the oldest active commercial pilot in Canada. Companies Millardair Limited Sophie and Doug Lewis Keith and Dianne Beedham DEDICATION . IV ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS . V FOREWORD . IX INTRODUCTION . X TRIBUTE TO THE CULHAM FAMILY . XIV Contents YEARS: 1820 - 1850 . XVIII RICHARD HALLIDAY . 3 SAMUEL MOORE . 23 THE MALTON SCHOOLS . 27 THE HEPTON FAMILY . 43 YEARS: 1851 - 1900 . 53 VIII THE GRAND TRUNK RAILWAY . 63 YEARS: 1901 - 1950 . 91 THE MALTON WOMEN’S INSTITUTE . 99 YEARS: 1951 - 2000 . 171 THE MALTON COMMUNITY CENTRE AND LIBRARY . 248 ELMBANK . 284 GRAHAMSVILLE . 289 HANLAN’S CORNERS . 300 MOUNT CHARLES . 305 BIBLIOGRAPHY . 317 Granny Hutchinson’s Log Cabin, 1909 INDEX . 320 (Region of Peel Archives) Malton: Farms to Flying aving spent the greatest part of my childhood living in the farming community surrounding the Village of Malton, a flood of memories came rushing back to me when Kathleen asked me to prepare the foreword for Hthis book. Foreword Indelibly etched into my mind are the visions of a happy childhood. My father driving me from our home on the Sixth Line into the Village to attend Boy Scouts at the North Star Building, a war-time barracks built for the military stationed there, is something I think of every time I drive past the south-west corner of Derry and Airport Roads. My schooling, originally in a one-room schoolhouse in the nearby hamlet of Elmbank, and then in the new Malton Public School, was filled with years of rich memories. And how can anyone forget “the long, hot lazy days of summer” swimming in the favourite “holes” dotted along the Etobicoke Creek Dave Cook (Dave Cook) or building hay forts in our neighbours’ barns? We would often ride IX our bicycles to the Village, always stopping off at the restaurant in the new airport terminal on Airport Road. We could leave our bicy- Malton became an aircraft town. Its main industry was building cles right outside the door and have a coke at the restaurant or take aircraft. The original Village, known as a “Police Village” surrounded the staircase to the observation deck atop the one-storied structure. by a thriving farming community, boomed during WW II.