Band music at Laskay in King Township

These two ancient photos of Laskay Union Cornet Band members are sadly unidentified...with two exceptions.   The leader of the band in the top photo is Abraham Carley, who was also a school teacher at Kinghorn.   This photo was taken in 1908 when the fine brass band was always a popular attraction, especially at fall fairs.   The band is posing in front of the Laskay Temperance Hall, which still stands today in an attractively restored fashion.  The gentleman standing in the bottom photo, at the right rear, is Leonard Glass, my wife's maternal grandfather.   Len was born in 1886, so I'm guessing this photo was taken between 1905 and 1910, which is the half-decade of the Laskay band's existence.   The back-drop in the lower photo shows a scene of Niagara Falls and the Maid of the Mist, which began its journeys in 1846.   No doubt the gentlemen of this band were a source of tremendous pride for the citizens of King Township because of both their stirring musicianship and splendid uniforms.    

Gettin' around King Township in 1916

My wife's grandfather Len Glass, at left, is pictured with his brother Norm, the family dog, and Len's wife Elsie, behind the wheel of their 1915 Jackson Olympic "46", a 4cylinder model costing $1,395.   The Olympic was built in Jackson, Michigan and boasted an immense fund of reserve power that made 'No hill too steep - no sand too deep'.   When the seasons changed and snow was the order of the day, the Jackson was put away and out came the one-horse open sleigh with jingle bells (below).   Len Glass is pictured standing while his brother Ernest and sister Margaret are ready for a ride.

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BWW

Only in Ontario - so far

Photo by Barry Wallace

I headed out of King City this morning to do a little birdwatching and came upon this odd-looking contraption where the the CN railway tracks cross Dufferin Street, south of Eversley.   I had to stop for a picture, of course, and to make an enquiry of the work crew.   Officially, this is a transporter.   It can go on paved roads and railways.   Specifically, it is designed to deliver, along the tracks, crushed aggregate which is used as the bed material for ties and tracks.   The fellow I spoke with said it was the only machine of its kind in Ontario, Maybe in Canada, and it was brand new.   Considering the high volume of commuter train traffic on this line, I suppose it makes sense to maintain tracks using the most modern and efficient equipment available.   No doubt, this nifty number will attract its share of attention (and double-takes) up and down the line, for the next little while.   Two more trains have been added to the Toronto commuter runs and the King City station parking lots are jammed to over-flowing.

Please comment if you wish.

BWW

New blog

I'm sometimes challenged to find time to write my 'BarrytheBirder" blog and here I am launching another blog called camera on KING.   I've always had an interest in the history of King Township, where I've lived for 55 of my 70 years.   That interest lies both in the past and the present.   Recording the old and the new resulted in my writing a 300 page family history book a couple of years ago.   Much of the books content takes place in King Township and that's mainly because my wife Linda's family dates back to the early 1800s in this area.   My intention is not to dwell exclusively in the past however, because King is changing and I'd like to make note of the transitions, particularly through the use of photographs.   The photos I use shall be old photos taken by others and new ones taken by me.   My intention is that camera on KING will have an historic slant, but the subject matter will often by topical and always eclectic.   This brief introduction must suffice as I have work to do in producing what I hope will be a daily visual offering of King's yesterday and today.   There are 20,000 of us in this beautiful, pastoral community on the edge of Canada's largest city, so the the potential viewer-ship is limited, but I hope to make some kind of contribution to our recorded local history that will be of interest.
Please comment if you wish.
BWW