Reston in 1972

This blog post is number 100 on Reston’s Historic Bricks and Boards! Thanks to so many people, near and far that encourage my continued writing. People have been so generous with sharing memories and objects that help tell the stories of the town and area around. Unless otherwise noted, the pictures in this post are thanks to the Pierce/Olenick collection. The RM of Pipestone’s digitization of the Reston Recorder archives has opened up a whole new extensive source of research material. Today’s post is one copied from an article by Mrs. J. D. Ready (the former Helen Manning) who worked at the paper for many years. The article is from the December 14, 1972 edition of Reston Recorder.  If someone wrote another version in 2023,  it is amazing how fifty years later the community is changed again. Her source for the facts (besides memory) was “Pioneers Along the Pipestone” written in 1928 by Ellen Guthrie Bulloch, available in print at the RM office or online here.

Postcard showing the west side of 4th Street about 1910.  Thanks to Ashlea from Toronto.

It is fitting that the 80th anniversary of the founding of Reston should be celebrated on December 7th for it was in December 1892 that the Railway reached Reston. The first station was a box car at the south end of Main Street, later a station was built at the same site which was destroyed when a snow plow left the track and ran into it. The history “Pioneers of the Pipestone” records “shortly afterwards the company (C.P.R.) decided they needed more room for yards and moved to where the present station stands”. The present station? It has disappeared as the trend for demolishing stations on rural lines continues. And where are the trains? We are fortunate to have regular freight service and also in the fact that this line is not a present in danger of being abandoned.

Perhaps 1940's  Bert Pierce second from the left

Two elevators, both with large annexes, serve a large area –The United Grain Growers and the Manitoba Pool Elevator. One of the first elevators was the Lake of the Woods which burned down and was never replaced.

 Picture taken around 1907

The first school is located on Main Street and is used as a restroom. The town and district is now served with two large schools, the Reston Collegiate and the Reston Elementary and pupils are bused in from long distances. Both schools are comparatively new and modern. A four room brick school constructed in 1905 was torn down in 1968 after the elementary school was built. The schools are in the Fort La Bosse School Division. The first teacher was a Miss Viva Giles. There are now eleven teachers in the collegiate and ten in the elementary.

Thanks to Delwyn and Shirley for sharing this picture.  High school on the left, elementary on the right.  Maybe in the 1950's?

First Reston Bank built 1909 burned 1906

The first bank was the Bank of British North America and the late Jackson Dodds, who became one of the top officials in the Bank of Montreal was one of the first managers. The Bank of British North America merged with the Bank of Montreal which still serves the district. An amusing story is told of the first Bank of North America building which was destroyed in the disastrous fire in those early years. It is said that during the excitement the pillars were carried out and the storm windows thrown downstairs! Only means of fire fighting was a bucket brigade and water was supplied by a well at the south end of the street, which has long since disappeared.

Reston now has a modern fire engine and a well trained fire brigade under chief Ross Benzie. Many of the firemen have also received St. John Ambulance training and also serve as drivers for the Reston Ambulance Service. The first doctor to settle in the district was the late Dr. A. B. Chapman who came in 1900. A Dr. Baird had settled at neighbouring Pipestone some years before that. The town now has a modern hospital, complete with laboratory and x-ray service. It has a full complement of nurses and a full-time lab technician and resident doctor. Rated as a 15 bed hospital, it can hold 20 beds and often does.

Dr. A. B. Chapman on his 90th birthday 1953

For years a local constable served as the police but now we have a three man detachment of the R.C.M.P. stationed here in a building constructed on First Street a few years ago. Cpl. Peck is the present head of the detachment.

 Water for the town was supplied from the town well on the west side and in 1962 town water and sewer service became available. The town water is now pumped from a well about two miles north to the pumping station in town.

 The first Church in town was the Methodist and it united with the Presbyterian Church built in 1902 long before Church union. The building was converted into a dwelling now owned and occupied by Mr. and Mrs. Fred Paul. The Presbyterian Church is now the United Church and 1972 marks the 70th anniversary of its building. The St. John’s Anglican church was built later and still serves the district.

Anglican Church - postcard from about 1910

1972 also marks the 70th anniversary of the G. S. Munro Co. store. The store was built by the late Bill Pierce and is built of stone from the Kinloss district south of town. Some of the stone can still be found in that area on the farm formerly owned by Geo. Sutcliffe of Penticton B.C. now owned by Lorne Watt. Mr. Munro was operator of the first store in town before building the present structure.

Munro Store 1940's?

Recreation is an important part of the rural life so it was natural that rink would be constructed early – the first one being of wooden walls with canvas top. Now we have a fine modern structure with the curling section having four sheets of artificial ice. This is the 4th rink for the town. One of the early curlers was veteran Clyde Caldwell now 85 who still curls with the men’s senior club.

One of the first houses erected in Reston was the one owned by Mrs. Margaret Bulloch. The next year the house on Railway Avenue now owned by Mrs. Harcourt Barry was built by a Mr. Jackson. The Jackson family lived there for some years and conducted a fuel and implement business.

Postcard from about 1911

One of the first blacksmiths was Mr. H Geen, father of Art Geen, a former resident here. Other blacksmiths we recall are A. Majury, Hugh Dunbar, Mr. Jones, J. Cronk and then Mr. I. B. Buan who recently retired due to ill health, and for the first time since those early years the town has no blacksmith.

 The Reston hotel it was erected by Mr. Alex Robertson of Antler. Other owners that we can recall are George Chapman, Andy Sutton, R. V. Cusack, John Bondar, and Ed. Gulas. There may have been others as well.

Thanks again to Delwyn and Shirley for this picture of Reston House which stood on the NE corner of 2nd Avenue and 4th Street. 

Most of the facts concerning the town’s early history were obtained from Mrs. T.A. Bulloch’s book “Pioneers of the Pipestone”.