1950- Raining Cats & Dogs with Floods and Bull-Dogs The Flood of 1950 saw citizens of the district battling the threat of rising waters not felt since 1919. By June town crews and volunteers began placing 6,000 sand bags to protect the point riprap and walk. Heavy down pours added to excessive run off leaving the Pither's Point dock almost floating, threatening the town pump house and Front Street Homes. The community watched the construction of the Arena, Rainy Crest Home, the new St. Mary's Catholic Church and Sixth Street School. In October fire damaged the east wing of the high school. The art-geography room physics laboratory and gymnasium-auditorium was all destroyed. Allocation of New War Time Houses located on west Wright Avenue included twenty five new homes. In February, the Gosselin Brothers had cut 25,000 tons of ice and noted that it is the best ice yet. The Gosselin Brothers, as in other years acted as suppliers to the Canadian National railway as well as other large suppliers in the district as well as International Falls. Also in February it was noted that the Five-Mile highway was to be graveled. Crushed gravel was to be placed on the road from Fort Frances to the five-mile dock as well as on Highway 71 from Barwick to Pinewood. Curling news included the fight for the Bulldog and the tradition of the Kiwanis "Go-getter Cup". In March the Kiwanis took a trip to Atikokan to actually deliver the cup described as a gold-lined silver plated monstrosity. The famed Bull-Dog returned from Rainy River to hang in the Fort Frances Club Rooms once more. It is noted that the "Bull-Dog" was bred and born in the old Mine Centre Hotel in 1902 and is now the most prized of district trophies and merely accompanies the Bryan Cup that had been up for annual competition since 1898. The History book committee is still trying to determine what the bull dog really was. Some elude to a painting– taken from a wall as an addition to the prize cup. Images of an actual dog in the painting were at first discussed– but others recall it may be of an unclad woman! So where is the Bull-Dog? 1951- New Memorial Building The Opening of the New Community Memorial Arena on March 30th, 1951, featured a "versatile program featuring home town talent". The Order of the Elks was in charge of the arrangements entertainment featured figure skating and two unique hockey matches in the rink and upstairs dancing and a bazaar in the auditorium. In the good news section it was mentioned that admission to the official opening would be only 25 cents for adults and 10 cents for children.In February the installation of the refrigeration unit consisting of 7 1/4 miles of pipe was in the headlines. For best operation it was noted that 1 1/2 inches of ice is laid over the pipes. Benefiting from the new facility were the Fort Frances Canadians, winning their fifth consecutive N.A.H.L. championship over the Hibbing Flyers. Soon they were on their way to become the first local team to reach the Allan Cup finals after a win over the Nanaimo B.C. Clippers. The community felt the loss of Mayor B.V. Holmes in August after 12 years as mayor. Bert had arrived in the district as a New Brunswick lumberman, and began work as a camp clerk in 1908 while still in his teens. He proudly recalled that he had never missed a river drive. Bert's twelve year term was the longest in the history of the town. The naming of a successor proved to be a test of town clerk J.W. Walker's forty years of experience. J.T. Livingstone was named mayor by acclamation in a special election. On January 1st, Dr. J.J. Leishman and Dr. A.H. W. Challis announced the opening of their new Medical Office Building. Located at 400 Portage Ave, the opening placed into honorary retirement the old McKenzie hospital located at 212 Third St. West. The new office conveniently located in the down town area across from the Town hall was a modern, cedargrain sided one-story building with a comfortably furnished waiting room paneled in birch veneer. Two sets of doctors room and a room for minor surgery were featured. This facility of course today still serves as a medical building of sorts– the home of the Nor-West Animal Clinic.1952- Historic Growth in the Community 1952, brings us fifty years back in time, half way through our Centenial Count Down. The news of the Fort Frances Canadians on the Allan Cup trail was of course a popular headline but 1952 was also noted for historic growth in the Community. By April, older district residents were moving into Rainycrest, the beautiful and well-built home for the aged. The public was invited to visit the home on March 8th but were requested to remove their rubbers to keep it in spotless condition. Built for $500,000 the home was built to accommodate ninety residents. The name "Rainycrest" had been submitted by Erling Lund, and was selected from 70 suggestions made by district residents. "The name identifies the locality, in the Rainy River District. "Crest" implies a superior type of home, and the people who will be living there have arrived at the crest of life." In 1985 the brand new facility was constructed. By December of 1952, a new addition to the Fort Frances High School and a new wing to the LaVerendrye Hospital opened. Together the two projects represented an investment of over $1,200,000 . The boom year also saw one store and a service station under construction. E.W. Thompson was constructing a successor store to the Rijinol gift shop on Scott Street and Lloyd Stinson was constructing a service station on the corner of First St. and Central Ave. The community was saddened by the death of veteran crown attorney Norman L. Croome, at the age of 69. Croome has arrived in the district in 1913 and had served as crown attorney since the court house was built in 1913. Noted for his support of a number of organizations, Mr. Croome was described as "one of nature's most kindly men." Arthur Douglas McLennan was appointed in October to fill Mr. Croome's position. Joining a long history of the McLennan law offices in Fort Frances, Mr. McLennan was the son of Judge Allan McLennan who had been appointed in 1916 to the District of Rainy River. The appointment of Arthur Douglas McLennan to crown attorney marked the first native son to be given that position. 1953- Celebrating the Coronation "Fort Frances Observes Coronation Day with Many Notable Events" reads the June 4th headline of the Fort Frances Times. Thousands of border residents and US tourists were on hand for a memorable day long festival sponsored by the Royal Canadian Legion. Included were fireworks at the Memorial arena, the crowning of Queen Miss Joan Bolton winner in a popularity contest held at the "Coronation" dance, a prize of 50 silver dollars, a ball held on the arena floor attended by 1,000 people, a parade featuring 1,500 marching children carried small Union Jacks and wearing crowns of colored paper. The program included the oath of allegiance, the singing of O' Canada, the Maple Leaf forever and God Save the Queen followed by the serving of ice cream. Competitions included a ten mile bike race from Crozier, , a baseball tournament that saw Emo triumphant, and an afternoon of children's competitions including three-legged races and a cracker eating contest. The fire works were noted as being the first held in may years, lasting one hour and ending with a pyrotechnic statue of the Queen. 1953 also recalls the loss of some well-known citizens. The death of Miss Florence Forsberg saw the end of a brilliant career for the young 25 year old. Miss Forsberg had reached international acclaim as a professional singer. Daughter of Mr. and the late Mrs. Bert Forsberg, a Fort Frances clothier, Florence's talent was quickly realized. Following training in Winnipeg she moved to the United States at the age of 16 and eventually studied at Julliard and became a success touring Europe. Tragically her death was attributed to murder. She was discovered slain in her New York apartment on July 16th. Dr. John Ernest O'Donnell's contributions to the community were recognized in his August passing. Since 1921, Dr. J.E. O'Donnell had been the Medical Officer of Health in Fort Frances. He represented the Seperate School board for ten years. More than a "physician and a surgeon" Dr. O'Donnell was noted as being a true "family doctor". 1954-Ripley's Believe It or Not Fort Frances shares in the fame as Bill Fontana and "Peppy" Steal the Show at the CNE. In 1954 it was noted that the log rolling duo were steeling the headlines. The Toronto Star notes that "the most spectacular portion of the waterfront "Waterside" was the log rolling agility of world champion log-roller Bill Fontana of Fort Frances. Bill was accompanied by his dog "Peppy" who is reputed to be the only canine log-roller in the world. Ripley's Believe It or Not supported the claim by featuring Peppy in a 1954 cartoon. Peppy was featured for having log rolled a full mile in one hour. Peppy retired in 1957 and his passing in 1960 received attention from the community. Jim Cumming recalled the fame of our local log rollers in a 1996 feature. From an era when the logs arrived at the mill by water, the log drive tested the skills of the lumber jack. Young boys would challenge each other with the loser getting a dunking in the lake. Under the tutelage of Frank Peloquin a group of young boys learned the art of waltzing on the logs. Bill Fontana, Billy Cousineau, Ray Cousineau and Joe Podgorski were noted as students. "Soon Bill Fontana and Joe Podgorski were following Peloquin to sports shows. Log rollers were a big attraction then, and they competed against other rollers" With the addition of Peppy, Bill Fontana began a career of performing and sports and trade shows in the United States including Chicago, New York and Boston. Fontana proved a great ambassador for the area, and even tried to unite the east and west during the cold war, log rolling the Spray Canal in Berlin dressed as Santa Clause. A milestone in 1954, saw the headlines congratulating Mrs. Nick "Pat" Kiozik on being the first woman councillor of the Town of Fort Frances. Noted was that Mrs. Kozik was following in the footsteps of Fort Frances women who had taken an active role in many civic organizations. Notably Mrs. Margaret McVey and Mrs. T.B. Harrison whom had served with the Board of Education. 1955- New customs facility, nurses and new club highlights 1955. The 1955 headline reading "Plan to Raze Williams Block; To Use Site for Customs Area; Propose One-Way Traffic Routes" seems like deja-vu. By Mid-August a new customs area opened on the corner of Church Street and Mowatt Ave. The razing of the Williams block removed a fifty year old cement block building erected by the late Herbert Williams. Following the fire of 1905 that destroyed the Front Street business section, Mr. Williams rebuilt on the Church Street corner. Throughout the years the building was the location of such businesses as Watson and Lloyd, the Fort Frances Drug and Book Company and the Canadian Bank of Commerce. The site had been last vacated by the G McLean Co. Ltd. In June of 1955 the Rotary, with "Service Above Self" organized a club in Fort Frances. Twenty five local business and professional men joined the world-wide service organization. Throughout the years the club was able to establish a north end park, organize the Santa Clause parade, support families in economic hardship and support high school activities. They provided student scholarships and educational travel, financed sports and athletics and purchased hospital equipment and services. The Rotary also started the first Fort Frances Culturama, provided a band for social events and at parades and Rainy Crest. They participated in the International Polio program and organized tree-give-aways and fish fry's. Other projects included Adopt-a-Highway, Fort Frances Recreation Trails, Rotary exchanges, and sponsoring local high school students at the Model United Nations Assembly and for the Rotary Youth Leadership Award. In 2002, the decision was made to disband the Fort Frances Rotary. The past 47 years reveals the significant contribution they have made to our community. Sister Marie Tougas reviewed the history of the new school for nursing assistants in an article on October 6, 1955. She outlined the need for and realization of a certified nursing assistants' course in the community. Since the inception of the general hospital the need for qualified nursing assistants had been constantly felt. Finally in 1955, the employee's residence was converted into a school for nursing assistants, and arrangements were made with the high school for the use of their nutrition laboratory facilities. The course offered a couple weeks of theory, lectures, demonstrations, study and supervised practice on the hospital wards. Uniforms, books, laundry, and board and room accommodations were provided for free. Miss Shirley McLeod, R.N. was the full-time nursing instructor to 12 students. 1956- Tributes to the Past and Ventures into the Future. 1956 saw the community paying tribute to the past when the "Site of Athabaska House was Marked by a Cairn" Tribute was payed to hardy and adventurous fur traders who penetrated western frontiers two centuries ago. The monument, a cairn bearing a bronze plaque, stood on a cement base by the Rainy River that once carried fur-filled canoes of courier-du-bois. Fittingly just a stone's throw away is modern highway 71 travelled daily by hundreds. The six ton boulder or cairn marked the site of the North West Company's Fort Lac La Pluie or Rainy Lake House. Established by a number of small trading groups in 1783, the Company established at Fort Frances what became an important link in the fur trade route. The plaque notes "Erected on or near this site some time between 1775-87 by the North West Company, abandoned in 1821 at the time of the union with the Hudson's Bay Company. The establishment included "Athabaska House" the depot where, owing to the distances to be covered during the short travelling season the traders from Montreal met those from the Athabaskan country and exchanged lading with them." Premier Leslie Frost commented on how the erection of historical markers was now the responsibility of a new committee in his department. This marker at the end of Keating Ave. is one of the first ever erected by the Ontario Heritage Foundation. In October visions of the future led to plans to develop a non-toll television station. The station in International Falls would serve communities within a 35 mile radius. A 500 watt transmitter would receive a signal from Duluth and include three micro-wave towers and provide good reception for an area of 10 miles radius without an outside antenna. Beyond this area reception would be available with an outside antenna for a radius of 35 miles. The Minneonto Television Inc. had been organized for the purpose of getting standard television to the area. To begin erection of the station 3,000 shares were for sale at a value of $50 by means of a pledge. "Old Home Week" Celebration plans in 1956 provide some ideas for the upcoming Centennial in 2003. Planned by the Chamber of Commerce the program included the erection of Fort St. Pierre, social and outdoor events including a long distance canoe race, a swim, boat and water show, log rolling, street and square dancing, a Voyageur's Ball, lumberjack events, fireworks, golf tournament, fiddler's contest, and curling bonspiel. 1957-New Citizens Welcomed. In January 1957, twenty five refugees arrived in the area from Hungary. Accommodations were made at the Irwin Hotel, with Fort Frances a "clearing house" for the department of immigration. Men were able to find employment in Red Lake, Emo and Pinewood as well as Fort Frances. Offers came from LaVerendrye hospital, a local dry-cleaner and pulp and mining industries. The Hungarian reception committee organized the contribution of blankets and clothing and the greeting of the new citizens. Also in January, The Pallett Club formed. Meeting at the home of Mrs. A. Gladu, the club was the forerunner of the Fort Frances Arts & Crafts Association. Meetings and Saturday afternoon painting sessions were included in the activities. On June 13th, it was official- "Bell Company Takes over Town Telephone System". The Town of Fort Frances had been operating the system for the past 44 years. The communication changes of the past 10 years indicated that the passover of the system to bell was at a time "when it requires the men and know-how of a corporation the size of Bell." Tenders had been called for the construction of the "modern dial and long distance telephone centre" on Church Street. The project was scheduled to be completed in the spring of 1958, when the dial exchange would go into operation. Ratepayers had approved the sale of the municipal telephone system on Dec. 3, 1956 with a vote of 1,584 for and 645 against for the cost of $225,000. The big debate in 1957 was Yes or No to Daylight Saving Time. In June, voters went to the polls to decide whether they would join the majority of communities in Northwestern Ontario who are on daylight saving time or whether they will continue to remain on Standard Time. If the community chose to remain on Standard Time, they would find themselves in a different time zone than International Falls. On Sunday April 28th, 1957- the Falls was starting on Daylight Saving time as a result of a statewide bill. Fort Frances residents have not enjoyed the benefits of daylight saving time since 1947. The following year , although the town council adopted daylight saving time, it was never brought into force". Opposed by International Falls and Fort Frances churchmen, the bylaw was rescinded when an informal poll showed that the residents were not wholeheartedly in support. Since then the voters have consistently rejected daylight saving time. The 1956 referendum was 1489 against and 1220 in favour. It was felt that the setting ahead of clocks in International Falls would probably change Fort Frances' thinking on the issue. In June 1957, the Little Red School house was starting it's third career as a Museum at the Point. Once situated beside the Bank of Commerce on Mowatt Ave., the building was constructed during the summer of 1887 and served as a school until the Scott street school (museum) was constructed in 1898. The dreams of the Museum Committee however for the Little Red School House Museum did not come to life as the structure was deemed unfit and razed in 1962 after attempting to move it onto the grounds at Robert Moore. In 1957, citizens were encourage to "Join the Crusade" and be x-rayed at a number of sites throughout the district. The battle against TB promoted that we should all give ourselves a periodic check- a chest x-ray once a year.1958- Relics from the Past On July 3rd, the Fort Frances Times headline reads that "Archaeologists Arrive to Start Hunt for Artifacts at Point". A month long probe into local history found the Royal Ontario Museum digging into the past at an ancient burial mound alongside the Ranier Rapids. Walter Kenyon, assistant curator at the ROM was willing to forego the comforts of a hotel and set up a tent on site. Early in the excavation Kenyon and curator Dr. Kenneth Kidd had found artifacts indicating that the burial had been there approximately 400 years. The discovery of a copper fishing gaff however caused excitement. Evidence of the "Copper Culture" indicated that some thousand years ago ancient peoples may have been in the area. Over 3,000 artifacts were found and catalogued by Kenyan and assistant Candy Thew of Atikokan. The arrival of the archaeologists coincided with the start of a fund raising campaign to rebuild La Verendrye's Fort St. Pierre. The project was undertaken by the Fort Frances Historical Society and a fundraising campaign centred on buying a log. A 13 foot stockade was to be built from logs purchased from Rainy Lake cutters. Despite the fact that the old fur-trading post was obliterated by the passing of time, the committee was happy to hear that "Kenyon Believes Fort St. Pierre Site Now Known." The concentration of relics unearthed by his digging indicated where the old building must have stood. The amounts of trade beads, bits of old iron, and other relics of contact found when he dug trenches, caused him to fix the site either under the railroad tracks close to the Rainier rapids or north. 1958 also saw honour of local men by the Board of Education. "J.W. Walker, J.A. Mathieu and F.H. Huffman three names prominent in Fort Frances affairs over a great number of years would continue to be a permanent part of the community." JW Walker saw himself hounoured when the west end Faries Avenue or Parker Street School was officially opened as the J.W. Walker School. Mr. Walker had been one of the original school principals of Fort Frances and town clerk for a half century. He arrived in Fort Frances in 1901 and took over as principal of the new Scott Street School. Resigning in 1910 from the school, Walker was elected to town council in 1911 but resigned to serve the next 44 years as town clerk. He died in 1959. It was noted that the J.W. Walker School stood at the cross roads of Canada- "the school is located close to the site of old Fort Lac la Pluie, the fur trading post that marked the half way point for fur trading brigades across Canada. The avenue- Fairies ( now Keating) was named for Hugh Faries who was a clerk of the Northwest Company. The property of the school stands on later became part of the Webster family farm." The School on Williams Avenue was also renamed. Originally built in 1955 the school was renamed for Mr. F.H. Huffman who was served some 30 years as principal of the public school. He was a fixture at Robert Moore from 1911 until his death in 1940. Mr. J.A. Mathieu was honoured when his name was placed on the new auditorium addition to the High School. The new auditorium-gymnasium was completed in 1952, and Mr. Mathieu was recognized for his dedication to financially supporting education through out the district.1959- Community Centres In 1959, the Associated Community Club of Fort Frances published a series of articles to better acquaint the citizens of Fort Frances with their community clubs. Six defined community centers were under the supervision of the Fort Frances Recreation Commission. With a community building, funds from the recreation program, volunteer programs and fund drives, the typical club was administered by volunteer executives. Some community centres offered large open areas for playground and parks. Through the winter months the clubs would build and maintain a rink and a rink house for hockey, broom ball games and skating partings. The rink house was used as a club house and was often the site of regular monthly meetings. Craft programs for boys and girls were held as well as gym classes, dances, bake sales, picnics, socials and get-togethers of neighbours and friends. Teams sponsored by the clubs include ball teams of young and old. Minor hockey teams are organized through the community centres and baseball and softball teams. It appears quite a rivalry developed as each community centre hosted teams and played in tournaments against the other centres. Playground programs supervised by a trained leader from the recreation department included a day of crafts, storytelling, active and quiet games, tournaments and special events for boys and girls. Many of the club centres were located on school grounds offering a central location in the community and the facilities needed for outdoor and indoor recreation programs. The Central Community Club included all those living on the north side of Scott Street to the CNR tracks, east to Shevlin Avenue and west to Central Avenue. In 1958 an estimated 2,463 citizens were served in a recreation area of 12.66 acres. Activities included erecting a temporary rink on the Robert Moore School grounds and a rink house heated by a coal burner. Two new steel backdrops were purchased in 1958 and erected at Robert Moore and used as home diamonds for the Central and South End teams. Boys registered in the A league for 16 years and under and B League for 13 years and under. Playgrounds operated at Robert Moore and one on Phair Avenue at the Elks playground. It was noted that 532 children attended the Elks playground in the first three weeks of activity and 1,573 at Robert Moore. The South End Communty Club included all the area south of Scott Street to the river and from Central Avenue west to Shevlin Avenue, serving a population of 1,600 and an area of two acres. Activities were centered at St. Mary's School ground- the only existing playground and suitable open area in the south end. 1959 plans included a new rink house that would serve as a community center. Meetings were held in the Columbus hall. A temporary rink was erected each fall on St. Mary's school ground. The three boys base ball teams-the South End B's, South End Knights of Columbus and the South End Pirates and girls soft ball team shared the facilities at Robert Moore. The South end also boasted four hockey teams, and two foottball teams. The playground program operated for the first time at the rink shack at St. Mary's in 1959. In the East end, the Community Club served those east of Shevlin Avenue and on the South side of Scott Street- a population of 1,358 in an area of 6.47 acres. On the south side of Scott Street, a playground was being developed at the corner of Church and Williams Avenue and a large playground and athletic area at Huffman School grounds. The club boasted a permanent rink, a rink house with coal burner and in 1958 purchased a steel backstop at Huffman School with two more to be put in place in 1959. Teams included the East End Women's team, the East End Red Devils (teenager) team, and the East End Filmores. The Community Centres were noted as making an invaluable contribution to the cultural life and recreation of our citizens- men, women and children.