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FORTY YEARS AGO. (Continued From Last Week.) PROTON TOWNSHIP. A township in the south eastern part of the County of Grey; having Artemesia on the north, Melancthon on the east, Luther (in Wellington Co.) on the south, and Egremont on the west. There are no Gravel or other leading roads in Proton, with the exception of the Toronto and Sydenham Road, which runs along its N. E. boundry three or four miles, cutting off, as it were, a corner of the township.The four townships of Proton, Melancthon, Luther and Amaranth, are popularly credited with a large amount of swamp. And to a considerable extent, this reputed character is correct. We have noth ing special to do in this work, with Luther and Amaranth, which are out of the County of Grey; but Melanc thon contains a large amount of swampy land, and the same is true of Proton. The swamps are covered with a not very heavy growth of cedar, tamarack, balsam, c , while the and between, composing ridges of a very few feet elevation above the swamps, and of smaller or great er breadth, present generally excel lent land and good hardwood timber. It is little consolation to tell a poor settler to the bush, whose land is so moist #s not to allow him to get in his spring wheat in good time, and where spring frosts heave out the young plants, and autumn frosts nip the crop before it is ripe, that a cen tury hence the district of country in which he lives will be one of the richest grazing tracts in the Province, rivalling to richness the western prairies; yet such will undoubtedly be the case. At present, his land seems to produce little Lut telegraph poles, and these are not wanted. Yet, with this drawback, there are yet many good farms and many thrif ty settlers in Proton. Since Mount Forest has become a large place, a good market is there afforded for farm produce, and it is but about 15 to the centre of the township from t place; and Priceville is conven t the N. W. portion. The northern and southern concer ns are those bestertled. In some the central concessions, except near the middle of the township, here are but few settlers. And the mosern part has but few sett ers The population in 1861, was, by the census, 1440. If the census was correctly taken in Proton, and the Militia Roll of 1864 complete, there can be but a very slight increase of population to the interval, for the latter shows 289 names of men be tween IS and 60, representing a pop ulation of not over 1445; a result obtained by multiplying the number of men by A. Proton was surveyed by the late David Gibson, Esq., P. L. S., in the year 1850. ‘The Ranges parallel to Toronto and Sydenham Road were surveyed before. Census Reports, 1961.—Occupiers of lands, 242; holding under 20 acres each, 1; holding 29 to 50 acres each, 1s; holding 50 to 100 acres each, 170; from 100 to 200 acres each, 52; over 200 acres each, 11. Fall wheat raised none; spring wheat, 15,805 bush.; barley, 852 bushels; pease, 3,660 bushels; oats, 9,178 bushels; pota toes, 14,266 bushels; turnips, 54,153 bushels; grass seed, 53 bushels; hay, 205 bushels; maple sugar, 4,609 Ibs.; wool, 919 Ibs.; butter, 16,975 lbs.; cheese, 527 tbs.; pork, 120 barrels. Municipal Officers.— Reeve, Robert Montgomery (Dundalk P.O) Coun ters. P. Ryan, D. McMillan, W. McDonald, J. W. Armstrong. Clerk vod treasurer, John Vere (Cedarville PO) Magistrates.—John McDowell, ‘Timothy O’Calaghan, John W. Arm strong, Wm. McDonald, John Vert, Duncan McMillan. Schools.—S. S. No 1.. Donald Me aley, teacher, House, log. Average atendance for 1864, 15. No maps, 8.8. No. 2. Julius Ansley, teach- No maps. House. log. Average attendance for 1864, about 10. S. S.No. 3. Not organized. S.S.No.4. John R. Vert, teacher. House, log. Average attendance for 1st4, about 20. S.S. No. 5. Not organized. R. C. Separate S. No. 6. Miss Doyle, teacher. House, log. No maps. No report. S. No. 7. Peter Dow, teacher. House, log. No maps. Average at tendance for 1864, about 20. 3.S.No.7. Robt. Agnew, teacher. House, log. No maps. Average at tendance for 1864, about 10. 8S. S.No. 9. Wm. Kenzie, teacher 1s64. House. log. No maps. Av erage attendance for 1864, about 9. Post Offices. --Ronalday and Cedar ville. (Proven P. O. is in Artemesia), Churches.—There is a Wesleyan Methodist frame chapel on the “Toronto Line,” between Proton and Artemesia, and a Roman Catholic log forch in Proton. Religious services are held in some of the schoolhouses. RAVENNA P.O. post office in the township of lingwood, established in Jane, +. Wm. Reid, parnmaster. It - 11 m. from Collingwood Harbour, 7 . from Thornbury, and about 35 m. from Owen Sound. It is supplied , with a weekly mail (on Saturday), from Clarksburg. Being somewhat central for the whole township, the township council meet at Ravenna. Generally once a month Ravenna is in an old settled part of the township; the land in the vicinity is good ; clay soil. There is a blacksmith’s shop and shoemaker’s shop at the place ; and two sawmills in the neighbor hood. An Episcopal church within 3 miles, and Wesleyan chave about 2 wm. distant, ROCKY SAUGEEN RIVER A well-known branch of the Sad gern, crossing the Garafraxa Road 34 m. N.of Durham. So named from the circumstance of the road passing through an exceedingly rocky or stony piece of ground just at the crossing of the river. I's course re sembles very much that of the other branches of the same river; a pretty swift current, over a hard borrow of limestone pebbles. The farthest reaching branch rises in artemesia, in the vicinity of the Toronto Line. Other branches rise in some small lakes in Glenelg. It flows through the latter township in a. W. direc tion, and after crossing the Garafraxa Road into Bentinck, joins the main stream of the Saugeen near Dalglish’s sawmill, about 4 m. from Durham. About 5m. above the bridge at the Garafraxa Road are the falls of the Rocky Saugeen. There are five saw mills on the river; Travis’, Rows well’s, Chaffey’s, Ainsmore's, and Delglish’s; and two flouring mills, Chaffey’s and Mellroy ’s, us also a carding and falling mill at Chaffey’s. Its whole course (we can only give an approximation). may be about 2 miles. ‘ROCKY SAUGEEEN '’ MILLS. Close by where the Rocky Saugeen crosses the Garafraxa Road, stands the popular and well-known hotel of John Mellroy. ‘There is also a store close by. « branch establishment of Messrs. Vickers Johnson, of Owen Sound A short distance S of the road are Mr. Mellroy’s flouring mills the“ Rocky Saugeen Mills, a sub stantial stone building, with 4 run of stones, and abundant water power. Distance from Owen sound abot 25 m., from Durhaw 34. The hotel and store are on the Glenelg side of the road; the mills are in Bentinck. As business begins 10 centre round the mills, hotel and store a post office will probably be established before lons. Durham is the nearest PO. at present. Dinsmore’s sawmill is a Short distance up stream, Dinsmore. John, farmer and saw mill proprietor. Gray, William, miller. Irwin. Robert, farmer. Johnson, Daniel (of Vickers Johnson) Mighton, Charles, farmer. Mellroy, John, hotel proprietor ; proprietor flouring mills. McKecchnie, Archibald, farmer. Vickers Johnson, general dealers in dry goods, groceries and country produce. RONALDSAY PO A post office in the township of Proton, about 10 m. 8. of Priceville in Artemesia, from whence it is sup pled with mails every Saturday. Joseph McArdie, postmester. SABLE RIVER This river is properly ** Aux Sable of the north,” to distinguish it from the Sable River emptying into Lake Huron in the township of Bosanquet, between Sarnia and Bayteld. The river under review rises a little south of the centre of the township of Sullivan; and after giving power to Conzer’s sawmill, near Marmion P O, drows westerly into Elderslie in county of Brnce; and then north erly (passing Invermay and Tara), through the townships of Arran and Arabel till it falls into Lake Huron a little south of Cheet’s Point and the Fishing Islands Just before reach ing the lake, it re-wires Pike River, the outlet of a chain of small lakes occupying the water-shed between Colpey’s Bay and Lake Huron At the junction is a fine water-privilege; but the neighborhood is scarcely as yet settled. ‘The Sable also drains Arran Lake, in the township of that name; and (except when the summer heats have dried up the outlet), Shal low Lake and several others com municating with it, in the township of Keppel. The Sable is a noted trout stream. It is not navigable, though, like the Sangeen, it has some deep water near its mouth. The * Sable,” of which the traveller hears, 14 m. S. of Owen Sound, and which he sees crossing the Garafraxa Road at Strathy's sawmill—a beauti ful broad stream of clear water, brawling over a pebbly bed, is the northern fork of the Saugeen. The naming it‘** Sable” was a mistake of McDonald's in running out the Gara fraxa Road in 1841. Though, from the force of old association, it gener ally continues to be called the ** Sable,” it is now pretty well known to be a Saugeen From Strathy’s mill it runs W. 8. W. to Scone P.O, turning Bearman’s sawmill and El liot’s grist mill, in Elderslie, and from thence it runs W. and N. W., unl it falls into the Saugeen a little below Paisley. Many people near its source, in Holland township, still be lieve it to be the Sable, just as some people still believe the southern fork of the Sangeen to be the Maitland— but both are equally wrong. SARAWAK P. 0. A post office near the shore of Owen's Sound, in the township of Sarawak, distant about 10 miles from the town of Owen Sound, from whence it is supplied with mails every Monday. The post office was established in 1863, Benjamin Jones being appointed pestmaster. John McKenzie now acts in that capacity. Though only settled 7 years, the neighborhood is rapidly becoming a fine and prosperous settlement. SARAWAK TOWNSHIP. In 1855, the Indians residing at Newash and Saugeen, chiefly Ojib ways, surrendered to the Government the title to the Saugeen Peninsula, (now surveyed into the townships of Sarawik, Keppel, Amabel, Alber maile, Eastnor, Lindsay and St. Edmund, the latter three as yet un inhabited, with the exception of a Reserve at Saugeen and another at Owen Sound. The latter Reserve had 9 miles frontage on the waters of the Sound, with a depth of between 2u and 3 miles. Becoming discontent ed, and perhaps thinking that their annuities would be greatly increased by handing over this Reserve, also, the Newash band, in 1857, accepted the offer of the Government to erect houses for them and locate them at Cape Croker, and surrendered the Newash Reserve. It was immediate ly surveyed, and was sold at auction at Owen Sound in September, 1857, along with such portions of the townships sold the year before as yet remained in the hands of the Govern ment. It received the name of Sara wak, in honour of Major Brooke, the English ** Rajah of Sarawak.” Sarawak is a small township, per haps the smallest in Upper Canada, and might very well have been added to Keppel, which bounds it on the north and west. It is united to Keppel for municipal purposes The offoial title of the United Municipal ity, is more sounding than convenient — The United Townships of Keppel and Sarawak, and Town-plot of Brooke.” This little township, lying so hand somely on the shores of Owenn’s Sound, within easy reach of the town, and presenting on the whole, tolerably good land (some very good, other portions a little stony), soon began to fill up with settlers; the majority of them came from the older settlements ‘down below” (as they themselves would term it), and knew just how to go to work to make a good township out of a wilderness. Sarawak has three concessions, lengthwise of the township. That nearest the shore is called the third concession. Between the 2nd and 3rd concessions, a leading road has been well cleared out and improved, and will soon be, all the year round, as it now is in winter, a very good road There is only one post office— * Sarawak ”’—as yet. The council of the united townships meet at Brooke. SAUGHUEN RIVER. The Saugeen, though not a navig able river, is one of the three or four larger streams found in the western part of Upper Canada. It rises in Osprey, not far from the old “ Dur ham Road,” and flows with a general west course through Osprey, Arteme sia, Glenelg, Bentinck and Brant to Walkerton; thence with a general northerly course to Southampton, where it empties into Lake Huron Its course is very devious; from its source to Walkerton is about 40 m. in a direct line, and from that town to the mouth of the river is but little over 30 m. direct, making 70 m. for the course of the river; yet, from its many windings, it must flow over 100 miles. The Saugeen is remark able for its many branches. It has no fewer than five large tributaries, some of them signified with the ap pellation of*' Rivers.” In the county of Grey, on the main stream, are the villages of Priceville, Durham and Hanover; on the south fork (the so called ‘* Maitland” of former days), are Cedarville, Mount Forest, Ayton and Neustadt. The Saugeen, and all its numerous branches, present an al most unlimited number of water privileges , not a tithe of which are as yet used for manufacturing. Nor mandy, Egremont, Glenelg and Ben tinck, in the county of Grey, are wholly drained by the Saugeen; and Proton, Melancthon, Osprey, Arte mesia, Hollan, and Sullivan, partial ly. Most of the branches of the Saugeen have been used, during the last two or three years, for floating down elm timber, intended for the St. Lawrence, and all of them are more or less visited in the season by anglers, for trout fishing has become all the fashion of late in the North west. At the mouth of the Saugeen, a pier has been projected into the lake, which not only gives shelter to vessels entering, but by narrowing t the channel, tends to deepen the
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Durham Chronical and Grey County Advertiser
Durham, Ontario, CA
Thu, Mar 06, 1902
Page 3
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Hannah V.
CA 07 Jul 2026
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