TAY #16

As might naturally be expected the first settlers in Tay were, or had previously been, connected with Indian trading. This had been the occupataion of Micheal MacDonnell, the earliest pioneer of the township, who located upon lot 101, con. 2. In 1816 he had entered the service of the Hudson's Bay Company when he was quite young, became an officer in the service of the same Company, and acted as a kind of private secretary for Lord Selkirk, when that nobleman was in Canada. For three years he was connected with Lord Selkirk and the Red River Settlement. But he returned to his native Ireland for a while (1820-1), and during this time Lord Selkirk died. Lady Selkirk appreciated Mr. MacDonnell's services in behalf of her husband, with whom he had been intimately associated in the Red River. Soon afterward Mr. MacDonnell again returned to the fur country, but the two companies had amalgamated, and he did not like the new regime, so he resigned his position and took to the life of a civilian. It is recorded (Mr. Osborne's Drummond Island Migration, p. 140) that he came from Drummond Island in 1826. Another account states that he finally settled in Tay in 1829, having then acquired the estate of the place named. Both of these dates are probably correct. He was squarely built and of medium size; and from a fantastic custom of wearing his hair or perhaps from some artificial wig, the settlers called him "Wiggie" MacDonnell to distinguish him from John McDonald, the other fur trader.

Samuel DeBurgh Frazer came from Ireland to Tay in 1839, his mother having been a Miss MacDonnell, sister of Michael MacDonnell just mentioned. He acquired the estate of his uncle, or at least a part of it, and became one of the most prominent men of Tay for many years, being known as "Squire" Frazer. He was the representative of Tay in the Simcoe District Council in 1848-9, and on the united townships of Tiny and Tay becoming entitled to a reeve of their own in the Simcoe County Council in 1851, he became their first reeve and occupied the position for six years. Again, in 1869, when Tay was separated from Tiny, he became the first reeve of Tay and was elected for succeeding years until 1874 (inclusive), and again in 1878 he was elected. During the last named year the incorporation of Midland as a village was effected, and he became its first reeve in 1879, also filling the position in the following year. In 1881-5 he was again reeve of Tay, and retired from public life at the close of this period, after being the chief officer of one municipality or another for 22 years, although never receiving election to the warden's chair.

The first settlers in the south parts of Tay came from Durham County in the late sixties and early seventies. One of the earliest of this numerous colony from Manvers and adjacent townships was Robert Webb, who came to the west half of lot 3. concession 5, in 1865, when the valleys and hills to the north of him were all a wilderness, and he continued to live on it until about 1887.

Tay contained comparatively few settlers until the building of the Midland Railway. The township was not a separate municipality until 1869, but was connected with Tiny for municipal purposes until that year. It appears, however, that it had the required number of names on the assessment roll (100 resident freeholders and householders) for some years before that time, to entitle it to get separation from Tiny; but, owing to some difficulty in the Municipal Act, real or alleged, there was some doubt as to the power of the County Council to pass the necessary By-law, until June, 1868.

Peter Burnett surveyed the original town plot of Midland in 1872 and 1873. It is also in record that A.C. Thomson made surveys about the same time on lots 107 and 108, concession 2, Tay, for building lots. A place named Everton had been surveyed on lot No. 111, concession 1, Tay, in the year 1853, but it did not materialize, and it is worthy of note that since the erection of the smelter on the northwest side of Midland Bay, and the consequent rise of houses in that part, the real estate transfers have reverted to the original plan of Everton, which had not been used for about half a century.

The Bay was called Mundy's Bay in former years, from the first settler, Asher Mundy, whose land (lot 112, con. 1) extended from the Penetanguishene Road almost to the harbour which was selected about November, 1871, as the proposed terminus of the Midland Railway. Midland's first years appear to have been checkered by the transactions of rival real estate dealers, as at every other railroad terminus. Harkley's Swamp at the west end of the town was a troublesome place to bridge, and was the burial place of numerous grants of money for road-making purposes.

The first merchants in the place were N. Courtemanche, Thomas Gladstone (who also started a hotel), and H. Sneath. The post office was opened in September, 1872, Mr. Gladstone being appointed the first postmaster.

Cook Bros. commenced the erection of the first sawmill during the winter of 1871-2, and finished it in the following summer. Of this well known firm of lumbermen, H.H. Cook, was a member. He was first elected M.P. for North Simcoe over D'Alton McCarthy in 1872, and afterwards became well known in public affairs, having been engaged in eleven political contests at one time or another in some part of North Simcoe.

Chew Bros. erected a steam shingle mill a little later, and also erected other mills in subsequent years.

As the place grew in size, the need arose for incorporation. At its session in June, 1878, the County Council passed a By-law appointing Jordan Cronkhite census enumerator, and laid the matter over till the October session for further consideration. By October, Mr. Cronkhite's census showed that the proposed limits of the village contained 836 inhabitants, and accordingly the Council passed a By-law to incorporate it as a village. The limits stated in the By-law of incorporation were the east halves of lots 105, 106, 107, 108 and 109 in the 1st concession of Tay, and the west halves of lots 105, 106, 107, with the whole of lot 108, in the 2nd concession, making a total of 469 acres. The first municipal election was to be held in McFarland's Hall, and Alex. Paterson was appointed returning officer. At the first election, Samuel Frazer was chosen the first reeve for 1879.

The sketch of the rise of Midland which appears in Belden's Atlas (published in 1881) is fairly complete and ought to be consulted by anyone desirous of possessing all the particulars that can be obtained. The writer of that sketch,-Charle W. Ashford, (afterward, the Honourable Clarence W. Ashford of the Hawaiian Islands)- had been connected with the staff of surveyors aaand civil engineers on the construction of the Midland Railway, and from his own personal knowledge of the early days of Midland, he was in a position to write the sketch referred to. It reflects severely on the operations of the Midland Land Company, which transacted a real estate business at the beginning of the place. The Ontario Legislature passed, in March 1872, an Act to incorporate the Midland Land Company, as 35 Vict., C. 97. And in 1882, the Legislature also passed a further Act to ammend the original Act incorporating the Company, as 45 Vict., C. 77.

With the growth of Midland, it obtained sufficient population to entitle it to incorporation as a town in 1887, which it became in due course of time, with J.B. Horrell as the first Mayor, and W.H. Bennett as reeve.

In the year 1869, John Kean, of Orillia, with W.D. Ardagh and Richard Power, of Barrie, and Albert Fowlie, of Orillia, formed a partnership as Kean, Fowlie & Co., and built an extensive sawmill to the east of the Hogg River outlet. The place now became known as Victoria Harbor, having been hitherto called Hogg's Bay more frequently. The firm of Kean, Fowlie & Co., operated the sawmill here until the year 1876, when a change took place in the firm.

One account states that a military officer had a pioneer sawmill at the mouth of Hogg River at a much earlier date than the Victoria Harbor mill above mentioned, probably the one marked as McNab's on Gibbard's map of 1853. Other mills here at later times were those of Nickerson Bros., and John McDermitt.

Thompson's sawmill at Sturgeon Bay, erected in 1848 or a little before, is supposed to be the first in this township, and was situated, as Gibbard's map of 1853 shows, fully a mile up the Sturgeon River. The road had been opened to Sturgeon Bay from Coldwater in 1843-4, and the terminus on the Bay became a busy port, marked "Tay Port" on the map above mentioned, with steamers and other vessels making regular calls. W.H. Tanner acquired or built a mill here in 1873, and the place assumed the name of Tannerville. The survey of Port Powell here in 1846 has already been noted in chapt. V., Vol. 1.

Near Fesserton, Benjamin Dusong settled about 1840, and passed his life in the neighbourhood. His death occured January 8, 1890. Across the water from Fesserton, Mr. Cowan, the fur trader, established a trading post in the eighteenth century, as it has been already stated in the chapter on the early fur traders (Vol. 1, chapter 3). The remains of his post have been known as the "Chimnies."

The first clearing at this place had its origin about the time the Govrenment built the grist-mill and houses for the Indians at Coldwater in 1832-3. From the Narrative of Michael Labatte recorded by Mr. Osborne it appears (p. 140) that Labatte was sent by the Government to clear the land at Waubaushene for the Indians at the time mentioned.

William Hall erected a sawmill here, the date being recorded as 1851. The Georgian Bay Lumber Company acquired the land here at a later time, and erected an extensive sawmill.

The project of building a swing bridge across the Narrows of Matchedash Bay at Waubaushene was mooted at an early time. In January, 1882, the County Council petitioned the Ontario Government for a grant of money to assist in this work, as settlers, lumbermen and others then had to travel some 25 miles to reach a point not more than two miles from Waubaushene. Nothing having come of the request, the Council renewed the application in November, 1885, and the question then fell through. The settlers of Baxter, Matchedash and a part of Tay were labouring under a great disadvantage in having to travel around Matchedash Bay when they wanted to reach Waubaushene. In those townships, as the last named petitioned set forth, there was a large tract of land, the settlement of which was retarded for want of proper means of communication.

It is recorded that a Mr. Stone built the first sawmill at Port Severn before the erection of the one at Waubaushene, although it is marked as Sanson's on Gibbard's map of 1853. In 1857, Alex. R. Christie purchased this sawmill, and it was carried on for some time under the name of Christie & Co. The other partner was Andrew Heron of Niagara-on-the-Lake, where Mr. Christie had carried on a general store prior to purchasing the Port Severn Mill. Their mill was twice burnt to the ground, inflicting heavy losses upon them. They rebuilt and enlarged it, and in 1872 sold it to the Georgian Bay Lumber Company.