Phil Egan Seventy-eight years ago this week the subject of war was on the lips of everyone in Sarnia. The crisis in Europe seemed to be the only subject of conversation among family, friends, and even strangers on the street, the Canadian Observer reported in its Aug. 24, 1939 edition. [...]
Canadian military guards on horseback keep watch over a group of German soldiers captured at Hill 70 in France. Source: Library and Archives Canada Tom Slater and Tom St. Amand Just four months after the Battle of Vimy Ridge, Canadian troops took part in another campaign that’s known as “Canada’s [...]
The Kenwick Terrace building, as seen from George Street, circa 1951. Photo courtesy, John Rochon collection Phil Egan Back in the 1960s, my brother and I would go up to Kenwick Terrace to watch the wrestling matches. Leaping Larry Chene and Johnny Powers were two of the stars that used [...]
Portrait of a woman, whose name is not recorded, taken at the Robinson photography studio of Sarnia, 1865-1867. Photo courtesy, John Rochon Collection George Mathewson A few weeks ago we tried to illustrate what life was like here at the time of Confederation in a project called ‘Sarnia: 1867.’ But [...]
Electrified trains like this one, introduced in 1902, reduced the risk of coal fumes in the St. Clair River Tunnel. Photo courtesy, Dave Burwell Collection, Sarnia Historical Society Phil Egan By 1902 there had already been multiple deaths by asphyxiation in the St. Clair River Tunnel. In the early days [...]
The late Lois “Sopie” Soper of Sarnia, at a Georgetown University Hospital Ladies Board meeting in Washington, D.C. At the lecturn is Robert Kennedy. Submitted Photo George Mathewson Sarnia Collegiate has produced many notable citizens over the years, from author Marian Engel and actor James “Scotty” Doohan, to Chief Justice [...]
Phil Egan The number on his fire helmet said it all. Jack Babcock was 108 years old. But he was much younger when he began lying about his true age. Looking for adventure, the Kingston-area farm boy signed up to fight with the Royal Canadian Regiment at age 15, telling [...]
Phil EganWhile researching a story recently about a 1914 sawmill fire in Sarnia I came across an item both strange and fascinating.“Two Nervous Women,” was the heading of the single-column story in the Sarnia Observer.It told the tale of two women who had been cured of “palpitation of the heart, [...]
The tank farm at Imperial Oil in Sarnia as seen in the early part of the 20th century. Photo courtesy, Dave Burwell Collection, Sarnia Historical Society Phil Egan The whole, bizarre story began with a tragedy. On Tuesday morning, July 28, 1925, a man was seen pacing back and forth [...]
Journal Staff The Sarnia gravesite of Prime Minister Alexander Mackenzie is in “fair” condition and will be getting some needed repairs, the federal environment minister says. The Mackenzie monument in Lakeview Cemetery was inspected by Parks Canada in November and found to have a number of deficiencies, Catherine McKenna said [...]