The Removal of the CPR Train Station– Almonte –1978

November 1978 Almonte Gazette

Following recent publicity in regard to the impending demolition of the Almonte Railway Station, a group of local citizens whose interests lie in the area of the preservation of buildings of historical or heritage value have embarked on a campaign to have the 75-year-old building saved from the demolishers hammer.

A special meeting was held at the Continuing Learning/Office last Wednesday evening >ahd it was learned that the C.P.R. had taken back ownership of the building from Mr. Brian Meloche when Mr. Meloche was unable to come up with a definite plan to move the building from its present site – a requirement of the sale. As the situation stands now, the station is still scheduled for demolition by December 1st, 1978. However, the local group has been investigating other means of saving the building and a second meeting, scheduled for tomorrow evening (Thursday), 7.30 at the Continuing Learning Office at 88 Mill Street, may shed some light on the means to bring this about.

Among those expected to be present will be Dr. Harold Kalman who has worked in co-operation with the Ontario Heritage Foundation of the Ministry of Culture and Recreation, doing feasibility studies on old railway stations – among them the Almonte station. Hope has been expressed that help can be sought from the Ontario Heritage Foundation for a restoration program. Another guest who has been invited to the meeting is Mr. Harry Gow who is deeply involved with Transport 2000. This group has been busy with attempts to save some of these old unused railway stations and restore them for use as flag stops for the Via rail system in short haul commuter type travel. Some success has been achieved along this line and the possibility will be investigated here.

Although Almonte’s situation in regard to commuter travel between here and Ottawa would seem to be suited to such a scheme, a definite need for this type of service would have to be established before any steps could be taken. Representatives are also expected to be on hand from the Ontario Heritage Foundation. Unfortunately, the meeting falls on the same night as the All Candidates’ Meeting at the Town Hall but those not planning to attend that meeting are urged to attend the one at the Continuing Learning Office.

Attempts to save the Almonte Railway Station from demolition came to an abrupt end last Thursday morning when a Stittsville firm contracted by the C.P.R. moved in with heavy equipment and reduced the 75- year-old building to a pile of rubble. Surprised members of a heritage minded group of individuals from the Almonte area, many of them members of the North Lanark Historical Society, cancelled a meeting that was planned for Thursday evening to discuss various methods that could be used to preserve the landmark which served the area well for so many years.

Representatives from Heritage Canada, Transport 2000 and the Ministry of Transportation and Communications had been invited to Thursday’s meeting. Meeting organizer, Sandra Way said that her group was unaware that plans to demolish the building had already been finalized with Stacey Construction of Stittsville when the date for the meeting was announced last week. Attempts to have the building saved from the demolisher’s hammer began in earnest following discussions at the Ottawa Valley Heritage Conference in Arnprior recently, in the wake of publicity surrounding attempts by Mr. Brian Meloche of R.R.2, Carp, to secure financial help to move the building to another site, a proposition that proved to be far too costly, apparently.

The C.P.R.’s position was that they simply wanted the building away from its former site before winter set in and when no concrete proposals were put forth to move the building, they cancelled the purchase offer by Mr. Meloche and went ahead with demolition plans. Stacey Construction planned to salvage as much of the cut limestone as possible and the Town secured a quantity large enough to serve as a facia or a small commemorative wall at the proposed new public library which is to be constructed near the former station site.

November 1978

Covered From Head to Toe with “The Beautiful” !! Almonte Train Station

The McKellar Train Derailment 1913

The Almonte Wreck Poem George Millar Dec 29 1942

The Almonte Railway – Memories

Fred Gauthier Survivor — 6 Months 1 Day –1942 Almonte Train Wreck – Vern Barr

Rosebank, Blakeney, Norway Falls and Snedden’s Station

Memories of James Moulton by Norma Ford

photo- Norma Ford-Picture of Grandpa taken in 1960, he died in 1962.

Norma Ford

James Moulton was my Grandfather and lived across the street from us on Sarah Street in Carleton Place. He was crushed in an accident and he lived to be 87, but he was never the same, could only do light work.

The CPR gave them a free pass for anyone in the family that could be used in their lifetime as payment from them, and it was used a few times that I know of.

They had a small farm on Sarah stretching as far as what is now the subdivision on the east end of Woodward Street. His hay field was where Caldwell Street School is now, and they ended up selling they the property to the school board.

I remember him as only having the one cow, lots of chickens and I earned my Girl Guide Badge for working on the farm and milking a cow. Grandpa was old, smoked a pipe and chewed chewing tobacco, when I was a kid.

I picked up his chewing tobacco at McCann’s Pool Hall (imagine a girl going into the pool hall) and it seemed that everybody stopped what they were doing to look, every time I went in there.

He was a wonderful man, couldn’t read or write but made sure all his children, 9 of them went through to grade 13. The girls all went to Taber Business College, the boys apprenticed in Findlays, all but one of them. What memories I have of him.

On Monday afternoon Mr. James Moulton of the C.P.R. shops in Carleton Place was seriously injured whilst engaged in assisting in repairing a snowplow. In some way the wing was put into motion and Mr. Moulton was caught and most severely crushed. He was rushed to the public hospital in Smiths Falls with little delay and everything is being done to save his life with very little hope of success. Mr. Moulton is 48 years of age and has a wife and seven children depending on him. 1925-02-06- Almonte Gazette

Read-Accident at the C.P.R. Shop –James Moulton

Glory Days in Carleton Place– Norma Ford

Ted Hurdis  my grandmother and her sisters Maude McGonagall, and Ruby Featherstone use to pick wild raspberries up on that property every year

Norma Ford We all played in those fields. Back then (1950’s for me) you could walk through the pasture right through to Lake Park. There were two farms but we went around them, It was a wonderful life for us kids back then. Grandpa didn’t like us trying to ride his calves. lol

Amanda Jane Norma Ford years ago we found an old tombstone in the soccer field next to the apartment buildings in that area.

Norma Ford I will also add that Mrs. Harriet Moulton, his wife and my Grandmother, gave birth to a daughter the same day

Carol Ethridge He was my grandfather also. I was only 7 when he died, don’t have as many memories as Norma but I do remember him giving me a metal cup with milk straight from the udder. I took a big mouthful of it and spit it on the barn floor lol

This is a picture of Norma Ford’s family cow on the old Caldwell Street farm.  Donna McLaren posted it as she loves this cow..thank you

The Ottawa Citizen
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
13 Nov 1940, Wed  •  Page 5

The Ottawa Journal
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
23 Mar 1968, Sat  •  Page 5

The Ottawa Citizen
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
02 May 1962, Wed  •  Page 36

Accident at the C.P.R. Shop –James Moulton

 

Hi Linda

 The attached articles are about my Grandfather, James Moulton.  The day his accident happened, my Grandmother, Harriet Walker Fisher Moulton gave birth to their youngest daughter which made 8 children.  They eventually had two more sons.

 

James Moulton was my Grandfather and Harriet Walker Fisher my Grandmother
who had a farm across the street from us on Sarah Street.All the children were born at 26 Sarah Street, in later years it was changed to 92 Sarah Street.

On Monday afternoon Mr. James Moulton of the C.P.R. shops in Carleton Place was seriously injured whilst engaged in assisting in repairing a snowplow. In some way the wing was put into motion and Mr. Moulton was caught and most severely crushed. He was rushed to the public hospital in Smiths Falls with little delay and everything is being done to save his life with very little hope of success. Mr. Moulton is  48 years of age and has a wife and seven children depending on him. 1925-02-06- Almonte Gazette

Photo Carleton Place and Beckwith Heritage Museum

The CPR gave my Grandparents a lifetime pass with the railroad and it was used a couple of times, mainly to go to Montreal when there had been other serious accidents in the family (Montreal seemed to be the place to go for medical care).  As far as I know, he did not receive any other financial benefits, and I don’t know if the CPR paid for his stay in hospital.  My Grandpa did not go back to work at the CPR, he was never very healthy after the accident.  He farmed on Sarah Street, Caldwell Street (where the school is now) and also a few acres on Woodward Street.  He lived to be 87 and died November 8, 1962 of “hardening of the arteries”, known as Alzheimer’s now. —-Norma Ford

 

 

My favourite picture of my Grandfather James Moulton (how I remember him) and some of your readers will remember him from this picture.–Norma Ford

 

Norma and I still have not found out when he was released from the Smiths Falls Hospital and returned to Carleton Place in the newspaper archives.

I know when he was sent home we was still bedridden.  My Grandmother did what a physical therapist would do today – rubbed him down, made sure he was turned and made him exercise his limbs.  She was credited with getting him walking again.  Something we think nothing about today but it must have been a real hardship back then with a bedridden husband, a new baby and 7 other children.

Clipped from The Ottawa Journal,  23 Mar 1968, Sat,  Page 5

 They (the family) said he was never the same physically again although I remember him milking the cows, other farm related work and he had a massive garden that he maintained although I now realize why he worked slower than my Dad.  —Norma Ford

 

Clipped from The Ottawa Journal,  09 Nov 1962, Fri,  Page 3

 

 

 

This is a picture of Norma Ford’s family cow on the old Caldwell Street farm.  Donna McLaren posted it as she loves this cow..thank you!

Today’s photo is of workers taking a break at the CPR Engine Repair Shops. Built in 1890 as a round house and repair shop for the Canadian Pacific Railway, it employed about 200 workers. After operations were moved to Smiths Falls, the building was purchased by the Canadian Cooperative Woolgrowers. Iron tracks from the turntable in the roundhouse were sold as scrap to help the war effort in 1940. Can you help us identify any of these men?–Carleton Place and Beckwith Heritage Museum

Clipped from The Ottawa Journal,  06 Jun 1904, Mon,  Page 8

 

Clipped from The Ottawa Journal,  18 Nov 1907, Mon,  Page 8

 

Information where you can buy all Linda Seccaspina’s books-You can also read Linda in The Townships Sun andScreamin’ Mamas (USA)

Come and visit the Lanark County Genealogical Society Facebook page– what’s there? Cool old photos–and lots of things interesting to read. Also check out The Tales of Carleton Place.

 

Glory Days in Carleton Place– Norma Ford

A Carleton Place Fenian Soldier’s Photo

Carleton Place Wins Prizes for their Wool!

Armchair Tourism in Carleton Place– Wooly Bully!!!! Part 6

Before The Carleton Place Mews?

 

Remembering Ernest Donnelly– July 4 1951

 

 

Clipped from The Ottawa Journal,  04 Jul 1951, Wed,  Page 1

 

Sometimes I can’t post these clippings alone on Facebook as they are hard to read. When I found this article this morning, I knew he needed to be remembered. In memory of.

 

 

Clipped from The Ottawa Journal,  04 Jul 1951, Wed,  Page 1

 

 

Come and visit the Lanark County Genealogical Society Facebook page– what’s there? Cool old photos–and lots of things interesting to read. Also check out The Tales of Carleton Place.

Information where you can buy all Linda Seccaspina’s books-You can also read Linda in The Townships Sun and Screamin’ Mamas (USA)

 

So Which William Built the Carleton Place Railway Bridge?

What Happened on the CPR Railway Bridge?

Murder or Accident — Bates & Innes Flume

Back in 2006 We Had Train Tracks for the Holiday Train

The Holiday Train is Coming!!! Help Support the Food Bank!

18th edition of the CP Holiday Train ready to support communities and raise awareness

 

Joann Voyce sent me these photos when the Holiday Train came to Carleton Place in 2006

 

 

 

 

 

 

The locomotive engineers on the Canadian Pacific ask for $3.50 per day. They are receiving $2.30. The C. P. R. is importing a Harvard man to write descriptive articles of the scenery and sport of their road. Couldn’t a native have been got for the job ? February 1887 Lanark County

Related reading…

The Mystery Streets of Carleton Place– Where was the First Train Station?

Memories of When Rail was King- Carleton Place

Train Accident? Five Bucks and a Free Lunch in Carleton Place Should Settle it

Remembering the Carleton Place CPR Gardens

The Funeral Train That Went Through Carleton Place — Our Haunted Heritage

 

The Holiday Train is Coming!!! Help Support the Food Bank!

18th edition of the CP Holiday Train ready to support communities and raise awareness

As in years past, two trains will operate coast-to-coast under the Holiday Train banner, with approximately 150 shows held in November and December. The train that operates primarily through the U.S. will launch in the Montreal area on Nov. 25, while the all-Canada train’s first shows will come a day later, also in Montreal. The U.S. train will complete its final shows in Saskatchewan on Dec. 15, and the final show of the tour will take place Dec. 17 at Port Coquitlam, B.C.

“We are very excited about this year’s CP Holiday Train and are encouraging all event attendees to bring healthy, nutritious food items to the shows,” said Pam Jolliffe, Interim Executive Director, Food Banks Canada. “For the last two decades, CP has played an integral role in raising essential food for the holidays and in raising awareness of hunger-related issues.”

Every pound of food and dollar raised at each stop stays with the local food bank to help feed those in need in that community. 

Performing this year!!

DALLAS SMITH

Platinum selling Country star Dallas Smith has blazed a path across genres in Canadian music for nearly two decades and fans continue to prove they’ll follow him wherever he wants to go. This Vancouver, BC native has an armful of JUNO and CCMA Award wins and nominations and continues one of the most talked about journeys in Canadian country music.

“Being able to help local food banks across the country is something I’m excited to be a part of. I’ve toured Canada many times but not like this. I can’t wait for this amazing experience to begin”.

Finch	Tracks adjacent to James Street between Williams Street & George Street	2016-11-27	2:30 PM	2:45 PM – 3:15 PM	Dallas Smith and Odds
Merrickville	103 East Broadway & County Road #2. South side of crossing near Bay Street	2016-11-27	4:45 PM	5:00 PM – 5:30 PM	Dallas Smith and Odds
Smiths Falls	Smith Falls Train Station, 63 Victoria St.	2016-11-27	6:20 PM	6:30 PM – 7:00 PM	Dallas Smith and Odds
Perth	Rail yard near the junction of Herriott Street & Sherbrooke Street E	2016-11-27	7:40 PM	8:00 PM – 8:30 PM	Dallas Smith and Odds

I was Born a Boxcar Child- Tales of the Railroad

What’s That Smell Coming Down the Line?

1930s- Photo from Canada Rail

 

 

1905- from the  Almonte Gazette

Offensive Smell

Last week as the train was fast approaching the Almonte train train station– the train over passed too closely to a little animal of the skunk species. Of course the skunk retaliated in his own offensive manner.

 

1910– Photo from Canada Rail

 

Upon the train arriving at the Depot a general skedaddle of passengers exited that train quickly holding their noses and making awry looking faces. It was surely the result of the unexpected inhalation of the nauseous smell.

Read about the old Almonte Train Station on The Millstone

 

Lanark County Genealogical Society Website

Information where you can buy all Linda Seccaspina’s books-You can also read Linda in Hometown News

Debbie Dixon and The CPR Bridge Incident in Carleton Place–Linda’s Mailbag

 

 

Yesterday I got this email:

I am/was Debbie Dixon. My married name is Barrie and I go by Deborah Elaine Barrie now. I am a writer and an activist who helped bring in a ban or phase-out on cca treated wood in over thirty countries.
I was very surprised to learn of your article:

What Happened on the CPR Railway Bridge?

While some of the details ( files were from newspaper (Ottawa Journal) archives) are certainly correct, I did not break my leg but I had several injuries some of which I have never recovered from.

I had a concussion and a fractured skull and two chips knocked from my spine. I also had two broken bones in my right arm and a brachial plexus injury in my right arm/shoulder which cost me most of the use of the upperarm and all of the use of my forearm and hand. It never grew after that date and my cousin who found this article named it Tiny to which my family still fondly refers to it. The injury to the arm went on to save my life but that is another story being written about in my biography.

My sister, Karen, did only receive a scratch and a bruise. Karen had her shoe caught in the tracks that day. I was ahead of her and Maureen was ahead of me. When the train came I went back and freed Karen’s foot and pushed her off the bridge. I froze and did not jump.
Maureen happily did escape uninjured. I still remember her screams as she ran and jumped to safety.

I am married to a retired CP railroad engineer but he was not one when we married. What do you think Freud would say about that? The story of the train accident has been written many times including a piece in the National Enquirer but I have never seen it written with the facts straight yet. The Enquirer wrote it with my arm going to recover. I am not sure where your research came from ( Ottawa Journal)  but likely from one or more of the incorrect articles so I thought you might like to hear from me.

Thanks for taking an interest in our story. Of course there is much more to the story including why we were there. Karen and I had never been there before.

Take care and please keep safe.
Deborah

Train Station and Bank of Nova Scotia-Old and New

Photos-Carleton Place and Beckwith Heritage Museum

 

Old–New Railway- Howard Morton Brown Notes

James C. Poole, editor of the Carleton Place Herald, announced the coming of the railroad in the July 21^st, 1853 edition of his newspaper:

“We rejoice to be able to announce that the By-law of the County Council, loaning the credit of the County to the Brockville and Ottawa Railway Company, has been heartily supported by the people in the different municipalities.

The inhabitants of this ‘city’, elated at the success which had attended the railroad scheme thus far, turned out en masse and had a regular rejoicing.

With the advent of the railway, and the establishment of industries like Findlay Foundry, Carleton Place saw major expansion in the 1860’s. Some ads in the Carleton Place Herald of 1859 reveal the sudden realization by local merchants and men of industry of the commercial advantages of using rail service to both obtain and deliver their goods:

“First Arrival by Railway Direct to Carleton Place!  Teas, Teas, part of the Cargo of the Ship ‘Gauntlet’, from China, 112 Boxes and 48 Catties – Also a large stock of Harvest Tools – Also by the same conveyance a further supply of fancy and staple Dry Goods and a very full assortment of Shelf Hardware, Crockery, etc. – A. McArthur, June 30, 1859.”

Beginning in 1859 with a railway link established between Brockville and Carleton Place, and again in 1870 with a link from Ottawa, the town and surrounding area was becoming an attractive and cheap recreational destination:

“Cheap Excursion to Brockville on Thursday August 25^th.  Fare from Almonte, Carleton Place, Franktown, and back, only One Dollar! Leave Almonte 7:30 a.m., Carleton Place 8:00 a.m., Smiths Falls 9:15 a.m., arriving at Brockville 11 a.m. Returning will leave Brockville at 4:45 p.m., reaching Almonte at 8 p.m. – Robert Watson, Managing Director, Brockville & Ottawa Railway

Canada Central Railway.  The section of this railway between Ottawa and Carleton Place, forming with its connections a through Broad Gauge route between Ottawa and the west, will be open for traffic on September 16, 1870.

H. Abbott, Managing Director, Ottawa.

Long ago twilight brought out Harry Tetlock to light the switch and semaphore lamps on the CPR yard tracks.  He was always smiling and walked fast.

Mr. Hamilton, a painter, father of John R., a C.P.R. conductor was a veteran of the Crimean war as was my grand uncle who was a V.S. (Farrier Sgt. In army parlance); he was at the Charge of the Light Brigade, although not actually in the charge, took care of the horses.

New-Little Bit O’ Soul in Carleton Place -The Ginger Cafe “Magnifies”!

 

Bank of Nova Scotia

Old-“The Moffatt Brothers have secured tender for the new bank at Carleton Place.  Associated with them for the masonry is Levi Brian.  The price is about $7,000.   Central Canadian“

Putting a Face to Levi Brian, Stonemason, of Carleton Place

The Carleton Place Nova Scotia Bank on Bridge Street- read more about it here.

1940’s

The staff of the Carleton Place Nova Scotia Bank in 1971

 

 

New

Ann Rawson –I believe my husband Dave Rawson is the fellow kneeling down on the right side of the photo.

From Carleton Place to Fish Creek –North West Rebellion

Yesterday I wrote about the Fenian and Ballygiblin raids and I was upset how badly the soldiers were treated, not that anyone had a choice. Call me stupid- or I missed something in school, but I had no idea about the North West Rebellion in Saskatchewan until today when I read an article in the The London Advertiser  Newspaper Archives. Time to study up as I feel my brain must have been full of cat food and sadness to miss something like that.

 

Troops on the march, North West Rebellion, Qu’Appelle Valley, 1885

In April of 1885, Fred McCarthy of the No. 3 Company Seventh Fusiliers wrote in a letter to his Mother that he had endured more hardship than he ever did before in his life on the trip to Red Rock, Ontario. It was a miracle he said, that most of them did not perish from exposure while they travelled from Carleton Place to Red Rock on their way to battle in Saskatchewan. McCarthy wrote they received good meals until they reached the first gap at Dog Lake and then they had to live on *hardtack and tea that resembled dry leaves.

The Northwest Rebellion marked the first time Canada’s new army was used, and the first time Canada’s new trans-continental railway was used to transport some soldiers to the prairies. At a few of the CPR camps they were fed tainted pork beans and black bread.

The marching on the north shore of Lake Superior was in some of the wildest storms they could imagine. In some cases the wind was so fierce it picked up knapsacks out of the sleighs and whisked them clean out of sight over the lake.

Illustration of troops marching over the ice at Nepigon Bay, Lake Superior

The night Fred McCarthy’s regiment reached Superior Lake they marched out for almost a mile around midnight and were put inside the wrecked hold of a schooner. The ice on the floor of the hold was over a foot thick. There they laid themselves down in wringing wet clothing for a few hours sleep, but were constantly awakened  by the freezing air that seemed to cut through them like pins and needles.

 

When they awoke in the morning some of their clothing was frozen to the ice on the floor of the ship. Their particular regiment did not have the luxury of boarding a CPR passenger train, but instead filled flat cars the next morning. Those cars were roughly boarded around the sides and contained about a foot of snow on the floor of the car.There they endured the cold until they reached Saskatchewan which took 9 days. I can’t even begin to imagine.

Karen (whose own ancestor John Snow fought too) from the Lanark County Genealogical Society added:

Kippen, a surveyor from Perth was killed in one of those battles. Might have been the Louis Riel Rebellion though…don’t have my notes open at this moment. He has a huge – probably 20 foot tall monument in the Elmwood Cemetery in Perth, Ontario. I have started to write about him for the LCGS upcoming book Prominent People (title not confirmed)

1. 2003-W. Kippen Monument —The monument to A. W. Kippen was finally put up in its place last week and is the most conspicuous object in Elmwood Cemetery. It consists of a plain massive pillar with sloping sides on a base which in turn is placed on a terraced platform. Both pillars and base are of Canadian grey granite.  Standing upon the monument proper is a sculptured figure of a Canadian volunteer in a white marble, a little under life size, keenly gazing toward a possible enemy.  The rifle is upright at his side and a field glass is grasped in his left hand.  On the granite podium appears the following inscription under the engraved coat of arms of Canada:

Lieut. Alexander W. Kippen                                      Intelligence Corp                                                            Born at Perth Aug. 1, 1857                                            Killed in action at Botoche, N.W.T. May 12, 1885

Erected in his memory by his fellow citizens, Masonic brethren and comrades in arms.

Battle of Fish Creek, North West Rebellion

The North-West Rebellion (or the North-West Resistance, Saskatchewan Rebellion, Northwest Uprising, or Second Riel Rebellion) of 1885 was a brief and unsuccessful uprising by the Métis people under Louis Riel, and an associated uprising by First Nations Cree and Assiniboine, of the District of Saskatchewan against the government of Canada. The Métis believed that Canada had failed to protect their rights, their land and their survival as a distinct people. Riel had been invited to lead the movement but he turned it into a military action with a heavily religious tone, thereby alienating the Catholic clergy, the whites, nearly all of the Indians and most of the Métis. He had a force of a couple hundred Métis and a smaller number of Indians at Batoche in May 1885, confronting 900 government troops.

Despite some notable early victories at Duck Lake, Fish Creek and Cut Knife, the rebellion ended when the Métis were defeated at the siege of Batoche. The remaining Indian allies scattered. Riel was captured and put on trial. He was convicted of treason and despite many pleas across Canada for amnesty, he was hanged. Riel became the heroic martyr to Francophone Canada and ethnic tensions escalated into a major national division that was never resolved.

Thanks to the key role that the Canadian Pacific Railway played in transporting troops, Conservative political support for it increased and Parliament authorized funds to complete the country’s first transcontinental railway. Although only a few hundred people were directly affected in Saskatchewan, the long-term result was that the Prairie Provinces would be controlled by the Anglophones, not the Francophones. A much more important long-term impact was the bitter alienation Francophones across Canada showed, and anger against the repression of their countrymen.–Wikipedia

Battle of Fish Creek

On April 24, 1885, at Fish Creek, Saskatchewan, 200 Métis achieved a remarkable victory over a superior government force numbering 900 soldiers who were sent to quell the rebellion. The reversal, though not decisive enough to alter the outcome of the war, temporarily halted Major General Frederick Middleton’s column’s advance on Batoche. That was where the Métis would later make their final stand. Fish Creek today lies abandoned.

 

 

 

*Hardtack

Hardtack (or hard tack) is a simple type of cracker or biscuit, made from flour, water, and sometimes salt. Inexpensive and long-lasting, it was and is used for sustenance in the absence of perishable foods, commonly during long sea voyages and military campaigns. They were also called Molar Breakers.

 

This photograph was taken in Carleton Place during the 7th Fusiliers’ trip from London to Clark’s Crossing, N.W.T. in 1885.
Left of photograph – 1 Capt. Frank Peters 2 Major Wm. M. Gartshore 3 Capn Geo. M. Reid 4 Capt Frank Butler 5 Lieut. J.K.H. Pope 6 Lieut. Alfred Jones 7 Lieut. A.G. Chisholm

Left bottom – This Photo was taken April 8th, 1885 at Carleton Place while waiting for the train to take us to First Gap. Wm D. Mills Secty. 7th Fusiliers K.W.F.F. 1885.