By 1872 William had inherited the firm and with it grist-mills and sawmills in Lanark village. About this time he took a middle name to distinguish himself from other William Caldwells, a number of them relatives. He also began to expand his business interests. Between 1870 and 1877 he joined Horace Brown in a grist-mill operation known as Brown and Caldwell at Carleton Place. A. Caldwell and Son added another sawmill, at Almonte, and in 1882 Caldwell was developing a sawmill and shingle-mill at Clyde Forks in Lavant Township, near the path of the developing Kingston and Pembroke Railway. Soon after the mill opened, Clyde Forks was swept by fire Caldwell’s Roller Mills and Sawmill Burnt to the Ground –$30,000 Damage—and he sold his Clyde limits to Calvin and Son of Kingston
1918-1919: Barite vein was stripped, some test pitting. One ton barite, sent to U.S. Work by T.B. Caldwell. 1957-1960: Lanark Silver Mines Ltd., performed magnetic and S.P. surveys, soil sampling and 773 feet of d.d. in 4 holes. (Tweed files 2, 3, 4). 1964-1968: Regional soil and stream geochemical surveys, 30 d.d. holes totalling 3921 feet, surface stripping and a short adit (98 feet) with 2 small cross-cuts. Work by West Branch Explorations Ltd. 1969-1970: Geochem surveys, at least 24 d.d. holes for 5,347 feet, geol. survey and some metallurgical testing by Carndesson Mines Ltd. (Tweed file 9) 1984: Todd Sanders staked out the property in January and in May and June, Lacana Mining Corporation carried out sampling of the main occurrence. In September Homestake Mineral Development Company visited the property and carried out limited sampling. 1986: T. Sanders carried out line-cutting and a VLF-EM survey. 1987: Assaying and a petrographic study of the tetrahedrite-barite zone was carried out.
Most local mines were iron prospects although one (Clyde Forks) contained barite and minor amounts of copper, gold and silver. According to Archie Guthrie the Clyde Forks Mine shaft was still open in 1963, but it was very unsafe. The ore was taken out by wheelbarrows and the deep ditch by which they were trundled is still there. The ore was taken to Clyde Forks by horse and sleigh and then shipped out by train. At one time the boarding houses around Clyde Forks had been known to stable as many as 35 teams at a time. Why the operation of the mine stopped no one really knows. The most likely answer was that the ore was of poor quality.
Now the mine is hard to spot due to overgrown brush and trees that have grown up through the years. Of course, it all goes back to a favourite family of mine: The Caldwell family. There is no doubt this family had their fingers in everything in Lanark County, and it has been noted they made some money with the Wilbur Mine. Boyd Caldwell, who I have mentioned a few times, put in a little time in a second mine which what was called Clyde Forks/Boyd Caldwell Mine. (Lavant iron mine is on lots 3 and 4, in 12 and 13 concessions)
The Clyde Forks Deposit was first staked by “T. Caldwell” in 1918-1919 and the Barite vein was stripped and there was some test pitting. One ton barite, sent to U.S. Work by T.B. Caldwell.
1957-1960: Lanark Silver Mines Ltd., performed magnetic and S.P. surveys, soil sampling and 773 feet of d.d. in 4 holes. (Tweed files 2, 3, 4).
1964-1968: Regional soil and stream geochemical surveys, 30 d.d. holes totalling 3921 feet, surface stripping and a short adit (98 feet) with 2 small cross-cuts. Work by West Branch Explorations Ltd.
1969-1970: Geochem surveys, at least 24 d.d. holes for 5,347 feet, geol. survey and some metallurgical testing by Carndesson Mines Ltd. (Tweed file 9)
1984: Todd Sanders staked out the property in January and in May and June, Lacana Mining Corporation carried out sampling of the main occurrence. In September Homestake Mineral Development Company visited the property and carried out limited sampling. 1986: T. Sanders carried out line-cutting and a VLF-EM survey. 1987: Assaying and a petrographic study of the tetrahedrite-barite zone was carried out.
Related reading
A great story from the ice storm that needs to be documented in Clyde Forks
You can join the K&P just out of the village of Flower Station and walk northwards past Flower Round Lake and Clyde Lake or, go southwards past Widow Lake to join Clyde Forks Road.
To get to Flower Station, Travel north on highway 511 past Hopetown to Brightside. Turn west on Waddell Creek Road to French Line, go northwards on French Line Road to Joe’s Lake and westward on Flower Station Road past Clyde Forks to Flower Station.
Photo added by Darrell Add Photos Request Photo Advertisement
Agnes Jane Larocque Cameron BIRTH 17 Sep 1876Perth, Lanark County, Ontario, Canada DEATH 21 Oct 1955 (aged 79)Perth, Lanark County, Ontario, Canada BURIAL
It was private residence that also offered room and board, located on early pioneer trails particularly in western Canada.
A stopping house was essentially a private residence that also offered room and board, and were located on early pioneer trails. They were similar to the coaching inns of Britain and Ireland except that they were not located on well-travelled routes, but on frontier tracks. Generally the stopping houses were built in areas where the grass and water was plentiful, and vegetable crops could be grown. Most were 10 to 20 miles apart and in some cases there was one every three or four miles.
Stopping houses often became the nucleus of newly formed communities. The stopping houses provided shelter from the elements and the hazards of the trail, a good hot meal and the chance of a friendly chat. These stopping houses were somewhat crude, but what they lacked in comforts they made up in hospitality.
Quality meals and accommodation were expected and poor stopping house establishments soon lost their trade. Prices remained standard for accommodations at a stopping house. For many years a meal or bed for one person was 50 cents and 75 cents. The meals served for breakfast, lunch and dinner did not vary substantially from each other. Breakfast included oatmeal porridge and thick farm cream. The rest of the meal consisted of juicy steaks, fried potatoes, eggs, hot cakes, and coffee. The construction of stopping houses added a great deal of comfort for the miners, and stage travellers in those early days.
They generally disappeared after the railway or highway reached an area, and were replaced with railway hotels and motor hotels in the 20th century.
S.S. No. 3 Lanark (Bulloch School) 35, 95
60 Years Ago ~ 1955
An unfortunate accident occurred to Mr. Gordon Taylor of the village. Mr. Taylor fell under the back wheel of a truck driven by Mr. Ronald Sweeney and had his leg broken about six inches above the knee. Mr. Wellington McDougall has leased the rink for the 1955-56 skating season. Cameron – At McCue Nursing Home, Perth, on Oct. 23, Agnes Jane Larocque, beloved wife of John G. Cameron, in her 80th year.
Linda; Pleasure talking with you. I am looking for the location of CALDWELL’S MILLS, FOR A VISIT, and any details on those mentioned below.
Private
CALDWELL, ALEXANDER MAXWELL
Service Number 447289
Died 24/11/1916
Aged 23
50th Bn.
Canadian Infantry
Son of James and Ellen Caldwell, of
Caldwell’s Mills, Ontario.
I also found 3031581 Robert Austin Closs killed 1918 also from Caldwell’s Mills–. We have all sorts of letters, death plaque, and original wooden cross(still wrapped in burlap) belonging to him.
I asked my favourite historian Jaan Kolk and here is what he found:
Hi Linda,
According to various directories I have – Ontario Gazetteers 1884 and
1888, and Eastern Ontario Gazetteer 1898 – Caldwell’s Mills was the
official (Post Office) name of the community also known as Clyde Forks.
The post office “move” you found was perhaps just a renaming.
Is it just the post office you are looking for, or other info? It looks
like the Calwell’s were at several location in Lavant Township.
The following picture is supposed to be the burial place of three children, buried at Clyde Forks, under an apple tree at the homestead of Alan Ferguson and Minni Maude McGonegal.
I just wanted to comment that the Alan in the picture and the Alan who wrote the letter are not the same Allan.
As you will not the Alan in the pic was born in 1869 and the letter was written in c1846.
The letter writer Alan, was writing about his father Thomas’ death which occured in 1846.
I believe Alan in the pic is a grand-nephew of Allan the letter writer. i.e. The letter writer Allan also had a brother named Thomas and this brother had a son named Alexander……And Alexander had a son named Allen. This Allen could be the Allen in the picture. However – there were several Alans in this family – so the Alan in the picture could have stemmed from someone else! But that’s my educated guess for now. I am not related to the Ferguson’s but I have studied that lot, lot 26E, Concession III Dalhousie – and those are my findings thus far without delving into the genealogy of the family.
I received yours on the 17th of March. I was down in Lanark when I received you letter and on the way home, I was taken suddenly bad with pain in the stomach and bowels and in that state it was tight times with me to get the home of Hugh Hunter on the night of the 17th and on the 18th we found it prudent to send for Dr. Murray for we was afraid it was inflammation but on his arrival he dispelled that doubt for he said it was a windy colic and I am getting better. Mother and Mary is in some measure of health when I parted with them on the 19th, for Mother has been with Mary since the death of our Father and for a considerable time before it. Thomas came home from the shanty on the 17th of said month and he has not been very well since for I expect that it is the cold he has caught. You wanted to know if Thomas was at home the time of the storm. No. He was at the shanty, likewise you want to know all the particulars concerning the death of our Father.
He was at Hunters all the time of his illness. He, for 2 days after he arrived at Hugh’s, his throat swelled but the swelling fell immediately after and on the Wednesday before he died he was considerably better for he was reading at Chambers Journal more than the half of the day but on the day following he was much worse for he complained of stitches in his chest and body and on Friday he was still getting weaker and Friday night Hugh left home and came up to inform us that he was making worse and on Saturday morning Hugh and I left home to go down but to our great surprise when we arrived he was gone; a lifeless corpse so there was no person there but mother and Mary and the 2 children when he died., on the night of Friday after Hugh left home, he began to think that death was approaching but had no idea that it was so nigh at hand for he was quite and considerably composed. He would not lie in the bunk nor bed but to have his made at the fire. It was between 12 and 1 o’clock when Mother lay down to take little repose for she was tired out. Mary lay down with the children for they were both badly at the time and she spoke several to her Father but he give all at the times a sharp answer and Mother rose after Mary had spoken to him but he had drawn his last breath and this was about 2 o’clock in the morning and we removed his corpse home on the 1st of March and he was interred on the 2nd on the third line of Lanark beside his son James. We received a letter from Aunt Love on the 28th of February. John Love is in very poor health, likewise Aunt Taylor and there are some more particulars concerning Uncle Williams’ death and widow but I have not time at present to write them down. I wrote a letter——–this time a good way on to Mysena to (Jane) Telling her what has happened likewise I sent one to George (Sheare) and one to John Love and I was going to write to Uncle Nathanial but you informed me that you was going to write to him which will save me the trouble. I now commence to inform you that our Father died without making any will and you will be heir according to law; so I want an immediate settlement for Mr. D that is in Quebec, the creditors are pushing me pretty hard for it but I will keep them at bay till I get things settled so I only hope you will consider the matter and come up and we will make a definite settlement so I add no more at present so I remain your Brother until Death. Alan Ferguson.
At bottom of letter written with different pen and ink and maybe by a different person, Allan Ferguson of Dalhousie 1850, John Ferguson, Thomas Ferguson, James Ferguson, Sarah Ferguson, Mary Ferguson, Jane Ferguson.
The original letter is in the possession of Grant Davis McFarlane R.R. #1, Lanark, Ontario.
Mary is in the 1851 Census, age 70, living with her daughter Mary Ann and son-in-law Hugh Hunter. In 1861 she is back on her original homestead, living with her son Allan who has inherited the farm. The homestead has returned to forest and only a small excavation remains to show where the original house stood. Flowers and rhubarb still grow in the overgrown clearing. The St. James Ferguson Cemetery is located in the churchyard of the abandoned St. James Church on Concession Line 2 in Dalhousie.
sandy ferguson 11/1/21– the graves in the photo are taken on the farm owned by dave ferguson before everetts grandmother florance ferguson wright moved there .the farm is at joes lake a mile off the black creek road i as led to belief by granny ferguson ;maud that they were dave’s children
Good evening Linda, reference the post on Alan Ferguson & Mini Maude (McGonegal), here is some photos from my mother’s collection. it includes two photos of Alan and Minnie and a separate photo of Minnie. I also included a photo of the original house plus the new house which is next to the apple orchard where the graves are located, The original house was destroyed by fire in the winter of 1954 and a new house was built on the same location by my parents who moved in the spring of 1956. The house has been vacant for a number of years and is no longer in a livable condition.
Here is the google map coordinates for the actual location of the graves (45.128771, -76.618857), located on Loves Road, which is off the Black Creek Rd, south of Joes Lake in Lanark Highlands.
Regards…. Everett
Everett Milotte
Thanks so much Linda, the last time I was back to the farm was about 5 year ago and the house was in pretty bad shape. Windows broken, exterior doors left open and foundation stating to cave in. No one has lived in it since the Love family moved out. Was kinda sad to see the house all going to pieces and I wondered if I would ever go back. Was the formative years of my childhood for sure, at the time I never missed TV, electricity, running water, indoor plumbing or central heating as I never knew what they were. How ironic that I became an electrician 🤣🤣. Some day I will write about is so my grandchildren may have a window into the past. –Everett Milotte
lindaseccaspina 