Scottish Butter in New England - Bonnie Brae

In 1965, C.W. Paddock donated this clock to the Reston Community Rink that had been erected the year before.  Bonnie Brae was the name of his products made in Reston and later Souris. It is now displayed at the Reston Museum. 

For two decades, Reston was home to a creamery in the building now known as Gray's Transfer. The story begins in 1940 when Cecil William Paddock (1906-1972) came to Elkhorn to manage the creamery there.  "Paddy" -  as he was known to all -  quickly gained fame for the excellent quality of his products.  E. Cora Hind wrote about his fine butter making skills in the Winnipeg Free Press in January of 1940. 

 

WWII interrupted this career while he trained and became an air gunner in the 424 Squadron in the Canadian Air Force. He saw action over Germany, Northern Africa and Italy. Cecil received the Distinguished Flying Cross at a ceremony in Buckingham Palace in 1943 and had the title of Squadron Leader at his discharge in 1946. The Legion Military Service Recognition book Volume 7  page 163 was the source for this information and the picture of him in uniform to the left. 

The Reston Creamery was built by Hazen Bigney south of the railway tracks in April of 1946.  It was  40 x 50 feet frame constructions and  accepted the first cream in July, 1946 from local farmer Roy Campbell.  Lots south of the tracks in Reston were referred to as being in a district called "New England".  Ted Haines and Bill Hollowell were the first to build homes in this area about 1910 and named it after their former homeland. Other homes built to the west of New England were on Lucy Street.  Paddy lived near his work on the west side of First Street, south of town. The house is gone but the trees still mark the yard site. A two level pig barn along with another large barn were northwest of the house as well. The large barn was built for J.D. Reid in 1924 and was home to many a barn dance in the 1930’s.  The small barn was a former livery stable moved in from its original location on Railway Avenue Whey from the creamery was used as part of the feed for the hogs and this Pig Ranch employed local men.  Information about the barns comes from a clipping courtesy of Kelly Donald from December of 1987 when the barns were burned. 

Sign at Reston Museum says - Also available from your driver Bonnie Brae Daily Products: included butter, cream, eggs, ice cream, chocolate milk, buttermilk, cottage cheese, cheddar cheese. 

Photo from Trails Along the Pipestone page 440

Paddy was proud of his Scottish heritage and under the name "Bonnie Brae" he produced 12 million pounds of butter in the old wooden churn before replacing it with a stainless steel churn in 1964. Bonnie Brae means "Pleasant Hill" in the Gaelic language and it is also a street name in Los Angeles.  Coincidently, there is a Bonnie Brae Ice Cream shop today that sells ice cream in Denver, Colorado.  His ice cream and Big Ten ice cream bars are fondly remembered by many for the flavour and the size which makes today's ice cream treats look like appetizers.

Richard, Randall and Russell Boulton with their Big Ten ice cream bars in the early 1960's.

 The slip below is from the days when Thomas Boulton and his family milked cows and separated the cream to sell.  They bought butter there - $2.90 for 5 pounds in 1956. Eggs were bought from farmers as well and graded to be resold to his customers. Many were employed to work in the building and deliver products to other towns and local deliveries. Pick up of the cream cans by a truck at the end of the lane also employed several local men.  It was an important local industry in Reston for almost 2 decades. 

Paddy ran a very successful business but the times were changing.  Once grain prices rose, people reduced the number of milk cows and business gradually fell off. Farmers no longer wanted a small number of milk cows to look after twice a day every day nor needed to sell cream to supplement their income. Dairy was left to specialized farms and they had the ability to process their own butter and cream or send it by truck to the larger Manco dairy in Brandon. The closure of The Peanut Rail Line in 1961 meant there was no convenient way for the cream of some of the farmers to get to Reston either. By 1966, the creamery was partially closed, serving only as a receiving station for Souris Creamery. The creamery closed shortly afterward. 

The picture of the roll of Bonnie Brae butter paper below was sent to me by Kelly Donald.  His Grandpa Doug purchased it for him at the estate auction of Miss Carrie MacAdoo many years ago.  Thanks Kelly!

   

A tender was placed in the Brandon Sun in May of 1968 to purchase the land, buildings and creamery equipment at both Reston and Souris. Paddy continued to farm until he had a sale in about 1972 when he moved to Brandon.  In 1974, the RM of Pipestone approved the sale of the land and building to Paul Gray who had been the butter maker at the creamery.  He began a to build a successful business of his own in New England, Reston- Gray's Transfer.  

Ready for a Game?

Do these two postcards make you feel like you are playing a "Spot The Differences" game?  The top one comes from a collection belonging to John and Verna Olenick from the Winnipeg Photo Company and the bottom is from the Prairie Towns website, likely the work of Boynton and Eaton.  We are fortunate that Reston street scenes were so well photographed and made into postcards to share with relatives back east or overseas. The trend faded out over the years when cameras were more widely privately owned. The postcards continue to turn up in boxes and albums and help me tell the stories of Historic Reston. 

Following along with the theme in the previous post,  buildings were known by the names of original or long time owners. The Cates Block at the far right above (with the coloured glass windows) and the Baldwin Block (with a second floor doorway to nowhere) to the north are the subject of my research today. The birds eye view below facing north shows the Cates Block with a red x and the Baldwin Block with yellow. 

The Cates block was built in 1882 and had a number of tenants including a store and living quarters for the first occupant, James Campbell.  It had upstairs apartments for single men and newcomers and in 1914 it held troops training for war.  Lew Berry ran a grocery store in this building in 1915-16.  Harness shops and later plumbers used the space as well.  The sign over the door at the far north side identifies that office belonged to the vet when these photos were taken in the teens.  Charles H.A. Stevenson was born in Scotland and came to Canada in 1882.  He married Lottie Clark in 1900 and they had a family of 3 girls and 2 boys.  He worked as a veterinary surgeon in the area until about 1920 when they moved to Dauphin area to take up farming. Stevenson died in Winnipeg in 1930.  

In 1918, Alexander Kippen Cates began remodeling for an office in the southwest corner.

"Kip" was born in Wakefield, Quebec in 1877. He came west with his family to homestead in Napinka in the late 1880's.  After attending University of Manitoba, Kip opened a law office in Reston in 1908 and continued until his sudden death in 1946. He and his wife Elizabeth McFetridge had 3 daughters and one son.  They were very involved citizens of the young town with interests in the United Church, the school board, curling, lawn tennis and the Masonic Lodge. In 1998, a University of Manitoba scholarship was started by their family which is offered each year at Reston School in the name of Kippen and Elizabeth Cates.  Two of the most well rounded students (academic, athletic and volunteer) are eligible to receive the income of the fund each year. Many locals continue to benefit from the generosity of the Cates family, over a century since he set up his law practice.

 

Ancestry user Brucet58 graciously gave me permission to use the picture of Kippen above from about 1890 and one below that shows both sides of a postcard that he has in his possession.  It was sent to his brother Rufus in Napinka to show the new house he and his bride had just purchased from the blacksmith, A. E. Majaury. Resident of this house for 60 years, Fletch Manning wrote about it and its history at 377 Fourth Street here in 2006 . 

July 10/10 Real picture postcard to R. Cates in Napinka Man- "I hope you have a glorious Twelfth.  We have been looking for Maggie and Clifford but have seen them not. Our house is on the reverse side. Kip"  (The 12th of July was a big celebratory day for the Masonic order and Maggie and Clifford were Rufus' wife and son.)  

The Cates office building was bought by lawyer Harry Forrest  in taking over his practice after Kippen's death in 1946 and was demolished in the mid 60’s to make room for the new Square Deal Co-op which is currently Hometown Lumber & Supply.  The law office moved to the Municipal Office and then to Reston Place Mall where the original heavy oak lawyer desk, chair and filing cabinet are still in use.

The Baldwin block further up the street was originally called the Fumerton Block until Thomas Baldwin bought it about 1915. David James Fumerton (1873-1958) and his wife Maggie had a hardware and furniture store as well as doing tin smithing.  Over its lifetime, the building was a hardware, clothing store, second hand store and a tin smith shop with apartments above that included a second floor door to not be opened in the dark! A connection of D.J. (perhaps his nephew) Lloyd Fumerton was the pharmacist in the Chapman Drug Store from 1918-1927 before moving to Treherne to do the same work with his son Douglas. 

How did you do with Spot the Differences? I noticed these 5 but let me know what else you see! 

• the dog on the step of the Cates Block vs another town dog walking behind the car 
• all closed  vs two open doors
• the sign for the Royal Restaurant on the Baldwin Block vs the flange double sided sign below Stevenson DVS sign on the Cates Block
• horses vs cars and men willing to be photographed 
• awnings down the street are pulled in vs out

The Brady Klusen Martin ? Block

If you were directing someone to your apartment in Reston and said it was in the “Martin Block”, Restonites today would know where you lived even without a sign on the building or an address. In days past the same spot was known as the Klusen Block and the Brady Building for previous owners . The historic brick building is home to many over the years and been holding its place on Fourth Street for over 100 years.  The Trails Along the Pipestone (1981) history book helped to follow its occupants over the years for today's post. 

I am in the dark on the significance of these men or when it was taken but the Brady Hardware can be seen over the shoulders of these men on the left side of the picture. Any ideas, blog readers?

This building was built by William Albert Brady in 1916,to replace his business lost in the May 7,1915 fire.  In 1919 when his son Frank returned from WW1, the business Brady and Son was born. They stocked and sold hardware, kitchenware, grease, harness, watches, lawn mowers, buggies and wagon parts along with gas for automobiles.  The father W.A.(Bert) died in 1930 and Frank Brady carried on  until he died in 1950. Frank's wife Ida and their son Bert kept Brady's Hardware going until 1955. 

W.A. Brady Hardware  - far left on this postcard of Reston in 1920's from Prairie Towns website

Another vital service for every citizen in town was under this roof for almost 50 years. The 24 X 40 foot room on the south side of the building was the post office for many years until the present one was built and opened in 1964. It would have been a great location to have customers browse and buy when they were picking up their mail.

Brady Hardware under the red arrow.  Neighbouring businesses were  McMurchy Garage to the south(left) and the barbershop and bakery to the north 

Receipts from 1948, 1956 and 1965 showing the three names and low prices of the times

Champion family picture from
Reflections of Time history book page 262

In 1956, Grandson Bert Brady sold the hardware to W.J. (Bill) Champion and it became a Marshall Wells store, a general hardware chain of the 50's and 60's. Bill was the son of Percy and Margaret (Kilkenny) Champion of the Broomhill district.  He married Merle Winch in 1942 and they had 2 children. Mr. Champion was active on the Golf Club and Chamber of Commerce.  In August of 1964, he led the committee to look into building a swimming pool in the Reston Memorial Park.  Bill was active in the Masonic Lodge and Lion’s Club and Merle was an active 4H leader . 
He continued at the store until 1966 when Verne McConnell took over and operated it until 1970. Verne and his wife Jean and their children David, Chris and Marla were active in the community and youth sports.  They moved to Thompson in July of 1970. 

Photo from 1964 found at McKee Archives at Brandon University

The building was empty a few years until it was used as a Teen Center. In 1974, it opened as a clothing store - Klusens Family Center.  Every member of the family could purchase clothes from Ed Klusen and his daughter Gail at this location. Before opening, Klusen converted the former post office on the north side to a suite and added two more apartments on the second floor.  There are currently six apartments - 5 of them with 2 bedrooms with a coin operated laundry in the back. 

Buck Martin is the current owner and another suite and a laundromat was added at the west side. Thus it is known today as the Martin Block. The building is currently for sale however so your name could be associated with the building next, if you choose to buy it! 

Lies About The County Court

This 110 year old building really demonstrates what I love about living in Reston.  I have lived here over 3 decades and aside for a few days in 2009, it has never been occupied.  I believe it is owned by the RM of Pipestone and it is left to stand, drawing curiosity.  At one point, I may or may not have told my children it was a jail for kids😉.

The County Clerk building was the subject of two different articles in the Reston Recorder in 2004.  One was written by Fletch Manning and the other was David Braddell's work.  There is also information in the Trails Along the Pipestone history book on page 451 and Nancy Schiltroth was helpful as always. Thanks to them, here's what I know today.  

Dr Alva Burton Chapman - approx 1950
Photo loaned from Olenick collection

It was built for Dr. Alva Chapman in September of 1910 after being asked by government authorities to find a place to accommodate a County Court. Fletch's article says leftover bricks from a supply used to build the CPR Round House were used. It sit behind his original drugstore built three years earlier along Second Avenue. A brick building with two windows, one door and a tin roof that holds only a large metal walk in vault which has never been removed because of its weight. The original purpose seems to mainly used to record mortgages and bills of sale. Clerks also assisted with applications for Canadian citizenship. Dr. Chapman rented it to the provincial government for $15 a month and that amount never changed in over 50 years. The building was never wired for electricity or hooked to town water and sewer. A small wood and coal heater supplied some heat when needed. The outside door had a lock to which only Dr. Chapman knew the combination and so most of the time it remain unlocked. The reason being Dr. Chapman once locked the door and left for several days and no one could get in.

The first clerk to work in it was Isaac Grayson Mossop (1864-1933).  He arrived in Canada from England in 1886 and came west to farm, and have a family of 4 or 5 children with his wife, Jessie Ann Rintoul at the turn of the century. The family are in Strathcona, Alberta in the 1906 Census, but the couple seem to have parted ways shortly after.  Ike later returned to Reston with his bride of 1911, Elizabeth Sinclair.  They can be found on the 1921 Canadian census with their three children, Hazel Elizabeth, Ethel May and William Gavin living on the east outskirts of Reston on 9th street where Reimer's house is now.  His brothers John and Anthony, and sisters Mary Alice and Agnes farmed in the area, and Issac farmed NE 36-7-28 in the Hillview district north of Reston, as well as working in the County Clerk building.   

The second clerk was Frank Manning (1870-1945) editor of the Reston Recorder. His office was located right beside this one (where the Drop Inn is now) and he no doubt became the clerk out of convenience. After his death he was succeeded by his daughter Helen (Manning) Ready(1902-1993) who was the last in the position. It was a part-time job for the last two, but Mrs. Ready recalled the poor pay connected with it and felt Ike Mossop must have made a very poor living. The clerk was apparently paid only through fees.

According to this link, the County Courts were to be held in each county of Manitoba six times each year. It seems this was not for criminal charges but mortgages, bills of sale, and property dispute cases that required official rulings.  Judge Arthur Gordon Buckingham and Judge Stephen Emmett Clement were two of the men who served in this position. Court was held in Berry Hall beside the Berry Hardware and later in the Masonic Hall. A bailiff was appointed to serve papers for cases, Ernest H. Edwards and later James Forbes were two who filled this role. Fletch says the latter resigned when he was asked to serve papers or foreclosures on friends or neighbours during tough times.  It was due to an amalgamation of the land titles office in Western Manitoba that the building was no longer needed. In 1960 stacks of old papers and documents were moved to Virden and Brandon. 

The next 60 years have seen only sporadic uses for the building.  The story of pharmacist Wayne Morrow (1937-2004) raising chinchillas in the building got me doing some serious searching. This ad was found in a January 1966 edition of the Brandon Sun.  I've found it takes over 100 pelts to make a coat and the animals were native to the South American mountains.  Extinct in the wild, they are now exclusively raised for fur or pets. The coats, hats, and linings are dark blue gray with stripes of darker and lighter variegations. Fur was very popular in the 1950's and 60's but Fletch reported in her article that the Morrow venture didn't last long.   Yes, Amazon really does sell everything as you can buy a chinchilla coat here.   Scandinavik Fur's website shows a huge variety of styles in outrageous prices.  Well, outrageous for a retired teacher at least. Randy remembers a Jobbins Mink Farm on the outside of Melita. 

Reston Drugs used the space as a Christmas Toy Shop in 1977.  Finally, I recall the Registration Office for the RM of Pipestone's 125th celebration being in this building in 2009. 

A message to my boys, it was never a jail for kids. That was the only little white lie I told you when you were small.  Really. 

Need a Haircut, Anyone?

Fellow Manitobans - are you needing a haircut as much as I am since being in Code Red for so many weeks? Today’s blog post will reminisce on the barbers of Reston. Additions and corrections are always welcome!

Postcard from the Prairie Towns website

Harry Lusk ran the first barber shop on Main Street and also a Mr. Paul in the Wilcox Building. It is pictured above in the middle of the street scene with the long staircase up the side. The building was built just before the turn of the century for grocery and dry goods, before the construction of the G. S. Munro stone store to the north.  It later housed a bakery, ice cream parlour and barber business. Do you see what I think is the barber pole out front?  Mr. Paul left for points further west in 1910 and the Berry Barber reign in Reston began. 

Two brothers to jeweler and hardware merchant E.H. Berry,  Lewis until 1916 and later Harcourt Berry took over barbering in Reston in the Wilcox Building.  Harcourt married Mary Bernice Hinton in 1915.  They had two sons, Edwin Harcourt and Boyd Hinton.

Another postcard from the Prairie Towns website with the barber shop building identified as a Liberal Committee Room with a better image of the barber pole in front - about 1911

The barber shop had a public bath tub in the back for harvesters and railroad men who were only in Reston for a short time.  Barbers cut hair and shaved from their chairs which also served as a social gathering place for the men of the village and beyond.  A punch card was purchased for a dollar and it was good for 6 shaves.  Hired to help barber in the early years include Blake Bolton/Boulton (not directly related to our Boultons but from the same area of Ontario) in 1916-1920. The 1921 census shows Blake as the Wawanesa town barber living with his wife Emma (Bently) and two young children.  

In 1934, fire destroyed the barber shop when a fire began in the bake shop. Harcourt Berry was determined to carry on and he decided to move a building from Pipestone for his new barber shop.  It had been a Royal Bank built in 1922 and moving it the 7 miles would have been no small feat even with four 15-30 International tractors.  It carried its own wild west  legend with it  - a bullet hole from law enforcement gun.  Apparently a bank robbery gone wrong which I will have to dig more into.  I imagine the bullet hole and story were to be shared with new patrons with pride!

Harcourt Berry remodeled the interior and an office was partitioned off on the north side for a dentist.  Dr. Haughton carried on dentistry there for many years. This was later used as a section of the shop for a ladies beauty parlour. Harcourt continued his trade in Reston for a total of 56 years.  Harcourt’s son Boyd carried on the family barbering tradition for an amazing 56 years as well, retiring on August 6, 1994. 

Hotel owner Richard V Cusack also manned a barber chair in his building along with Shorty Long and Fred Busby. Randy remembers Elmer Duncan cutting his hair in the 60’s and 70’s in a barber  chair in the basement of his home where Lisa Martin lives today on 5th Street. 

 

Picture from McKee Archives at Brandon University - taken October 1964

Boyd Berry began working with his father in 1936.  He married Eleanor Marion Robertson in 1942 and they had 3 children -  Frederick Harcourt, Darlene and Lorelei. Boyd and Eleanor also farmed south of Reston. Lorelei and her husband Rick Bloomer live in the beautiful brick home on the corner of First Avenue and Fourth Street which was her grandfather Harcourt's home starting in 1935.  Two pool tables were moved across from the Reston House Hotel to create Berry's Barber and Billiards.  Boyd sold the property in 1985 and the building was demolished in 1994 to make room for the new Credit Union building.  The clippings used on today's post come from a collection belonging to Verna and John Olenick.  Men's haircuts in Reston have capably been carried out by stylists/hairdressers/beauty shops that will need to wait for another post.  Just as my hair waits for another two weeks. 😒