Perhaps Not Unprecedented Times

Unprecedented times seems to be a phrase used often in the media and general conversations these days.  Covid-19 has been top of our minds for many months and will be a memory we will have for the rest of our days when it is over.  Historians and genealogists have a tendency to look back to help us make sense of the present and this post is the result of that reflection. 

 

My great uncle, Alexander Sinclair, died a few days short of his 21st birthday in May of 1920 near Oak River, Manitoba. Born June 1, 1899, Alexander was the second youngest of a family of six children of pioneer farmers James and Elizabeth (Henry) Sinclair. Educated at Bankburn School, Alex farmed 16-14-22W1 with his family until his young death. The Oak River Post newspaper clipping indicates he was stricken with influenza earlier in March and was unable to recover.  His family remembered him with a large stone at nearby White Bank Lea Cemetery. As deeply as the Sinclair family must have been grieving their son, they were not alone.  

Four of Alex's cousins, children of his mother's brother, William Henry, died a few miles away from the epidemic of influenza earlier that same year in March of 1920. This would have been the same time that Alexander got sick. Their obituary notice below was found online from the Oak River Post.

GEORGE T., WILDRED JAMES, DELLA and EDITH HENRY
To lose four children in two days has just been the exceptionally sad
lot of Mr. and Mrs. William HENRY, the cause of death in each case being
pneumonia following influenza. George T., aged 18 years and 11 months,
and Della aged 14 years and 5 months, died less than an hour apart on
Friday morning, and Wilfred James, aged sixteen, and Edith aged eleven,
passed away early Sunday morning. The deceased were all of a robust
constitution and particularly well developed for their age, but in spite
of this and all that medical science could do for them, the disease was
of such a malignant type that they could not withstand its ravages.
The four children were buried in White Bank Lea cemetery, the former
two on Saturday forenoon and the latter two on Sunday evening, Rev. Wm.
FERGUSON officiating.
Four pleasant faces will be greatly missed from the life of our
community, and our tenderest sympathies are extended to the fond parents
in their grief.

A photo of the Henry children's weathered grave marker at White Bank Lea is below. Over 100 years has passed but the story of the short lives of these children remains carved in the stone. Their small community had already experienced such sadness, unfortunately.   

Three young children of Thomas and Lizzie Wilson died the year before in 1919.  These children's grandmother (Ellen Wilson) and Alex's grandmother (Mary Henry) were sisters and they all lived within a few miles of each other, northeast of Oak River.  Robert Melvin was first to succumb on February 1, 1919.  He was only 9 years old.  His 3 year old sister Irma died the next day and on February 8, young Doris who was almost 2, was the third. They are buried in White Bank Lea around a single square stone with their names and birth and death dates on three sides.  

These stories are not shared to make anyone feel their worries of today are not justified.  Times have changed but emotion has not.   The eight children's stories continue to be told and remembered. The Wilson, Henry and Sinclair families carried on despite the tragedy and better days were ahead.  Keeping their own household in quarantine was the only was to stop the virus while waiting for medical advances and they did. We will too.  Stay safe at home, friends.

Memories of Oak River Memorial Rink

Following up on the previous post on my 52 Ancestors Blog about the school I attended, this one is about the rink where I spent many hours as a child learning to skate and socializing with the Oak River, Manitoba community.  My school classes skated and curled and the building was well used during the annual summer fair and other events.  The sources for my writing today are the local Blanshard history books as well as the little blue-covered booklet pictured written by Harold Griffiths (1903-2009).  Thanks to his great-nephew Garry Bridgeman and his wife Grace for sending it to me along with clippings about the rebuilding.  They knew how much I would enjoy them and put them to good use!

Discussions to build a new rink began in 1948 when a group of local people raffled off a car and were able to raise $6000, according to Mr. Griffiths' book.  There was an airplane hangar being sold from the former RCAF station at Neepawa for that exact amount and plans began.


The first men’s curling club in Oak River was organized in 1900. They used a temporary rink until 1914 when a building was built to be the curling rink in the winter and the agricultural exhibition building in the summer. It was built north of present #24 highway on the agricultural grounds where it has always been since. Outdoor hockey facilities were used for both men’s and ladies' clubs forming just after the turn of the century. According to 1984 Blanshard history book, the 1914 building had a waiting room and 3 sheets of curling ice encircled by a 14 foot wide sheet of skating ice.

Demand for more modern facilities after WW2 led to construction starting in 1948 with disassembly of the hangar and transporting all the bits and pieces to Oak River.  Doors, windows, roofing, siding, lights, switches, gyproc and wires made their way over the 54 miles in 14 days with volunteer trucks and labour.  Art Glinz is credited with keeping all the materials organized and storing them in the old school which he had purchased as well as in Tom Paxton's barn.  Mr. Griffiths describes the dangerous job of lowering and moving the huge beams that would be the ribs of the facility. An engineer was hired for a while but there was a lack of funds to keep him on.  Volunteers worked away at the process over the next 3 winters.



The Oak River Memorial Rink opened January 10, 1953 and it was built at an estimated cost of $30,000. The skating ice was 72 x 178. With a wooden dance floor over the ice surface, it held 500 people with standing room for 500 more. The dance gardens in Oak River were famous and many people I have met over the years would associate my hometown with dances. Famous entertainers like Don Messer, Mart Kenny, Tommy Hunter and Frankie Yankovic stopped in Oak River in the 50’s. I have been told that Fred Glinz was the organizer of these dances for years and other performers included Marty Robbins, The Trashmen, Bobby Curtola and Bill and Sue-On Hillman.  At one time the dance floor featured a rainbow mural as well as stars suspended overhead. The 4 sheets of curling ice were converted to artificial in 1967 for a cost of $14,000. The waiting room in the main rink seated 200 people.

If you were ever there, take a walk with me through the main doors, past the ticket booth and you see the back of rows of dark red velvet theatre chairs facing out on the skating ice. Dressing rooms with mint green painted doors and cupboards are to your left and down the hall to your right was an office and washrooms leading to the waiting room. The lunch counter stood on your right and the curling ice viewing area to your left. One memory I have is of curtains around the snake pit during bonspiel time, to keep young eyes out of the liquor being served I suppose! The "snake pit" also was in the basement and you brought your own bottle too at one time! The snap of brooms on the ice and boom of contacting rocks were sounds heard while sitting on the wooden two layer benches covered with carpet.  The trophy cases must have been on the east wall but I don't really recall.  I do remember the record player in the waiting room that needed to be restarted to keep music going to the skating ice between games of crack the whip and pom pom pull away!  Mr. Glinz with his hands behind his back in his muskrat coat and hat with long bladed skates created his own breeze when he glided past.  The hockey scoreboard was a sought after job especially during the Tournament of Champions weekend.  After going up a ladder to the box, flood light bulbs were moved along a series of holes in a board to indicate the score.  Cleaning the ice with push scrapers before the age of zambonis kept the kids active during inermissions.

In 1977, renovations to the waiting room and new lunch counter cupboards were made. Four dressing rooms were in the basement. Due to declining numbers in 1984, one sheet of curling ice was no longer used. It became a pretty intriguing skill to make use of the hump of ice (perhaps caused by the roof leaking) on the right side of the sheet #4 to bank your shot off!

Disaster struck on November 14, 1987 when a fire started by arson destroyed the rink.

 Ever the strong community, eight days later the people packed a meeting chaired by Jim Forsyth in the school gym. Committees were struck, a contractor was hired and preparations for a new building began.

The new rink opened November 5, 1988.  I'd be pleased to hear your memories at ssimms@escape.ca 

Thanks to Alvina, Lyn, Louise, and Nicki for sharing your memories that I've added to the post.