"The Pine River, as it flows through Dufferin and Simcoe Counties on its way to the Nottawasaga River and Georgian Bay, has an illustrious history dating to the 1820's. With in Mulmur Township in the County of Dufferin, on the Niagra Escarpment, the Ministry of Natural Resources acquired 190 acres of the Pine River Valley in 1971. Parts of this property were first acquired from the Crown in 1836, 1839 and 1874. Most of the land remained dormant during the years when the surrounding townships were settled. Only a portion of the area was cleared in the 1800's. The rest of the property remained carpeted with virgin timber until the Dufferin Light and Power Company began clearing the area while constructing the power dam..."
"Karen Brinkos had good reason to smile last Saturday. The attractive 19-year-old Bradford girl was chosen Harvest Queen at the first Harvest Festival held in the Ukrainian Cultural Centre on the weekend. Karen represented the Slovak peoples. Her parents, Mike and Julia Brinkos, won't learn about their daughter's achievement until they return from vacation in their native Czechoslovakia."
"The Toronto Telegram, now defunct, ran this week's photographs in the 1950s, showing the Holland Marsh harvest. Even then the marsh was prized for its productivity and the great opportunities for employment it provided. The photos are included in a collection at the Simcoe County Museum in Midhurst."
"The Gay Sixties held their final Euchre Night of the season at their hall on Frederick Street last Friday. The climax of the evening was the quilt, afghan and grocery draw. Shown with the quilt, won by Diane Beauca of Newmarket, who was absent for the draw are (from left) Gay Sixties president Irene Dow, Bertha Langford, who performed the drawing, and three of the ladies who made the quilt, Eva Wright, Irene Turner, and Harriett Sturgeon. Mrs. Dow expressed thanks to everyone who helped and took part in making the six Euchre Nights a success."
"West Gwillimbury Township council appeared to be quite a sedate crew in 1903, when this week's historical photo was taken. Standing are John Lee, grandfather of Sam Lee of Bradford; Charles Stewart; and S. George Hodgson, father-in-law of Mrs. Ernest (Lillian) Hodgson of Frederick Street, Bradford, who submitted the photo. Sitting are Jack Neely; Robert Thorpe; William Wood, one-time postmaster; and Tom Ritchie."
"This week's photo was submitted by Max Morris of Stayner and shows the Holland River from the CNR bridge as it looked in the 1920s. Mr. Morris writes that much of the marsh had not yet been drained when this photo (looking north) was taken. The fisherman in the foreground is believed to be William Semenuk. The docks on the right are now part of Varley's Marina where the Snowarama route begins this Sunday, February 5."
"John Diefenbaker, Canada's 13th Prime Minister, will be making a sentimental journey on October 15 when he visits the York-Simcoe area. It was 18 years ago when The Chief last appeared in this area. The year was 1958, and his visit came on the eve of that year's federal election when the Conservatives swept to the greatest ever victory for any Canadian government. Of 245 seats in the House of Commons, Diefenbaker's candidates claimed 205 of them to form the most powerful majority government in Canadian history."
"Kenneth Seim of Toronto, a former resident of Bradford, submitted this week's photograph. It shows the 35-piece Canadian Army Service Crops Brass Band performing in Bradford during "Three Gala Days" sponsored by the Royal Canadian Legion, Sunday, July 31, 1962, Mr. Seim thinks the band came from Camp Borden. "This used to be quite an occasion. We all used to look forward to it," says Mr. Seim."
"The original town of Bradford well is still producing good water on the site behind the community centre. This week's photos, submitted by Fred 'Colly' Collings shows the site as it looked in 1930 when the well was being drilled. In photo number three, from the left, are the Hon. Earl Rowe, G. G. Groen the town clerk, Reeve Nolan, the resident engineer, unidentified man and Fred Gowland. The contractors were Carl and Sharp, and the engineers were Proctor and Redfern. The Witness welcomes photos of interest. They will be returned after publication.
"On the way west! Well, maybe. Last Thursday, the great Canadian wagon train made its way through Bond Head. Here the group is making its way up the hill on Highway 27. The horses took a run to make it up the hill, then had to pull in so they wouldn't run away going down the other side. The main feature of the event was the long lineup of cars waiting to pass the train. The train was re-routed off Highway 27 to Alliston and by Tuesday still had not passed Barrie."
