Bruce Beach Canada

Preface

by REV. W. A. BREMNER

FOR well over forty years the Summer Resort known as Bruce Beach on Lake Huron’s friendly shore has been the holiday rendezvous for health-seekers, pleasure-seekers and tor those who were just tired. From a very modest beginning the popularity and the population have grown by leaps and bounds. The need of having some sort of historical souvenir which would preserve the happy annals of the Beach had been keenly felt for a long time. It was not, however, until the year 1915 that the meeting of this need took concrete form.

A committee consisting of the Rev. A. B. Dobson, Dr. Richard Davidson, and Mr. Angus Munn was at that time appointed and charged with the task of gathering up the facts that should find a place in the proposed souvenir. At the next meeting of the newly formed Bruce Beach Association this committee produced a history to date, in loose leaf form, and requested that the Rev. Dr. W. A. Bradley be appointed the official historian.

For eighteen years Dr. Bradley (otherwise known as Erin Go Bragh) being of frugal mind, kept the records at first in an ordinary school scribbler, but the good doctor’s preference for things permanent led him to purchase a more durable book, into which he transcribed the forty year’s history of the Beach and at the next annual meeting in 1934 it was decided that steps be taken to secure the publication of an historical booklet which might become the possession of the campers as a souvenir of their sojourn at Bruce Beach.

To bring about this goodly intention Dr. Bradley, Dr. McKerroll and Dr. McNamara were appointed a committee to look into the matter more closely and to bring in a report at next annual meeting. When this report was presented the cost of a suitable book seemed to be prohibitive and yet the Association did not seem willing that the project should be abandoned and decided that the committee should be continued with the addition of the name of Rev. W. A. Bremner.

In 1936 the committee reported that the cost was still too great and requested to be instructed to so edit the available material that the number of pages might be reduced and also to find some way of providing for the cost of illustrations.

In 1937 Mr. Bremner reported that if the Association would assume the cost of the cuts, a book of approximately one hundred pages could be procured at a reasonable price and could be sold for $1.00.

This the Association agreed to and after adding the name of Mr. Thos Kennedy to the committee, gave instructions to proceed.

So, out of these somewhat prolonged negotiations there has come into being the Bruce Beach Souvenir which your committee takes great interest in presenting.

History of Bruce Beach

AS far as is known The Bruce Beach Summer Resort had its origin in 1894. On the 24th day of May of that year, a picnic party from Ripley met in Mr. William Tout’s grove, which among others comprised the McInnes, Munn, McCrimmon and Jackson families. During the course of the day someone remarked that such an event might be frequently held. Whereupon Mr. Angus Munn suggested a place nearer to the lake, and led the party along the shore to the spot where Rev. Mr. Maxwell’s cottage now stands.

During the course of the same day, as the site seemed favorable one, Messrs. Gongia, McInnes, and A. Jackson agreed to pitch a tent there later in the summer, which they accordingly did, and spent the holiday season there, calling the place “Sylvan Beach Home”, which name they had printed on a large streamer.

1894

DURING that same year also the first cottage was erected by Messrs. Kennedy and Jackson, on the site of the present Anderson cottage. The building was a small double one, with adjacent kitchens, on either side, and part of it is embodied in Mr. Anderson’s present cottage. During the time of their annual holiday upon the Beach, these campers were visited almost every day by Mr. Robert McCosh Sr., whose farm fronted on the lake, and who jokingly called them “The White Indians”. Mr. McCosh was a man with a fine sense of humour, and his daily visit was eagerly looked for by his camping friends.

1896

IN 1896 Mr. McInnes built the cottage still occupied by the family, but which has since been remodeled, and is now one of the most attractive on the shore. Mr. Munn also erected his cottage later in the same year. For some years these three were the only cottages in the colony. It was then known as “Ripley Beach”.

1900

IN 1900 Mr. James S. Anderson purchased the Kennedy-Jackson cottage, which has since been greatly enlarged and beautified. From the beginning of the encampment the founders insisted on a reverent regard for the Sabbath, and for religious worship. Accordingly religious services were held each Lord’s Day evening in a tent furnished by Mr. James Anderson, and later in the open air on McCosh’s flats, near the hill leading to the road. The colony was thus auspiciously begun.

1902

IN 1902 Mr. Chapman built a cottage now known as the Harris Cottage. The Harris family having acquired it a few years later.

1903

UP to this date the population had been composed entirely of the lay element, but in the year 1903 the clerical element appeared in the person of Rev. Robert Martin of Erskine Church Hamilton, later Dr. Martin of Knox Church, Stratford, and First United Church, St. Thomas. Dr. Martin’s arrival signalized a clerical movement toward the Beach, which has resulted in the addition to the population of many others of that profession.

1904

MR. MARTIN was followed in 1904 by Rev. Mr. McNab of Walton, later of Underwood, and for three years these two brethren were the only ecclesiastics on the shore. By this time the location began to be known as “Bruce Beach”—which name was given to it by Mrs. James S. Anderson.

1907

IN 1907 the fraternity that usually knows a good thing, when it is visible, was enlarged by the appearance of Revs. McNamara, of Drayton, Perrie of Wingham, Burnett of Molesworth, McLeod of Ripley, and Dobson of Fordwich, each of whom erected cottages. After five years Mr. McNamara disposed of his cottage to Mr. Maxwell, while Mr. McLeod almost immediately after the first season, also disposed of his, and left for Scotland, where he still resides. Burnett summered at the Beach for some years, but after his removal to Dorchester, Ontario, he was called to his eternal rest, and Mrs. Burnett sold the cottage to Rev. William Cooper of Mount Forest in 1914, in which year Mr. Cooper became a resident of the Beach. But we must not neglect to mention here, that the Royal game of Golf, which had been introduced by Dr. Martin, and an organization affected in 1907, was emphasised The mime given to the Association was The Bruce Beach Golf Club, and it has done much to enliven and invigorate the social life of the’ Beach.

1908

THE season of 1908 saw a considerable addition to the place, as during that year the Revs. W. J. West, D. T. L. McKerroll and W. A. Bremner and Messrs. Archer and Hamilton erected cottages. It was during this year also that the Bruce Beach Campers Association, which has done so much for the general good of the community, was organized.

1909

DURING the year 1909 there were no building operations, but in 1910 Mr. Barker of Lansing, Michigan, Mr. Treleavan of Ripley, Mr. John S. Robertson of Ripley and Mr. Pollock of Ripley joined the company and erected cottages. Mrs. Barker in 1915 disposed of her cottage to Rev. A. J Mann of Brussels, who then joined the ranks.

About this time the Camper’s Association instituted Field Day, and Regatta Day sports.

1916

THE year 1916 witnessed the completion of a fine cottage by Rev. W. A. Bradley of Teeswater, as well as that of Rev. D. A. McLean of Ripley, and Mr. S. W. Huff of Detroit, and the disposal by Rev. Mr. Stewart of his cottage to the Misses Morgan of Ripley.

And what shall I say more? The time would fail to tell of the origin of the bonfires, picnics, excursions, and other interesting items in connection with the history of our beloved Beach.

Compiled to this point by a committee, appointed by the Association consisting of Rev. A. B. Dobson, Prof. R. Davidson and A. Munn.

At the annual meeting of the Association in 1916 Rev. W. A. Bradley was elected Secretary-Treasurer of the Association, and also appointed official Historian of the Beach. He noticed that certain Beachers bore a Beach nickname, as he was promptly given the sobriquet of Erin Gobragh.

He wrote the following poem on…

THE MEN OF BRUCE BEACH

Draw near ye gods, lend me your ears, attend,

While I my hearty greetings do extend,

To all the men of head, and heart, and speech,

Who grace the sacred precincts of Bruce Beach.

Thy trysting spot, where champions of the Truth,

Forget their cares, and here renew their Youth,

This noble race of men of high emprise,

Familiar cognomens will recognize,

Among the clan illustrious on the strand,

In foremost rank did Dougal Angus stand,

In statue large, and just as large his heart,

A leader strong with whom we could not part;

Our Billy Kaiser’s not like Deutschland Bill,

Who put Old Europe in a mess, but got his fill;

But in our sports with Ritchie, Cooper, Baird,

And Malcolm Murdock, of whom all have heard,

He takes his place with Max O’Riley bold,

Lends Irish wit more valuable than gold,

Our Robert Dhu, and Al’ster Bann, divines,

Each in the pulpit, and on golf links, shines,

Combine their wisdom, and their counsel sound,

To make the Beach a sacred, hallowed ground,

Harnwell, serene, ranks high in the profession,

McKenzie’s ruling elder of the session,

But what shall I say more for time at best,

Would fail to tell of Davidson, and West,

Perrie, McLean, McNabb, all sons of Knox,

Deserving a monument like Brock’s,

But here would I foreglance, the future brave,

And lay my grateful tribute on the grave,

Of one whose gentle mien and courtly grace,

And influence strong that time cannot efface,

True, noble, kind was Dobson in his life,

The burden laid he rests beyond the strife.

Erin Go Bragh.

 

Glossary,

Dougal Angus ………………...………Rev. D. T L. McKerroll

Billy Kaiser ………………..…………..Rev. W. A. Bremner

Max O’Reiley …………………………Rev. J. A. Maxwell

Malcolm Murdock …………………… Rev. M. McArthur

Robert Dim .………………………….. Dr. Robt. Martin

Alister Bann .…………………………..Rev. A. J. Mann

Erin Go Bragh ..………………………..Rev. W. A. Bradley

1917

DURING the year 1917 our boundaries were extended beyond the eighth concession, and cottages were erected by Roderick Martyn of Ripley, Samuel Pollock of Ripley, and Thomas Clark of Detroit. During the same year Dr. Axford of Alvinston and Rev. W. H. Burgess of Chatham also erected cottages, while Rev. A. J. Mann, who had been a resident of the Beach for three years, disposed of his cottage to the Rev. F. Q. Nichol, of Amherstburg, the latter getting possession about the middle of August of that year.

Mr. Nichol’s sojourn at the Beach was of short duration. In January 1918 he died in a Detroit hospital, as the result of an operation, and Mrs. Nichol sold the cottage to the Henderson sisters of Lucknow.

At the annual meeting of the Association the question of having the cottages numbered was discussed, and Mr. J. S. Anderson was asked to procure numbers, and have them forwarded to the Secretary. Subsequently the secretary Rev. W. A. Bradley, and Mr. John S. Robertson, tramped the length of the occupied territory, one October day, and placed aluminum numbers on all the cottages.

Officers: Pres. Rev. M. McArthur, Vice-Pres. J. S. Anderson, Sec.-Treas. Rev. W. A. Bradley.

Mr. Robert McCosh Sr. Friend of the Campers, and who gave them the name of “The White Indians”.

1918

DURING the year 1918 Dr. Martin made extensive improvements in his cottage, which is now one of the largest on the Beach.

Owing to the growth of the colony towards the North, the place of the Sabbath services was moved, from the McCosh flats, beside the hill, to the Tout flats behind the Henderson cottage.

A feature of 1918 was the organization of a Ladies’ Orchestra, with Miss Mildred Bradley as leader (mandolin), Mrs. Duncan Munn, and Miss Irene Harnwell (guitars), and Miss Eloise Baird, Miss Beatrice Huff, and Miss Beth McLennan (Ukuleles). Their first performance was given at the annual concert, the proceeds of which amounted to $62.00, which sum was given to the Red Cross Society of Ripley.

The only building erected this year was a boathouse by Dr. J. F. McKenzie.

At the annual meeting of the Association expressions of regret “were given at the loss of our fellow camper” Rev. A. B. Dobson, and the following resolution was ordered to be spread upon the minutes.

“We the Members of the Bruce Beach Campers Association, in this annual meeting desire to express our keen sense of loss, occasioned through the death last winter of one of our .oldest, and most highly respected members, the Rev. A. B. Dobson of Fordwich.

“It was largely due to Mr. Dobson’s community spirit that this Association came into existence, and the very interesting history of our pleasant summer resort, incorporated in our records, was’ written.

“By his genial disposition, his habitual unselfishness, and his sterling worth, he won his way to all our hearts, and we shall greatly miss him in our annual holiday gatherings.

“To Mrs. Dobson and the bereaved family our sincerest sympathy is extended, and I’ve earnestly pray that they may ever have the unfailing riches of a Heavenly Father’s affection and care.”

Officers: President-Rev. J. W. Baird, Vice-Pres. Mr. J. S. Robertson, Sec.-Treas.-Rev. W.A. Bradley.

1919

WITH the Great War ended, and the people released from the strain of those four terrible years, 1919 saw a greater number of visitors than on any previous year, though we missed some of our former young men: The words of Mrs. Heman’s are appropriate here in her Graves of Household:

“One sleeps where Southern vines are dressed

Above the noble slain,

He wrapt his colors round his breast,

On a blood-red field of Spain,”

But in this instance it was where the poppies grow, on a blood-red field of France.

The only cottage built, was by F. H. McMullen of Ripley, on the site where Rev. J. M. Wesley had in 1915 put in a cellar, and which he disposed of in 1919, on his return from the war.

The executive of 1918 had discussed the question of procuring seating for our Sabbath services, and the matter was left in the hands of the President, Rev. J. W. Baird, who went about the matter vigorously when he arrived in 1919, with the result, that seating for 125 persons was procured, and set up in Tout’s grove. A platform and folding pulpit were also procured. These conveniences, with the formation of a choir, greatly increased the attendance of the Sabbath services. The cost of these furnishing was met by the proceeds of the annual concert, and the offerings taken at the meetings.

The musical and literary numbers put on by the Ladies orchestra became a feature of the annual concert, and many verses of local application were much enjoyed by the audience. A few are here appended.

Bruce Beach shall shine tonight,

Bruce Beach shall shine.

The headlights of the autos,

Are all arranged in a line.

Bruce Beach shall shine to night,

Bruce Beach shall shine.

When the sun goes down and the moon comes up

Bruce Beach shall shine.

Bruce Beach shall shine tonight,

Bruce Beach shall shine.

Its beauty and its gaiety

In our affections twine.

Bruce Beach shall shine tonight,

Bruce Beach shall shine.

When the sun goes down and the moon comes up

Bruce Beach shall shine.

Bruce Beach shall shine tonight,

Bruce Beach shall shine.

The Campers and their friends are here,

And the fun begins at nine,

Bruce Beach shall shine tonight,

Bruce Beach shall shine.

When the sun goes down and the moon comes up

Bruce Beach shall shine.

Another selection by the Orchestra composed by the Secretary of the Association, Rev. W. A. Bradley, in praise of the Beach was sung to the tune of “Solomon Levi”.

If you want to spend a holiday,

And have a pleasant time,

Where the air is pure and bracing,

And the sunsets are sublime.

There’s a place by Old Lake Huron

That’s a little hard to reach

But of all resorts of summer,

There are none that beat Bruce Beach.

Chorus:

Bruce Beach, Bruce Beach,

Tra la la la la lee,

Bruce Beach, Bruce Beach,

Gay and beautiful place to be.

The girls are fair, the boys are rare;

And as you may plainly see,

But come along and join our throng,

For this is the place for me.

To be up to date with other institutions a Bruce Beach yell was composed by the President, Rev. W. J. Baird.

Bruce Beach, Bruce Beach.

Give a cheer for Bruce Beach.

Bruce Beach. Bruce Beach.

Pass the word along.

Bruce Beach, Bruce Beach.

Come next year to Bruce Beach.

And bring a friend along.

B-r-u-c-e B-e-a-c-h.

BRUCE BEACH ! ! !

This year also saw the formation of a Camera Club, with .Miss Mabel Dobson as President, and Rev. J. W. Baird. Sec.-Treas. The charter members were seventeen in number.

Officers: President, Rev. J. W. Baird; Vice-Pres., Mr. J. S, Robertson; Sec.-Treas., Rev. W. A. Bradley.

1920

THE year 1920 was a year of interest and progress at the Beach. Applications for cottages to rent were numerous, and exceeded the ability of those concerned to supply the needed accommodation. More than twenty applicants were unable to procure cottages. Many cellars were put in, and lots staked out by prospective builders. Four cottages were erected by the following. Miss Ruth Warren of Walkerton, Mr. W. E. McCorquodale of Detroit, Rev. J. R. Hosking of Huron township, and Rev. J. R. Kirkpatrick of Ripley, while substantial improvements were made in their cottages by Mr. Duncan Munn, Rev. D. A. McLean, and Rev.’s Bremner and McKerroll.

A Sunday School meeting at 3.30 p.m. was organized, with Dr. J. F. McKenzie as Superintendent, which was well attended, and much appreciated by both children and parents.

Religious services were made interesting this year by the presence of two Foreign Missionaries, Rev. I. W. Pierce from Turkey, and Miss M. Robertson from Egypt, who took the Sabbath services on three occasions.

The year 1920 was also signalized by the organization of a Men’s Glee Club by Rev. W. A. Bradley, who became its first leader. The Club was composed of the following members, Rev, W. A. Bradley, Rev. F, J. Maxwell, Rev, H. J. Harnwell, Rev. F. C. Overend, Rev. J. U. Stewart, Rev. J. W. Baird, Rev. W. J. West, and Dr. J. F. McKenzie and Mr. E. F. Lambert.

Their selections rendered were from the University of Toronto Song Book and were much appreciated by the large audiences at the annual concerts.

Steps were also taken at the annual meeting of the Association to provide greater facilities for sport, and each Division appointed a committee to look over the ground best suited for a Tennis court in their immediate vicinity. Thus a Tennis court was provided in each Division. One on the McCosh property in Division one, one in Division two on the Tout flats, and one in Division three near the 8th concession.

The Association discussed the need of better provisioning of the Beach. No storekeepers in Kincardine or Ripley thought it worth while to cater for the patronage of the colony, but arrangements were at length made with Mr. J. W. Crawford of Ripley to visit the Beach three times a week with groceries and provisions, and with Mr. Emmerton of Kincardine to visit the Beach twice a week with vegetables and fruits.

File:5 Rev A B Dobson

Rev A B Dobson

[1]Rev. H. J. Harnwell, President 1920

As a result of the formation of the Camera Club, the Bruce Beach Snapshot Album was circulated among the members for inspection. It contained many of the photos that are in this book.

The only change in real estate in 1920 was the purchase of the Cooper cottage by Rev. J. U. Stewart, who returned to the Beach after an absence of four years, and the purchase of the McNab cottage by the Rev. F. C. Overend.

Officers: President, Rev. H. J. Harnwell; Vice-Pres., Mr. J. S. Robertson; Sec.-Treas., Rev. W. A. Bradley .

[2]Many of the finest cottages of the Beach have been designed and constructed by the owners. Above: Rev. W. A. Bremner’s cottage in the process of building.

[3]Front Row: Rev. J. W. Baird, Rev. W. H. Burgess, Miss Mildred Bradley, Rev. W. J. West. Standing: Rev. W. A. Bradley, Rev. F.A. Maxwell, Rev. W. H. Harnwell, Dr. J. F. McKenzie, Rev. F. C. Overend, Mr. F. E. Lambert, and Rev. J. U. Steward.

[4]Regatta Day 1918

1921

THIS year saw an increased population at the Beach, and an activity in building scarcely excelled in any previous year.

Cottages were built by Miss Agnes Hamilton of Goderich, Mr. J. R. McLeod of Montreal, Mr. A. Love of Detroit, Mr. A. Jackson of Seaforth, Rev. C. A. Malcolm of Lawrence, .Mr. J. S. Robertson of Ripley, Miss Ruth Heather of Guelph, Rev. J. E. Hunter of Belmont, Dr. D. Martyn of Detroit, and Mr. E. F. Lambert of Toronto, while a small summer house was built by Dr. McLennan of Windsor, and a study by Rev. W. A. Bradley of Teeswater.

Steps were taken by the Association at its annual meeting to secure a title to the ground on which our cottages are built and two committees were appointed, one consisting of Rev. W. A. Bradley, Mr. J. S. Robertson and Mr. Robt. McCosh, to interview the Huron Township Council, and another consisting of Rev. D. T. L. McKerroll, Mr. J. E. Robertson and Mr. J. S. Anderson to interview the Provincial Government, and report the following year. Tennis courts were laid out in each of the three divisions, and a very successful Tournament conducted. Rev. W. A. Bradley resigned as Secretary of the Association, which position he held for five years, but was continued as official historian of the Beach. Rev. J. E. Overend was appointed in his place.

The only transfer of property this year was the sale by Mr. John S. Robertson of his new cottage to Mr. T. L. Hamilton of Listowel.

The local song of the year, sung at the annual concert was a parody composed by Rev. W. A. Bradley, and sung to the Tune, “There’s a tavern in our town”.

We are the Glee Club at Bruce Beach, at Bruce Beach,

A place to summer that’s a peach, that’s a peach,

We greet our friends with laughter free,

And ever after think of thee.

Chorus:

Fair thee well for we must leave you.

Do not let the parting grieve you.

And remember that the best of friends must part, must part.

Adieu. Adieu. Kind friends Adieu. Adieu; Adieu

We can no longer stay with you, stay with you.

So we’ll hang our harps on a little cedar tree.

May the world go well with thee.

Our holidays are free from care, free from care.

Your pleasures and your joys we share, joys we share.

At golf and tennis, and the oar,

We spend our time upon the shore.

O come next summer to the Beach, to the Beach.

This invitation we give each, we give each.

Come and enjoy a while at ease,

With a cottage ‘mong the trees.

Officers: President, Rev. W. J. West; Vice Pres., Dr. R. Martin; Sec.-Treas., Rev. W. A. Bradley.

[5]A Group of Clerics. Left to Right: W. A. Bradley, F. C. Overend, H. J. Harnwell, Glibert Gomm, George Gilmour, J. R. Kilpatrick, D. A. McLean, W. A. Bremner, W. J. West, F. A. Maxwell, D. Campbell, J. W. Baird, J. U. Stewart.

HISTORY OF THE GOLF CLUB

THE Royal Game of Golf at Bruce Beach is inseparably connected with the name of Rev. Robert Martin, now Dr. Martin of First United Church, St. Thomas, Ontario.

Mr. Martin erected a cottage in 1903, which he named “Couthie Brae”, at present owned and occupied by Mr. Thomas Kennedy. When he told Mr. Anderson of his location the latter said, “Well your location is a good one, but don’t you think you are getting away too far from the pump?” In those days the McCosh pump in the lane did duty for all the dwellers at the Beach. But like McTavish, who claimed ancestry before The Flood, when he was asked to explain how his name did not appear among those who had gone into the Ark, explained the omission by asking, “Did you ever know a McTavish that didn’t have a boat of his own?” Even in this remote past, Dr. Martin had visions of a pump of his own.

[6]Presidents of the Golf Club, Dr. R. Martin, Dr. D.T.L. McKerroll, Mr. Fred Yates

One afternoon almost all the Beachers were engaged in throwing horseshoes in front of the Anderson cottage, when Miss Margaret McInnes said to Mr. Martin, “When are you going to show us that game of yours?” Mr. Martin immediately went for his clubs, and the whole party, composed of the Munns, McInnes’, Andersons, Chapmans, and Martins, went out to what is now the second tee. The whole party arranged themselves along the second fairway, some proposing to catch the ball. Mr. Martin took his mashie, and sent the ball high over the heads of the admiring spectators. This was the first ball driven on the Bruce Beach Golf grounds, and so far as known at present, the first golf ball driven in Bruce County.

The above named families, with the addition of the family of Rev. P. J. McLaren, immediately became pupils of Mr. Martin in the study and practice of golf.

One evening Rory McLeod came to see Mr. Martin, and said he would like to take up the Game of Golf. Mr. Martin told him he would be pleased to instruct him if he would get a set of clubs. Rory’s countenance fell, and a look of disappointment was plainly visible in his face, as he said, “Oh I thought you had sticks enough for everybody.” Rory did not become a golf enthusiast.

[7]Dr. J.L. Murray - Sec.-Treas. of the Golf Club

[8]Mr. C. W. Yates, First Honorary Member and Generous Patron of the Golf Club

[9]The Club House

In 1903 Mr. Martin laid out a six holed course, one at each end of what is now the Frank Tout property, and one at each end of the two sections of the McCosh property. This constituted the golf links for four years, but up to the middle of 1907 there was no golf organization.

On the 5th of August of that year a meeting was held in Mr. Martin’s cottage for the, purpose of organizing a Golf Club. By this time the population of the Beach had materially increased. At this meeting the following officers were elected: President, Rev. Robert Martin; Vice President, Mr. Duncan Munn, Secretary-Treasurer, Rev. J. W. McNamara. The Rev. P. J. McLaren and Miss Margaret McInnes were elected to form the executive.

Thus was launched the first Bruce Beach Golf Club. The name decided on was the name it proudly bears today. The annual fee was placed at 25c per member. The Golf course was re-arranged into a nine holed course by Mr. Martin and Mr. McLaren with suggestions from Rev. David Ritchie, who spent a few days at Mr. Martin’s cottage that summer.

The number and names of the holes on the course were as follows: No. 1 ̶̶ The Juniper, 80 yards; No. 2 ̶̶ The Pit, 211 yards; No. 3 ̶̶ The Basswood, 214 yards; No. 4 ̶̶ The Roadside, 193 yards; No. 5 ̶̶ The Kopje, 93 yards; No. 6 ̶̶ The Maples, 206 yards; No. 7 ̶̶ The Poplars, 383 yards; No. 8 ̶̶ The Mulberry, 221 yards and No. 9 ̶̶ The Hawthorn, 169 yards.

A tournament was arranged, 300 score cards ordered and prizes offered as follows: The Handicap competition ̶̶ First prize ̶̶ one Golf ball, “The Colonel”; Second prize ̶̶ one Golf ball, “The Corporal”; Approaching and putting ̶̶ First prize ̶̶ one “Corporal” Golf ball for each event; Ladies’ Approaching and putting ̶̶ one “Corporal” golf ball for each event. A fee of 10 cts was charged each person entering the contests. In the Approaching and Putting contest of the following year Mr. McKerroll and Mr. McNamara tied. As this was not played off at the end of the season, Mr. Martin generously donated a golf ball to each.

From the organization in 1907 up to 1912 the annual fee was 25 cts per member but in this year an advance was made to 50 cts per member, ladies half price, and 25 cts per week for casual players.

The work of preparing the grounds each season devolved upon the members, as the following item from the minutes of 1910 indicates, “It was agreed that all available members repair to the grounds the following day at 10 a.m. with a view to putting them in better condition.”

In 1913 Bob McCosh is paid $1.50 for work done on the course, and Frank Tout is paid $1.00 rent for the part of the course situated on his property, and Bob McCosh $2.00 for the use of his flats.

In 1914 the Golf Club took action to organize a Tennis Club, and after looking over the grounds decided to prepare and lay out two courts on Stephen Tout’s property, and Mr. McKerroll was instructed to interview Mr. Tout, and report to the secretary. Two courts were laid out, one near the centre of Mr. Tout’s property, and one at the south end near the stile over the wire fence. But though much work was put on the latter it was never used. A fee of 25c was to be charged for membership.

While few records have been preserved of meetings of the club in the early years, one is recalled that was held at the McCosh pump in the lane, at which the following members were present: Mr. D. T. L. McKerroll, Mr. W. A. Bremner, Dr. Richard Davidson, Mr. N. A. MacEachern, Mr. M. McArthur, and others.

Mr. McKerroll was elected president and for a number of years held that important position, with Mr. MacEachern as sec.-treasurer.

Among the subjects discussed was the erection of signs and barricades to protect the grounds from visitors to the Beach and cottagers driving their buggies and autos over the grounds used by the golfers, and it was decided to erect a barricade at the foot of the hill, to protect the green at that point and the fairway extending north to Steve Tout’s fence, which was becoming tracked by vehicle wheels. The barricade was accordingly erected, and on a number of occasions torn down, one individual declaring that he would drive where he pleased, as he was here before the golfers, though the Club was at that time paying rent to Bob McCosh for the use of the property. One of the members played the part of the historic “Dutch Uncle” to this individual, and admonished him in no uncertain terms, that such conduct would not be tolerated.

The growth of the Golf Club may be judged from the increase in receipts. For the first five years, up till 1912, the annual receipts ranged in the vicinity of $7.00, then years later they had increased to $133.60. In the present year, 1933, they have increased to more than $500.00.

In 1923 the annual fee was increased from 50c to $1.00.

In this year the Lady Golfers believing with Byron

̶̶ “That man to man so oft unjust,

Is always so to women,” ̶̶

decided to form a Golf Club of their own which they did, with Miss Agnes Hamilton, President; Miss M. Dobson, Vice President; Miss Mary Anderson, Sec.-Treas., and Miss Eloise Baird, Mrs. McKerroll and Miss Jean Martin to form the executive. The fees were the same as those paid by the men.

A discussion arose as to whether all their funds should be given to the Golf Association. On motion it was decided to give one half the gross proceeds to that institution.

The club also decided that their executive would I co-operate with the executive of the Men’s Club.

During the four or Jive years of their separate existence the Ladies’ Golf Club carried on its Own Tournament events, purchased a valuable cup to be given to the winner in the Annual Contest, which is still doing duty, but if any lady won it for three successive years it was to become her property. The Club also gave prizes for all the other events in the contest.

The Club also brought before the General Executive rules for the protection of children on the links, and named two days per week when children under 16 years were to have the free run of the course from 1 to 3 o’clock, providing they were accompanied by a parent or adult.

These suggestions became incorporated in the rules and regulations of the Golf Association. They also provided the refreshments at the annual meeting.

In 1926, like Noah’s dove, the ladies returned to their former ark of safety,’ and were given equal representation On the General Executive. Byron again expresses the sentiments of the returning wayfarers.

“ ’Tis sweet to hear the watchdog’s honest bark.

Bay deep mouthed welcome, as we draw near home.

‘Tis sweet to know there is an eye will mark

Our coming, and look brighter when we come”

In 1923 through the good offices of Dr. Drummond and Dr. Sedgewick a secondhand horse mower was procured from the Ancaster Golf Club for which they received the thanks of the Association at the annual meeting.

In 1924 Mr. Frank Tout notified the club that he would require $10.00 rental for the use of his property.

This amount was given him with a promised increase, and the Club’ felt that Mr. McCosh should receive the same amount, which was accordingly given.

At the close of the season Mr. Tout plowed up the field occupied by the Golf Club, and the following year the course was extended throughout the width of Mr. Stephen Tout’s property. But returning in 1926, the floods of that spring had done so much damage, and the ground was so wet, that the Steve Tout part of the course bad to be abandoned.

It was then that Mr. D. E. Kennedy and Dr. Gerald Wilson purchased the McCosh property between the road and the lake front, comprising some 40 acres for $3000.00 for golf purposes.

Mr. McCosh expressed a desire that the cottagers behind his property should be owners of the property sold. This was readily agreed to by the purchasers, and the cottagers were given the opportunity of fanning themselves into a joint stock Company, and taking over the property within a year. To this proposition the cottagers willingly agreed. A Company was formed, and a charter obtained. The name inserted in the charter was The McCosh-Grove, Limited. The price paid was $3000.00, and the property placed at the disposal of the Golf Club, as a permanent playground.

This circumstance, together with the accession of a number of enthusiastic golfers into the landscape, infused a new life and activity into the Club, that to this day is manifestly operative. The assistance of Mr. Ritchie was sought, and a new course of nine holes laid out. A new horse mower at a cost of $250.00 was purchased. Boxes were set up at each of the Tees, and benches procured for the convenience and comfort of the players, while the valuable prizes donated by Mr. C. W. Yates, Dr. Wilson, Dr. Young and Mr. D. E. Kennedy, put a new enthusiasm into the annual Tournaments. With each succeeding year improvements were made on the course. Trees and stumps were removed to widen the fairways, hazards created, and the services of a caretaker engaged so that the grounds might be in playing condition when the cottagers arrived.

For his special interest in the club and for his many benefactions Mr. C. W. Yates was made an Honorary Member of the Club, and the Association took steps to have his name perpetuated in the Club by giving annually a prize in the Tournament contest to be known at the C W. Yates Trophy. In 1928 the fees were increased to $2.00 per member for the season, and $1.00 per week and 50c per game for strangers but guests at cottages of members were to be charged 25c per game.

In the following year the season rate was advanced to $3.00 per member, the code of the previous year for other purposes remaining the same. Mats were procured for three of the tees, and the matter of sand greens discussed, and it was agreed to have three sand greens prepared to be ready for the following season’s playing. The improvements made at the first tee were particularly noticeable. Steps were put in the bank to assist the players ascend to the first green, and to descend from the 8th tee – a decided convenience – but the most welcome convenience was the steps put in the hillside in the ascent from the 2nd green to the 3rd tee. With the assistance of the wire fence, the hardy mountaineer could reach the summit with the minimum of fatigue, and feel like singing,

“Climbing up the Golden Stairs”

In 1932 the annual dues of the club were revised as follows: Per day 50c; per week $2.00; per month or season $5.00. Cottage owners, and their families and guests were allowed a discount of 50% on the daily and weekly rates, and 40% on the monthly and season rates.

But the climax of advancement was reached in 1933 when two valuable cups were given to the club both beautifully inscribed. One by Mr. C. W. Yates to be contested for at the annual Tournament, and one by Mr. C. R. Miller to be contested for by the Kincardine and Bruce Beach Clubs.

But this year also is more especially notable for the erection of a neat and suitable club house at the first tee, which reflects credit on the aesthetic tastes, and progressive enterprise of the club. This convenience will meet a long felt want.

But the good will and generosity of our Kincardine compeers was this year abundantly manifested by the presentation to our club of a beautiful flag, to be flown from the flag-staff at our newly erected club house. As the Bruce Beach Club existed some years before the Kincardine Club had its birth, and was a strong incentive to our friendly neighbours to organize such a club in their town, that club generously accorded to the Bruce Beach club a special rate of 50c per game, to all members of our club, who desire to play a game over their course. This favor is much appreciated and constantly taken advantage of by the members of our home club.

One of the pleasant features of our Bruce Reach life is the annual meeting of the Golf Club. The distribution of prizes won in the Tournament and the social hour enjoyed afterwards over the teacups has become one of the most enjoyable events of the season that we spend together during our annual holiday.

Nor can we forget to mention the part that the lady members of the club and their friends have played in adding interest and eclat to the social functions of the club which were held when visiting clubs played here with our club. At a good deal of inconvenience to themselves the visiting clubs were royally entertained and went away with unstinted praise and good wishes for the kind and gracious ladies who had been their hostesses when they visited Bruce Beach.

We cannot close this short history to date without calling attention to the spirit of friendship and good will that has characterized the members of this club. In fact the same spirit has always been a marked feature of Bruce Beach life and our sincere hope is that as the years go by the same spirit may characterize the coming generations as has prevailed among the founders and early dwellers of this beautiful summer resort.

Lives of great men all remind us,

We can make our lives sublime,

And departing leave behind us,

Footprints on the sands of time.

[10]Judge West’s Cottage

Bruce Beach---

With Sports like these are all their cares beguilded,

The sports of children satisfy the child.

[11]The McCosh team on the beach for a load of gravel

[12]== A Children’s Paradise == “The Friendships of Childhood!”

[13]On McKerroll’s Rock

[14]At the mouth of Tout’s Gulley

1922

THIS year saw campers at the cottages earlier than any previous rear. Some were occupied from the first of June till the last of September.

New cottages were erected by Chid Jackson of Ripley, C. W. Yates of New York City, Dr. W. H. Sedgewick of Hamilton, Thos. King of Wingham, Rev. H. B. Parnby, of Belmont, Rev. D. R. McKay of Dresden. Rev. W. H. Burgess of Walkerton, James Clark of Detroit, Rev. J. R. Gordon of Mitchell, Rev. Chas. Farquharson of Newhury. Rev. A. C. Carr of West Lorne and Rev. A. Laing of Fordwich, while our boundaries were extended to the tenth concession.

As a result of the action of the Committees appointed at the last annual meeting of the Association to interview the Township council and the Government, a Provincial inspector visited the Beach in August. The Government also appointed a surveyor to survey the Beach, but the visit was postponed till the following year.

The transfers of property for the year were the sale by Rev. W. A. Bremner of his cottage to Rev. D. T. L. McKerroll, and the purchase of Mr. John S. Robertson’s cottage by Rev. N. A. MacEachern of Toronto.

Mr. Robertson was an active and useful member of the Association. He served for a number of years on the Bruce Beach Executive and was also assistant treasurer for a number of years, but failing health forced him to retire, and in less than a year he passed into the great beyond. He was a valuable member of the Bruce Beach fraternity, a genial companion, and a courtly gentleman.

This year also records the first fishing adventure by the disciples of Isaak Walton on the Beach. In the first week in August a fishing party, including Rev. Dr. Davidson, Rev. W. A. Bradley, Rev. W. A. Bremner, Rev. N. A. MacEachern, Dr. L. R. Pattison, Rev. D. T 1. McKerroll, and Mr. Norman Slater, set out in two Ford cars for Miller Lake in the Bruce peninsula. They arrived at their destination at 6 p.m. after a journey of 94 miles. They fished the following day and returned the third day with 41 fine fish.

As a result of this trip The Bruce Peninsula Fishing Club was formed with Rev. W. A. Bradley, President; Mr. Norman Slater, Vice President; and Rev. Dr. Davidson, Sec.-Treasurer. The intention of the club is to make an annual visit to this excellent fishing ground.

An item of interest to campers this year was the installation of a Radio outfit in his cottage by Mr. Thomas Clark of Detroit.

The song of local colouring sung at the annual concert by the Ladies Orchestra was arranged by Rev. W.A. Bradley to the tune of “A Student of Cadiz” as follows:

When I was a camper at Bruce Beach

I played my Hawaiian guitar;

I contended all sports with reach,

And proudly possessed a Ford car

Chorus:

Ring ching ching, ring ching ching, roll in ye waves,

O roll in ye waves, O roll in ye waves,

Ring ching ching, ring ching ching, roll in ye waves,

I played my Hawaiian guitar;

I journey’d one day to Kincardine

Some strings to get for my guitar;

Not a string could I get. Beg your pardon

Nor gasoline for my Ford Car.

Officers for 1922: President, Rev. W. J. West; Vice President, Dr. R. Martin; Sec.-Treas., Rev. F. C. Overend.

[Photo of Rev. W. J. West, President, 1921-22]

HISTORY OF THE BRUCE BEACH

FISHING CLUB

THE Records of Bruce Beach would be incomplete without a history of the Fishing Club. The genesis of the Club, and the experiences of the fishermen in their first venture were related in a Sporting Magazine by Rev. W. A. Bradley, a short time after the trip to Miller Lake, and reproduced here:

There is situated on the shore of Lake Huron, some six miles south of the town of Kincardine, a summer resort known as Bruce Beach, which numbers about seventy-five cottages, about one half of which are owned, or occupied, by clergymen, comprising theological professors, city and country pastors.

One night last camping season my cottage was invaded by a number of genuine successors of Peter; James, and John, sons of thunder as well as possessors of the instincts of the fisherman, who proposed a fishing trip to some good fishing ground, and inquired if I was familiar with any. I told them that the Bruce County Council bad three years ago held its June meeting in Tobermory, the extreme point of that index finger of Bruce county, that points to the north star, and that one of my men, who had accompanied the party, on his return, when I inquired how the fishing was in the Bruce peninsula replied, “Fishing? I tell you that the bass are so plentiful and gamey in those lakes up there, that you have to go behind a tree to keep them from seeing you bait your hook, or they will be out after it.” One of the party said that he had a suspicion that the story must be true, for he had a man in his employ who had fished in a lake up there, but who so far had escaped the attacks of the bass, who had told him similar stories of fishermen’s luck, and who had placed a tent and fishing paraphernalia at his disposal, if he should ever go to Miller Lake for a fishing outing. “That settles it,” chimed in the other members of the party, “we leave for the peninsula tomorrow morning at 5 o’clock.” However next day we concluded that the week was too far spent, and as some of the party had to preach on Sunday, that we would wait till the following week, and riot limit ourselves to time.

[15]The Preparations for a good fish storyLeft to Right: Norman Slater, D. T. L. McKerroll, W. A. Bradley, W. A. Bremner, R. Davidson, N. A. MacEachern.

Our party consisted of a theological professor, two city pastors, one of which had accompanied our troops in France, who shall be known as the Captain, a pastor from Cobourg, the writer, and (as no Presbyterian church court is complete without an elder) an elder from Hamilton.

[16]The Fisherman’s Catch

W. A. Bremner and Norman Slater, with D. T. L. McKerroll in the background

Bright and early the next week two Ford cars were filled with sleeping blankets, cooking utensils, fishing tackle, cutlery, thermos bottles, cups and saucers; sufficient for the party, and 8 o’clock saw these clerical disciples of Isaak Walton heading for parts unvisited before by any member of the party.

Considerable scepticism was expressed by the wives of the party as they saw binder twine sacks being taken along in which to bring home the fish, and suggestions were made that the fish brought back were not to cost more than 13 cents per pound. All this chaffing the fishermen endured with Christian fortitude and resignation as becometh saints.

Kincardine, Tiverton, Underwood, Port Elgin, Southampton, and Allenford, we passed through, and Wiarton reached by 12 o’clock noon. Here the party waited till the arrival of the G. T. R. train from the south which was to bring the sixth member of the party, the elder from Hamilton.

After a sumptuous dinner in the Arlington Hotel whose genial proprietor well deserves mention here for the excellency of the cuisine provided in that hostel, the party set out for Lion’s Head, which was a little over half way from Wiarton to our objective point.

[17]The 1923 Fishing Party. Left to Right: Norman Slater, J. R. P. Sclater, R. Davidson, L. R. Pattison, W. H. Sedgwick, J. Robertson, J. F. McKenzie.

Here begin the turns and twists in the road that have made the peninsula famous. I had heard of an Englishman, Irishman, and Scotchman, telling stories of the sharp turns in the roads that they bad experienced in their travels. The Englishman had been on a road so tortuous that he could never see twenty yards straight ahead of him. The Scotchman told of a trip he had to the centennial in Philadelphia years ago, where the curves in the railway were so sharp, that he, in the baggage car, handed his chewing tobacco to the man on the rear of the last coach of the tram, and got it back at the next curve. The Irishman said that driving around the Lakes of Killarney the curves in the road were so sharp that on a number of occasions he saw the back of his own head. But on the peninsula roads we were told that the driving horses were all fat, because at every curve in this road they could eat out of the back of the buggy to which they were hitched. “Well these roads,” said the Toronto pastor, when we reached Lion’s Head, “are crooked enough to make a snake dizzy.”

Here we inquired about the fishing at Miller Lake, and the distance to that place. The opinion expressed was that the fishing there was not very good, and the distance in the minds of many to whom we spoke was uncertain as we were told that it was 14 miles by some, 15 by others, and 17 by the hotel keeper, who recommended Stokes Bay as a better fishing ground, and his house for our accommodation at night, as there was no accommodation at Miller Lake. However we were not to be diverted from our objective, and set out for Cape Chin, over roads that made the Rocky Roads to Dublin unworthy of the name, for while the road from Wiarton to Lion’s Head was over rocks and hills, the road from Lion’s Head to Cape Chin made us experience Roller Boller thrills. One member of the party remarked that these roads were up and down and in and out at the same rime. As we passed a curve in the road a large bill board with the sign

BLACK BASS

Navy Chewing Tobacco

stood out before us. “That is encouraging,” said the pastor from Cobourg. “The black bass in this country chew tobacco.” We were satisfied however that Premier Drury and his capable Minister of Public Works, to whom the province owes so much for good roads, had never visited this part of the province or the roads in the peninsula would be better.

At 6 p.m. we arrived at our destination. Here we presented a letter of introduction to a Mr. West, to whom we had phoned from Lion’s Head, and with whom we expected to stay while in the vicinity. Mr. West was somewhat perplexed by the clerical invasion, as already two fishing parties, from London, Ont. were camped with him. He said he could accommodate us with meals, but as for sleeping quarters, he did not know what to do, but we removed his perplexity by telling him that we would be content with the hay mow. He told us that the elder’s friend had left a tent here that we might have, so under the instruction of the Captain, whose experience in France stood him in good stead, we soon had it pitched on the lawn in front lawn of our host’s house. Two cots were placed in it, and preparations made for the night. Two of our party, the Captain and the Cobourg pastor occupied the cots, while the remaining four of us betook ourselves to the barn, rolled ourselves in our blankets, while the moon shed its silvery light through the cracks between the boards in the side of the barn on the four sleeping beauties testing for the first time the comforts of a hay mow. One of the tent sleepers remarked in the morning that they thought they heard a fog horn blowing throughout the night, but concluded after some deliberation that the sounds proceeded from the hay mow, while the other said that when Mr. West’s cows came in from the pasture, in the moonlight to lie beside the barn, as was their custom, when they heard strange sounds proceeding from within, listened for a while, then erecting their tails in the air as though they had been attacked by a swarm of heel flies, turned, and with furious speed, sought safety among the rocks in the direction of Tobermory. These were the snoring stories we heard next morning as at 5.30 the fishermen were performing their ablutions around the kitchen door of their capable hostess, while the savory and appetizing smell of bacon and eggs etc. proceeded from the cooking utensils on the range within.

[18]The 1922 Fishing Party to Silver Lake Left to Right: W. A. Bradley, W. A. Bremner, D. T. L. McKerroll, R. Davidson, Norman Slater. Left foreground D. R. Drummond.

Here I must make mention of two genuine disciples of the piscatorial art, Mr. Thomas Ball, and Mr. Norman McLeod his companion, both of London, Ont., whom we met at the home where we were staying. Mr. Ball has visited this part of the peninsula for sixteen summers, and is himself a sportsman of the first order; for he placed his boat and his fishing paraphernalia, as well as information about the grounds at our disposal that morning. This provided our party with two boats, and 8 a.m. saw the two fishing craft anchored a few yards apart in the Lake where Messrs. Ball and McLeod had marked out choice spots by small pine tree buoys.

Here the fishing was all that could be desired, as the gamey small mouthed black bass−the only kind in this lake−made the reels sing, and the vigorous pike struggled to free himself from the hooks of the fishermen.

The theological professor had hooked a large fish of the latter species, but it got away, taking also his hook. Soon he was reeling in another fish, and when taking out his hook announced that it was the same fish that he had hooked before, for there in its mouth was his hook and one inch of his line. “What splendid business instincts we fellows have shown,” said the elder, “in electing the professor the treasurer of our party, for he will not even permit a hook to be lost.”

“That reminds me,” said the Captain, “of a story I heard of an incident that happened in the north of Scotland,” but just then he was interrupted by a bending rod and the excited shouts of “you have got him” from the other boat. When the fish was landed he began again, but was again interrupted by “stay with him Dick” from the same boat. When this fish was safely over the gunwale, the Captain again started, but before be had reached in orthodox homiletical style the 15th place 261y, he was again interrupted, by the same trio with “hold steady, hold steady old boy!” The landing net was got into position and a beautiful three and three quarter pound bass proudly landed. “Here,” said the Captain, “If you fellows in that boat don’t stop landing fish I will not be able to finish my story.” The theological professor then in pedagogical tones ordered all hooks to be taken from the water, in order that the Captain might not again be interrupted in telling his story. So he began anew as follows. “There was a kirk in the north of Scotland where the two deacons, Sandy and Donald, counted the collection after each service. One day a stranger had dropped in unobserved, and when Sandy and Donald were counting the coppers, they found among them a ten shilling gold piece. There was astonishment and amazement on the faces of the two deacons. Sandy declared “There must be something wrong.” Donald said “Sandy, it must be a counterfeit.” “Well I’ll try my teeth on it,” said Sandy, “and see if it is.” He put it in his mouth and in his efforts to see if he could dint it, swallowed the coin. Consternation prevailed, and a Doctor ‘with a stomach pump was hastily summoned, but with all the doctors efforts he could only get out of Sandy’s stomach nine shillings and sixpence.”

“Well” said one of the party, amid the laughter, “the fish that won’t bite after hearing that story is a poor sport,” and the hooks were again lowered with fresh bait.

By noon we had captured twenty-five fine fish: These had to be carried a distance of half a mile to our host’s house, and it was no small load, as they weighed about seventy pounds. But by use of the binder twine bag, and a pole they were safely transported and placed on ice in Mr. West’s ice house and covered with sawdust. No one seemed more pleased at our success than Mr. Ball who congratulated us on our catch, and held the end of the rope on which we strung them, in order to have them photographed. The story of finding the hook in the pike’s mouth was told by the Theological professor, but Mr. Ball went him one better, by telling of an experience he had on one occasion. He and his son were still fishing from a boat, and both had a vigorous strike almost at the same time, His son was struggling with a strong fish, but it broke his line and got away, and he, in the excitement, let his steel rod fall overboard and it sank, They probed around in the water with his son’s bamboo rod, but no trace of the steel rod could be found. They still continued to fish, and in less than an hour landed a huge fish, when to their astonishment they found his son’s hook in its mouth, and another hook also, with a line attached. They pulled on the line, and up came the steel rod which he had let fall into the water, thus procuring the lost hook and the lost rod. Some of the party were inclined to play the part of doubting Thomas, but the narrator assured them that it was so.

In the afternoon we were accompanied by Messrs. Ball and .McLeod, and sixteen more fine fish were added to the catch. On one occasion the Toronto pastor, brought a large pike into the boat with such haste that it described a circle and almost knocked the pipe out of Mr. Ball’s mouth who was sitting opposite to him. Mr. Ball removed the pipe and sang

“O the bulls won’t bellow, and the cows won’t low,

The hens’ won’t cackle, and the cocks won’t crow,

The turkeys won’t gobble and the ducks won’t quack.

And nothing will go right till my Jean comes back”

amid the applause and laughter of the party.

As the sun was beginning to set, the boats pulled to the shore, and the catch brought to the house, and placed beside that of the morning. A good supper was enjoyed, and the tent and the hay mow again became the resting places for the night, all the party feeling that as they had a successful day’s sport they would enjoy a good night’s rest.

Some of the party suggested in the morning that we try our hand again for a few hours before returning home, but the majority thought that 41 fish ought to satisfy the average fishing party. So after the catch had been packed in two sacks with ice and sawdust, and placed on the running boards of the car we bid good bye to our host and hostess, and the two fishing companions we had met, and set out for Bruce Beach, but not before we had formed a fishing club, with the writer as president, the elder, as vice president, and the theological professor as secretary and treasurer, our purpose being, if spared, to make an annual visit to Miller Lake. Four o’clock saw us back again at our cottages after a journey of 188 miles.

The news spread that the fishing party had returned, and before long the fishermen were surrounded by an eager company of spectators, who snapped their cameras as they saw the display of fish.

It only remains to be said that more campers on the Beach ate fish next day than on any day of the season, from the distribution of the catch that was made by the fishing party. The following year the membership of the Club was enlarged by the addition of Dr. J. R. P. Sclater Dr. W. H. Sedgewick, Dr. L. R. Pattison, Dr. J. F. McKenzie and Mr. J. Robertson, the fishing was rather a disappointment this trip. Dr. Sclater hooked a fine bass, with considerable skill played it up to the boat, but in a final struggle, after many leaps from the water, it threw the hook and got away. The fishermen were all attention as they watched the manoeuver, but were disappointed when they saw the result of the struggle.

However, rather than return empty handed the members purchased $15.00 worth of lake trout Wiarton, on their way home, that their friends might not also be disappointed if they returned without fish. In 1924 only six members of the club made the trip. The fishing was good, the merriment up to that of former trips, and the little outing enjoyed to the fullest extent.

The Author has dedicated the following poem to his splendid fishing companions.

THE BRUCE PENINSULA FISHING CLUB

I will hie me away on a bright summer day

To a fisherman’s haunt, no mistake,

Where the clear waters flow, that are colder than snow,

On the shores of the fair Miller Lake.

How my heart beats with joy, with the mirth of a boy,

When the springtime has come, and I take

Down my rod, and my reel, that have proved true as steel,

And I long for the fair Miller Lake.

What an outfit they are, the unconquered Ford car,

That refused no burden we take,

And the blankets that say ‘we delight in the hay

That is furnished at fair Miller Lake’.

When the collar that’s white, laid aside, and it’s right

That we should for the present forsake

Both the garb, and the gown, and the dress of the town,

When ye go to the fair Miller Lake.

For the bass and the pike compensate for the hike,

That our zeal for the sport makes us take,

But we always are paid for the trips we have made

To the shores of the fair Miller Lake.

How often we’ve thought, if no fish had been caught,

We’re repaid for the journey we make,

For our pleasure is great, and the fun we create

Is the charm of our trip to the Lake.

Members of the Club: Rev. W. A. Bradley, D.D., President; Mr. Norman Slater, Vice-President; Rev. Richard Davidson, D.D., Sec-Treasurer; Rev. W. A. Bremner, Rev. N. A. MacEachern, D.D., Rev. D. T. L. McKerroll D.D., Rev. W. H. Sedgewick, D.D., Rev. J. R. P. Sclater, D.D., L. R. Pattison D.D.S. and J. F. McKenzie, D.D.S.

1923

THIS year, showed still increasing growth, Cottages were built by Mr. W. H. Collins of Kitchener. Rev. T. M. Wesley of Sterling, Miss Nettie Moffat, Teeswater, Mr. J. Johnston, Ripley, Rev. W. A. Bremner, Cobourg, and two cottages by Mr. Bradnock of Gorrie, while improvements were made in their cottages by Rev. D. T. L. McKerroll, Rev. W. A. Bradley and the Misses Dobson.

The Sabbath services continued to increase in numbers, and extra seating had to procured to accommodate the increased attendance.

The Government sent on its surveyor, as requested by the Association, and the Beach from the sand dunes On the South, to the 10th concession on the North was surveyed into 66 ft. lots.

The Annual Concert this year was unusually good. Rev. Dr. J. R. P. Sclater of Old St. Andrew’s Church, Toronto, who was holidaying at the Beach, was chairman. The golf links were improved and a hand mower, and hand roller purchased, which greatly aided in keeping the greens in shape.

[photo of Dr. W. A. Bradley, President 1923-24]

The only transfer of property this year was the sale of the Chapman cottage to Mr. W. S. West of Woodstock, who tore down the cottage purchased, and erected a beautiful new one.

Officers: President, Rev. W. A. Bradley, Vice Pres., Dr. R. Davidson, Sec.-Treas., Rev. F. C. Overend.

1924

THE year of 1924 was also a growing year. Cottages were built by Mr. D. E. Kennedy of Guelph and Dr. Gerald Wilson of Detroit at the extreme South end, while north of the 8th concession several cottages were erected.

An organ was purchased to assist in the Church services, and additional seating capacity provided for the increased attendance at the Sabbath afternoon meetings, while Mr. T. L. Hamilton of Listowel presented the congregation with collection plates.

For the first time in the history of the Beach several cottages were entered during the winter by some mischievous persons, but no material damage was done beyond a few boyish pranks. The boathouse of Dr. J. F. McKenzie was broken into, and his skiff and canoe stolen. These were afterwards recovered at Kintail, where the thieves had to hurriedly abandon them, and escape in an auto. At the annual meeting the Association decided to have a card printed, and placed on each cottage offering a reward of $25.00 for the arrest and conviction of any person breaking into a cottage.

At the annual meeting of the Association Mr. McKerroll reported progress in the matter of procuring titles to the land on which we had settled, and a resolution was passed deciding to remain with, and trust the fairness of the Government, but dissatisfaction was expressed with the rental that the Government was charging. It was intimated in a letter read by Mr. McKerroll that the Minister of Crown Lands or his Deputy would visit the Beach in August and fully acquaint himself with the situation. This visit, however, did not materialize, and there the matter rested.

There was no change in the personnel of the Executive in 1924.

Officers: President, Rev. W. A. Bradley; Vice President, Dr. R. Davidson; Sec.-Treasurer, Rev. F. C. Overend.

Councellors: Mr. J. S. Anderson, G. F N. Atkinson, H. B. Parnaby, Thomas Clark.

Convener Sports: Dr. J. F. McKenzie.

Convener Religious Committee: Dr. Sedgewick.

[Photo A Rendezvous – Dr. Gerald Wilson’s Cottage]

HISTORY OF THE MEN’S GLEE CLUB

THE Men’s Glee Club, as an organization, did nut come into existence until 1920. The annual Concerts were not an integral part of Bruce Beach life until the outbreak of the war in 1914.

Previous to that date, generally once during the season, the Cottagers met on some part of the shore, usually around a bonfire, and held an impromptu entertainment, consisting of songs, speeches, with an occasional musical number, but in 1914 it took on more of the form it now possesses, though with no organized committees to look after its arrangements, In 1917 ‘18 and ‘19, previous to the concerts, Rev. W. A. Bradley invited a number of men to his cottage where stirring college glees were practised to be sung at the Concert. These were taken from the University of Toronto College Song Book compiled in 1886.

[photo of the Bruce Beach Glee Club 1920 Sing “Johnny Schmoker”]

In 1920 be proposed that the singers form themselves into an organization, to be known as the Bruce Beach Glee Club. The suggestion was agreed to and he was chosen as the first leader. Until her marriage in 1928, Miss Mildred Bradley was their accompanist, for a number of years upon the Mandolin, and, after the purchase of an Organ by the Association, upon that instrument. The concerts were held upon the McCosh flats. At first near the turn of the road going up the hill, but later the place of meeting was near the present No. 2 golf green. There were no seats in those days, the audience sat on the grass. At the latter place they sat in rows on the hillside. This gave them a good view of the stage. Autos with their headlights turned on, were arranged in a semi-circle around the stage, and from these light was given for the performances.

When seating was procured for the Church Services, the concert was moved to Tout’s grove, where it continues to be held.

Light there is furnished by gasoline lanterns, provided by the cottagers. These are suspended from a wire stretched across the stage.

Subsequent leaders of the Club have been: In 1922 and ‘23 Rev. R. G. McKay; in 1924, ‘25 and ‘26, Rev. Dr. W. H. Sedgewick; in 1927 and ‘28, Rev. G. S. Lloyd; in 1929, Rev. D. G. Paton; in 1930, Rev. R. G. McKay, in 1931, Rev. W. A. Bradley, in 1932, Dr. Gerald Wilson.

1925

THIS year found the population still increasing, and cottages occupied early in the season.

The development in cottage growth was now shifted to the North End, as vacant lots in the South end could not be obtained.

For a number of years, when the season came to a close, the organ and hymn books were carried to Dr. Sedgewick’s cottage and the benches to Mr. W. J. West’s garage, where they remained throughout the winter. The need of a permanent place for storing them was felt and after some deliberation it was decided to build a permanent Church House, where all church accessories could be stored. Lumber was ordered, and the male persuasion invited to come with their saws and hammers, and assist in the erection. The building was finished in the course of a week.

It now became apparent that something would have to be done to procure a permanent playground as the Golf Course was materially shortened by Mr. Frank Tout ploughing up his field at the south end.

On the 17th day of August of this year Mr. D. E. Kennedy and Dr. Gerald Wilson purchased the McCosh property between the forced road and the lake front for the sum of $3000.00 for golf purposes.

Rev. F. C Overend resigned the secretaryship, and Rev. H. J. Harnwell, was appointed in his place. As the duties of the Sec.-Treas., were becoming more onerous it was moved by Rev. W. A. Bradley and seconded by Rev. W. A. Bremner that a remuneration of $50.00 per annum be granted the Sec.-Treasurer.

Many of the wells on the shore went dry this year owing to the recession of the waters of the Lake. This was in a ‘large measure due to the diversion of waters at Chicago.

Officers: President, ML J. E. Robertson; Vice Pres., Dr. G. Wilson; Sec.-Treas., Rev. H. J. Harnwell.

[photo of Mr. J. E. Robertson, President 1925-27]

1926

A YEAR of interest and pleasure at the Beach. Population still increasing.

The annual Sports and Concert were unusually good.

At the meeting of the Association the Committee appointed to look after the Campers’ interests with the Government reported, through Mr. McKerroll, who advised that no action be taken by the members of the Association as the next move must come from the government.

Upon invitation the Reeve and members of the Huron Township Council were present. The Reeve stated that the government had offered the Municipality the property for the sum of $10,000. He stated that he had promptly told the government that the property was not worth 10,000 cents, and “nothing doing”.

A meeting of the Cottagers behind the McCosh property was held in Mr. D. E. Kennedy’s cottage on August 10th for the purpose of taking over the option of Mr. Kennedy and Dr. Wilson.

A company was formed with Mr. Angus Munn as Honorary President, Mr. James S. Anderson, President, Dr. Gerald A. Wilson, Vice President, Mr. D. E. Kennedy, Sec.-Treas., with Mr. Duncan Munn and Dr. J. M. Young, director.

The property was taken over and $2,800 subscribed at the meeting. The price to be paid by the company for the property was $3000.

It was decided to apply for a charter, and it was suggested that the charter bear the name McCosh.

The thanks of the meeting were tendered to Messrs. Kennedy and Wilson for giving to the Cottagers the opportunity to become possessors of the property. Mr. McArthur sold his cottage to Dr. J. M. Young of Windsor. Mr. C. L Ernst erected a cottage. Mr. Thomas Kennedy of Toronto purchased the cottage of Rev. Dr. Martin. We regret Dr. Martin’s going, but welcome the coming purchaser, who has shown his interest by assisting in every way possible to further the interests of the Beach.

The song of local coloring this year was arranged from “Pinafore” by Dr. Sedgewick and sung by the Men’s Glee Club. “We still remain Bruce Beachers.”

Officers: Same as previous year.

[photo of The Secretary, Rev. H. J. Harnwell and Mrs. Harnwell]

HISTORY OF THE YOUNG LADIES’ ORCHESTRA AND GLEE CLUB

THE Ladies Orchestra dates back to 1918. That summer a number young musicians met in the Bradley cottage previous to the concert of that year. They invited Mrs. Duncan Munn, and intimated their intention of organizing a Ladies’ orchestra. She encouraged them in their project and lent valuable assistance for two years. The Orchestra was organized and preparation made for their first appearance at the coming annual Concert.

The original Orchestra consisted of Mrs. Duncan Munn and Miss Irene Harnwell (guitars). Miss Mildred Bradley (mandolin), Miss Beatrice Huff, Miss Eloise Baird and Miss Beth McLennan (ukeleles).

Under the instruction of Miss Beatrice Huff the orchestra put on at the Concert a number entitled THE HUMAN ZENEPHONE, which for technique and clever performance has seldom been equalled. The eight ladies composing it—all competent musicians—represented an octave. Their names were Miss Beatrice and Miss Marian Huff, Miss Irene and Miss Muriel Harnwell, Miss Florence Bradley. Miss Beth McLennan, Miss Eloise Baird and Miss Stanley. Miss Mildred Bradley was the director and musician who played on the Zenephone.

[photo of Glee Club]

The tuning up of the instrument was an amusing part of the performance. This was done by twisting the ear of the lady representing the note. They were all out of tune but Miss Eloise Raird who always sounded her note (c natural) correctlv. From this note the other human notes were tuned.

After an amusing amount of ear twisting and sounding the name of their perspective note, the instrument was tuned.

Miss Bradley then ran up and down the scale touching each human key with her baton, and each lady named her own note in tune correctly. She then addressed the audience in the following words.

“This unique instrument has sounded forth its melodious notes before such distinguished personages as the Rev. Dougal Angus. D.D. L.L.D. of Toronto and Dr. J. F. McKenzie L.D.S., D.D.S., of Detroit and several other notables. That the Company was passing from Kincardine to Starvation Point, and, having a spare evening at the earnest solicitation of the Campers of Bruce Beach she bad been prevailed upon to give them a performance on this wonderful instrument, THE HUMAN ZENEPHONE.

[photo of Miss Stanley]

She announced that the number to be played would be Old Black Joe. She then touched with her baton the respective human keys and the old familiar tune was sung, each naming her note, when touched. The verse was then repeated, each naming the word when touched.

The Ladies of the Orchestra received many congratulations and unstinted praise for their amusing production.

The Orchestra increased in numbers and instruments and the instrumental numbers of the orchestra were a pleasing feature of the concerts from year to year.

To the Orchestra fell also the duty of preparing the programme, and securing the chairman for the annual Concert.

[photo of An Afternoon Tea Party and photo of Glee Club, 1933]

As time advanced the members of the original orchestra fell out, and as stringed-instruments became less numerous at the Beach, the Orchestra became the Young Ladies’ Glee Club, The latter were no less competent than their predecessors in putting On amusing stunts for the entertainment of the audience at the annual Concert. A few are here mentioned.

The Evolution of the Marriage Proposal. From the cave man “who by speed of foot and physical prowess captured his bride, through many periods and mutations to the modern suitor clown on his knees pleading in plaintive tones to be accepted by the indifferent flapper, who stood over him unmoved by his entreaties.

Another, Lord Ullin’s Daughter, where the daughter and her lover were seen fleeing from an angry father. And another The Evolution of the Bathing Suit. This had to be seen in order to be fully appreciated. What abbreviations time has made on the aquatic dress of the summer resorts!

The annual concerts ‘would have been incomplete without the instrumental and vocal numbers and the amusing stunts put on by the Ladies’ Orchestra and Glee Club.

[photo of Margaret Mary Love, Kate King and Jean Ernst]

1927

FOR beautiful weather and sunshine at the Beach this year has not been exceeded. The annual concert was unusually good and the Sports day one of the best in many years.

A new cottage was built by Rev. Gordon Rintoul of Forest and enlargements made by Rev. C. A. Malcolm.

Mr. W, H. Collins of Kitchener, who was transferred to Montreal sold his cottage to Rev. J. W. McNamara, who returned to the Beach after a number of years absence. The Rev. D. G. Paton of Teeswater erected a cottage, and Mr. J. F. Ross of Guelph purchased the Johnston Cottage. Mr. Ross is welcomed to the Beach as a valuable member of the fraternity.

The Cottagers who had formed themselves into a Joint Stock Company to take over the option of Messrs. Kennedy and Wilson received a Charter. The name inserted in the same was The McCosh-Grove Ltd. At its first annual Executive meeting Rev. W. A. Bradley was elected President in the place of Me James S. Anderson, deceased.

Two Tennis courts were laid out on the property at the top of the hill, and surrounded by a wire fence. Mr. Bradley’s garage at the entrance gate was taken over by the Company and moved to a convenient place as a house in which to store the golf horse-mower and other implements.

At the annual meeting of the Association there was some excitement over the notice that had come to one of the cottagers from the Government to pay up or his claim would be cancelled. The committee having the matter in charge were instructed to interview the Government and also to make them an offer for the property.

A representative from the Pyrene Fire Extinguisher manufacturing Company was present, and demonstrated the powers of their extinguisher, Several Cottagers gave orders for the contrivance.

Sorrow was expressed at the untimely taking away of Mr. James S. Anderson, who bad been one of the oldest and most active members of the Association, and a committee was appointed to convey the sympathies of the members to the bereaved wife and family.

[photo of A Church Service]

To beautify the surroundings of the Cottages, Mr. Kennedy procured 2000 pine trees to be planted on the Cottagers’ lots and on the property of the McCosh-Grove Limited.

Officers: President, Mr. J. E. Robertson; Vice Pres., Dr. G. Wilson, Sec.-Treas., Rev. H. J. Harnwell.

1928

OLD Sol did his best this year to make the holidays of the beachers worth while. There were few hours of the days of July and August that he did not beam benignly upon the campers. The weather was delightful and throughout the season few fires needed to be kindled in the fire places. The cottages were ail filled throughout the season.

The McCosh Grove Limited made considerable improvement on their property. The hill road coming down to the cottages was greatly improved and made secure for drivers, by posts and cable, the latter donated by Mr. D. E. Kennedy.

A new road from near the pump to the Steve Tout property northward was cut through, and gravelled, making sites for garages and parking places for autos available.

At the annual meeting of the Association it was announced that the negotiations of the committee with the Government bad failed. That the Government refused to lower the rental, continuing the figure at S12.00 per annum for a lot 66 ft. wide. The committee was thanked for its efforts.

The Golf Tournament this year was of particular interest. Mr. C. W. Yates of New York presented the Club with a beautiful Gold watch to be contended for in the annual Tournament. The contest was keen. It was won by Dr. C. L. Eaton, Mr. Fred Jackson was the runner up. A large gallery followed the players in the final contest.

[photo of Mr. T. L. Hamilton, President 1928-30.jpg]

Mr. T. L. Hamliton, President 1928-30

During the year Mr. J. G. Archibald of Woodstock built a cottage and became a resident of the Beach. It was noticeable this year that the lake level was considerably higher than for a. number of years previous.

Officers: President, Mr. T. L. Hamilton; Vice Pres. Dr. W. H. Sedgewick; Sec-Treas., Rev. H. J. Harnwell.

1929

ANOTHER holiday season of delightful weather. The floods in April had endangered some cottages that stood near the mouths of the streams that come into the Lake but no serious damage was done.

At the annual concert Mr. D. E. Kennedy provided a piano, the first time this instrument figured at the Beach entertainment.

A feature worthy of notice at the Sports this year were the prizes in the contests. These were provided by the Merchants of Kincardine who felt that it was up to them to reciprocate for the patronage they had received from the Bruce Beach population.

At the annual meeting of the Golf Club steps were taken to re-arrange the course to prevent cross, driving, consequently the 9th tee was moved further to the west and trees and stumps taken out to make a new fairway.

The changes in property noted were the purchase of the Baird cottage by Dr. Earle McKenzie of Detroit. The purchase of the Mitchell cottage by Dr. J. Lovell Murray. Dr. Murray removed the cottage bought and erected a fine up-to-date cottage on its site, and the purchase of the McMullen cottage by Mrs. Annie Chilvers of Walkerville.

Officers: Same as previous year.

1930

THIS year the Lake levels were higher than for many years. Wells that had gone dry for some time were again in use with plenty of water.

The 8th concession hill was improved by the Huron Township Council so that autos could descend and return with safety.

Sports day was a great event this year. Many fine prizes were given to the contestants. These were provided by the businessman of Kincardine and Ripley. The Concert In the evening was, as usual, well patronized by the outside public. The Glee Club rendered a number of popular songs all arranged by Dr. W. A. Bradley, to suit the occasion with local coloring. The first was adapted from “The Stein Song”.

Bruce Beachers greet the dear old shore,

shout till the Valleys ring

Stand and view the waves once again,

Let every loyal Beach man sing.

Chorus:

Then sing for all our happy hours,

Sing for our cheerful ways,

Sing for the friends we greet this ev’ning,

And comrades of the bygone days,

To the trees—to the sky—to the spring

In its glorious happiness,

To the youth—to the fire—to the life

That is ever moving and calling us,

To the gods—to the fates—to the rulers

Of men and their destinies,

To the lips—to the eyes—to the girls

Who have loved us always.

The first verse and chorus were again repeated.

A tune from the C.G.I.T. Song Book and accompanying words were made to do duty in naming some of the prominent Beachers.

O Mr. King we’ll sing a ling a ling

With all our hearts for you

We hope there is some thing a ling a ling

That we can do for you

In autumn, winter, spring a ling a ling

In fact the whole year through

And ching a ling a ling for you

O Doctor Young you’ve often sung

With us in the Bruce Beach glee

We hope there is some thing a ling a ling

That we can do for thee,

We’ll be your patients old and young

And we’ll not forget the fee

We’ll sing a ling a ling, and ting a ling a ling

And ching a ling a ling for thee

The Ladies’ Glee Club also provided some excellent numbers.

At the annual Meeting of the Association the question of bringing in Hydro electric light to the Beach was discussed and a committee was appointed to look into the matter and bring a report to a special meeting to be called by the President before the cottagers left the Beach. During the year Mr. C. W. Yates erected a beautiful cottage. Minor improvements were made in other cottages.

The salary of the Sec.-Treas. was advanced to $75 00 per annum.

Officers: Pres. Mr. T. L. Hamilton; Vice Pres, Rev. J W. Gordon; Sec.-Treas., Rev H J Harnwell.

1931

OLD Father Time in his speedy flight brings round again the holiday season, and July and August find us once more upon the Beach prepared to make the best of all too short a holiday outing.

The Golf and Tennis Tournaments were well contested. Golf becomes more popular every year. The annual Sports Day and evening Concert were largely attended. The song composed by Dr. Bradley that caused some amusement was a parody on Alouette as follows:

Don’t relate, O Johnnie, what you ate

What you ate for dinner just today

Each verse took on a different part of the menu.

Ham and eggs; Pork and beans;

Fish and chips; Onion pie; Bologna sausage.

[Photo of File:The Pie Eaters.jpg]

The Pie Eaters

At the annual meeting of the Association Dr. J. F. McKenzie resigned the convenership of the Sports Committee which he had held tor 15 years. During that time he bad been untiring in his efforts to make the sports a success and on motion at Dr. W. A. Bradley, seconded by Dr. J. W. McNamara, the Association took steps to have his name perpetuated in connection with the Sports by giving annually a prize to be known as the Dr. McKenzie award. The money for the purchase of this prize to be taken from the funds of the Association.

A representative from the Provincial Hydro Electric Commission was present at the meeting and steps were taken to secure Hydro for the cottagers.

Officers: President, Rev. J. W. Gordon; Vice Pres., Rev. Dr. J. W. McNamara; Sec.-Treas., Rev. H. J. Harnwell.

[photo of Rev. J. W. Gordon]

[photo of The men were ready for the “thread the needle race”]

[photo of Dr. McKenzie lines up the ladies…]

1932

BRUCE BEACH as a summer resort still grows in interest and popularity. In this year of depression while other Summer Resorts had many vacant cottages Bruce Beach had not one.

Throughout the season the social activities were well maintained. Sports Day brings its usual large crowd of interested spectators, and the Sunday Services are well attended by reverent worshippers.

Hydro has not yet reached the Beach, but a movement is to be made by the Kincardine commission to circularize the cottagers, and request them to sign blank forms, in order that they may ascertain how many will become subscribers.

In no year thus far have the waters of the Lake so far receded as in 1932.

And the annual meeting of the Golf Club articles of furniture comprised the gift given the successful winners in the Tournament. Mr. Fred Yates was elected president.

For the first time since his appointment as Sec.- Treas., Mr. Harnwell was absent through sickness. Many good wishes were expressed for his speedy recovery. Dr. J. F. McKenzie and Dr. W. A. Bradley acted in his place at the annual meeting.

Officers of 1931 were all re-elected.

[photo of Surf-Bathing]

1933

THE year 1933 was a year of pleasure and progress at the Beach. The cottages were all filled by tenants or their owners throughout the holiday season. The weather was exceptional fine during the months of July and August.

Sports day, while threatening rain in the forenoon, cleared up, and a delightful afternoon was spent. The concert in the evening had a record attendance, and the programme was up to its usual quality.

The Tennis Tournament was of particular interest this year. All the divisions met on No. 1 courts. Refreshments were served to more than 100 guests. The club was invited to a friendly game with Kincardine and sent 12 players.

At the annual meeting of the Association a petition was presented by tenants and owners of cottages asking the Association to take steps to prevent or regulate the motor traffic on the shore.

After much discussion in which the legal phases of the matter were explained by Mr. McCrae-president of the Law School, Toronto, and His Honor Judge West the following resolution was adopted.

Whereas Bruce Beach has been long noted as a quiet retreat where the lakefront has been a playground for the children, The Bruce Beach Campers’ Association would respectfully request every cottage owner, renter or tenant, to use motor cars on the Beach only when necessary, and then to exercise care and consideration for children.”

The secretary was instructed to procure cards for distribution in all the cottages calling attention to this matter, and also to have signs erected along the shore calling attention to the shore speed limit.

It is a long call from the early days when the Beachers went begging for some merchant in Ripley or Kincardine to bring supplies to the Beach, without success until 1933. when canvassers from both Ripley and Kin- the Beach soliciting orders for their firms, and the Dominion Store, Kincardine, holding an afternoon tea on the Golf grounds and inviting all cottagers to attend.

But 1933 will be remembered as the year in which the Golf Club erected a beautiful little club house at the first tee, also the presentation of two handsome cups to the Club. One by Mr. C. W. Yates to be contested for by our own club and one by Mr. C. R. Miller to be contested for by the Kincardine and Bruce Beach Clubs, and also the presentation by the Kincardine Club of a nice flag to be flown from the flagstaff of the Bruce Beach Club at the first Tee.

Officers: President, Dr. J. W. McNamara; Vice Pres., His Hon. Judge West; Sec-Treas., Rev. H. J. Harnwell.

[Photo File:Dr. J. W. McNamara President 1933-34.jpg]

Dr. J. W. McNamara President 1933-34

HISTORY OF THE TENNIS CLUB

THE Bruce Beach Tennis Club had its inception in 1914 as a subsidiary to the Golf Club. In that year the Golf Club took action to ‘organize a Tennis Club, and after looking over the grounds decided to prepare and layout two courts on Me Steve Tout’s property and Mr. McKerroll was instructed to interview Mr. Tout and report to the secretary.

Two courts were laid out. One near the centre of Mr. Tout’s property, and one at the south end, near the present stile over the wire fence, but though much work was put on the latter it was never used.

This centre court was in use for many years but as the population extended north the need for more courts was felt and in 1920 the Bruce Beach Association appointed a committee in each Division to look the situation over with a view to having a court in each Division.

Accordingly a clay court was prepared in Division I near the road north of the pump. This one, never satisfactory, functioned until 1926 when two cinder courts were prepared at the top of the hill on the property of the McCosh Grove Limited, and the former court reserved, at the request of the Tennis Club, for a future Badminton Court. The Courts on the hill were a popular playing ground until 1934.

[Photo of Division III Tennis Courts]

In 1926 the court in Division II was abandoned on account of the wet condition of the ground and the damage dope to it by the Roods of that spring and the players of Division II united with Division 1, and moved up to its courts. In 1934 Divisions I and II decided to abandon their courts on the hill, and move back to their former court beside the Club House. They had the ground re-surveyed and a contract let for a tarvia court which was to be constructed and ready for operation in 1935. This contract was fulfilled and the court ready at the opening of the holiday season, and it has been a popular ‘place for tennis activities ever since.

Division III laid out their first court (grass) in 1922 in Mr. Pollock’s field, at the foot of the 8th concession hill.

In 1924 they moved across the road into Mr. W. J. Cameron’s field, and prepared a clay court there. This spot proved to be quite a community centre. It was directly behind Dr. McLean’s cottage, and the ladies of the vicinity often brought the vegetables for dinner, and prepared them while they watched the game. A community picnic was held here each year. But the water coming down the hill in the spring did much damage to the court, and it was found difficult to keep it in playing condition.

In August 1928 a meeting of the cottage-owners was held in Mr. J. E. Robertson’s cottage, and it was decided to abandon the court on the W. J. Cameron property, and build a court of a more permanent nature elsewhere. A committee was appointed to look up a suitable site. The Committee decided on a piece of land at the foot of Mr. Hugh Cameron’s hill.

Mr. Webster and Mr. Wilson made a canvas of the cottage-owners, in the Division, for sustaining members and procured seventeen sustaining members at $10.00 a piece. An acre of land was purchased from Mr. Cameron for S100.00.

[photo of A Bruce Beach Tennis Tournament]

[photo of Miss Nettie Moffat (Sec.-Tres. Div. III) and her mother Mrs. John Moffat]

It was decided to build a cement court, and Mr. Webster and Rev. D. G. Paton were appointed to supervise the construction work, which cost $315.35.

The court was officially opened on August 13th, 1929 by Mr. T. L. Hamilton, President of the Bruce Beach Association, who congratulated the residents of Division III on their energy and enterprise. This community dub was free of debt on August, 1931.

The Tennis fans of Division III feel that they have the best court on the Beach.

Division IV is the latest addition to Bruce Beach sports colony. Two or three cottages comprised the group north of the eighth concession until about 1923, but since that time the growth has been steady.

As the number of cottages increased it became financially possible to begin definitely to arrange for sports in this division. Land was rented from Mr. Hugh Cameron, and space was cleaned and levelled for two courts by the “sweated” labour of the hardy pioneers of that day. At first a clay surface was used, but during recent years, with the population of the division rapidly increasing, a great deal has been done to improve the situation and now in 1937 two very fine surfaced courts are available. Each year the playing surface has been treated and improved, and it is now difficult to accommodate the players of all ages who seek to indulge in this very fine form of recreation. The 1937 Tournament was held on these courts.

HISTORY OF THE McCOSH-GROVE LIMITED

IT is not only true that “necessity is the mother of invention” but it is equally true that necessity is the father of progressive enterprise, for out of the necessity of a situation grew the Joint Stock Company that bears the name of The McCosh-Grove, Limited.

With the southern end of Our Golf Course plowed up and the northern end rendered impossible by wet ground, caused by Spring floods, necessity led to the purchase of the McCosh property as a permanent Bruce Beach play ground.

It was in the early days of the month of August, 1925, that the writer and his wife received an invitation from Mr. and Mrs. D. E. Kennedy to a Marshmallow roast at their cottage at 8 p.m.

The invitation was accepted and after they had enjoyed the hospitality of their host and hostess around a bonfire the subject of procuring grounds for a permanent Golf Course was discussed.

The party consisted of Mr. and Mrs. John Kennedy, Mr. and Mrs. D. E. Kennedy, Dr. and Mrs. Gerald Wilson and Rev. W. A. and Mrs. Bradley.

It was pointed out by Mr. D. E. Kennedy that the outlook for sport at the Beach, in the future was not bright. That the Golf grounds were being contracted, and we might find on coming to the Beach some year, that not only was golf out of the question, but that access to our cottages might be blocked.

After a free expression of opinion, and viewing the situation from all angles, it was decided to approach Mr. Robert McCosh, with a view to purchasing his property between the forced road and the lake front. Arrangements were made to meet Mr. McCosh at a certain date. Mr. Bradley was invited to be one of the party.

According to arrangements the party consisted of Mr. John Kennedy, Mr. D. E. Kennedy, Dr. Gerald Wilson and Rev. W. A. Bradley met with Mr. McCosh, at his home at the specified hour, August 17th, 1925.

Mr. McCosh was requested to put a price upon the above mentioned property. He asked S3000.00. There was no haggling over the amount. The offer was accepted, and a substantial cheque handed him to bind the bargain.

Then and there the writings were drawn up with the Party of the first part and Party of the second part, used with all the nicety of a Philadelphia lawyer, and the signatures of Mr. D. E. Kennedy, Mr. R. McCosh and Dr. Gerald Wilson attached, and witnessed by Mr. John Kennedy and Rev. W. A. Bradley.

[photo of Dr. Gerald Wilson]

[photo of Mr. D. E. Kennedy]

In the agreement Mr. McCosh and his successor are given the right of way over the present road to the lake, and also the use of the well on the property. Further Mr. McCosh, as long as he resides on his present farm, is given the use of the orchard fruit, pasture land, and fallen timber, in exchange for which he agrees to cut the hay and grass on the land sold up to June the first of each year, but this latter agreement terminates with his removal from his present farm.

Subsequently a joint deed was made out in favour of Mr. D. E. Kennedy and Dr. Wilson. The sum of $500.00 was paid Mr. McCosh, and a mortgage given for two thousand five hundred dollars ($2,500.00) to run ten years, with interest at 6% per annum. Thus the 40 acres in question became the property of Mr. Kennedy and Dr. Wilson.

It is needless to say that this transaction created a good deal of talk on the Beach, some expressing grave fears as to what would happen. But the excitement soon cooled down, as calmer judgment prevailed.

Due to the expressed wish of Mr. McCosh, that the cottagers behind his property “should have some Ownership in the property, assurance was given him by the purchasers, that an opportunity would be given them of forming a joint stock Company, and becoming possessors of the land, if the option was taken up within a year’s time.

This opportunity the cottagers took advantage of and at a meeting held August 10th, 1926, in Mr. Kennedy’s cottage, almost every cottager behind and adjacent to the purchased property was present.

Rev. J. U. Stewart was appointed Chairman, and L. A. Bradley, secretary. After full discussion it was unanimously decided to form a Joint Stock Company and take over the option. The amount to be paid for the property was three thousand dollars ($3000.00). Two thousand eight hundred dollars ($2.800.00) was subscribed by those present at the meeting of that evening. It was decided to apply for a charter, and it was suggested that the Company bear the name of “McCosh”. It was accordingly agreed to call the Company The McCosh-Grove, Limited. The shares were placed at $50.00 apiece. The charter which cost $100.00 was obtained on December 3rd, 1928. The following officers were elected: Hon. Pres., Mr. Angus Munn; Pres., Mr. Jas. S Anderson; Vice Pres., Dr. Gerald A. Wilson, Sec.-Treas., Mr. D. E. Kennedy; Directors, Dr. J. M. Young and Mr. Duncan Munn. The property was used for Golf and Tennis purposes throughout the holiday season.

The following year a course of nine holes was laid out by Mr. Ritchie, and Mr. Alex. McCosh engaged as caretaker of the grounds.

In the same year extensive improvements were made on the hill. Posts, to which a strong cable was attached, were p1aced on the danger side, as a protection against accidents. The cable was donated by Mr. D. E. Kennedy. Before the first annual meeting of the Company was held the President Mr. James S. Anderson, was called away by death. At this meeting, which was held August 6th, 1927, Rev. W. A. Bradley was elected president.

The Company took over Mr. W. A. Bradley’s garage that stood at the right hand of the entrance to the grounds, and had it moved to a convenient place, as an implement house, in which to store the horse-mower and other golf paraphernalia.

A new wire fence was built along the front of property and a new gate placed at the entrance, and at both sides of the property, in conjunction with Mr. Frank Tout on the South, and Mr. Steve Tout on the north, a new wire fence was built.

Mr. Kennedy also ordered and procured 2000 young pine trees, 1000 Red pine and 1000 Scotch pine to be planted by the members of the company. Many have taken advantage of the opportunity, and have planted young pines on their cottage lots.

To prevent autoists from driving over a portion of the Western part of the golf course, a new road was cut through behind the cottages, extending from the road to the Lake, north to Mr. Steve Tout’s fence. Clay was put upon the sand and gravel upon the clay making a substantial road. This enabled a number of stock holders to build garages close to their cottages.

To build a garage or other buildings on the Company’s property, the consent of the Property Committee must be obtained. The present Grounds committee, are Mr. Thomas Kennedy, Mr. D. E. Kennedy and Mr. D. Munn.

With improvements amounting to more than $500.00, apart from the amount spent on the property by the Golf Club, it speaks well for the enterprise of the Company that on September 16th, 1933, the mortgage was paid off and discharged.

At the annual meeting of the Company held July 29th, 1933, permission was given to the Golf Club to erect a club house at the first Tee. This building was completed during the month of August of the same year. An agreement was made with the Golf Club, whereby the latter shall pay to the Company $50.00 on or before the first day of August in each succeeding year. This amount goes to pay the Government tax, and local taxes of the Municipality.

The Club also agrees to give certain special Golf privileges to the stock holders of the Company. And further agrees to maintain the Golf Course, and keep the Company’s property in repair. This agreement however is subject to revision at the annual meeting of either organization in any subsequent year.

It is with no small degree of satisfaction that we look back upon the transactions of the past few years, and feel that we have accomplished something for ourselves, and something that will be of benefit to future residents of this part of the Beach, and in a certain degree to all dwellers of the Beach. First by securing a safe and undisputed way to our cottages for the future, and second by providing a playground which is at the disposal of all who prize a game of Golf or Tennis, during the holiday spent at their summer cottages.

We are grateful for the foresight and enterprise that have made the McCosh-Grove Limited possible.

1934

THIS year gave us beautiful holiday weather, and the holiday spirit pervaded the camp. In no year of the colony’s existence had the waters of the lake so far receded. The new Club House erected by the Golf Club was a rallying place for many social activities and for meetings of the various athletic Clubs.

The activities of the Ladies’ Auxiliary in connection with the Club House in procuring furnishings for the same is worthy of special mention.

The Sabbath Services throughout the season were well attended.

The McCosh Grove Limited reported the mortgage on the property paid off and discharged.

Sports Day had a record crowd. The events were well contested. In the Girls’ competition Jean Wilson, won the McKenzie prize, and in the boys’ competition it was won by Bill Manning. The concert in the evening was well attended, but the familiar strains of The Men’s Glee Club for the first time since 1916 were missed.

Tennis Clubs No. 1 and 2 that met at the top of the hill had the original court in Division No. 1 re-surveyed and an order given for the construction of two Tennis Courts and a Badminton court to be ready for 1935.

At the annual meeting of the Association a committee consisting of Doctors Bradley, McNamara, and McKerroll, was appointed to get estimates on the cost of printing a Souvenir of the Beach, and to report at the next annual meeting.

The annual meeting of the Golf Club was a brilliant affair. The prizes this year in addition to the cups won were golf clubs. The History of the Golf Club was read by the Beach Historian, Dr. W. A. Bradley. As the Rev. Robert Martin had been the originator of Golf at the Beach, driving the first ball from the present No. 2 tee, and laying out the first course, Dr. Bradley moved that hereafter No. 2 tee, and No. 2 fairway be named the Martin tee, and the Martin Fairway. This was seconded by Mr. Thomas Kennedy and carried unanimously. The prizes were distributed and refreshments served.

The matter of better mail services was discussed, and the Dominion Government approached through Mr. Morrison, Postmaster of Kincardine, for a delivery Route along the Beach.

Officers:. Dr. J. W. McNamara President, His Hon. Judge West, Vice Pres., Rev. H. J Harnwell Sec-Treas.

1935

IN no year of the Beach’s history has Lake Huron been so calm and quiet throughout the holiday and in no year had the water so far receded. The weather was ideal and the heat not intense. All the cottages were occupied throughout the season.

[photo of His Honor Judge West, President 1935-36]

The new tarvia Tennis Court in Division I was ready for occupation when the cottagers arrived and in constant use from morning till night throughout the holiday.

The contest between the Kincardine and Bruce Beach Golf Clubs was woo by Kincardine, by the last man, with the last shot and at the last hole.

The new R. M. Route along the Beach front was a convenience much appreciated by the cottagers and the thanks of the Association, at its annual meeting, ordered to be forwarded to the postal authorities.

Sports day was a great success with increased attendance, and the concert in the evening above the average.

At the Annual Meeting of the Association it was agreed on account of the excellent service given us by the Kincardine Merchants to no longer canvas them for prizes for sports day, and to forward a letter to the Chamber of Commerce of the Town conveying our appreciation of their service and informing them of the action taken at the annual meeting.

The committee on the Beach Souvenir reported, and was continued. Mr. W.A. Bremner was added to the Committee.

The attendance at the Sabbath Services was well maintained throughout the season.

Officers: His Hon. Judge West, Pres.; Mr. Thomas Kennedy, Vice-Pres.; Rev. H. J. Harnwell, Sec. Treas.

1936

THIS year will go down in history as the warmest and driest experienced at the Beach. Throughout the months of July and August there was no rain and one week in July was the warmest on record. As usual there were no vacant cottages throughout the season, and Sunday services were well maintained.

Golf becomes more and more the Bruce Beach pastime. Miss Mabel Dobson presented the Club with a cup to be contested for by children under twelve years of age. This called forth quite an array of youthful golfers.

In the contest between the Bruce Beach and Kincardine Clubs, for the Miller trophy, the cup was brought back to the Beach after an absence of two years.

At the annual meeting of the Golf Club, Mr. D. E. Kennedy and Dr. Gerald Wilson were made honourary members of the club.

At the annual meeting of the Golf Association the Committee in charge of the printing of a Beach Souvenir was continued.

Sports Day as usual was a gala day on the Beach, with probably not as large an attendance as in previous years. but with all events well contested. The concert in the evening was good and was well patronized.

Officers: Same as last year.

1937

ONE thing that has characterized the history of the Beach has been its freedom from accidents. In the 43 years of its existence there have been but two drowning accidents.

A medical doctor from the village of Atwood, whose wife and family were holidaying at the Beach, came out on Sunday to visit them. After a hearty dinner he went into the water for a swim. He was taken with cramps, and before help could arrive was drowned. The mishap cast a gloom over the whole colony.

At the annual meeting of the Association the committee having the Beach Souvenir in hand was continued, and the sum of $25.00 was set aside to assist in paying for engravings and the same amount apportioned for the following year. Mr. Thomas Kennedy was added to the committee. The Club House was improved by the addition of a beautiful fire place in the main building and also the addition of an up-to-date and well furnished kitchen.

In the contest for the Miller trophy between the Bruce Beach and Kincardine golf clubs, the home club again demonstrated its prowess, and retains the cup for another year.

Some difference of opinion arose at the annual meeting of the McCosh Grove Limited between the Company and the Golf Club. The matter was finally left to the President of the Golf Club, Mr. W. Whalen and Mr. Thomas Kennedy, secretary of the company, for whatever settlement, in their wisdom they should see fit to make.

The Sunday School conducted by Miss Jean Ernst, averaged about sixty children. The regular Sabbath Services were well attended.

Officers: Mr. Thomas Kennedy, Pres.; Rev. A. C. Stewart, Vice-Pres.; Rev. H. J. Harnwell, Sec.-Treas.

[photo of Mr. Thomas Kennedy, President 1937]

 

Wiki Notes

This Wiki book was created from a PDF file provided by Rob Parker. The PDF files was created by scanning the pages of the original “Souvenir History of Bruce Beach” compiled by Rev. W.A. Bradley in 1937. That PDF was then converted back to text again using Adobe Acrobat Reader Extended version 9.0. The text was manually corrected by Gail Pool and Doug Dunlop. There may still be textual errors in need of manual correction.

Here is the original “Souvenir History of Bruce Beach” PDF file.

Preface

Shortly after the Bruce Beach Historical Society was formed in the Fall of 1981, I was having lunch with a friend. When asked why I had given up curling that year, one of the two or three reasons I mentioned was my interest in publishing history of Bruce Beach, where my family had been spending their summers for more than sixty years. "How fortunate you are to have such roots", replied my friend.

Many times a year I say silent prayers of thanks for the many joys I shared with my parents, my brother and my sisters, but especially with my own family while vacationing at Bruce Beach. I therefore dedicate this book to my wife, Joan, my son, Brian and my daughters, Dawn, Laurie and Ruth.

I wish to thank Louise Currie (No. 124) and Barbara Metherell (No. 1A) for their special efforts in encouraging other cottagers to submit material, as well as those who took time and trouble to write histories of their own cottages which will have to be kept for future historians. I also am indebted to my friend Laura Smith who typed the original manuscript so perfectly.

Recognition must go to the late Borden Spears (No. 46) who coordinated the original material and was responsible for the layout of this book. Regrettably, he did not live to see his work completed.

Ian MacEachern (No. 41) June, 1983

Bruce Beach will shine tonight

Bruce Beach will shine tonight

Bruce Beach will shine tonight
Bruce Beach will shine
Bruce Beach will shine tonight
All down the line.
Bruce Beach will shine tonight
Bruce Beach will shine
When the sun goes down and the moon comes up
Bruce Beach will shine.

From a concert many years ago.
Submitted by Mary Spears (No. 46)

Geologically Speaking...

Bruce Beach, or at least its rocky substructure, is about one billion years old. However, its "modem" history only began about 13,000 years ago when the last great glaciers melted away, filling the Georgian Bay, Lake Huron, Lakes Erie and Ontario basins. One result of the melt was the creation of a series of lakes with different shorelines, each lower than its predecessor. At different periods of history they drained either into the St. Lawrence valley, as they do today, or westward into the Mississippi valley.

One of these lakes was the great Algonquin whose shoreline, traceable to beyond Owen Sound, can be recognized as an elevated terrace at the north end of Bruce Beach. Much of the present beach line was eroded by waves of later lakes, such as Lake Huron itself, yet the terraces in the Pine River and Eighteen Mile River valleys are indications of the former Algonquin Lake shore. Fossils and pieces of wood have yielded radiocarbon dates of 10,500 and 10,800 years ago.

After many more centuries of shifts and changes, including a settling of the earth's crust under the immense glacial weight, a period of relative stability set in about 3,000 years ago. It was known as the Algoma stage and at that time the lowest part of the cliff was formed. (This is the area near Bruce Beach's present golf course.

Gully erosion cut into the shore cliffs at intervals and the sediments formed low conical accumulations at the gully mouths. (A good example of this action is preserved at the spot where the Sunday Church services are being held.

Although it all seems stable now, many geologists believe another glacial period will come, but not for thousands of years.

Meanwhile, the beach, which almost has persisted in its present form for 5,000 years, can be enjoyed by everyone.

P.F. Karrow (No.1)

As time goes by...

1894 - The Origins

As far as is known, Bruce Beach had its origin as a summer resort on May 24, 1894, when a picnic party was held in William Tout's Grove, attended by a group of Ripley residents, including the Mcinnes, the Munn, the McCrimmon and the Jackson families. It was so successful that someone suggested repeating such outings through the summer and Angus Munn proposed a spot near the lake where cottage No. 7 now is located. The site also appealed to G. Mcinnes and A. Jackson, who later that summer pitched a tent there, calling the place "Sylvan Beach Home".

The Kennedys and Jacksons built the first cottage near that spot during that same summer; it is now No. 12. In 1896, the Mclnneses and the Munns, both from Ripley, built No. 14 and No. 13 respectively, and although the beach area was closer to Kincardine, it was known as "Ripley Beach" for some time.

Robert McCosh Sr., whose farm fronted on the lake, used to visit these original beachers and jokingly called them "The White Indians". Over the years, they and many other families became friendly with the McCoshes and all used their pump in the lane.

In 1900, James Anderson purchased the Kennedy-Jackson cottage (No. 12) and Mrs. Anderson renamed the area "Bruce Beach". To hold religious services on Sunday evening, they set up a tent at first, although later services were conducted outdoors on McCosh flats. The Chapman family built No. 35 in 1902 and when Rev. Robert Martin of Hamilton built No. 5 in 1903, he was the first of many ministers to make Bruce Beach his summer home.

1900's - Start of Golf

His first task was to introduce his fellow cottagers to the game of golf by laying out a six-hole course in Frank Tout and McCosh Grove flats, but it was not until 1907 that the Bruce Beach Golf Club actually was formed. That year the course was enlarged to nine holes, following the recommendations of the newly elected executive of five. The annual membership fee was 25 cents; three hundred score cards were ordered; and when the first tournament took place, the entry fee was 10 cents per person.

The following cottages were built between 1903 and 1907:

McNab's of Walton -No.6

McNamara's of Drayton -No. 19

Perrie's of Wingham -No. 20

Burnett's of Ripley -No.9

McLeod's of Ripley -No. 10

Dobson's of Fordwich -No.4.

1908 - Bruce Beach Campers' Association is Organized

By 1907, some cottages had changed hands, and the Maxwells and Coopers arrived. In 1908 the Bruce Beach Campers' Association was organized and the following cottages were erected:

Rev. W.J. West's of Stratford -No. 33

Rev. D.T.L. McKerroll's of Toronto -No. 41

John F. Archer's of Listowel-No. 11

T.L. Hamilton's of Listowel -No. 44.

The Bruce Beach Campers' Association held its first Field and Regatta Day in 1910, and the following families built cottages that year:

Barker of Lansing, Michigan -No. 37

A. Treleaven of Ripley -No. 39

John S. Robertson of Ripley

Pollock of Ripley -No. 45.

In 1911 cottages were built by:

Jack Chapman of Ripley -No. 27

Hector McKay of Ripley -No. 17

Interest in the golf club remained strong and Tom Walsh who now owns No. 159A was instrumental in making the first sand green in 1913. For several years he cut the grass with a horse-drawn lawnmower, and although most of the maintenance was done by club members, Bob McCosh was paid $1.50 for the work he did and Frank Tout received a $1.00 rental for that part of the course located on his property; a $2.00 rental went to Bob McCosh for allowing golfers on his land. Annual club receipts were between $7.00 and $10.00.

In 1914, the golfers organzied a tennis club and laid out two courts -one behind No. 41 and the other behind No. 28; the second court was never used. The annual tennis club membership fee was 25 cents.

The following built cottages during that year:

Mrs. J. Gourley of Detroit -No. 16

Dr. J.F. McKenzie -No. 53

There was no electricity in any of the cottages during• those early years, however, Bob McCosh provided firewood for heating and cooking, charging $5.00 per cord of hardwood and $4.00 per cord of softwood, including delivery. Lamp coal oil was available at 25 cents per gallon and one of the children's daily chores was cleaning the lamp chimneys.

Watching the sunset in front of cottages 12 and 13

The year 1915 was a time of expansion for Bruce Beach when the following cottages were added:

Prof. Richard Davidson's of Toronto-No. 49

Rev. M. McArthur's of Kincardine -No. 19

Rev. H.J. Hamwell's of Drayton -No. 56 .

Rev. J.W. Baird's of Mitchell-No. 59.

The beach area was extended to the 8th Concession when cottages were built by the Branoch-Sherriffs (No. 86) 'and the Robertsons (No. 80).

Rev.• JV. Stewart of Whitechurch built his, and at the south end Rev. G. Atkinson's No. 30 was erected, while Roderick Martyn of Ripley built the first (No. 87) north of the 8th Concession.

Expansion continued through 1916 with new cottages by:

Rev. W.A. Bradley of Teeswater -No. 28

Rev. D.A. McLean of Ripley -No. 23

S.W. Huff of Detroit -No. 51

Dr. Dan Martyn of Detroit -No. 88

1916 - Bruce Beach Cottagers' Association

It was largely due to the community spirit of Rev. AB. Dobson that the Bruce Beach Cottagers' Association came into being in 1916 Rev. W.A. Bradley was elected Secretary-Treasurer and also became its official historian. Regrettably, Rev. Dobson passed away in 1918.

In 1917 the Bruce Beach boundaries were further extended with new cottages by Samuel Pollock of Ripley (No. 99) and Thomas Clark of Detroit (No. 96). At the south end, Dr. E.C. Atkinson of Alvinston (No. 52) and Rev. W.H. Burgess of Chatham built theirs, and during the Fall, the Association secured aluminum numbers for all the cottages.

In 1918, the place for Sabbath worship was moved from the McCosh to the Tout Flats behind the Henderson cottage No. 37. That summer a ladies' orchestra was formed under the direction of Mildred Bradley. Among its members were Mrs. Duncan Munn, Irene Hamwell, Eloise Baird, Beatrice Huff and Beth McLennan. The orchestra's first concert raised $62.00 for the Ripley Red Cross.

By 1919, the concert had become an annual event, enjoyed by young and old. During that year, seating for the Sunday services was secured for 125 people and a platform and a folding pulpit were added. A camera club with 17 charter members was formed, presided over by Mabel Dobson (No.4).

1920 - Men's Glee Club formed

1920 was a year of much activity and progress. The lots staked out by prospective builders resulted in cottages for the following people:

Ruth Warren of Walkerton -No. 68
W.E. McCorquodale of Detroit -No. 47
Rev. J.R. Hoskings of Toronto -No. 94
Rev. J.R Kirkpatrick of Ripley -No. 101

Resting on the McCosh Hill, early 1920's

This also was the year when the Men's Glee Club was formed, and the annual concert, for the first time, involved members from all parts of the Beach. In addition, a Sabbath school was organized with Dr. J.F. McKenzie as its superintendent.

At the 1920 annual meeting of the Association, steps• were taken to add even better facilities. Each division appointed a committee to select grounds best suited for additional tennis courts; Division I chose the McCosh property on the upper level, just west of the present golf course third hole tee-off; Division II picked Tout's Flats behind No. 41 and Division III a site near the 8th Concession.

During the same year, arrangements were made with J.W. Crawford of Ripley to deliver groceries and provisions to Bruce Beach residents three times a week. Gerry Emmerton of Kincardine was asked to call on cottagers twice weekly to supply them with fruit and vegetables, and Henry, his son, who as a young lad helped his father, still sells vegetables in the area.

Many new cottages were built in 1921:

Agnes Hamilton of Goderich -. No.1
J.R McLeod of Montreal
J.S. Robertson of Ripley -No. 43
Ruth Heather of Guelph -No. 78
Rev. J.E. Hunter of Belmont
Dr. Donald Martyn of Detroit
E.F. Lambert of Toronto -No. 72 11
A. Love of Detroit -No. 22
A. Jackson of Seaforth -No. 27
Rev. c.A. Malcolm of Lawrence -No. 31
Dr. F. McLennan of Windsor -No. 17.

At the Association's annual meeting, two committees were appointed to discuss with Huron Township Council and the provincial government the possibility of securing titles to the land on which the cottages were built.

The tennis courts in all three divisions had been completed and were ready for the first tournaments. Two were clay-based; and Division III had a grass court in Pollock's field at the foot of the 8th Concesion. The major problem was to keep the weeds at bay. .

1920's - Bruce Beach - The Ideal Summer Resort

In the early 1920's the following advertisement was produced and delivered to all cottagers:

BRUCE BEACH

THE IDEAL SUMMER RESORT

Bruce Beach is unquestionably one of the most delightful places in Canada to spend the summer months.

From the standpoint of health, it is unbeatable. The fresh, purified air blowing off Lake Huron is always refreshing and stimulating, and restores to good health the individual looking for a respite from a period of physical or mental strain.

Quiet reigns at Bruce Beach. Free from commercialism, there are no unnecessary noises or excitement to harass the tired, nervous man or woman who is bent on building up in preparation for the return to the normal activity of making a living at the vacation's end.

Religious services were established years ago in an attractive grove and have since been continued uninterruptedly each Sunday afternoon during the season.

All conveniences for securing supplies are amply proVided for by the merchants' deliveries of wood, ice, milk, groceries, meats and vegetables directly to your door, or some prefer to visit the stores personally at Kincardine or Ripley, located only a few miles away.

After a person has been at the Beach for a short time, he becomes so peppy he begins looking for diversion, and there is plenty of it available --.: bathing, boating, fishing, hiking, tennis, and the grand old game of golf ov~r a unique nine-hole sporty course.

The golf course is very popular. Men and women, young and old, from the full length of the Beach are to be seen on the course during the entire season.

The golf club is regularly organized with a list of members who pay annual dues to support the club in its various phases, even if they should not find it convenient to spend every season at the Beach. The enrolled members are elegible to compete for the cups and other prizes presented each year by the club, as well as being privileged to participate in the many entertainments and parties held at the club house during the season.

The expense of joining in the activities at the Beach is very nominal. A membership in the tennis club entitles one to play all season on any of the courts for a small fee, and the charges for golf for an entire season are little more than some of the city courses charge for a single day's play. The club is operated purely as a community enterprise. The officers serve without compensation and all the money taken in is used for maintenance and for improving the course and the club house property.

Players on the Bruce Beach course are given much for their money. In addition to those for regular members, tournaments are scheduled at frequent intervals during the summer for the season, weekly and daily players.

Very attractive and useful prizes are furnished for all tour-. naments. Some of the prizes are given by the club with no entry fee charged for playing and others are provided with a small charge for entering the tournaments, and refreshments are generally provided.

Any person of either sex over 12 years of age is eligible for membership and all children of members or season players under 12 are privileged to play at specified times two days each week without the payment of fees.

The golf club is probably the biggest drawing card for the Beach and every owner of a cottage should become a regular member.

The golf club, well managed as it is, is an inducement for families and individuals to come to the Beach, and many cottages are rented as a result. One season of a newcomer spent at the Beach almost always means their regular return each season.

Beginning the latter part of June and through July and August, a representative is stationed at the Club House with whom playing arrangements may be made.

Author unknown

By 1922, the boundaries of Bruce Beach were extended to the 10th Concession with new cottages built by:

Chid Jackson of Ripley -No. 25
C.W. Yates of New York -No. 21
Dr. W.H. Sedgewick of Hamilton -No.34
Thomas King of Wingham -No. 46
Rev. H.B. Parnby of Belmont -No. 67
Rev. RG. McKay of Dresden -No. 55
Rev. W.H. Burgess of Walkerton -No. 75
James Clark of Detroit -No. 50
Rev. J.W. Gordon of.Mitchell -No. 118
Rev. Charles Farquharson of Newbury -No. 137
Rev. c.A. Carr of West Lome and Rev. A. Laing of Fordwich -No 162
Thomas Johnston -No. 107.

John S. Robertson (No. 43), who had. been an active member of the Association, passed away in 1922, and his cottage was purchased by Rev. Norman MacEachern of Toronto.

1922 - Surveyor Appointed

In August 1922, a provincial inspector visited the Beach, and the government appointed a surveyor for the area.

The year also saw the formation of the Bruce Peninsula Fishing Club. Their first trip to Miller Lake in two Model T Ford cars started at 8 a.m., reaching Wiarton by noon. After a stop for lunch and a walt for a member to arrive by train, the party set out for Lion's Head and on to Miller Lake along a cow path. When they finally arrived there at 6 p.m. their accomodation had already been taken and they had to sleep in a hay mow. Rising at 5.30 a.m., they were able to catch 41 black bass, returning home the follOwing day, having completed a round trip of 188 miles! In 1923, the annual golf fee was increased to $1.00, and a ladies' golf club was formed. They passed on half their proceeds to the men's club that now had $133.00 in the kitty.

After some initial difficulties setting boundary lot lines, the provincial surveyor attempted to divide the Beach area into 66 foot lots, reaching from the sand dunes at the 6th Concession at the south end to the 10th Concession in the north. As a result, many lots were reduced in size while others were increased, at the same time setting the annual rent at $12.00 per lot.

Cottages were erected by:

W.H. Collins of Kitchener -No. 36
Rev. T.M. Wesley of Sterling -No. 54
Nettie Moffat of T eeswater -No. 71
J. Johnston of Ripley
T. Bradnock of Gorrie -No. 86 (two cottages).

In 1924, to encourage greater attendance at Church services, seating was once again increased and a new organ was purchased.

Several new cottages were erected north of the 8th Concession, as well as No. 1A by D.E. Kennedy of Guelph and No. 2A by Dr. Gerald Wilson of Detroit.

For the first time, a number of break-ins during the winter were reported and the Association put up signs offering a $25.00 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the culprits.

At the 1924 annual meeting, D.T.L. McKerroll (No. 41) i reported progress in the procurement of land titles.

The Division III grass tennis court was abandoned and a new clay court was prepared in Cameron's field that also became a community centre where picnics could. be held each year.

When Frank Tout decided to plow the field at the south end of his flats, the golf course had to be shortened. Also, as no vacant lots were obtainable in the south, further development of the cottage area shifted to the north end in 1925.

1925 - McCosh Purchase Arranged

In August, D.E. Kennedy and Dr. Gerald Wilson arranged to purchase the McCosh property extending from the upper road to the. back of the cottage lots.

A permanent storage shed was built to house the church organ and the seating for Sunday services. This also was the year when the water level of the lake was so low that many cottagers' wells went dry.

In 1926, Huron Township Council refused to accept the proposal to acquire land rights from the government for $10,000. The cottagers behind the McCosh property formed a company and the following year managed to secure a charter, known as McCosh Grove Limited.

The ladies' golf club was given equal representation. on the general executive and through their efforts, children under . 16 were allowed to play, free of charge, between 1-3 p.m., providing they were accompanied by an adult.

Resting after a long drive to the Beach! In front of cottage No.4, 1926

In the same year, the Stephen Tout flats flooded and that part of the golf course had to be abandoned. The two, new cinder tennis courts at the top of McCosh Grove hill had to be repaired and the old court was reserved as a future badminton court. Thanks to the generosity of McCosh Grove Ltd. the property was placed at the disposal of the Golf Club to become a permanent playground. With the help of Mr. Ritchie, a nine-hole course could once again be laid out. A new horse-drawn mower was purchased for $250.00, boxes were set up at each tee to provide sand and water, benches were procured, and a caretaker was hired to make the course ready in time for the cottagers' arrival. C.\N. Yates, Dr. Wilson, Dr. Young and D.E. Kennedy donated tournament prizes.

In 1927, cottages were built by Rev. Gordon Rintoul (No. 32) and Rev. GD. Paton (No. 66). The following year, J.G. Archibald of Woodstock built No. 38.

By now the lake had returned to a more normal level and most wells could again be used. Negotiations with the government to reduce the annual rental fee of $12.00 had not been successful. The Golf Club fees were increased to $2.00 per season, guests paying 25 cents and outside visitors 50 cents per game. C.W. Yates was made an honorary member in appreciation of his contribution to the golf club, and the annual trophy was named after him.

Floods occurred in many areas in the Spring of 1929 but no serious damage was reported at Bruce Beach .

D.E. Kennedy donated a piano to be used at the annual concert and the merchants of Kincardine provid~d prizes for Sports Day.

Golf fees were increased to $3.00 to enable the executive to purchase mats for three of the greens which were being changed to sand greens. It also was decided to install steps to the first and third greens and from the eighth hole tee-off. At the Association's 1930 annual meeting, a committee was appointed to investigate the possibility to bring hydro power to the Beach. The following year a Hydro Electric Commission representative attended the annual meeting to discuss with the cottagers the conditions for providing elec tricity.

The annual Sports Day and Concert were well attended and the Association recognized Dr. J.F. McKenzie's 15 years dedicated service as sports committee convenor by donating an annual award.

1932 - Record low lake levels

The main topic at the 1932 annual meeting was the record low level of the lake which was causing problems for many , cottages. The question of bringing in electricity was further discussed and quotations were obtained ranging between $30.00 and $60.00 per cottage for installing eleven electric light outlets and one for an electric stove.

The present golf club house was built in 1933. The annual concert showed a record turnout and the popular tennis tournament was attended by over 100 spectators; refreshments were served. Motor traffic on the beach became so heavy that the Association had to ask cottagers to use it only when absolutely necessary.

The merchants from Kincardine and Ripley called on cottagers almost daily and the Kincardine Dominion store sponsored an afternoon tea at the golf course. Parisian Laundry from Toronto, provided a weekly service.

The following year the lake again was at record low levels.

The tennis courts at the top of McCosh hill were abandoned and two new courts were planned at the present location.

At the 1934 annual meeting a committee was formed to obtain printing estimates for a souvenir history of the Beach.

Although the local post office was asked that year to consider the possibility of mail delivery to cottagers, it was not until 1935 that this much appreciated service could be provided. That year the new tarvia tennis courts located near the golf club house were ready for play and well used throughout the summer.

Bruce Beach golfers won the annual golf contest against the Kincardine golfers, At the annual meeting the committee to look after the proposed souvenir history was reappointed. A drowning occurred in 1937, the second on the Beach in over 43 years. A visiting doctor from Atwood had developed cramps while in the water and drowned before help could reach him.

The efforts to publish the souvenir history continued and the sum of $25.00 was set aside to cover the cost of engravings, with the proviso that the same amount be reserved for the following year. Jean Ernst conducted the Sunday School which was attended by about 60 children.

1938 - Electricity at Bruce Beach

In 1938, some cottages were wired for electricity. The township provided a horse and wagon for garbage collection along the beach. A delegation from Bruce Beach attended a Good Roads meeting in the Kincardine council chambers to press the need for improving the road from the 10th Concession to Kincardine.

The annual Sports Day and concert had a large turnout and an official Bruce Beach crest was authorized by the Association. Dr. Bradley resigned 'after serving 23 years as historian and Rev.J.W. Gordon took his place.

The "Souvenir History of Bruce Beach" was published in 1938, financed with a $300.00 loan extended by Bob McCosh at 6% annual interest. The first copies, priced at $1.00 each, were sold on Sports Day under the supervision

It was great to receive a letter on the Beach after all those years climbing the hill.

Even a ride on the garbage truck Was fun in 1938

Two major problems developed at the north end of the Beach; excess noise from some of the cottages,and cattle passing through lots to reach the lake rather than using the right-of-way.

Besides, three cottages were burglarized, the culprits apprehended and "sent down" for five years.

In 1939, the Association's annual membership fee was raised to $1.00 per cottage. Proceeds from the annual concert totalled $45.54, including $13.83 from booth sales. These funds, together with additional donations of $25.80, more than covered Sports Day expenses. The annual treasurer's report showed an expense of 10 cents for a long distance telephone call!

The following year, the executive was authorized to build a Church shell so that services could be held indoors during inclement weather. Arrangements were made by area residents to acquire Stephen Tout's land, and during 1941 a new stone pulpit was built in memory of Stephen Tout, who, for 34 years, had reserved that part of his property for Church Services. A piano was purchased by the Church Services Committee from the Heintzman Company of T aronto at a cost of $75.00 plus $10.00 transportation charges: $35.00 in labour and parts had been donated by the piano manufacturer. However, plans to put up the Church shell had to be abandoned because the estimate of $300.00 exceeded the funds available for the project.

The plan to build a road at the north end of the Beach, at the foot of the hill, was opposed by some cottagers who felt it would increase traffic and dust, as well as . making the cottages too accessible out of season.

1942 - Many young Beachers enlist

By 1942, many young people of the Beach had joined Canada's armed forces and at the annual Sports Day, War Savings Stamps in values of $6.00 each were given out as prizes.

Mail still was delivered six days a week. In 1943, authorization was given to engage a person at a cost of $50.00 to patrol the beach from September 15 to June 15.

Bruce Beach celebrated its fiftieth anniversary in 1944, and to mark the event, The Kincardine News provided a special cover for the Year Book. This also was the year when a road was built north of the 8th Concession to reach No. 117.

Many of the sons and daughters who had served both at home and overseas returned to Bruce Beach in 1945, the end of World War II. While there may be others who lost . their lives fighting for peace, here are the names of three who had served with the R.C.A.F., and did not return:

George Lloyd of Wingham (No.2)
George King of Wingham (No. 46)
Donald Carson of Toronto (No. 147)

In 1946, the Bruce Beach Association joined the newly formed Ontario Cottagers' Association. That winter the snow storms were so severe that the farmers were able to walk on top of the cottage roofs.

1947 - Cameron land purchase completed

The following year the purchase of the Cameron land was completed. It included the area behind the cottages from No. 121 to No. 136, and a 30 foot strip at the base of the hill that was given to the Township to link the existing roads running north from the 8th Concession and south . from the 10th. Furthermore, the Association appointed a committee to discuss with the Township Council the completion of a road leading from the 10th Concession to Sid Huff's property (No. 51).

Entrance to Bruce Beach from the Lakeshore Drive, "Foot of the 10th", where cars always got stuck rounding the curve into loose sand.

The treasurer's annual report noted expenditure of $2.41 for a baseball, including the cost"of peanuts, for Sports Day That same year, golf fees were set at $4.00 per season.

When the provincial Department of Lands and Forests transferred its responsibility for the Bruce Beach Subdivisior to the Township, cottage owners living in the Toronto are, held a meeting, in May 1948 to discuss the new relationship, between the Association and the Township.

At the annual meeting the executive was authorized tc urge the Township Council to complete the road along the base of the hill as soon as possible and to consider the matter of residents purchasing any lands adjacent to their cottage lots so that proper access could be provided.

Due to an increase in the cost of living, cottage fees were raised to $2.00 in 1949, and the annual grant to Tout's Grove Association for maintenance of Church grounds had to be increased from $5.00 to $25.00. Dave Moore appointed to look after the Church property, was paid $20.01 annually. It also was decided to pay 50 cents a week to each of the boys who arranged the seating for Sunday services and distributed the hymn books.

Behind bars! Gate between Camerons and McCormicks on Beach Road, 1948

The Association president and secretary once again approached the Huron Township Council with the proposal to allow cottagers to purchase their lots; they were, however, turned down.

1950 - Bruce Beach Rd. completed

The road from the 10th to the 8th Concession was finally completed in 1950. It was well used, especially after a sign banning motor traffic along the beach had been erected at the 10th Concession.

A highlight during the 1951 season was a service conducted by Rev. Fred Anderson who had led the congregation on the Beach for more than fifty years. He administered the sacrament of baptism on the last Sunday in July.

At the Association's 1952 annual meeting it was reported that $1,700.00 in taxes and $2,600.00 in rentals had been collected from Bruce Beach cottagers by the Township. In addition, $400.00 had been paid for garbage removal, although the actual cost was only $325.00.

In 1953, the Association retained legal counsel, "at a cost not to exceed $100.00", to assist in discussion with the Township regarding extension of the road south from the 8th Concession. In 1954, the Association raised advertising rates for its annual booklet to $1.50 for a small insert and to $4.50 for a full-page ad.

A community night of pictures and entertainment, held in July 1954, raised $14.00 for the golf club.

Speed control and• appropriate playground signs were erected following north end cottagers' complaints regarding speeding cars and dirt along the lower road between the 8th and 10th Concessions.

In 1955, the last and southernmost section of Bruce Beach was put up for sale by the Misses Pearl and Elizabeth Henderson. They had purchased the lake frontage from Gordon.Emmerton whose farm stretched from Blair's Grove road to the 6th Concession -an extension of the Cheese Factory road. At that time the concession boundary down to the lake front was just a path for Emmerton's livestock to reach the water's edge. The only vehicle access to the property was via a breathtakingly steep hill behind the Emmerton farmhouse. All cars had to be parked at the bottom of the hill and supplies carried up from that point.

A road had to be provided when Jay Marshall became the first to build on the site (No. 19A) in 1956. Only three more cottages followed and the rest of the lots were sold. By this time, much to everyone's relief, a road had been opened down the 6th Concession hill. That ended the "house calls" by cows and horses which, in the past, had been a special feature of Area I. Archie Blandford was, and still is, the main mover and shaker of that small group of cottagers that, for several years, variously was known as Henderson or South Bruce Beach. The residents purchased the meadow land behind the cottages to the upper road and when they eventually joined the Bruce Beach Association in 1960 they were able to function as one unit in any Township development discussions.

During the summer of 1955, two community nights were arranged, yielding net proceeds of $11.11. The Association paid the golf club $25.00 for permitting them to use the club house for the annual meeting.

By 1956, water skiing had become a popular sport, follOwing the introduction of more powerful outboard motors and better quality boats.

North end cottagers requested the Association to arrange for a telephone to be installed at the Bruch Beach store and . there was an offer of a small building, no longer in use, to be equipped as a telephone booth.

At the Association's 1957 annual meeting, the sports committee was asked to discontinue baseball games on Sunday morning.

By 1960, problems, arising from cars being driven along the beach, were almost eliminated, due to the lake's high water condition.

Close to 300 cottagers and friends of the late Rev. C.E. Dyer attended a special Church selVice during the summer of 1961. They came to dedicate an organ as a memorial to a man who had selVed them for more than 25 years as secretary-treasurer of the Association.

Annual Mixed Bonspiel 1964

One of the first artesian wells in the area was 'drilled for cottages No. 50 and No. 52. . The possible publication of a second volume of "The Souvenir History of Bruce Beach" was discussed at the 1964 annual meeting. It was thought that it should coincide with Canada's Centennial celebrations scheduled for 1967. Little interest in the Centennial project was revealed by Association secretary Ian MacEachern during the 1965 annual meeting. Don Finlayson and Ian MacEachern organized the first annual Bruce Beach versus Kincardine Bonspiel during the winter of 1964 and a crest was issued to all participants. At the closing party everyone was entertained with a musical program.

During the sixties Jim Clark and George Aucterlonie contributed much to increased waterfront activities with the introduction of Sunfish sailboats. They were easy to beach and relatively simple to maneuver, according to Don Maclellan. After the Sunday ballgame, regattas were held, the dozen or so participating boats providing a kaleidoscope of colour along the shore.

Bathing beauty ready to watch the first race.

To mark the 1967 Centennial, the Bruce Beach community donated $400.00 to the Kincardine General Hospital, the money to be used to furnish an outpatient facility.

A professional study of Bruce Beach property rights was commissioned by the Association. In 1968, Association fees went up to $3.00 per cottage.

1969 - Five Beach Divisions Redefined

In 1969, the five Bruce Beach divisions were officially redefined as follows:

Division I -South Bruce Beach Association -Cottages 34Ato14A
Division II -McCosh Grove -Cottages 13A to 27
Division III -Tout's Grove -Cottages 28 to 52
Division IV -Cottages 54 to 103
Division V -Cottages 104 to 177.

July 26, 1969, was the day for the official opening of the "new" tennis courts in Division IV. It provided an excuse for celebration, and after a beauty contest and ribbon cutting "I"" ceremony, a rummage sale and pot luck party were held on the ballfield. Inflation hit Bruce Beach in 1971 with Association fees increasing to $10.00 per cottage. In 1974, the Association again investigated the idea of buying cottage lots from the Township. The following, year a committee was appointed to study the feasibility of incorporating the Bruce Beach Association.

In the past, some cottagers had spent winter weekends at the beach although under somewhat primitive conditions. Now more and more people became interested in winterizing their cottages to be able to spend time there in greater comfort during the cold weather.

At the 1976 annual meeting, historian Mrs. Carolyn Flinn, requested that a committee be formed to look into the writing of a new "History of Bruce Beach", including the period covered by the first book published in 1935. The follOwing were appointed to serve on the committee: Barbara Metherell (No. 1A), Dick Huff (No. 51A) and Mrs. W.M. McBurney (No. 68).

To mark the United States Bicentennial in 1976, a baseball game took place on the Huff-Clark diamond, followed by a garden party at No. 5OA, that was hosted by the Huffs, the AlIens, the Clarks and the Auchterlonies.

In 1977, the executive was authorized to engage a lawyer to proceed with the incorporation of the Association. At the annual meeting, Craig Davidson (No. 49) related a history of "land lease" of the Bruce Beach property, and a committee was once again appointed to negotiate with the Township the acquisition of cottage lots by individual owners. A public meeting was held in Ripley in May, 1978, to hear the T ownship's plans for selling the lots.

1978 - Bruce Beach Cottagers' Association Incorprated

The Association's incorporation was announced by President Don Maclennan during the 1978 annual meeting. In September of that year, members of Tout's Grove were busy clearing overgrowth at the north end of the property. Area cottages expressed concern about damage to trees caused by snowmobiles, as well as ability to reach cottages out of season, ever since cross countIy skiing had become a popular winter weekend sport. Some people were alarmed about increased vandalism in the area.

In the Spring of 1979, Tout Grovers planted 2,000 trees -spruce, pine, black locust, silver maple and oak purchased from the Ontario government at a cost of 3 cents each. Another major clearing project was accomplished in the south end during September, with the help of bufldozers, front-end loaders, a bush-hog and lots of muscle power. The proposed development at Blair's Grove together with a change in land description from "Green Belt" to "Resi. dential" were the Association's major concerns during 1980.

A committee of five was appointed to look into these matters as well as into the proposal to build a road that would join Blair's Grove with South Bruce• Beach. Despite opposition from cottagers, the Blair's Grove Development by-law was approved by the Ontario Municipal Board. The legal expenses incurred had to be defrayed by a special $20 assessment per cottage, as well as by raising annual Association fees to $15. It, therefore, was resolved not to appeal the O.M.B. decision, to avoid additional high legal costs. In 1982, the Association and individual cottage owners had to deal with two new Township by~laws; one effectively elimated the possibility of building additions on most lots while the other prevented those with smaller lots from rebuilding cottages destroyed by fire. About seventy members objected to both by-laws and at the annual Association meeting all members present signed an official petition requesting that by-laws 11-82 and 30-82 be rescinded. During these proceedings, the board of directors was greatly assisted by a special committee consisting of Paul Haney, Russ Scorgie, Ken Taylor and John Kennedy. Their joint efforts resulted in the final passage of Huron Township by-law 46-82 which was heartily endorsed by the board as well as by the committee.

At a special general membership meeting held on September 4, 1982, the Association's petition was withdrawn and members who had submitted their own written objections to the earlier by-laws were asked to withdraw them as well.

It is the hope of all Bruce Beachers that the heritage handed down to us will be continued by future generations.

Reminiscences

Andrew G. Wilson (No.7A)

The 1930's were the halcyon days of Bruce Beach. Social and athletic organizations had been established, representing such activities as beach fires, marshmallow roasts, tennis, golfing and glee clubs. A respectable club house had been erected and regular Sunday school and Church services were conducted in Tout's Grove, continuing the cottagers' commitment to conservative enjoyment of God's worship outdoors.

The Great Depression and World War II conspired to fix the status quo for two decades. Although the depression, no doubt, was felt by individual cottagers, its total effect and the war years were to freeze social and vacation habits into the form and style of the area's first half century.

The roads were not dependable and the autos had just barely achieved reliability. Friends still competed with friends to see how quickly a trip could be made from the city. These trips were not taken often as there was a tendency to come to Bruce Beach and stay for the whole summer or, at least, for a full month. Work for adolescents was' not attainable and few women worked outside the home.

Looking south from in front of cottage No. 2A in the early 1930s.

Ours was a stable and extended vacation period with a tendency to live to and· for ourselves. We were a selfcontained community whose activities centred around the club house and the Church. There was no weekending but a lot of togetherness.

Two phenomena arose from this situation -one social, the. other geological -both interacting with one another. By the mid-twenties the south end of the beach extended to cottage No. SA. UntifNo. 6A was built by Jud Benson in 1939 there existed only a desert of sand dunes to the south. The Depression and World War II froze the terrain in that condition for one whole generation. Yet these dunes were an open invitation for several activities. During the day, gleaners would search the sand for pine knots and stumps to bum or, as Nora Benson did, to tum them into attractive indoor decorations. The pools of water in the low-lying, blown-out areas had created sun-warmed ponds where small boys could sail ships and watch polliwogs and water bugs move about in endless, dizzy circles. For the children the dunes were their Sahara Desert while the older people found them ideal for beach suppers over an open fire or a place to spend a pleasurable evening burning a pine stump too large to take home.

At the southern end of this sandy desert was Pine River, one and a half miles from Bruce Beach. Along the banks of this secluded .stream, groups of teen-agers would entertain themselves, having carried food by boat or car, to roast their supper over an open fire.

Many beach fires were excuses to get together and create skits and glee club medleys for the annual concert. Artistic talents and organizational skills were unconsciously passed on from the older to the younger members of these groups. The apex of the summer's social life was a display of these talents and skills on an appointed evening in August. The concert followed the annual peanut scramble, races and the fiercely contested North versus South softball games.

In 1940 Canada was at war and the social fabric of Bruce Beach was tom, never to return again to its earlier character. The glee clubs, concerts, beach suppers and other pursuits dissolved in the concerns of world-wide military conflict.

A group of-teen-agers down at the dunes in the mid 1930s.

Summer fun was often driving on the beach.

The fifties opened on a changed society, as the hiatus of war and post-war reconstruction had shattered old traditions. Bruce Beach entered the weekender generation and while some young children might stay at the shore for a protracted period together with their mothers, many mothers each week had to return to their city jobs. It became rare for older adolescents to remain at the cottage throughout the summer. The norm was a hectic influx on Friday nights and reluctant but inevitable departures late Sunday afternoon.

Social relationships became catch-as-catch-can, intermittent contacts. Yet, despite this change in habits, the loyalty and love for the beach seemed to remain as strong as ever. The children of the thirties now were parents, soon to become grandparents with their progeny scampering about in their parents' footprints in the sands of Lake Huron. Many children now are fifth generation Bruce Beachers.

Several feet of sausages served as a prop for this operation skit performed in 1949 during the last but one concert.

The changes that took place during the post-war fifties not onlY'were social but also strongly environmental. The new cottages that were built, the first in a long time, signalled a rapid expansion of the area, as though a vacuum had to be filled qUickly with a crescendo of hammers and screeching saws. Andrew Wilson leased lot No. 7 A from Huron Township in April 1950, occupying his new building on July 1, that same year; his brother Ian built a cottage on lot No. 11A later that same summer which he sold to Mrs. Jane Kusser in 1969. Phil Swart built on No. 8A in 1951 and later sold to Walker Whiteside of Windsor; the cottage is now owned by Deanne Wright. During the fall of 1950, Colville of Detroit built on lot No. 9A, a cottage to be bought and occupied by Hugh Murray. In 1952 Dr. Fred Bryans and Kay and George Fallis built on Lot lOA. Quickly erected were No. 12A, No. 13A and No. 14A, now owned by Jo Annett, Bob and Marg Sedgewick and Eugene Schweitzer, respectively.

The 6th Concession road was rebuilt and improved to the lake shore, just as Gordon Emmerton's property on the sand dunes south of the 6th was quickly subdivided and sold for cottage lots. Several more cottages were built at Blair's Grove and after being resurveyed, the old village building lots of the town of Lurgan, at the mouth of the Pine River, also were sold for cottages. At the same time, development spread north from Point Clark to Pine River and by the end of the fifties the face of the shore line had completely changed. The open sand dunes were no more and vegetion quickly spread, protected by hundreds of new.cottages.

As new homes were built and recreational facilities increased, so did the demand for electrical power. The facade of the sixties was visualized to be dotted with atomic reactor . buildings and other structures that would change our skyline to the north. The Douglas Point Nuclear Power Development, started in 1960, was a new contribution to life at Bruce Beach. At night, this spectacular exhibit of colour truly r~; earns its name of "Emerald City". As power brought more people to the area and people demanded more power, this cycle became quite evident, especially in Kincardine where population surged to over 6,000. Huron Township reacted to these pressures in the seventies, first by introducing land use planning, then by establishing new zoning restrictions and modernizing old ones. All these influences predicted changes for the eighties and by the time Bruce Beach celebrates its centenary in 1994, our environment and our social relationships certainly will be different.

Perhaps it is easier to remember and evaluate present changes that may be disturbing than it is to gauge our losses of the past. Behind most successful enterprises lies the moving spirit and the encouragement of a specific individual. In our case, Robert McCosh Sr. was the true "Godfather" of Bruce Beach and his mantle was inherited by his son Bob who, together with Jack and Lizzie, carried on as patrons of Bruce Beach. The farmers at the "top of the hill" had taken under their wings the "campers" -from the 6th to the 8th Concession -all along the beach. We Lizzie would shoo the hens from their nests to let their little eyes peek at the warm, globular shells in the hay. She let them sprinkle seeds on the ground for the hens and while all three McCoshes were busily milking the cows in the evening they would encourage city boys and girls to look on how a milk bottle really was filled. For the older children the separator was sheer magic as they watched the thick cream pour from one spout and the milk from another. All the while, Lizzie would tum the crank to make the noisy machine rise to a banshee scream as it went faster and faster.

We learned to let calves suck our fingers and could observe the piglets as they scrambled to the trough for their food. Bob McCosh would encourage the older boys to help with the haying, even letting them drive the horses now and then. His farm was a never-to-be-forgotten school and playground. We climbed his apple, cherry and pear trees; we walked seemingly endless miles down his back lane to fish in the river. All this was Bob's world and he generously shared it with us. Perhaps he was the last of the pioneers, at least that is how he affected me.

Bob liked 'to read his newspapers and was very sharp in assessing their contents, especially the business pages. Knowing his liking for keeping up to date, I thought a small modem battery powered radio would appeal to him. At seventeen, while visiting him one day, I expressed what I though to be a mature outlook on life, boldly suggesting that such a radio might give him pleasure. He stopped whatever he was doing, and leaning on his pitchfork, he turned his blue dancing eyes on me and said, "Them wot has 'em sets and listens to 'em". A clearer indictment of'Qur society was never made! Bob always had plenty of time for children but I hadn't realized until then that his relationship with them was happier when it was a busy one.

Lizzie also was a memorable character. She looked after the farm house, drove the horses when needed and kept the keys of all' the cottages. She always was friendly and garrulous as she prepared the milk, sold us eggs, fixed the 111 chickens, passed on various messages, thereby adding these demands to her list of regular summer chores. Someone once asked her if she was glad to see the cottagers every July. "Oh yes", she replied, "glad to see them come and glad to see them go".

Well, the McCoshes went in the fifties. Lizzie died, Jack died and finally Bob, who had been living in a Kincardine nursing home, died in 1955.

All three had given Bruce Beach a start and I often think I would like to ask Bob's advice on how to handle a situation today. If it were possible, he would surely reply, "You can't stop people from trying new things, but you can work to see it through". And Lizzie would echo, "Times come and times go but people has to do forever".

Andrew G. Wilson (No.7 A)

Barbara Metherell (No.1A)

From the very beginning, those who had discovered the joys of Bruce Beach would talk about them to others and even tually share them by renting cottages to them. J.M. Wesley and F.H. McMullen had built No. 24 between 1915 and . 1919; it was owned by H.L. Chilver from 1929 to 1956 and ~nted to Betty and Ed (E.V.) Anderson from 1936 to 1956 before it was purchased by them. Betty Anderson had been introduced to the Beach by Mrs. Elizabeth Eastman (No. 18); they had known each other when both were students at London Normal School. Since 1975 Jane (Anderson) Bondy and Don have continued to enjoy Bruce Beach life..

The Brooker family (No. 38) first came to the beach in 1945, enjoying room and board at Beth and Bill Cameron's cottage (No. 82). When the Brookers retired they were able to rent the cottage for a few years and before buying, stayed at Rest-a-While Lodg~. For them Bruce Beach with its tradi tions and friendships represents a priceless heritage. It is unlikely that any family can equal the record of the Walshes for the number of years they have been renting at III)

Bruce Beach. Starting off in No. 133 in 1949, they spent several years in No. 36 and No. 44 and since 1966 were fortunate to rent the Roberts' No. 10. They hope to return for many more years. David Walsh came back from Germany for two years to spend his holidays at Bruce Beach and in 1982 Catherine and her husband arrived from Winnipeg, while Peter drove in from Alberta with a friend.

What makes Bruce Beach so special? Is It its natural beauty, its sandy beach, its beautiful blue lake with its many changing moods? Yes, all of these things, but most of all it is the very special people we meet there year after year -wonderful folk from both north and south of the border. Together we enjoy the old •movies. on a Saturday night, the square dances at the club house, the bonfires on the beach, the baseball on Sunday morning and the wonderful games of tennis and golf.

For those who knew Bruce Beach in days gone by, I'll ask, do you remember ...

 The tree in the middle of the road on the way to Ripley?
The sheep responding to visiting clergy?
Alex McCosh selling raspberries from a buggy?
How slippery the sheep path was on a rainy day from the second to the third fairway?
Waiting for the mail at the McCosh's mail box?
Trips to Point Clark lighthouse?
Sunday morning walks to Pine River?
Waiting for someone to arrive from the city to give you the right time?
Saturday night trips to the dance hall in town after a beach. supper?
Having to go to Port Elgin for beer or to Walkerton for booze?
Glee club practice at No. 1A?
When digging a garbage hole was the first chore upon arriving?
The Indians from the Southampton Reserve selling woven baskets and furniture?
McCosh' outhouse with the Eaton's catalogue handy?

Barbara Metherell (No. lA)

Louise Currie (No.124)

The Currie family's Bruce Beach roots go back to 1922 when Eoin's father, the Rev. J.W. Currie of Tara, came to claim lot No. 126, on the recommendation of some of his friends. Many of the cottagers were ministers who came to Bruce Beach for their one month holidays. At that time No. 121 was the closest cottage to the south and No. 133 to the north of the site where Mr. Currie had. nailed his shingle to a tree.

To build his cottage he had to bring all the materials down the hill through Hugh Cameron's property, which involved a lot of walking, climbing and carrying. There were no trees on the hill -just scrub, bush and grass.

Father would bring four chickens to the cottage and keep them tied to a post with a string around one leg. Each weekend he would kill one and although there was meat to eat, the number of eggs would gradually diminish.

By the time later generations of Curries came to spend their summers at Bruce Beach, more cottages had been built and local tradesmen delivered provisions to the residents.

To accomodate extra guests, cabins could be rented at Poplar Beach and later, there was a store with a hall behind it where a nickelodeon provided music for many parties and dances. When our own children were babies doing the the laundry, especially diapers, was a special challenge. This was several years before laundromats and disposable diapers and the supply of those made of cloth always was limited. In desperation we would use dish towels or pillow cases or whatever else was suitable to keep a baby dry.

After accumulating as many dirty diapers as your hands could carry, you would take the load down to the lake for an initial rinsing. In the meantime, the water you had pumped was heating in a boiler on the coal oil stove and you kept your fingers crossed that the wick on the burner had been trimmed well enough so that it would not smoke while you were down at the lake. When you returned to the cottage, you would put the rinsed diapers into the boiler to "cook", making sure the water was hot enough to make them sterile. You would use as little soap as your conscience would allow, because it was so hard to rinse out.

When the diapers were deemed to be clean, you would remove them from the boiler with a stick and transfer -a few at a time -to the sink. To rinse them, cold water was pumped over them. Then you would wring them out by hand, sometimes after two or three rinsings which was why a single load had to be limited to what your hands could endure!

On a warm day the diapers could be draped over the juniper, bushes to dry. No, not hung on a clothes line where they would have been too accessible to the roaming cattle with an appetite for these irresistible tidbits. As they were not fond of juniper the diapers were safe, as long as the wind did not blow them away.

You still had to wash on rainy days and the only place where diapers could be dried was in front of the fireplace. So they were steamed and so was the cottage. Other laundry -bedding and clothes -did not enjoy the luxury of getting washed in hot water. It was taken to the lake, scrubbed with soap and rinsed. The danger was that while you were wringing out one article, the others were apt to float away.

Pots and pans were also washed on the beach. The coal oil stove would have blackened their bottoms so much that you had to use abrasive sand to get them clean and then rinse that off in the lake.

When the road was put through, the ice man started to deliver. He would come along honking his hom and we would go out with our tongs and pick up a 25 lb chunk of ice to dump into our newly acquired ice box. That is, we had paid for a 25 lb chunk because that was what it had weighed when the iceman left Kincardine ....

Over the weekend, we tried to squeeze in two chunks but as the drip pan was not large enough to hold more than eight hours' worth of "runoff' we drilled a hole through the cottage floor and attached a hose to the pipe at the back of the ice box. The water then could run through the hole into the cellar.

When in 1952 our own family -four children, at first, and two more later -outgrew cottage No. 126, we bought No. 124 from Mrs. McKay after Rev. William McKay's death. He had built his cottage in 1930 and although it was unique in design and construction, there were some skeptics who had felt it would never stand. Yet it did, providing summer fun for many people for nearly fifty years. After we bought it, we did considerable remodelling and modernizing; we installed plumbing, electricity, water and so on. But by 1978 when Eoin retired, we wanted a cottage we could use for a longer season. Old No. 124 was going to be difficult to insulate and heat. So we took it down -board by board and nail by nail -and started to build a new one in September 1978. During construction, we lived in a motor home parked in our driveway, having moved our cottage's worldly goods to Jim Stewart's cabin at No. 125.

Our new cottage was completed in November 1978 and since June 1981 has been our permanent home. I'll conclude my reminiscences with a "Bruce Beach Song" that can be sung to the tune of "Ship Ahoy;'!

 When you're sweltering in the city
In the hot month of July  
And you think that it's a pity
That you can't curl up and die
There's a cool spot up at Bruce Beach
And we love it every bit
It's the home of joy and mirth
It's the happiest spot on earth
Bruce Beach! Bruce Beach!

Louise Currie (No. 124)

Florence Roulston (No.45)

About 1896, John Kennedy, a Ripley merchant, and S.T. Jackson, a Ripley banker, built a double cottage (now No. 12) on the Lake Huron shore with an approach from the Robert McCosh farm. Using unplaned lumber, it was about forty feet long with an open porch across the front.

The follOwing year my family, the Chap mans from Ripley, and my uncle's family from Wingham, rented the cottage for a month. My father had a horse, but instead of hitching it to a buggy, he borrowed a light wagon to move us and the baggage over the eight miles of road to the cottage. My uncle, W.J. Chapman, drove his horse hitched to their phaeton "with the fringe on the top." As youngsters, my cousins and I roamed the woods, made sand castles and picked wild strawberries. As the cottage was only big enough to sleep in, we ate at a table in a grove outside. We were not aware that to give us a good time our mothers had to put up with many inconveriiences and hard work.

The following year, Mrs. Mcinnes, the Ripley postmistress, and Angus Munn, a Ripley merchant, built their cottages nearby. I often was a guest of Pauline McInnes' as we were growing up together in Ripley. These two cottages now are No. 14 and No. 13. About two years later, my father, Harry Chapman, built No. 8 with the help of William Knight, a good friend. To filter our drinking water, they sank a 2' x 3' Ll7 " x3' pine box into the sand. Knight also had a flat bottomed rowboat with a sail and anchor which came in handy for some good perch fishing.

Then No. 12 was sold to Jim AndersOn, a commercial traveller from Toronto who had heard of Bruce Beach from Mr. Munn, one of his customers. The Andersons built an upstairs to the original cottage to accommodate their several small children, a maid, and the inevitable long list of guests. They had a tent for a dining room that they offered for Sunday evening services with Rev. Robert Martin as preacher. The neighbouring farmers joined the beach folk and Presbytereians, Methodists and Anglicans became a truly united group of worshippers.

Transporting provisions was quite a problem in the horse-and -buggy days. Our buggy always was heavily loaded on the frequent trips to and from my father's store in Ripley. We kept our horse in a pasture at the McCosh farm and my father enjoyed many a chat with the McCosh family. We shared our Toronto Globe with them and gave them some of our perch when we had a good catch.

My father died in 1905 and my mother sold the cottage to Mrs. Duncan Munn because she felt she could never again enjoy it, as my dad had put so much of himself into it. Many ministers had built cottages at Bruce Beach and it soon became known as "Saint's Rest" and by other less complimentary names. "

In 1917, my husband and I rented C. Pollock's No. 45 and we came back again in 1919 and 1920. The cottage then was sold to Mr. King and when he offered it to us for a very reasonable sum, we accepted. Gradually, over the years we decided to improve it which meant a lot of work and planning for my husband, while I had to care for the family and provide food for the workers. This was our vacation! Eventually, we had hydro installed, then a septic tank and water for bathroom and kitchen. Finally came time for retirement and to our great joy Dot and Harry were ready to purchase the'cottage so that we might buy a horne in Exeter.

File:Together with Peter and Phillip they continue to enjoy No. 45.jpg

Together with Peter and Phillip they continue to enjoy No. 45.

From early days there was social interaction; borrowing a cup of sugar, some tools or sharing a mess of fish. A warm and true friendship developed between Mr. & Mrs. King (No. 46), their family and us. They always generously provided us with whatever we lacked and visited us wherever we happened to be. Mr. &"Mrs. T.L. Hamilton (No. 44) and their daughter Mrs. William Bums and family also were good neighbours. The friendships at the Beach always had a rare and abiding quality.

Florence Roulston (No. 45)

Anne Caskey (Granddaughter of Norman and Annie MacEachern No. 32)

Bruce Beach is ...

-Watching the most beautiful sunsets from the deck of cottage No. 32.
-Picking respberries with Gran and making jam.
-Walking to the store to buy candy.
-Buying ice cream at Rest-a-While.
-Riding the milk truck.
-Watching and listening to the wind blowing through the silver poplars.
-Picnics at the little red round house.
-Watching the family play tennis from the clubhouse while sneaking drags from a cigarette.
-Sneaking out at night to meet the gang.
-Attending the out-of-doors church services.
-Pumping water from the well.
-Sunday baseball games.  
-Having the door broken in while asleep and then losing at poker.
-Sitting on deck and watching spiders spin their webs.
-Taking long walks along the beach;
-Surfing in the waves.
-Returning each year and feeling that you have never left.

Anne Caskey (Granddaughter of Norman and Annie MacEachern No. 32)

Don Farquharson (No.137)

My father, Charles D. Farquharson, was a Presbyterian Minister {later United Church}. He probably had heard about Bruce Beach,. then affectionately known as "The Ministers' Paradise", at the Presbytery. Having learned that this was crown land and being descended from a Scottish family, he carefully checked •out all accessible beaches between Bayfield and Southampton before deciding on Bruce Beach. This involved two weeks of driving with Rev. Lee Carr, up and down farm lanes, walking to the lake, sampling the swimming and the tenting at night.

By 1922, lots from the 8th Concession south were filling up rapidly. My father found a location at the north end with excellent swimming (few rocks) and a stand of red pine.

Most of the following are excerpts from letters written by . my father to his family and relatives: July 14,1922 -We motored to Kincardine this morning and we are making slow progress towards selecting a building site for our cottage. The shore is wonderful, in some points I can wade out 500 feet. The sand beach is about 100 feet wide from the water edge to vegetation, so as to be on government land. It is covered with small trees, poplars, pine, spruce and cedar. As these are needed to hold back the drifing sand, cottagers are not allowed to cut down trees . except for the actual site of the cottage. If we build on one of two sites we marked, we will be half a mile from the nearest cottage, but people are flocking in and the whole beach will be taken in a few years. I am sure that in a short time people will be able to sell cottages here at twice what it costs to build now. I am all in love with the place. The birds sing all the time in the branches. The water is clear and the beach beautifully clei'ln sand and gravel.

I prefer being away from the Holy city at the south. I think that Mr.Carr has a cottage of his own in mind too and we will try to build part of our cottage this year and at least lay his foundation. We can get milk from the farmers for 10¢ a quart, though down below they only charge 8¢. Lee keeps his auto in a farmer's drive shed, and is charged a dollar for the privilege.

Our meals are splendid. The coal-oil stove works perfectly. Yesterday we brought boxes from Ripley for a table and chairs and will get another today for a well. A hole in the sand under a tree keeps butter as hard as ice.

July 15, 1922 -Carr and I drove to Kincardine today and ordered cement and lumber for our cottage, costing about $320 in all. The three bedrooms will run along the north side and they will be all built like a sleeping porch with three or four feet open along the whole side and screened in; the verandah Similarly. We are not putting in any glass windows but have shutters to pull•up in case of storms or during the winter. We will have a cellar also probably about five feet square. The only objection is the difficulty of reaching the place. The hill behind us is the highest point between Kincardine and Goderich and must be 150 feet. That is the short way to the road, but it is through Mr. Hugh Cameron's farm. Along the beach we are nearly %mile from the first road at the 8th Concession. I am writing by candlelight (two candles) sitting on a soap-box.

July 22, 1922 -It's raining a steady downpour this afternoon and I have a chance to write and read. A tent without a floor is not very cheerful on a rainy day. If you have a bed, that's sure to be under a leak, but today it is gentle and no leaks . have appeared. We had ham and eggs for dinner today; potatoes, carrots and beets came from Carr's garden at home. We get eggs at 25¢ a dozen and butter at 35¢ a lb. For dessert we had rice pudding and raspberries which can be bought for 15¢ a box.

Now for our work. Yesterday, we finished the cellar and today took the forms away and levelled the ground. We workeo to eight o'clock and as I had all the cement to mix, gravel to handle, water to carry etc. I was well tired by night, with a sore back. We are having too strenuous a "holiday" but the heavy work is over now. The other campers are planning a bee to help us out next week. We hope to have the roof on before I leave on Friday so that we can sleep there instead of in the tent.

August 4, 1923 -I am busy choring around, putting in windows, etc. to get the cottage completed. I paid $26 for a dozen window frames and glass yesterday. The grocery wagon calls every day about 6 p.m. and delivers anything you ord'jiJ. He motors to Kincardine every forenoon and will get hardware or anything wanted. We find it wonderfully convenient and as cheap as in Newbury. He drives a horse along the beach and enters 100 cottages every day. He says it is . hard work climbing up the sand to each cottage. Our order yesterday came to $5 but, of course, it will lessen to $5 a week by next week.

I have our little coal-oil stove here and someday will have a chimney built, but I am anxious to avoid the expense this year. It would cost probably $25. I got Hugh Cameron to drive to Ripley with his team to meet the noon train. I was afraid to ask him to leave his wheat but he said there was no profit in farming this year and he was glad to earn two or three dollars so easily. The livery men charge $5. You would enjoy a visit if you would not find the distance by train too great. It is about ten hours run from Chatham, including I three hours between trains at London and Wingham.

August 17, 1923 -The concert at eight was held outside in the "Church". Church means an open glade with seats for 175. The two Sundays we have attended, there must have been 200 people present. Well, in the afternoon yesterday we sat on the hillside and watched the sports on the golf links, but spent most of our time visiting with old friends. The concert at night was very clever; all beach talent, but extra well done. A girls' chorus of 18 voices; also some solos, a recitation, and not.ieast, some very clever shadowgraphs ...

My summers, until the end of high school, were spent at No. 137. One of the greatest delights was the annual Sports Day and Concert held about the first week in August. I am sure many will remember the pillow fights, climbing on and. off a horizontal pole, the various races and the annual North-South softball game. One year there was a contest during which wives had to identify their husbands by their bare legs! Then in the evening skits were performed by various groups -glee clubs and solo talent -all rehearsed for days before the event. This was fun! In sports, the impetus was to do well and hold up the honour of one's division.

Don Farquharson (No. 137)

R. Ledingham (No. 40)

A very early resident at Bruce Beach was Rev. (later Dr.) Donald McKerroll, then a Presbyterian minister in Lucknow. The year is uncertain but perhaps around 1908 he located on what is now No. 41. He encouraged Reverends W. Bremner and R. Davidson, fellow graduates from Knox College, to join him at Bruce Beach. These three doughty Presbyterians probably were responsible for the start of Church services at a very early date, which have continued until today.

Rev. Bremner's cottage, adjoining the McKerroll's, was separated by a breezeway. When the weather was bad it was closed by a curtain of sorts. Later the two buildings were joined to become identical semi-detached units allowing the Bremners and the McKerrolls to live side by side. Church Union changed this close relationship and Rev. Bremner built a new cottage (now No. 42) a little further north. Miss Wylie who attended Dr. McKerroll's Church in Parkdale, Toronto, was invited to visit around 1920. By this time the McKerrolls had constructed a cement pad as a tent site, immediately south of their lot, to prevent strangers from occupying it. Eventually, they persuaded Miss Wylie to build a cottage on the site and No. 40 was erected in 1925 by Sam McDermid from Lucknow. Miss Wylie sold it to R. Ledingham in 1972.

She often spoke of the close relationship with the Tout family who owned the adjacent farm and how the cottagers had to travel across their land to get to their summer places. She admired the Touts, perhaps because of her own childhood spent on a farm near Sutton, Ontario. She believed it had given her a better understanding of the farmer's point of view, conceding, however, that "not everybody got ?tlong with the Touts".

R. Ledingham (No. 40)

Gordon Munn (No. 13)

Before 1850, the only cemetery in the area was an Indian . graveyard in the sand dunes at Lurgan, north of the mouth of me Pine River. Over the years the sand blew away, exposing various bones and skulls that, for many years, were picked up and used by many Bruce Beach medical and dental! students. The white man's cemetery was just beside it for a few years; the first to be buried there had been a Joshua Lindsay who died September 8, 1853 at 24 years of age. Shortly after that, the cemetery was moved to its present location, next to the Anglican Church; it is the oldest in Huron Township.

Few will recall the Regatta days of the late 1910's and earJy 1920's. Nearly every cottage owned a lapstrake, a double-ended rowboat, some of which even were equipped for sailing. Boats and participants would assemble in the vicinity of Sid Huff's cottage (No. 51) before the rowing and swimming events. The. contestants in the canoe races provided mimy laughs, as a few of them ended up in the lake when their craft tipped. Sailing again became popular in the 1970's when lightweight boats that easily •could be beached were introduced. These weekly regattas usually were organized by the Huffs, the Clarks and George Auchterlonie.

Gordon Munn (No. 13)

Marjorie Dobson (No.4)

Marjorie Dobson's father, Rev. A.B. Dobson of Fordwich, erected No.4 in 1907. At the same time Rev. McLeod of Ripley built No. 23 which was the most northern cottage on the Beach. The nearby flats and hillsides were grazing land for sheep and cattle with stiles at each fence line, to be climbed over whenever one went for a walk. James Anderson, a travelling salesman, was another early cottager whose visits to Munn's Dry Goods Store in Ripley must have kindled his interest in Bruce Beach.

For obvious reasons most of these original cottages were located near farmer McCosh's pump and water trough, in fact, the old cement trough still can be seen at the side of the road, south of the tennis courts. But Mr. Dobson and Dr. Martyn felt that better water could be had from the lake and, therefore, decided to sink wooden barrels above the "wave" line on the beach to collect the clean, cool water. In about 1910, the Dobsons hired Bob and Jack McCosh to sink a 30 to 40 foot steel pipe that had to hammered in by hand, near their cottage. Yet, with the small hand pump at their disposal, they could not get much more than a trickle of water.

. Since the beginning, the McCosh family always extended a helping hand to the cottagers. I believe Frank Tout, another farmer in the area, was jealous of these friendships and, therefore, opposed the original extension of the golf course south of McCosh Grove.

In the early years, our food was kept cool in a zinc-lined box dug into a small sand bank behind the cottage. By 1914, some cellars with storage shelves and stairs had been built. Later a few small dumbwaiters were installed to partially eliminate the use of the stairs. At first, most meals were eaten outdoors but the later additions of dining rooms prOvided welcome relief from the bothersome flies.

I remember many community activities during my Bruce Beach vacations. Bonfires with sing songs in the sand dunes north of the 6th Concession, annual regattas including rowboat races for the ladies, but I never shall forget the masquerade party in the new golf club house when Mrs. Whalen (No. 138) came dressed up as Tom Tom the Piper's Son, carrying a piglet she had borrowed from a farmer at the 8th Concession.

Marjorie Dobson (No.4)

Jim McBurney (No. 69)

My aunt, Agnes Warren, built cottage No. 69 in 1934. After leasing the lot she was allowed one or two years of grace before starting construction. The lease payments were so modest that they amounted to no more than ten dollars per year. Today, we would rush to get the cottage built the very first summer. Initially, No. 69 was designed to accommodate the excess overnight guests from my mother's cottage No. 68. Although it provided no more than sleeping quarters we managed quite nicely without many of the modem conveniences we take for granted today. The farmer's son would bring down a honey pail of milk every morning until we were old enough to fetch it ourselves from the top of the hill.

To keep food cool we dug a hole in the sand in a shady spot covering it with a board. Luxury arrived later in the form of an ice box with thrice weekly ice delivery from Kincardine. We would 'meet the ice man on the road and he would give us an ice sliver to suck on a hot day.

To dispose of garbage, we would dig a large hole in the backyard, fill it up and sprinkle a bit of sand over the top; no one worried much about flies. Sometimes it was easy to drive up and down the hill but when it was not possible we just had to walk. It was fun, too, when our bare feet were covered with a thick coating of clay that would dull the pain when you trod on sharp stones along the path. Barefoot walking after dark was rather adventuresome, especially after the neighbouring farmer's cattle had used the path to reach the lake for its nightly watering ...

The visits from delivery people always were interesting occasions and to ensure prompt service on a hot day my mother would offer them a drink of lemonade. Many a time we had to help push a truck stuck in the sand along the shore. Old wire mesh bedspring? put under the wheels were just right to extricate it from the sand's grip. Traditionally, the milkman gave the kids rides along the beach over the bumps and through the many gullys. The Murray brothers, the Ledinghams, Bruce Dean, Bill Brown and I all had fun doing this.

On wash day the lake usually was quiet and we would bring down our sheets, trample on them, rinse them in the lake and spread them out to dry; they made wonderful air domes to get under! No one cared much about a little extra sand in bed at night.

Cooking was done over a coal oil stove and woe to those who left the kitchen door open to cause the flickering flame to go out. Cranking an ice cream machine really made you warm, but when you were rewarded with a dish of the frozen delight you didn't mind!

One event of the early days was the Church Bake Sale for which the ladies supplied their finest wares. During one memorable sale at our cottage, two dogs decided to have a vigorous barking match right in the middle of the display of cookies and cakes. Another delight was the country Church Supper when long rows of eaters, seated on planks supported by nail kegs, would enjoy the superb and plentiful food. Afterwards entertainment was provided and everyone could return home content and happy.

Swimming always was great fun and our family would race to the water on "the 24th" for their first dip. One day in early Spring, my brother and I became really daring; we went into the lake through a hole in the ice but the temperature of the water did not let us linger long.

Division III has held an annual picnic for years -all are invited to lunch, then games for all ages are played. What a great way to get to know your neighbours! I remember many other picnics when we would pack a lunch, walk to Pine River mouth (no, we didn't drive), have lunch, play on the huge sand dunes and then walk home.

Poison ivy used to flourish in hidden places at Bruce Beach. We would spend much time spraying and finally won the battle that saved us much scratching and misery. Rainstorms with lots of thunder and lightning were exciting. I remember one during a Sunday dinner that really was loud. Running to the door to see what had happened, I got a jolt from the' door knob. When the storm was over we found that the neighbour's mail box, down by the beach, had been struck.

Rainy day pastimes included climbing up on the cottage partitions and jumping down on the bed. Alas, many jumpers broke the springs.

I wonder if any southend beachers remember the "bones" of a sailing vessel that would appear and disappear at the shore line just north of the 6th, whenever there was a storm? I never found out which vessel had come to grief, but still would like to know ...

Sunday afternoons, of course, were reserved for outdoor worship, a custom now over 75 years old and still going strong.

During W.W. II, Sunday evenings were spent at the Carson's No. 147, an hour or two of singing our favourite hymns ,accompanied by an organ or a piano and often by Rev. Carman Dyer's violin. Another wartime memory was the sales promotion campaign by hydro officials to convince us how wonderful it would be to have electricity. There was considerable opposition, at first, but eventually it came to everyone's cottage and now we could hardly do without it. Running water and indoor plumbing soon followed. Our cottage has survived four generations and is still going strong. As each new group comes along, it rediscovers the joys of Bruce Beach.

Jim McBurney (No. 69)

Howard Anderson (No. 131)

Bruce Beach associations and friendships last a lifetime. I am thinking of my brother,' Ross Anderson, who married Florence, the eldest daughter of Rev. and Mrs. E.W. Jewitt, who for many years owned No. 133.

The Anderson family was ready to try a cottage-style vacation in about 1932. We had spent previous holildays visiting relatives and tenting, until my sister, now Mrs. Helen Sanderson of Toronto, arrived in December 1930. The 1931 camping-and-visiting-style vacation apparently did not sit well with Helen and when my father met Carman Dyer at a Toronto conference in June 1932, it' did not take long to convince him of the merits of a comfortable cottage as a suitable alternative to our earlier, nomadic summer exist ence. As I recall, Carman Dyer looked after renting cottages for Division N of the Bruce Beach Association and it was at his suggestion that we rented from Mr. & Mrs. Jewitt for that summer.

The trip to Bruce Beach largely was an endurance test, as the greater part of the distance from our home in Wood bridge had to be travelled along gravel roads. Although they were in good repair, dust and loose pebbles meant that the speed limit never exceeded 35 mph (60 kmh} and it took five hours to reach our destination. Also, our 1930 Oldsmobile sedan was built rather rigidly and one could feel of the bumps.

The distance between Bruce Beach and Woodbridge was only 125 miles (200 km) and there was every indication that travel time could be reduced as road paving became part government policy during the "Great Depression". These roads eventually eliminated all further cottage development along the shores of Lake Huron. Instead, all lots between Tobermory to Sarnia were built on during the next thirty years.

Upon settling in at a rented cottage my father soon began to think of building one for himself and his family. There were few in Division N at that time, but lots still were obtainable on a 99-year lease from the Department of Lands and Forests. After acquiring lot No. 131, Dad commenced work levelling the ground during that first Bruce Beach vacation. He had to do much shovelling to remove the sand dune in the centre of the proposed cottage site.

During July cement posts were placed on a grid at 8 foot (2.4 m) centres. A cellar, 9 foot (2.7 rn) deep, was dug and after the concrete was in place Dad felt that a well easily could be dug through the floor. Promptly the next morning he broke through where he thought the well ought to be. To most observers it seemed such an unusual idea that they thought more than the concrete had cracked around the construction site! Yet, Dad's reasoning was straightforward enough, as the bottom of the cellar was about level with the top of the beach wells that had been dug by most cottagers.

According to some records kept by my mother, Ina V. (Laidlaw) Anderson (deceased 1978), "the framework of the cottage was up" by August 1932. During that month she and we three children -Howard, Ross and Helen -stayed in Lion's Head with our maternal grandparents, William and Bella Laidlaw.

Dad worked part of the week at the cottage but when he was able to secure Bert Waugh from Lion's Head as a full-time hired helper, he returned to Woodbridge for the rest of the week including Sunday, hoping that none of his parishioners would e~l?ire during the time he was working at the cottage supervising Bert. Dad usually took his one-month vacation in July but always was on call, just in case he had to officiate at a funeral. His telephon~ messages in those days were relayed via Hugh Cameron's farm, so that if necessary, he could be back in Woodbridge in a matter of hours.

During August 1932, a fireplace "of the best Shallow Lake rug brick" was installed at a cost of $100.00 This was a considerable sum of money as I believe Rev. Duncan Guest was able to build his entire cottage (No. 132) for just over $300.00, even after hiring a carpenter to do the work The roof of our cottage was in place and shingled by the autumn of 1932. The shingles were asphalt type and the heaviest obtainable at that time. It should be noted that to the best of my knowledge this roofing material has survived for approximately 50 years! As the Depression was deepening in 1932 good quality lumber and hardware was available at fairly reasonable prices, yet the family budget was under considerable strain for some time to come. That same year the woodwork received a complete coat of paint with a good base of raw linseed oil for preservation.

In 1933, the furniture arrived by truck from "Little Eaton's", a dealer in used furniture on Parliament Street in Toronto. Mother and Dad had been on a shopping trip and probably spent between $75 and $100 for the lot. The dining room table and chairs, certainly very substantial pieces of furni ture, were promptly enamelled in pale green and ivory. A concrete slab was built at the back door and a waterworks system installed.

Few cottages had indoor flush toilets as there was no electrical power. It wasn't until the spring of 1946, shortly after I was discharged from the RCNVR, when Dad and I wired the cottage in a few days. He then decided that a gravity feed water tank would provide the necessary pressure to operate the flush toilet. The tank, custom made of galva nized sheet metal with an approximately 70 gallon capacity, was installed on top of the dumbwaiter enclosure next to the kitchen sink. A regular hand-operated force pump was used to pump the water into the top of the water tank. The septic tank was far enough removed from the well, and the sandy soil provided excellent filtration. There was one little equation everyone in our cottage knew -1 flush = 25 pumpstrokes.

This system worked reasonably well until we had guests who had never heard of it ...

In 1934, the balance of the concrete work was completed but not without help from the entire family. Building the wall in front of the cottage was a major undertaking, as rock loads had to be brought to the site in a wagon drawn by a team of horses. Ross and I gathered many pails of coarse gravel from seams on the beach. After the base was built to a good depth, wooden forms were made, face stones selected and cemented into place. By this time the cottage really was quite presentable and I remember it would take Dad at least an hour to describe its various, wonderful features to our guests.

My brother and I spent many hours in the water at that stage learning how to swim. After all, what would all the water be doing in Lake Huron without being put to good use? Mother recorded in 1938, "Boys learned to Swim". This past summer, when my wife and I were at Ipperwash Beach, I remarked that I was the fourth (Anderson) generation to learn how to swim in Lake Huron! One hundred years ago my great-grandfather lived on the Lake Road east concession of Bosanquet Township near Forest within a few hundred paces of the great Lake Huron.

Eventually we could dive off the "brown rock" and when we became even better swimmers, diving off the' "white rock" which is further out and therefore in much' deeper water, was lots of fun. At one time before Ross or I could swim, I very nearly drowned. We were returning to shore from the sand bar between the brown and the white rock and when Ross could not touch bottom, he frantically clung to my neck. After a successsion of waves hit us both we were having trouble breathing, especially I, since by then Ross' hands were firmly clutched about my neck! I think our parents had us in their sight at the time and we made it to the shore, but it does go to show that water can be dangerous for the inexperienced swimmer!

A '39 Ford, '37 Chevrolet and a '37 Pontiac parked in front of the "brown" and "white" rocks. We sometimes would pack a lunch and hike to the concession road at the north end of the beach, up the hill,' along the top, then south past the farm homes and barns of the McCormicks and Camerons to the next concession which leads to Pine River. We would come down the hill, perhaps stopping to pick some wild strawberries, then take the road behind the cottages about as far as No. 119 and go cross country as there was no road north of that point. Fortunately, during those early years the level of Lake Huron was low enough to provide easy access via the beach itself.

The formation of the Cameron Grove Association came about when Hugh Cameron decided to retire from farming and sell the farm to his son Mervin who had returned home from the Army in 1946. Dad, Carman Dyer and others, therefore, had to move qUickly to acquire from Hugh Cameron the strip of land between the cottage lots' rear property line and the base of the hill. The sale ultimately proVided a right-of-way for the Township road which now serves the cottages at the north end of Division IV.

A winding road suitable for one wagon and horses was cut into the side of the hill of Cameron's farm so that lumber could be brought to building sites in the event of high lake levels. I recall Mrs. Maude Dyer telling me, because of that, the lumber for their cottage had to be brought down the hill in 1929. The road also was used in the summer by Mervin Cameron to bring his livestock down to the lake for watering during a sustained dryspell. It was not often that he drove the cattle past our cottages, but it did happen!

The actual road allowance between No. 133 and No. 134 seemed not to have been open for this purpose, as it was customary to use a wagon width trail just north of No. 131. When Duncan Guest built his cottage, the proper road allOwance was opened up and later improved with clay and gravel so that nearby cottagers could park their cars in the shade. That made the loading and unloading at the back door much easier.

The earliest mail delivery came from the Cameron farm, the same place where we obtained our milk supply. Each evening a member of our family would walk to the farm to pick up our mail and the milk, right from the cow. Pasteurization only became mandatory within the province in 1935. Rural mail delivery to Bruce Beach seemed to have started' Ih about the same time as milk delivery began along the beach. At least two Kincardine grocers, one a Mr. Shewfelt, would take our orders and deliver several times a week. Garbage collections did not exist and the usual procedure was to bury the refuse which could not be burned in the fireplace. Any cursory digging in what is now known as the Cameron Grove will reveal these abandoned garbage repositories. During the season they usually were marked by potato plants sprouting in the otherwise barrren, sandy soil.

There are many other fine features of life at Bruce Beach that I can recall; Church services at Tout's Grove, under the trees accompanied by nature's own music, such as the song of the cicada. My Dad was in charge of the Annual Bruce Beach Picnic for a few years. It began with the traditional "peanut scramble" followed by races for the young and contests including nail-driVing for the ladies. The picnic was sometimes in Tout's Grove and sometimes on the golf course, followed by evening entertainment. No .. 1 tee became the stage area illuminated by about four Coleman style lanterns that used unleaded {white} gas. {Yes, during the thirties, most gas stations sold four grades of gasoline, one of which was unleaded (white). The other grades came in various colours which were very much in evidence when you gazed at the tall glass cylinders perched atop each gasoline pump.} At these picnics amateur talent such as singing, Highland dancing or poetry recital was much in evidence.

Although movie houses existed in Kincardine, I never attended a single show in the thirty odd years I spent at Bruce Beach; very Presbyterian, I would think. One feature of Bruce Beach life that was extremely popular was the Sunday evening sing song, at times held in No. 119 {Rev. A.c. Stewart}, No. 125 {Rev. c.E. Dyer} or in No. 131 {Rev. J.E. Anderson} with musical accompaniment usually provided by Rev. Carman Dyer and his violin. I don't remember that he ever had any music in front of him, but since we sang hymns only he probably knew the tunes by heart. In later years, when more cottages had been bUilt, the crowd grew too large to assemble in anyone cottage, except possibly the Carson's No. 147. It must have been a considerable imposition on their privacy but they never failed to open their doors on these occasions -a gesture much appreciated by their many friends and neighbours.

Rev. Carman Dyer probably was one of the great missionari'es to spread the gospel of Bruce Beach. He even persuaded his home area doctor, Dr. J.T. Thomas of Caledon, to build cottage No. 136. I guess he felt it was time that we had someone to care for our physical needs as the spiritual ones already were amply taken care of. The following small anecdote will illustrate what a poor preacher like our Rev. Dyer had to do to pay his medical bills before the days of medicare. As I recall, his eldest daughter Jeanette required an appendectomy in 1936 and he arranged to make a partial payment to Dr. Thomas, the surgeon, by constructing a number of Cape Cod style lawn chairs for him, the kind that are very comfortable to sit in but difficult to get out of. Dad and Carman Dyer spent several days working on them and, conservatively, must have produced about a dozen. Using pine because it was straight and easy to work with, the chairs would not last if left out on the lawn in the rain!

Howard Anderson (No. 131)

 

Teeing up in 1940.

Jean (Clark) Auchterlonie (No. 50a) Nancy (Huff) Allen (No. 51A)

We recall playing golf in the early 40's, stopping at the 4th tee-off for a drink of water from an old enamel cup hung on McCosh's pump. We would chat with Lizzie McCosh and watch her make "shoo-fly" pie or perhaps ask her for some blueing to cure a bee sting. We would desert a golf game if it was bad and instead play hide and seek in the hay loft or visit old Charlie, the draft horse.

Jean (Clark) Auchterlonie (No. 50a) Nancy (Huff) Allen (No. 51A)

Don Finlayson (No. 39)

It is difficult to estimate how many children and adults from Bruce Beach enjoyed going into town on a Saturday night to hear and see the Kincardine pipe band, a tradition that always will be remembered.

The Band was formed in 1908 but it wasn't until 1910 that they acquired the second-hand kilt of the MacKenzie tartan which they wore until 1922 when they were given the second-hand 48th Highlanders' Gordon. During part of World War II, Jimmy Irvine played the pipes on street comers to raise funds for those overseas. Since 1948, Jack Graham, Henry lamont, Sandy Cameron and John Hall have been and still are members of the Pipe Band. (Jack Graham has a special connection with the Beach as he worked for the Golf Club in 1935). later members inluded Peter Tucker, Ernie Fisher, Goldie Buckingham, Ross Maclennan and Norm Dunsmoor. The. Band now is known as the Kincardine Scottish.

Many beachers played in it over the years; Ian Wilson (former owner of No. l1A), George Johnston (former owner of No. 17A), Bob McFarlane (No. 17A), the Roulston twins, Peter and Phillip (No. 45), John Goodenow (No. 53), Jim Murray (No. 62), and Watson Morris (No. 165). Some members of the Band also came to play at special events, such as the first Bruce Beach Barbecue, the party to celebrate the purchase of Snowden Grove by th~ cottagers; Don Maclennan's (No. 52) 40th birthday; Craig Davidson's (No. 48) 50th; the opening of the Marshall tennis court (No. 19A); the dedication of the plaque on the little round house at the 8th tee-off, in memory of Charles and Fred Yates.

They played at many other parties and at one of them, one of their members, a butcher, was introduced to a Bruce Beach surgeon as a "fellow tradesman." It only was much later when either of them learned of the other's real profession. In addition to Henry Lamont playing the spoons and Jim Murray the bass drum (a washtub), I also remember the charivari (or chivaree) at Joan's and Ian's new cabin (No. 32).

Saturday night fun in town!

One of the band's more recent visits to the Beach was in June 1973 to entertain at the wedding reception of Laurie and Tom Hogg (No. 32) whose marriage was the first to be solemnized in the Church Grove. On the same evening, Bob Ledingham (No. 40) dressed in his kilt and wearing dress shoes, attempted to cross the Tout gully on a log. For a number of reasons including the fact that he was carrying a large coffee pot and his camera and because it was raining, he lost his balance, fell into several feet of water, but managed to save himself. When his film was developed there was a note attached suggesting that he have his camera checked to avoid future blurred pictures. . . .

A great tradition lives on and during the years when curling Bonspiels took place between members of the Kincardine Club and the Bruce Beachers, those involved will remember generous Mel Riggin of the Dickey-Bird Motel and the thrill of being piped on the ice by members of the Kincardine Scottish.

Don Finlayson (No. 39)

Gordon Comeil (No. 30)

October 15, 1954 will be remembered as the day "Hurricane Hazel" a freak tropical storm, swept across Lake Ontario causing floods and devastating many regions. Eighty-one people died, many were left homeless and property damage was estimated at over one hundred million dollars.

Although the greatest loss of life and property damage occurred in Etobicoke Township's Humber Valley, it should be mentioned that the storm spread throughout South Western Ontario. A 'C.N. passenger train from London left the rain-drenched tracks a few hundred yards from Southampton; one passenger was injured, the engineer and fireman were trapped in the cab of the engine and both subsequently died of injuries sustained when the boiler burst.

Some thirty-five miles south of Southampton the storm inflicted damage at Tout's Grove. Although there were no . witnesses, it became apparent that it had caused a torrent of water to drain from Collins' farm by way of an open gully which overflowed at the base of Tout hill and washed out the road running due west. Luckily, the large elm tree between No. 40 and No. 41 diverted the waters a few yards south where they rejoined the gully to flow into Lake Huron. Cottagers were amazed to find the access road washed out for nearly 100 yards, to a width of about 20 feet and a depth of up to 6 feet. Ifthe elm tree had not diverted the torrent of water, substantial damage probably would have been done to Mrs. Mary Buchanan's cottage and that owned by the Misses Wylie.

Ian MacEachern, during his two weeks holidays in July 1955, headed up a work bee to fix the road, with the help of a team of horses, a scoop shovel and a front-end loader. Dead trees were cut down and logs packed into the roadbed with clay from the side of Tout hill and sand and gravel from the beach.

After two weeks of hard work, the project was finished and it was hoped the road might last for about 10 to 15 years. Some 27 years later, it still is in excellent condition. The logs likely were so well protected and packed that they did not rot.

Gordon Comeil (No. 30)

Craig Davidson (No. 48)

Richard and Edith Davidson first came to Bruce Beach as visitors of the McKerrolls in cottage No. 41. It took them a long time to make the 20-mile journey' from Lucknow in their democrat because the roads were so rough. I~ 1914 they rented the West cottage (No. 33) and during that summer, with the help of Donald McKerroll and Billy Bremner, a study was added to what is now No. 49. Using the study as temporary living quarters in 1915, Dr. Davidson, assisted by four carpenters, erected the frame for his cottage . in three days. He was the first to equip all windows with sash and glass. By 1935 it was necessary to build a boys' bunk house and this was accomplished for less than $100. Later, a kitchen and woodshed were added to the main cottage.

Before the days of cars the train trip from Toronto was a momentous undertaking. Starting out at 7 a.m. we had to change in Guelph and Palmerston, stop at Wingham to wait for the train from London, arriving at our cottage just before nightfall. Hinton• Mitchell, the drayman who owned No. 48, would meet us at Ripley Station. He kept his horse in a barn next to his cottage.

Bruce Beach is one of the most woriderful spots in the world for both young and old. Over the years four generations of Davidsons have enjoyed it and in 1963 we were able to purchase our children. No. 48 to leave No. 49 to be shared by our children.

Craig Davidson (No. 48)

Mildred Parker (No. 20

Rev. David Perrie of Wingham built No. 20 in 1906. Although at that time most of the other cottages were south of us our lot had been chosen for its stately stand of pine trees.

The Rintoul cottage in 1930.

My husband Harold, grandson of the original settlers, recalls many happy hours spent at the McCosh farm. While the children would watch the milking, the adults would sit with the farmers on the front verandah or the back porch until Lizzie McCosh would fetch her dipper to fill each tin pail with milk. The cottagers all looked forward to that daily trek to the farm.

A hike to the "old farms" to fish in Pine River and explore the old buildings also was a highlight of summer fun at Bruce Beach.

Mildred Parker (No. 20)

Kay Fallis (No.10A)

Through the years the worthy traditon of weekly ecumenical summer worship was maintained despite wind, storms, the bright sun shining in the minister's eyes, and the noise of cars and motor boats. When it rained the services were held in the golf club house, and many opened with the psalm "Unto the hill around do I lift up mine eyes". In the early days that included watching Steve Tout's sheep on the hillside, and there was always hope that a surprised "baa" would be heard at an appropriate or inappropriate moment!

Church Grove in 1928.

Church Service in the early 1920s.

Led by many of the ministers who had cottages at Bruce Beach, arrangements for services were made by the Association's ReligiOUS Services Committee, in which Rev. Carman Dyer, as secretary, played an important role. After his death in 1960, a memorial fund was established to purchase an electric organ and a public address system. In this connection, a dedication service was held on August 1, 1961. Other gifts included a pulpit bible donated by Mrs. W.G. MacKersie in. memory of Rev. Fred Anderson who had conducted the first services; hymn books by Ian MacEachern in memory of his father and offering plates by Margaret and Frank Walsh in memory of Mrs. T.c. King. Other special services and celebrations have taken place in the Church Grove, and probably the first baby to be christened there was Jack Henry when his family rented Cottage No. 32 in 1920.

Music always has been an important part of the worship, and contributions by many volunteer pianists and organists were greatly appreciated through the years. Among these musicians are T.L. Hamilton as "precentor", Percy Bennet, Greta Hossie, Jim McBurney, Mrs. G.W. Cushnie, Laura Mullin, Bill Cameron, George Dunkley, June and Warren McBurney, Mrs. John Henderson and others.

The setting of the Church Grove was improved by planting cedar trees in 1944. As they grew they replaced the original canvas reredos. Locust trees also were planted for shade, in an attempt to replace the large elm tree which had succumbed to disease. The benches and other equipment still are maintained by the members of the Church Services Committee, who also arrange painting and other work bees.

Church Service, 1981.

The following outstanding people have served the community as chairmen of the Religious Services Commitee: Dr. J. Lovell Murray, Dr. George Covey, Rev. E.J. Roulston, Rev. Orville Hossie, Bill Henderson and his son, John. By continuing the summer services they have reaffirmed our founders' Christian faith, thereby adding to the community spirit and quality of life at Bruce Beach.

Kay Fallis (No. l0A)

Unknown

Tout's Grove also was the location of the first baseball games for boys and girls. Starting in the summer of 1923 they played almost every evening. Similar games were held in other divisions 'of the Beach.

In 1942, Sid Huff and his sister Bea Clark purchased the flats and hill property, behind the cottages (from No. 48 to No. 54) from Leonard T out. Together with their families they cleared the brush and planted trees to create a ball park and recreation area. The first of the weekly games started there in 1944 and since then have become social events for many cottagers. They are so popular that often three games are scheduled at 9:00 a.m. The Huffs and Clarks have maintained the ball park for all to use and enjoy. In recognition of their efforts, and especially in memory of Sid Huff, the ball players and neighbours erected permanent screening and benches in 1973.

Picture: Sunday morning bal! game, 1982

Helen Cushnie (No. 135)

We first came to Bruce Beach in 1942. There was no other access route except to drive in from the 10th and south along the beach. We would park nose-in in front of cottage No. 135.

The mailman also drove along the beach to deposit mail in boxes mounted on posts just above the lake's high water mark. Groceries ordered one day would be delivered the next by Kincardine merchants. Some enterprising farmers and others sold vegetables, home-baked goods and sometimes delicious roast chickens.

The people to the north and south of us began to buy the land behind their cottages from the farmers. As a result there was development inland instead of along the lake-, front. This caused some concern to Bruce Beach residents, just as the rumours that a dance pavilion, similar to the one at Sauble Beach might be built, were greeted with apprehension.

To prevent undesirable development, the base land of the hill was jointly purchased from Hugh Cameron on August 7, 1947. That gave the Township a 30-foot strip, from the 10th to the 8th Concession, to build roads that would lead to each cottage, since the lake's high water level made it no longer possible to drive along the beach.

Helen Cushnie (No. 135)

Janet Cawer Davis (No. 90)

During the early thirties the cottages still could be reached by driving along the beach which one year was almost four lanes wide. Besides being the only access route the beach with its hard sand became the place for cottagers to get acquainted. Every evening teenagers from south and north would meet there and as our cottage was about halfway along the strip it became the place to plan activities at the golf course, on the tennis courts, at the dunes, for the week-end bonfire and whether to drive to the pavilions at Kincardine or Southampton for a dance to "Freddy Morrey's" band.

Janet Cawer Davis (No. 90)

Jean T. (Hackland) Marshall (No. 19A)

My family came to Bruce Beach as renters in the late thirties. While occupying No. 85 our neighbours were the Prouse family who came from Prince Edward Island to spend their summers at Bruce Beach. Their children became part of a large group of teenagers who enjoyed the dances in Kincardine and Southampton.

Many of the cars parked on the beach were protected with tarpaulins and walking home on a stormy night was a very scary experience as the tarps would flap in the wind. Sundays seemed to be the busiest day for the farmers; they often had to bring a team of horses to the beach to pull out the cars which had been parked too close to the water's edge.

Looking back it is hard to believe how many amenities we enjoyed. Two cleaners called every week from T omnto, merchants proVided almost everything we needed and the Indian people offered us quill and leather work and took orders for outdoor furniture.

Jean T. (Hackland) Marshall (No. 19A)

The Lanes, Mary, Gordon, Agnes and Ron (No. 130)

For those who grew up in the late 40's and 50's -do you remember...

• Our hill-side "forts?"
• The dances at "The Booth", 10th Concession on Saturday nights?
• Or better still, the dances at the pavilion in toWn?
• "Tin Lizzie" ice cream sundaes at the Kincardine Dairy Bar across from the old Post Office?
• The Sunday night sing song at the Carsons? '7'7

Picture: "The Booth" -at the foot of the 10th.

• Having to go with the family to Sunday Church services in the Grove? Parents sat up front in the pews while kids and teenagers sat on a grassy knoll at the back. Repressed mayhem as boys slipped caterpillalrs down the backs of girls' dresses.
• The impromptu horseshoe pitching contests of our semors.
• The evening promenading along the beach, just at sunset, with old-fashioned courtesies and conversations en route?
• Living at the tennis courts, and the North-South tournaments with a handsome silver trophy for the winner in each category?
• The hayrides? Kenny McCormick from the farm near the 10th would hitch up his team of Clydesdales; we all piled onto the sweet hay and the wagon would roll along under a summer moon to Blair's Grove for a weiner or com roast. .
• The baseball games in town, Bruce Beach Versus Kincardine? The Bruce Beach gang usually had a picnic at the tables near the pavilion. The big feature was our wooden ice cream freezer which we cranked by hand. Bruce Dean (No. 150), who delivered milk along the beach, had got the ingredients from the dairy. He died in a tragic accident at the hill top by the Bruce Beach store at 18 years of age. Will anyone who ever knew him ever forget his cheerful whistling as he walked along the "back path"?
• The merchants' trucks from Kincardine, the orange Superior Store truck, Forbes market, Cross's Bakery, and the ice man? Our jobs as kids were to take our wagon back to the road where the ice was loaded and empty the water pan at the back of the ice box. The corny songs that always were the finale of the annual concert as darkness fell and the surrounding circle of cars facing the stage turned on their headlights? Here is one we sang to the tune of 'K-K-K Katy",

B-B-B Bruce Beach, bee-oot-ee-ful Bruce Beach
You're the only B-B-B Beach that I adore
When the M-Moon shines over Lake HEW-RON
I'll be strolling with my true love on the shore.
(And likely tripping over recessed wells!)

The Lanes, Mary, Gordon, Agnes and Ron (No. 130)

Mary Kennedy (No.8) & Margaret Mary Benson (No. 22)

J. Lovell Murray was "Mr. Tennis" from 1929 to 1938. He graciously guided the young people in the logistics of arranging meetings and tournaments. Matches for men's and ladies' singles, doubles and mixed doubles were the highlights of the season. Sometimes friendly tournaments were played with Divisions III and W, and occasionally, there were games with the Kincardine Tennis Club. At the end of the season the annual meeting was held with election of officers, prize giving and refreshments.

The courts were resurfaced in 1958 at a cost of $650, five interested cottagers donating $50. each. With the years the back stops became stronger and the players more skillful. In the early 70's, the courts were again resurfaced, this time with a green silica sand mixture which greatly enhanced their appearance. Back supports were added to the benches and in 1982 the areas around the courts were levelled and surfaced with special crushed stone at a cost of $1,000.

Interest in tennis at Bruce Beach has remained high and the calibre of play has steadily improved. The courts continue to be busy places where good fellowship can be found, in addition to good tennis with enthusiastic players.

Mary Kennedy (No.8)
Margaret Mary Benson (No. 22)

Greta Hossie (No.7)

A special tribute must be paid to the farmers on the hill. They all proved loyal friends to the early cottagers who depended on their produce and their friendliness. Robert McCosh's family was especially obliging and friendships were fostered by twice-daily visits seeking supplies of milk. Cottagers were initiated to the mysteries ofthe cream separator and, if they were lucky, given the joy of actually operating it. As the number of families increased on the shore, other farmers began to sell milk mornings and evenings.

In due course, the Murray Brothers of Kincardine became the milkmen of the beach. By then, some people had installed ice boxes anp the iceman began to make his rounds two of three times each week. Some young men from among the cottagers considered themselves most fortunate if they landed summer jobs with these companies. Alas, these daily services disappeared as more and more elelcric refrigerators were installed; now we must drive to the stores and carry home everything ourselves.

File:No thirst problem in 1922 at the McCosh farm pump!.jpg

No thirst problem in 1922 at the McCosh farm pump!

An early survey shows a farmhouse on the site of the McCosh Grove tennis courts. That is why the first cottagers were fortunate to find an ample supply of water from the farm pump at the bottom of McCosh hill. Each cottage had its own water pail and dipper as well as its own water carrier. Perhaps it was the latter who instigated sinking a sand box or digging a private well? Some cottagers pumped water hearer. home and shared it with their neighbours. By the mid-twenties, most residents had their own wells and the luxury of having water within your own four walls soon became a common occurrence. After electricity was available, adjustments were made to accommodate electric pumps to supply running water for inside toilets.

 

File:Picture: A typical beach well.jpg

A typical beach well.

In 1961, the "Bruce Beach Waterworks No. 1" began. A deep well gave .eighteen cottages a common water supply and. since then, additional deep wells provide groups of cottages with an abundance of pure water, enough for lawn sprinklers, dishwashers and' clothes washers. The annual concert held each August as a conclusion to Sports Day always was anticipated with pleasure by most members of the Bruce Beach community. Singers, trained by Miss Bradley or Mrs. Duncan Munn, and those people who could play ukelele or guitar practised hard to perfect their songs and parodies for the audience. Especially talented local folk were invited to participate and the first community players offered skits and melodramatic theatre, all performed outdoors. Tout's Grove, that lovely flat expanse of land, was readily lighted, first by hanging lanterns and then by cars drawn up in a semi-circle with their headlights focussed on "the stage". The later concerts held on the first fairway could not match this earlier, romantic setting. During the early days of holidaying at Bruce Beach, receiving mail was a unique social experience. Except for the few cottagers who had their own boxes, most people's mail was directed to the nearest farmhouse. Since the times of the mailman's arrival were sporadic, it was customary for a representative from each household to wait for him at the top of the hill. These gatherings fostered friendships and a sense of community. The arrival of the mailman would interrupt tennis matches and conversations as everyone would run to the road. Who can forget the thrill of having an enormous parcel of mail thrown into one's arms? The older teenagers usually acted as sorters, handling the mail with utmost care.</p>

All these happy experiences came to an end when our community grew to a size that merited a separate route. People were asked to set up one mailbox among every three cottages. No sooner were they established when the beach changed so dramatically that it became a road of hard sand. It, therefore, was infinitely easier for the mailman and other service folk to deliver along the lake front. However, just as dramatically, the lake's high water level eliminated that road and our mailboxes, once again, are situated on the back roads.

Greta Hossie (No.7)

F.E. Knowles (No.81)

The latest style in 1920.

Cooling off after the trip from Ripley.

In 1920, my father, Thomas E. Morgan of Ripley, heard of a young minister who had started to build a cottage at Bruce Beach but could not complete it because he was called to a new parish. The property, therefore, was up for sale and our family decided to buy it for the asking price of $375. My two sisters and I each put in $100 and my father added the balance of $75 to purchase No. 81.

The outside of the cottage had been completed and to finish the inside we bought furniture at local auction sales. Our mattresses were ticks filled with straw from Billie Cameron's barn. Our quilts were made from old 'overcoats, etc. and although they were heavy, they certainly were very warm.

Gathering driftwood on the beach was a daily chore; toast made between two wire holders over the coals of a wood fire never tasted better!

After breakfast we had chores to perform—wash dishes, make beds, sweep the floor, clean lamp chimneys. Almost all of Saturday was spent baking for the weekend. Before local merchants came to call on us, we would bring from town 100 lbs of flour, 50 lbs of sugar, a large tin of soda biscuits and a wooden box of cheese. Sunday was our big day and often there were as many as twenty-five people at the cottage.

We made our own fun—huge bonfires and square dances, a Snowden playing the violin. Decades later I learned that one of our neighbours wasn't allowed to join our "den of iniquity". What fun that person missed!

During Labour Day weekend in 1979, a fire broke out and our cottage was burned to the ground. Thanks to the Ripley firemen, none of the others were affected.

All being well, we hope to rebuild very soon.

F.E. Knowles (No.81)

Margaret Bennet (No. 164)

File:No chance of getting stuck here! Notice the wide beach.jpg

No chance of getting stuck here! Notice the wide beach.

File:A handy pump for washdays.jpg

A handy pump for washdays.

I also have fond memories of my childhood at Bruce Beach. I believe my bedroom was the first to have "running water" after my father mounted an old car gasoline tank he had found at the dump on. the outside wall of the cottage; the tap could be turned on inside my room. The catch was that I had to carry the water from the pump on the other side of the cottage to fill the tank. At the age of 12, it was worth the effort, because it brought me a great deal of prestige.

Margaret Bennet (No. 164)

Tom Walsh (No. 159)

I now live in Kincardine but probably am one of the oldest, living Bruce Beachers. My mother, my two .brothers and I came to live with our grandfather Robert McCosh Sr. after our father died in 1913. I stayed until 1925, when I decided to go west to Saskatchewan on a harvest excursion. I returned in 1934 to work for my Uncle Bob for two years, before buying my own farm near Kincardine.

I remember helping to make the first sand greens for the five-hole golf course, below the hill; I cut the grass for several years . with a lawnmower hitched to one horse; in the winter, Bob McCosh, his brother and I cut wood by hand and sold it to the campers in the summer; I also helped build the first tennis court.

Jack McCosh would rent a horse and buggy to pe0ple who wanted to go shopping or meet the train. We provided straw for the campers' mattresses -the charge was 25 cents each. Before they arrived for the summer, I dug outhouse pits for $2. While Iworked for the McCosh family I was paid $20 a month and board.

I also remember skinny dipping in the lake, down by the sand dunes; the dumbwaiters that were used for refrigeration located in the cottages' cement cellars; Mrs. Anderson, one of the earlist campers, who brought her washer woman from the city and let her live in a tent ...

Tom Walsh (No. 159)

Stu Young (No. 14)

Random Memorabilia:

Lizzie McCosh going for her annual swim, dressed in an, ancient, Victorian bathing costume. Down beyond Dobson's by the sand dunes she would have her great splash and the "naughty" boys would have great fun spying on her!

Another favourite pastime was to watch Lizzie McCosh in her dirty old apron pick out bits of dirt from the milk can while working on the separator.

Boating and swimming were forbidden on Sundays but irreverant youths had much fun during Church services. One rather boastful clergyman onc'e endlessly talked about his "marvellous sons" when his indulgent remarks were echoed with a chorus from Tout's grazing sheep. Everyone' cracked up

Stu Young (No. 14)

Jean Dancey (No. 151)

I first saw Bruce Beach in the summer of 1935 when our family visited the Armstrongs in No. 32. For several years, the entrance to the beach from the 10th Concession was the biggest hazard. To make access to the beach easier, a group of men from the north end, under the supervision of T.N., Dean (No. 150), cleared the brush and sand from the roadway.

My father, Rev. J.A. MacInnis, built No. 151 in 1937. According to my mother's diary, electricity came to the Dean's cottage on July 25, 1938.

For years we were fortunate enough to have a pump in our kitchen, until many of the wells dried up and a community well was dug.

Jean Dancey (No. 151)

Jean M. Ernst (No. 3A)

One day they rode down to the lake shore below McCosh'! hill in a wagon drawn by a team of horses, when my mothe: was heard to exclaim, "I never saw such a God-forsaker country!" Years later, in 1914, after my uncle and aunt William and Christine Gourlay, had built a cement cottagE in Bruce Beach (No. 16), my mother admitted "never did ever expect to summer in that area". Between 1914 and 1926, I spent every summer at No 16, dividing my times of play between the Dobson's No. L1 and the Huff's No. 51.

In 1926 Dr. Wilson" urged my dad, Charles L. Ernst, tc . build his own cottage and I remember h~lping him gatheJ stones for a fireplace.

For many years the road behind the cottages ended at No.2 but in the early thirties it was extended to our cottage After Eugene Schweitzer purchased Frank Tout's farm ir 1950, he sold a portion of his land so that the road could bE extended as far as No. 14A.

Jean M. Ernst (No. 3A)

Ruth McBurney (No.68)

Hard work with 12 quarts!

Our first summer was spent at Bruce Beach in 1920 wher our cottage could only be reached by walking up and down a narrow road which now is Moore's Hill. The people in No 59 to the south and in No. 78 to the north of us then wen our closest friends.

Every Sunday morning, Cliff Cox, who worked for Alex Johnson, the grocer, would pick us up to take us to the Presbyterian Church.

When our own children were small we had many happy picnic outings to Point Clark where they could climb up tc the lighthouse. As they grew older they would join theil friends on overnight camping trips to the lighthouse, taking supplies, a tent, etc., and rowing to the Point.

Many boys from the beach will remember working Murray Bros. Kincardine Dairy. The cottages were a long way from the solid sand where the truck was driven and . carrying two baskets of six quarts each was exhausting in the hot weather. Like many others we gave them a glass of lemonade and a sandwich for a break.

What happy times we all had -first with our own four children and now with our grandchildren and one greatgrandchild.

Ruth McBurney (No. 68)

Crozier's - The Bruce Beach Store

Jean and Norm Crozier first came to Bruce Beach from Walkerton in 1949. They built a cottage they called "Crow's Nest" at the north end of Blair's Grove and soon met a number of people who mentioned how much easier it would be if they had a store nearby.

1951

Before the summer was over, Norm said to Jean, "If I were to build a store in Bruce Beach would you run it?" Jean agreed, and during the winter, plans were made to open on June 30, 1950. They were in such a rush to get everything ready in time that they had to leave the cement blocks below ground level exposed, to be filled in later. Norm and a friend, a grocer wholesaler, were still busy the night before pricing goods and stocking shelves. When they had finished they shared a few beers; however, Norm's friend suddenly remembered that the sign over the entrance still had to be hoisted into place. It was almost midnight bui they, nevertheless, decided to erect a temporary scaffold and finish the job.

Just as they were raising the sign into position, the plank slipped and crashed into the store window. Fortunately, a friend from Walkerton was able to rush over the next morning to install a new window. Calamity number two happened when Norm's sister Nora, who had volunteered to babysit for the Croziers on opening day, had a serious accident while driving back to Walkerton. One of the babies had to be rushed to hospital. On the follOwing day there was a tremendous downpour and one side of the unfinished basement wall caved in. All the stock stored down below got wet and covered with mud.

The next day while Jean was visiting her injured little son in hospital, the sympathetic contractor came to repair the wall and clean up the mess.

Jean now was ready to carry on business. After a hectic but successful summer, Norm delivering orders after working all day at his full-time job in Goderich, the final calamity happened: on the last delivery, Norm's Austin station wagon caught fire and was destroyed.

For the next fourteen years things ran relatively smoothly for Jean although the long hours in the store and looking after her small children were very tiring.

Well fed bunnies!

The place became known as "The Bunny Store" after the Crozier children had been given rabbits as pets. One year, sales of mixes, pop, etc. were so brisk that the stock purchased for the follOwing week already was gone on Saturday and new supplies had to be rushed in.

Over the years the Croziers added a second floor to the building and made several other additions. After fifteen years of operation, they,sold the store to Betty and Nelson Beuhlo'A and now Bruce Beachers look forward each summer tc seeing Harriett and Jack Daniels behind the counter.

1982

Norm and Jean Crozier

In Conclusion ...

I envy people with good memories, yet despite my deficiency in that area, I would like to contribute something tc the Reminiscences.

In 1920, the MacEachern family rented part of the McKerroll duplex cottage No. 41. However, my earliest recollections are of No. 43 which was purchased before Church Union in 1925. My father and brother Alex built a long, narrow boa1 which leaked badly but provided a great deal of enjoyment for the youngsters in the area. Much of our time was spent playing in Tout's gully or on McKerroll's rock which was well above the water line at the time.

McKerrol's Rock, 1926.

McKerrol's Rock, 1982.

When we moved to Winnipeg several years later our cottage was sold to the Ledingham family. Five years later, on our return, we acquired the Armstrong's No. 32.

During the thirties, the many teenagers enjoyed golfing, tennis and driving on the beach, although when there were older brothers and sisters, it wasn't always possible to borrow the family car. I can recall Lorraine Whalen in a Chevrolet coupe with as many as twenty-five teenagers standing on the running boards, sitting on the hood and bumpers and anywhere else where they could hang on. In those days the beach was wider and smoother than any of the roads in the area.

I also remember going on a double date with Bob Ledingham, Lorraine Whalen and Shirley Smith. Bob had "borrowed" the family car and I helped him push it quietly down the lane to a point where we could start the engine without alerting anyone.

There were few trees on the grazing land behind the cottages, and Tout's Grove, for the most part, was a huge sand bowl. On a really hot summer's day we would dare each other to run across the sand barefoot, before the soles of our feet were sufficiently hardened not to feel the heat. Needless to say, this game made for very fast running!

My wife, Joan, was introduced to Bruce Beach during our courtship shortly before World War II.• While I have said many times that the sun alw<;lys shines at Bruce Beach, the weekend of her first visit was the exception. I remember helping my Dad build an extension to the cottage and as the roof was only partially finished we had to use pots and pans• to catch the large amounts of rainwater.

Bruce Beach is also remembered for many a charivari when neighbours got together to celebrate a happy and important event. When Joan and I decided to spend our honeymoon there in August 1945, we were awakened by a din so great that we thought an atom bomb had landed. It was during that charivari that Joan •officially became a Bruce Beacher and she always will be grateful to Carolyn Fliim for the speed with which she introduced Joan to so many new people. For our honeymoon we had bought fruit juices, using up all our ration coupons. Before the charivari was over our stock had disappeared.

Our children have enjoyed many summers at the Beach and still recall the days when they rode tailgate on Dave Moore's horsedrawn wagon while he collected garbage along the beach. As they grew older, they enjoyed the club house dances organized by John Davidson. As every family had their own curfew hours for their teenaged daughters and sons, those that had to be in early often managed to climb through their bedroom windows to rejoin the fun.

Although there have been many changes at Bruce Beach it still amazes me that, over the years, the golfing, the tennis and the weekly ball games still are going strong. While the club house no longer is the centre of attraction as it was in earlier days, it still is the focal point for the annual barbecue which has replaced the annual concert as the main social event of the summer.

For the MacEachems, Bruce Beach always will be a home away from home. Some of us come every month of the year; to spend New Year's Eve at the cottage with our children and friends is a special joy.

Ian MacEachern (No. 41)

Annual barbecue, 1982

Wiki Notes

This Wiki book was created from a PDF file provided by Rob Parker. The PDF files was created by scanning the pages of the original "History of Bruce Beach" compiled by Ian MacEachern. That PDF was then converted back to text again using Adobe Acrobat Reader Extented version 9.0. The text was manually corrected by Doug Dunlop. There are still textual errors.

Here is the original "A History of Bruce Beach" PDF file.