Say Cheese! It’s an IXL Story

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These wagons delivered milk to the Black’s Corners cheese factory in 1900-Carleton Place and Beckwith Heritage Museum Photo

Last night I was reading a book about Scotch Corners by Lillian(Gardiner) McNab and I found an amusing story about one of our local cheese factories.

Did you know that one of the landmarks for Scotch Corners used to be “to turn off Highway 7 at the lXL Cheese Factory”? It was a hopping corner with traffic jams consisting of farmers waiting to get their milk weighed in and upon leaving, a quick trip to the back to the whey vat pick up some whey to feed their pigs.

Local lad Alfie Poole had the answers to the local stories in those days and there was a reason as to why this particular cheese factory was called ‘the IXL’. Seems there was a couple of cheese factories down the road and no one wanted to mix them up. There was one past the St John’s Anglican Church on the Ferguson Falls Road called the “Fair Play” and another opposite the church called the “Grab All”. These were the actual names I kid you not.

Well the farmer’s around the McCreary settlement were having none of that, and wanted to have the best cheese factory in the area. So up the factory went and it became known as the IXL but was sadly destroyed by fire in 1969.

Historical Note

August 18, 1979 William Gordon James

William Gordon James, R. R. # 1, Carleton Place, a former reeve of Ramsay Township and warden of Lanark County, died in Carleton Place and District Memorial Hospital, Saturday, August 18, 1979 in his 73rd year after a lengthy illness. Born April 20, 1907, Gordon was the eldest of the late William E. and Annie James of the James Settlement in Lanark Township. In earlier years he spent some time surveying in the Rouyn District of Northern Quebec. At one time he played on the Union Hall Ball Team. Mr. James was active in community affairs. He was a member of Lanark Township Council, Reeve of Ramsay Township and Warden of Lanark County in 1964. He was a Past County Master of Lanark County Loyal Orange Lodge. Mr. James was an active member of St. George’s Church, Clayton, and later of St. John’s Church, Innisville. He took a keen interest in the Union Hall and IXL Cheese factories. As well as his wife, the former Wilhemena Dunlop, Mr. James is survived by one son, Charles and daughters, Eleanor (Mrs. David Aldus) R. R. # 1, Carleton Place, Marilyn, R. R. # 1, and daughter-in-law, Evelyn James. Mr. James is also survived by his grandchildren Lisz and Shelley Aldus and Marshall and Travis James. Also surviving are three brothers, Warren, Perth; Frank and John E., R. R. #2, Carleton Place and one sister, Eleanor (Mrs. Ray Bartlett), Carleton Place, as well as his aunt, Mrs. Eleanor Stewart, Calgary, Alberta. The funeral took place from the Alan R. Barker Funeral Home, Carleton Place, Tuesday, August 21, 1979 to St. John’s Church, Innisville, for service at 1:30 p.m. with Rev. Roger Young officiating. Interment took place in St. George’s Cemetery. Pallbearers were Leonard Dowdall, John Weir, George Wright, John R. W. James, Steven Bartlett and Gary Hudson.