Laundry Day Story

Happy New Year blog readers!  May 2023 be a year of new discoveries in and around old Reston!  Today's subject came arose from the family of Bev Lockhart sharing some papers from the history of W Lockhart & Sons Garage as previously detailed here. In trying to distract myself from my own pile of laundry, I did a little digging in the Recorder Archive and the local history book. 

 S.H. Dayton purchased Lot 1 of Block 4 from Sam Woo from Canton, China in 1937 to secure the land for his garage property, later Lockhart's Garage. It hasn't been easy to trace Sam Woo as ownership seemed to change rather frequently and the Chinese men were given English names which may not match over place and time.  

Chinese labourers that built the Transcontinental Railway were on their way back east and the prairies were a spot of opportunity for Chinese restaurants and laundries. The discrimination of the times meant they could not be hired to work for others but had to establish their own businesses to survive.  It was not an easy life as detailed here in a Vantage Point article  from Turtle Mountain Souris Plains Heritage Association (TMSPHA). The Canada Cafe in Reston along with the Modern/Panda Cafe were popular spots in town for many years. 

A Chinese laundry business was established at the northeast corner of First (Railway)  Avenue and Third Street in the early days of the 1900's. Lee Sam was laundryman and published his prices in this ad in the Recorder in January of 1913.  Prices range up to 40 cents for men's overalls and $1.00 for a quilt.  Linens as well as clothing were cleaned and pressed in the shop.  

We call for and deliver work free to any part of town. All work is done by hand and is not torn or injured by machinery. We absolutely guarantee all our work.

 The Trails Along the Pipestone history book describes the laundry as a ramshackle affair on the street corner with a lean to on the side. Laundrymen lived and worked in the same cramped space with clotheslines behind and a slough for a backyard.  A pot belly stove served many duties -  heat for the room and the water, cooking and heating up his pressing irons.  He had a cart for deliveries.  Many men who used his services lived at the hotel as well as the well to do early Restonites. The need for a laundry service was great for a town with many single men working as field hands or on the railway.  They  lived in boarding houses with nowhere to do their laundry. 

A few weeks after the price list was advertised, Lee Hen (or Kin or Ken?) of Winnipeg took over from Lee Kin. (perhaps Lee Sam?)   I do wonder if the language barrier got names mixed up and I have noticed very few ads in the paper over the years. Likely not much extra money could be spent on the ads and those who wanted the service could easily find someone to do it.   The same copy with a new name, Sam Wing of Brandon,  was introduced a few weeks later in March of 1913. 

The 1916 Canadian Census names 44 year old Jim Sing as a laundryman living in Reston who came to Canada in 1912. On the 1921 Census, H.F. George is the name of a 32 year old laundryman at the corner.  It seems the laundry business closed up that same year and the spot was vacant until it was purchased to expand the Dayton Garage. 

I know that I won't walk past this corner again without thinking about the hard labour that happened here over many years in the past.  Thinking back to my own laundry and it's time to switch it to the dryer.  Throwing in a Tide Pod or a Bounce sheet and pushing a button is not much of a chore at all but I have still managed to put it off! Thanks Patsy!!