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Description : The Holland Marsh Story
(Continued from last week)

Chapter VI.
ACTION

In 1924, West Gwillimbury residents elected a new council. Mr. J.F. Hambly became reeve, with L.A. Neilly (Gilford), Percy Selby, W.J. Dales and the late Herman Lennox, the Councillors. These names, in marshland history are memorable, because it was this council which took the initiative in the Holland Marsh Drainage Scheme.

Soon after assuming office in 1924, these Councillors were presented with a petition signed by approximately 90% of the marsh landowners, asking that an engineer be appointed and a survey be made to ascertain the approximate estimate of the cost of a drainage scheme for the marsh. Owing to the large percentage of owners who signed the petition, Council felt justified in acceding to the request.

Alexander Baird, engineer, gave the first estimates and reported to West Gwillimbury Council, which body fulfilled the necessary legal requirements, holding Court of Revision, passing a By-Law authorizing the scheme and advertising for tenders for the work of draining the marsh according to the engineer's report. An appeal against the report was made by King Township Council and the case was tried before the Drainage Referee on March 4, 1925, when the appeal was dismissed.

Reeve Hambly and members of Council worked untiringly to acquaint themselves with marsh drainage projects in south-western Ontario and the more they investigated, the more enthusiastic they became regarding the prospects locally.

Regarding the actual work of drainage on the marsh, two motions on West Gwillimbury Minute Book record the letting of contract and the payment for same.

May 16, 1925, on motion of Councillors Neilly and Dales, the following motion was passed: "That the tender of Cummings and Robinson (Toronto) be accepted subject to the disposal of any motion to quash the By-Law and that Engineer Alex. Baird and our solicitor be instructed to prepare the necessary contract of work."

On March 4, 1929, the Treasurer was authorized to pay the contractors, Cummings and Robinson, "the sum of $6,500 balance of their account in full settlement of all claims and demands of every nature and kind whatsoever in connection with the Holland Marsh Drainage Scheme."

According to a 1929 newspaper, the amount of the entire contract was $137,000, which, together with engineering, legal and other expenses, made the reclamation cost about $21.00 per acre of land reclaimed. The money for this work was borrowed on the credit of the municipalities concerned and charged against the land, with debentures to run for 30 years. Of this, the Ontario Government contributed 20% of the cost of work in accordance with the provisions of the Municipal Drainage Act, which empowered the Government to do so.

West Gwillimbury being the municipality petitioned by the landowners became the initiating municipality in the work of reclamation, but cost was borne proportionately by King Township.

Bradford Scheme

The Bradford, or Little Scheme, comprises some 200 acres of Bradford marsh lands, and, according to the Drainage Act, this could not be included in the Township scheme. When this fact was discovered, the owners in the Bradford area petitioned Bradford Council, in July 1925, to have this land reclaimed. The late Mr. Denis Nolan was then Reeve of Bradford.

Work on the Bradford Scheme went forward quickly, the cost of drainage being approximately $11,000, on which a Government grant of 20% was also applicable. By 1927, the Bradford Marsh grew its first crop of vegetables.

Chapter VII
PROF. DAY REPORTS ON EARLY CROP AND VISIONS FUTURE

No story of the Holland Marsh would be complete without reference to Professor W.H. Day.

The first day the writer was in Bradford, the future of the marsh was "sold" to him while listening to an address by Professor Day, who told of the success of his first big marsh harvest in the Autumn of 1930. Following that 1930 harvest, Professor Day reported, at the request of the Holland Marsh Drainage Commission, at both West Gwillimbury and King Township Nominations as follows:

"A few days ago, the Holland Marsh Drainage Commission asked me if I would appear at this nomination and give the ratepayers a report of results being obtained on the Holland Marsh land. It is a pleasure for me to do this, for I feel that the municipalities which guaranteed the debentures are entitled to know how the development is proceeding.
Before entering into details, however, I should like to make a few observations of a general nature.

"In the first place, I wish to congratulate King, West Gwillimbury and Bradford on the appointment of the Holland Marsh Drainage Commission with full power under the Municipal Drainage Act to manage the drainage scheme and "do all things necessary for it successful operation." I also wish to congratulate the Commission on the energetic and business way in which they approached their task and carried it through to the present. Many of you know that early in 1929 the marsh land owners, being thoroughly dissatisfied with the way in which their interests were being looked after, formed a Marsh Land Owners Association, in order that they might make their wishes known to the municipalities. This Association instructed me, as its President, to attend the Gwillimbury Council meetings from time to time and lay its wishes before the Council. This I did on a number of different occasions. When we asked for a commission with full power to manage the scheme, a by-law was passed at one meeting, but repealed at the next, and another substituted. The second was little better than the first, for the powers given to the commissioners were so meager that two of those appointed refused to act. We were told that the Council could not appoint a commission with full powers. The Land Owners Association, early in 1930, sent me to consult the best drainage lawyer in Toronto, who said the Drainage Act specifically provided in schemes where pumping was required, the Council might appoint a commission with full powers and he drew up a suitable by-law, which we submitted to the Council and which they in turn submitted to the Drainage Referee of Ontario. The Referee made it plain that it was not his province to give advice tot he municipalities, but felt free to state that he saw no objection to the proposed by-law. The Council, feeling that it was now on safe ground, unanimously passed the by-law, appointing the present reeves of the three municipalities as commissioners, and the Marsh Land Owners Association takes this opportunity of stating that they are well satisfied with the work of the Commission, and hope that no change in its personnel will be made at the time. Not once since the Commission was appointed has it been necessary for the Association to make any representations either to the commissioners or to any of the councils.

Chapter VIII
$26,000 OFF 37 ACRES

"Let me now come to the marsh development itself. During the past season I had 37 acres in crop, as follows: Head lettuce, 22 acres; celery, 6.5 acres; onions, 4.5 acres; carrots, 2.5 acres; parsnips, 1.5 acres. The total crop harvested was parsnips, one carload; carrots, two carloads; onions, four; celery, 17, and lettuce, 26, making a total of 50 carloads. If this were all in one train, it would make a train almost one half mile long. Everything has now been marketed except the carrots and parsnips, which are in cold storage. The total cash receipts up to the present moment amount to $25,718, over and above the selling commissions of 12.5%. The carrots and parsnips when sold will bring the total to approximately $26,000. Divide this by 37 and we find the average yield to be $702 per acre. Compare that with your highland crops. With wheat at 70c a bushel, it would require a yield of 1,000 bushels per acre to equal our average marsh returns. Individual pieces have done much better than the average. One acre of lettuce yielded approximately $1-400; one-seventh acre of celery nearly $500; one and one-sixth acre of celery, $2,452, and 6.5 acres of celery, $10,412.

"In regard to lettuce, wholesale firms in Toronto state that never before has there been Canadian head lettuce on the Toronto market throughout the entire season. Bradford head lettuce appeared on July 11th and was on sale every day until October 11th. We had two acres of lettuce maturing each week for 11 weeks. It was our largest crop, both in acreage and in returns, bringing us $11,-867.78. We look forward to the time when Holland Marsh will supply the head lettuce for all Canada during the Summer season, instead of its being imported from California, Arizona and other American states.

"And yet on the average, lettuce was one of our poorest crops, yielding about $540 per acres, although individual pieces produced as high as $1,400 per acre. The reason for the unsatisfactory return on lettuce is not far to seek. Owing to the drought, a large percentage of the plants did not head properly. Needles to say, the cause of this is receiving our closest attention and we are devising ways and means of avoiding a like result in case of another drought.

"How do we propose to do this? By irrigation. Last summers, when we realized that a drought was on, we made a cut through the bank and let the water from the outside channel into our ditches. It spread out through them, and in a few days the soil, which had been dry and dusty on the surface, began to look moist as it became saturated with water. You see, the bottom of the ditches is about 2 1/2 feet below the lake level. The irrigation saved our celery from feeling the effects of the drought. But our inlet ditch was neither deep enough nor wide enough and so the water never reached the lettuce fields farther down. For next year, we have two inlets, each admitting four times as much water as the old one. We have just learned that in California, Arizona and other lettuce...

Description : The Holland Marsh Story

Now almost twenty years ago, Mrs. S.S. McKenzie wrote a history of the Holland Marsh, from information assembled to that date. For Bradford's centennial history, the story was continued.
This history has been copied complete and widely distributed and also copied, in part, upon several occasions, but the search for the story continues, as students each year choose The Holland Marsh as subject material for essays.

The story written in the late '40's for this newspaper is being republished, just as it was first recorded. The first chapter begins this week.

Forward

Many interested in the Holland Marsh, either in the past, or in the present, have contributed in the hope that a story of the Marsh which is authentic, and at least fairly comprehensive, may be recorded in these columns.

Among those to whom we are indebted for information are T. A. Pratt, Islington; B. B. Collings, who has probably been associated with the Marsh for a longer period than any other living person; Mr. J. F. Hambly, reeve of West Gwillimbury at the time the big Drainage Scheme was undertaken; Mrs. Peter Catania, a long-time Marsh resident; the late Mrs. M. J. Douglas; Mrs. Glenn Boyd, whose prize-winning essay on the subject in her High School days was lent to us; and Mrs. Dave Watson, widow of the man whose dream has become a reality on the Marsh.

Chapter I.
The Holland River Marsh

To-day one of the richest and most widely known Garden Tracts in Ontario is that known as the Bradford or the Holland Marsh. In the vegetable stores across Canada and in parts of the United States, you will see potatoes, celery, lettuce, onions and carrots etc., bearing boastfully the label "Bradford Marsh" or simply "Marsh" as a sign of quality. But the Bradford Marsh not always was a gardener's paradise. Unbelievable as it may now seem, it was once nothing but an impassable marsh or Tamarac swamp, covering thousands of acres.
Beginning about Schomberg and flowing or moving in a very sluggish manner in a north-easterly direction towards Lake Simcoe is the stream known as the Holland River, so named after a Major S. Holland, Surveyor General of Canada, who in 1791 visited the river in making a general survey of the Lake Simcoe region. This is the main river and it is joined by an eastern or Holland landing tributary at a place called Soldier's Landing or Soldier's Bay, about seven miles from the mouth. At one time, navigation to Lake Simcoe points from Soldier's Landing consisted of small craft. In 1850, when boats were larger and the western or main branch of the river was found to be much easier to navigate, having deeper water and broader streams and not so choked with marsh at the eastern branch, the steamer "Beaver" went on to the Bradford Holland River bridge.

In 1819, the first settlers in South Simcoe, the Wallaces, the Armstrongs and the Algeos crossed the river with great difficulty and landed at what is now known as the old wharf in the Scotch Settlement. Here for some years was the only river crossing and that was by a ferry pulled by ropes.

By this time, the settlement of Bradford had become an accomplished fact and the question of some method of crossing the marsh and river so as to give easier access to the Holland Landing had arisen. Petitions were sent to county councils and the Government and finally, under the constant urging of Wm. Armson, Reeve of West Gwillimbury and Warden of the County, money grants were given and a road was made from Bradford to the river by laying logs across a width of marsh and filling in with earth. This was the corduroy road, the logs of which were still visible many years afterwards. Then to cross the river, a floating bridge was laid down and a through direct road from Bradford to the Landing was completed and the Marsh was at least partly conquered. The ferry at the old wharf was discontinued.

In 1837, George Lount, Government Surveyor, surveyed as a townsite, the spot on the south of the river just beyond the floating bridge, known as Amsterdam, and the streets were laid out bearing such good Holland names as De Ryder, De Witt, Van Dyke, Rubens, etc., but the townsite remained as only a townsite and no town arose, so in 1869 a lumberman named Thompson Smith acquired the patent of the unused site and built two sawmills, one on each side of the road, just beyond the bridge. And the marsh was still largely unconquered. Rafts of logs were brought up the river by the tugs "Victoria" and "Isabella" and this helped to keep the river fairly clear of weeds. The wreck of the "Isabella" lay near the railway bridge not so many years ago and is now probably lying on the bottom of the river.

The superintendent of the sawmills was James Durham and 1870, Mr. Durham cut the floating bridge in two, in order to get the logs through and this caused a lot of trouble, but led to the erection of a bridge above the water. This bridge was 420 feet long and was completed in April, 1871, the builder being Thomas McConkey of Gilford.

To the many men working in the mills, the great marsh became a familiar sight and the thought entered someone's head why not cut that marsh grass or hay, twist it into ropes and sell it, and so was born the marsh hay industry and some use at least was made of the great waste of land. The hay was twisted by laying it in long V-shaped troughs with a crank at the end and by turning this crank, the hay was twisted into long ropes. Later hay-balers were brought into use and the hay was baled instead of twisted into ropes. This marsh hay was used for stuffing mattresses. Marsh hay twisting went on for years and might still be the only marsh industry, had not a bright idea entered the head of one D. W. (Dave) Watson, an intelligent, energetic young farmer of the Scotch Settlement, who, however, had come into Bradford and acquired a grocery business, where the Village Inn now stands.

This bright idea was, why not dredge a canal and drain the marsh and so turn waste land into productive soil. Mr. Watson got Professor Day of Guelph Agricultural College interested in his idea and so was laid the germ that has sprouted into the now famous Bradford Marsh Gardens.

Chapter II.
The Horses Wore Boots

The first industrial boom on the Holland Marsh was the harvesting and "curling" of marsh hay to fill mattresses.

Three Frenchmen, Paul Courier and his son-in-law, Joe Le Duc and Charlie La Vince, were the first in the marsh-hay business, certainly the first within the memory of that veteran marshman B. B. Collings. These Frenchmen were instructed in the curling of hay by a man from Montreal and in the early 80's began what developed into a big industry.

A pair of strong hands and a scythe equipped these pioneer hay harvesters. They cut the hay with a scythe and twisted it into ropes, about the size and length of a broom handle, by hand. A man could twist about 20 of these ropes per day, and, after curling in such ropes for at least three months, they were uncurled and teased by the mattress makers to fill springy mattresses.

The Bradford youngsters of the 80's were looking for work in the 90's, and, with the demand for curled marsh hay for mattresses steadily increasing, several of these boys joined the hay harvesters. Among them were Louis Chapelle, the Collings brothers, B.B, Dan and Ernie, Tom Morris, James Armstrong, B. Caesar and Murphy and Josh Goodwin of Holland Landing. Hay cutting was done on a much larger acreage. To supply the demand the hay ropes increased in size to three and then four times the size of the first ropes, although Mr. Collings informs, like most increased production, this larger curl was not nearly so good for mattresses as the small curl first made. Probably the most progressive step in the hay cutting of the '90's was that horse-drawn mowers replaced hand-powered scythe in harvesting marsh hay.

But the boggy marsh would not carry a horse. Horses and cattle became mired and sank in the bog as if in quick sand. And here it was that the ingenuity of the hay men made it possible to work horses on that boggy marshland. Men could travel over soft snow on snow shoes, why couldn't horses be carried over marsh land with some such equipment? The experiment was tried and worked. With wooden boots (rectangular boards) fastened to their feet, the horses pulled the mowers which cut the hay. Mr. B. B. Collings states that the horses became quite accustomed to these "boots" and walked on them with assurance and ease. In fact, the horses used on the marsh came to depend so much upon their "boots" to carry them over the treacherous ground that they would balk and refuse to step on marshland until so equipped.

And the marsh hay business continued to grow, reaching its peak about 1914 and 1915. By that time, hay was being cut on about 12,000 acres, following the river from south of Bradford to the lake.
Hay pressing became a feature of marsh hay harvesting. B. B. Collings informs that he bought his first horse press in 1904 and his first power bailing press in 1912.

From the marsh hay business another industry arose. Just before the turn of the century, B. B. Collings went into the making of mattresses, conducting this business on the lot where J. Gapp now resides. "And," says Mr. Collings, "if any of the young fellows to-day think they know what hard work is, they should have seen me then. I worked day and night." After this experience, Mr. Collings spent a time in Toronto working at mattress making and furniture upholstering, before returning to Bradford and the marsh, in which he still holds a big interest.
James Armstrong and B. Caesar, two others whose names were associated with the early "marsh hay" days, are also still marshland owners, and sons of the aforementioned Thos. Morris, carry on the work their father began as a marshman.

Chapter III.
Pre-Drainage Days On The Marsh

"When the wild ducks and gees," of which there were thousands upon thousands on the marsh up to 20 years ago, "rose as a flock into the air, they hid the sun," states Mrs. Peter Catania, who, with her husband and the six eldest members of her family came to the property they now occupy, and which they purchased from John Maurino in April, 1918. Deer, partridge and rabbits were also very plentiful on the area. The pheasants, for which the marsh was famous for a number of years, only made their appearance about 20 years ago after residents obtained pheasant eggs from the Government.
The Catania property is on the 2nd concession of King, and, compared to the road on that concession 30 years ago, the marsh roads of to-day are wonderful. The little settlement then included the Sweezie family, the Taits, the Speziallis, the Simones, the Cooks and the Catanias. Practically isolated when the roads were at their worst, the little community had a social life of its own. In the evenings they congregated in one home, usually for music, and it is to those musical evenings that credit is given for the good music in Holland Landing United Church to-day, where the Taits and Cooks now reside, and for the family orchestras, which developed among the Catanias and Speziallis.
One of Mrs. Catania's memories of those early roads was at the time of the death of Mrs. Sweezie 22 years ago. Mr. Kilkenny had to make the trip in from the highway with a horse and wagon.

That an Indian settlement was at one time located on the edge of the marsh is the belief of Mrs. Catania. Only last year, her son John, while at work on the property, found an Indian arrow. Another oddity at the entrance to the property is a large stone marked with a cross apparently hand hewn.

The Catania family developed a market-garden business on semi-high land, and their gardens were inspected by the late Prof. W. H. Day during his investigations before drainage was started.

Chapter IV.
Men of Vision

When a big and expensive project proves its worth, its promoters are eulogized and its opponents are often the subject of criticism, therefore, it is with considerable hesitancy that we enter upon the recordings of the marsh drainage scheme, all of which predated our knowledge of this area. There appears to be a considerable difference of opinion regarding just who conceived the idea of draining the marsh, but it is a agreed by several that the success of drainage under somewhat similar conditions in southwestern Ontario probably gave birth to the idea here.

The late D. W. Watson was an enthusiastic supporter of the drainage project and his name is mentioned in connection with the bringing here of the late Prof. W. H. Day to inspect the area. Professor Day was, at the time of his first visit, about 1910, Professor of Physics and an authority on drainage in the Ontario Agricultural College, Guelph. Born near Lindsay, Professor Day graduated from the University of Toronto in 1903.

Professor Day, after a careful examination and gaining knowledge of reclamation schemes in Essex and Kent Counties and study of the local conditions, advised in favour of the scheme. He recommended three things:

1. Construct a cut-off ditch or canal around the marsh along the base of the highland to prevent the water from flowing onto the marsh or into the old river bed. If this was done then the highland water shut off from the upper river would be diverted along the canals, which would empty into the river below the reclaimed area.
2. Construct a dam across the river at the lower end of the reclaimed area, so that the lake water could not back up the enclosed portion of the old river bed.
3. Install a pumping plant to pump the water from the enclosed section of the river over the dam, whence it would flow into the lake.

Returning to Guelph, Professor Day, in co-operation with W. D. Watson and E. Collings, had a test made the following year. A small plot of marsh muck was heaped behind the mill property and vegetables were planted. So satisfactory did it prove that the celery carried off top honours at the local Fall Fair. In 1911, the Holland Marsh Syndicate, with other owners, was organized.

But the First Great War, with its terrific toll in men and money, halted progress and development throughout the Dominion and the plans for the drainage of the Holland Marsh were shelved for the war's duration.

Chapter V.
$25 Voted Toward Engineer's Survey

Discussions in Council regarding the draining or reclaiming of the marsh land lying along or adjacent to the Holland River, where this stream forms the boundary between the Townships of King and West Gwillimbury, date back about 30 years, according to minutes in old Minute Books of West Gwillimbury Council.

In 1910 a motion is recorded as passed by the Council of that year "granting the sum of twenty five dollars ($25.00) toward a fund, to help defray the expenses of an engineer, toward the lowering of the water int he Holland River and the marsh land adjacent thereto, in connection with the Township of King, with the distinct understanding that we incur no further liability." Later in the same year, a communication received from Alex Baird was ordered filed and the secretary was instructed to communicate with the Township of King and other municipalities interested in the drainage of the marsh lands.

In 1911, a deputation, composed of Mr. L. Gibbons, councillor of King Township, and Mr. W. D. Watson of Bradford addressed West Gwillimbury Council, pointing out the advantages which would be bound to come to the municipalities concerned if the marsh lands were drained, stressing the fact that land which was assessed at less than $1.00 an acre would, when reclaimed, be worth $40.00 or $50.00 an acre.

Evidently King Township Council was also approached on the matter because minutes of March 4, 1911, record that Mr. W. D. Watson of Bradford presented a motion passed by King Township Council on motion of R. W. Phillips and N. J. Willis, "that the Clerk be instructed to correspond with W. D. Watson of Bradford and notify him that if the Councils of Bradford and West Gwillimbury meet, and have Mr. Baird, the engineer, present, the members of this Council will be pleased to meet with them and discuss the advisability of reclaiming the marsh."

This communication was signed by A. MacMurchy, reeve.
But enthusiasm did not run high and the reply of West Gwillimbury Council to this proposal is reported to have been that "owing to the lack of interest on the part of the owners of marsh land in the West Gwillimbury side of the Holland River, we, the Council of the said municipality, are of the opinion that meeting with the Councils of King and Bradford would not, accomplish anything. We are also of the opinion that this marsh can be drained only by a private capital and this Council will encourage every effort and render such assistance from time to time as seems to them advisable and that a copy of this resolution be forwarded to the King Council."

This appears to have been the general attitude on the subject when the First Great War broke out and from 1914 to 1919 the drainage of the marsh area was pretty much a dormant subject. In 1919, Professor Day returned to make further investigations and about 1922 the interest of the marsh landowners and members of the syndicate was sufficiently aroused to promote an attempt to arrange for such drainage, financed by private capital. This failed.
(To be Continued)

Attendance is Representative at Unveiling of Cairn

The unveiling of the Professor W.H. Day memorial cairn, with bronze plaque, which was erected by the combined efforts of the Tourist and Industrial Committee of Simcoe County Council and the municipalities of Bradford, West Gwillimbury Township and King Township, at Bradford town hall on Sunday afternoon in recognition of the valued service given to this district by the late professor in the reclamation of the Holland Marsh, attracted a very representative assemblage. The Province of Ontario was represented by the M.P.P. for Simcoe Centre, George G. Johnston, who was accompanied by his wife. The Ontario Agricultural College was represented by its president, Dr. J.D. MacLachlan, and several members of its staff. The Ontario Archaeological and Historical Sites Advisory Committee had representation in Wm. Cranston, editor of the Midland Free Press, who is also secretary of the County Tourist and Industrial Committee. The counties of Simcoe and York were represented by their wardens, and in Simcoe, by many members of the county council. The county Tourist and Industrial Committee had present practically its entire personnel. The townships of West Gwillimbury and King, and the town of Bradford were represented by their reeves and councils as well as by many residents from these municipalities.

The members of the late Professor Day's family were present with the exception of Stella (Mrs. Caughey) who resides in St. Andrews, N.B., but she was represented by her son, Michael, a student at the University of New Brunswick, presently employed in the civil service at Ottawa for the summer months. Attending were the two sons, William and Harry with their wives and families and the other daughter, Ida (Mrs. Ray Smith) with her husband and family.

Reeve D. Arthur Evans of Bradford was chairman for the program, welcoming the visitors and expressing appreciation to those who had given assistance to the project and to the arrangements for the unveiling day, naming particularly Mr. Louis A. Neilly who designed the cairn. Rev. F.G. MacTavish of Bradford United Church led in prayer and speakers on the program included Reeve Lawson Robinson of Elmvale, Chairman of the Tourist and Industrial Committee for Simcoe County; Reeve Percy Selby of West Gwillimbury and William Hodgson of King Township; Wardens John Small of Simcoe County and M. McMeachie of York County; Charles Davis of the Holland Marsh; Wm. Cranston of the Tourist and Industrial Committee and member of the Ontario Archaeological and Historical Sites Advisory Committee; George G. Johnson, M.P.P., Simcoe Centre; Dr. J.D. MacLachlan, President of the O.A.C. and Professor R.C. Moffat of the O.A.C. and former colleague of the late Professor Day. The latter two gentlemen were introduced by Glen Henderson, a graduate of the college. Immediately following the unveiling ceremony by William N. Day, elder son of the late Professor Day, C.T.S. Evans, Q.C., whose father, the late T.W.W. Evans, Q.C., as municipal solicitor, played a prominent role at the time of the reclamation of the marsh, spoke briefly and read a letter from Rev. Harold W. Vaughan, Th.D., D.D. now of Brantford, who was minister of the United Church here previous to and at the time of Professor Day's death. Quoting that letter:
"It is a splendid thing which the people of this County of Simcoe and the Townships of West Gwillimbury, King and the Village of Bradford, undertake to do this day. For over three years it was my privilege to know Professor Day and to see the determination with which he pursued a great vision - a vision which took him out of the Agricultural College, away from the cleanliness and order of classroom instruction into the muck and toil of labour on the Marsh. However, he knew it could be done. He was certain that the Marsh could be drained, irrigation ditches strategically placed, and eventually a battle of moisture control won and productive vegetable land created on a large scale.

Unfortunately, Professor Day was not spared to see the fulfillment of his vision, although even at that date, enough of its promise was there for him to know that he had been right.

The problem of marketing of the attendant economy, of the finalizing of chemical research in fertilizers, and above all, the detail of storing and packaging, still had to be conquered. I well remember the time that Professor Day died of a heart attack while working in the Marsh itself. It seemed, in a way, pathetic and yet there was also something of majestic triumph in the manner of his death, for he died working at the task to which he had given himself unstintingly across the years, and today the people of all this area know a new prosperity and opportunity because of the vision and perseverance of this fine man.

Thus, to honour his memory is not only to pay tribute to the past and to the vision of one who was more largely responsible than any other for the present result, but it is also to commit yourselves as citizens of these areas to a continued interest in this project and to its consistent growth for the welfare not only of the people here but of consumers throughout the whole land."

Gordon, Trudy, Frances, and Auke Ellens in front of their home in the Holland Marsh. They are standing beside their cookstove, which was used outside the house until the chimney was installed (the chimney pictured was newly installed). Auke Ellens had immigrated from the Netherlands.

Early harvesting methods on the Holland Marsh. Carrots were stored in bushel baskets.

Rescuers search for trapped families in the Marsh, in aftermath of Hurricane Hazel. From "And The Swamp Flourished", by Albert VanderMey, published 1994, available in Bradford at d'Olde Stee.

The interior of a store after hurricane Hazel.

If you have any information about this photo, please contact the Library at 905-775-3328

The interior of store after hurricane Hazel.

If you have more information about this photo, please contact the Library at 905-775-3328

One year after Hurricane Hazel, before the canal was dug out.

Auke Ellens' store interior after the flood of Hurricane Hazel