Stories by Ian McKechnie
Local History
So why should I care about the coronation?
The coronation is fast approaching, and I’m already feeling queasy.
Local History
Up and away: The thrills of flight in Kawartha Lakes
About 120 years ago, brothers Wilbur and Orville Wright took off from Kitty Hawk, North Carolina in what has been celebrated as the first flight in an aircraft.
Lifestyle
Declining Church attendance in Kawartha Lakes
In 1937, the Rev. J. Cunningham Grier gathered on the front steps of St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in Lindsay with members of the church’s Bible class for a group photo.
Local History
Remembering Flora McCrea Eaton
One hundred years ago, in 1923, the famed (yet nearly bankrupt) financier Sir Henry Pellatt was forced to give up his beloved Casa Loma, in midtown Toronto.
Local History
Punching out
From the flour mills, sawmills, and woollen mills of the nineteenth century to the sprawling industrial complexes of the mid-twentieth century and beyond, factories have long provided steady jobs to local citizens.
Local History
Sandwiches and such: The story of Cragg's Box Lunch
It’s a crisp February day in Lindsay more than 70 years ago.
Arts + Culture
St. Thomas Aquinas takes on High School Musical in production at Flato Academy Theatre
Theatregoers will have a chance to see St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Secondary School bring High School Musical to the FLATO Academy Theatre’s stage on Feb. 24 and 25.
Local History
Dashing through the snow: Sleighing and sleigh rides
Although it is customary to sing “Dashing through the snow/ In a one-horse open sleigh” during the Christmas season, the snow is often not plentiful enough for a good old-fashioned sleigh ride until at least January.
Local History
“Make it an Electrical Christmas” Remembering appliances from long ago
It’s a snowy Christmas Day in Lindsay some 65 years ago.
Local History
The Pipes & Drums of Lindsay at 50
The skirl of the great highland bagpipe has the poignant potential to bring a lump to the throat of anyone — even those who do not claim Scottish ancestry.
Local History
Veteran Leonard Green remembers his service as a ‘store basher’
Some years ago, I had the opportunity to act as an interpreter for a living history exhibit about the lesser-known stories of those who served behind the front lines of the First World War.
Local History
Disability in Kawartha Lakes: A century of raising awareness
In 1900, a letter from Samuel Suddaby, clerk of Somerville Township, crossed the desk of George Lytle, publisher of the Lindsay Watchman-Warder.
Local History
A history of caretakers in Kawartha Lakes
Whether a school, a municipal facility, a place of worship or a local business, a building’s appearance is likely to garner comment.
Local History
Down at the boathouse
Ninety-five years ago the world was introduced to The Hardy Boys, a series of juvenile detective stories ghostwritten by prolific Canadian journalist Leslie McFarlane (1902-1977) under the pen name Franklin W. Dixon.
Local History
Pedalling to Peniel
In the closing lines of the musical Les Misérables, Valjean, Fantine and Eponine sing one of the most remarkable lines in musical theatre.
Local History
50 fascinating historical facts about Kawartha Lakes
In celebration of the Advocate’s 50th edition, we've put together 50 interesting historical tidbits about Kawartha Lakes.
Local History
The Lindsay Rotary Club: 100 years of service
Even if we aren’t Rotarians ourselves, many of us can trace some connection to the Lindsay Rotary Club, which this year marks its 100th anniversary.
Local History
From dairy farm to breakfast bowl
A brilliant sunrise decks the skies over Lindsay one spring morning 60, 70 or 80 years ago as the rhythmic clip-clop-clip-clop of horse hooves reverberates a quiet residential avenue.
Local History
Heart of a servant: The life and legacy of Catherine 'Kay' Hawkins
Sometime in 1948, an unidentified photographer — probably a student enrolled at Lindsay Collegiate Institute — had more than a dozen members of the Victoria County buildings staff pose on the east steps of the county courthouse (now City Hall).
Local History
How the Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen fought the Grand Trunk Railway in the strike of 1910
Those of us attending elementary or high school in Kawartha Lakes during February of 2008 will no doubt recall the CUPE (Canadian Union of Public Employees) strike which dominated local headlines for much of that month.
Local History
'The King is dead. Long live the Queen.'
She looks back at us from coins, stamps and the $20 banknote. Her portrait is displayed in schools, post offices and Legion halls across the country.
Local History
Down at the rink: Skating through the decades
It’s mid-January, and you are cutting through the parking lot between the Shell station on Lindsay Street South and The Comfort Zone Sleep Shop.
Local History
Santa is coming to Kawartha Lakes
The rituals have scarcely changed over the years. Families bundled up in scarves and mittens make their way downtown to watch a parade in which the most distinguished participant brings up the rear, serenaded by the strains of festive music.
Local History
To preserve and protect: Conservation officers in Kawartha Lakes
Mid-November of 1892 saw Lindsay artist W.A. Goodwin join well-known hunter Joe Thornhill on a week-long jaunt into the wilds of Digby Township in the north end of Victoria County.
Local History
The Life of Brenda O'Keefe
Pedestrians walking to the north end of St. Paul Street will encounter a curious-looking house set back among the trees, just as the road curves to become Denniston Street. From one angle, the home resembles a typical suburban bungalow; from another, it evokes the look of a small cottage.
Local History
What's in a name? School identities come from a rich history
Ontario’s students have returned to their classrooms this month after a long period of remote learning. As they make their way off school buses or cross the threshold of school foyers, few may pause to consider how their school got its name.
Local History
Plunging into the past
Back in the late summer of 2005, when I entered LCVI, I discovered that I had phys ed slotted into first period on my timetable. If the weather cooperated, we Grade 9 boys would often be trooped outside to run circuits on the enormous track immediately east of the Lindsay school.
Local History
In search of Grass Hill
The evening of June 8, 1912, saw a typical scene play out in Grass Hill, some five kilometres east of Woodville. Train No. 31, bound for Orillia, was waiting at the Grand Trunk Railway’s diminutive station to take on commuters. John Staples, then the storekeeper at Grass Hill, had disembarked after spending the day in Lindsay.
Local History
Through history’s eyes: Exploring forgotten cemeteries
I got lost as I was looking for it — the Blakely Farm cemetery, that is. When I ought to have gone due south on Old Mill Road in the former Ops Township, I instead made a left turn and ended up cycling through some of the most spectacular scenery in this part of Kawartha Lakes.
Local History
The heights and depths of water infrastructure
As April showers turn to May flowers, and as we begin to unwind our garden hoses in anticipation of another season of fresh vegetables and verdant lawns rivalling that of the best-kept golf course, it’s hard to ignore water — even though we do tend to take it for granted. We know there is an elaborate labyrinth of pipes and culverts beneath our feet, and we may be vaguely aware that these are connected to imposing water towers that let us know that we have arrived in Lindsay (or Fenelon Falls, or Bobcaygeon.)
