Memory from Donald Reginato re his family home that was moved from Stirling to Trout Brook.
Jan 21/20 email
Donald: My family home was moved from Stirling to Trout Brook Rd.
This is my family home (see picture above) being moved, I have several other photos as well, It was moved to Trout Brooke Rd. in Mira, by my father Lawrence (RENZO) Reginato and my mother Ann (Tootsie) Reginato. I have the exact date, as well, home, in my album but it was in the 50’s.
Note: I believe that this house was taken from behind John G MacLeod's (right hand side going down the Mine Rd).
There was a Manager's house- Chisholm. It went to the Meadows Rd and then there was another house close by that wasn't as big but bigger than the others. I think that was your family home. JS
Telephone conversation with Donald Reginato Jan 21/20 4:30 pm
When my father and mother got married they brought that house down from Stirling when the mine closed. My father was in his 20's at that time. He was in the wood business so he had the equipment available to him to move the house. He had a few people helping him. He used the bulldozer and the truck together (see picture above) to haul it down from Stirling through Gabarus to Trout Brook Rd. It took two days. He did his own foundation and it was all ready when they brought the house down. The whole house had hardwood flooring which was something in those days. My mother would have them gleaming and every few years she would sand them down and varnish them. The floors have kept up well even with ten kids growing up in the house. The windows you see in the picture were just replaced ten years ago. The house is in great shape and my mother still lives in it. There was a hot water heating system but no furnace. They used a warm morning at first. The house was the Vice President's. The President's house was the bigger one which is the one my mother wanted but was too big to take across the bridges on the way to Trout Brook. The house is in it's original condition with a few additions and a car port. It has a dormer on the back which you can see in the picture. I think that was the only one (of the mine houses) that had that. That's where my bedroom was.
Note: See the photo page for a photo of Donald's family home being moved by his father. Donald told me that he found an old film and had it developed. He has several pictures of the move in his album. JS
Jan 21/20 email
Donald: My family home was moved from Stirling to Trout Brook Rd.
This is my family home (see picture above) being moved, I have several other photos as well, It was moved to Trout Brooke Rd. in Mira, by my father Lawrence (RENZO) Reginato and my mother Ann (Tootsie) Reginato. I have the exact date, as well, home, in my album but it was in the 50’s.
Note: I believe that this house was taken from behind John G MacLeod's (right hand side going down the Mine Rd).
There was a Manager's house- Chisholm. It went to the Meadows Rd and then there was another house close by that wasn't as big but bigger than the others. I think that was your family home. JS
Telephone conversation with Donald Reginato Jan 21/20 4:30 pm
When my father and mother got married they brought that house down from Stirling when the mine closed. My father was in his 20's at that time. He was in the wood business so he had the equipment available to him to move the house. He had a few people helping him. He used the bulldozer and the truck together (see picture above) to haul it down from Stirling through Gabarus to Trout Brook Rd. It took two days. He did his own foundation and it was all ready when they brought the house down. The whole house had hardwood flooring which was something in those days. My mother would have them gleaming and every few years she would sand them down and varnish them. The floors have kept up well even with ten kids growing up in the house. The windows you see in the picture were just replaced ten years ago. The house is in great shape and my mother still lives in it. There was a hot water heating system but no furnace. They used a warm morning at first. The house was the Vice President's. The President's house was the bigger one which is the one my mother wanted but was too big to take across the bridges on the way to Trout Brook. The house is in it's original condition with a few additions and a car port. It has a dormer on the back which you can see in the picture. I think that was the only one (of the mine houses) that had that. That's where my bedroom was.
Note: See the photo page for a photo of Donald's family home being moved by his father. Donald told me that he found an old film and had it developed. He has several pictures of the move in his album. JS
This is a memory from Walter Martell, L'Ardoise. Walter's father was John Martell and he worked at Stirling Mine, Richmond County when it ran in the 50's. Walter did not work in Stirling as he was a kid at the time but he later worked as a Hard Rock Miner, a Diamond Driller like his Father, for several years.
Facebook messaging Walter Martell/Jeanette Strachan
Jeanette: My father Soutter Strachan worked as a carpenter in Stirling. He also owned the service station on the main road across from Morrison's.
Walter: I wasn't very old but I remember your father in the garage. He talked to us kids all the time.
Jeanette: So you didn't work at the (Stirling mine) then? Did your parents?
Walter: Dad was John L Martell. He was a diamond driller from 51 till the mine closed.
Jeanette: He's the man I have heard people talk about in their interviews. He lived on the Stirling Road and was good friends with Elsie and John Archie Monroe.
Walter: We lived (on the left hand side of the Stirling Rd heading to Framboise) between Morrison's and what people called dog patch.
Walter: I went to school there (Stirling) for a few years. I remember Morrison's store on the corner. On the right side of the road going down to the mine were Hooper, Shaw, plus a Chinese restaurant. In back of Morrison's store (heading down the mine Rd. on the left) was a building where they showed movies.
Jeanette: Did your father tell you any stories about the mine.
Walter: Not too much, but I remember him saying that one year they paid the mine expenses with the gold they mined.
Jeanette: Did he tell you how much he got paid?
Walter: He was a lead driller and was making one dollar an hour.
Jan 21/20
Jeanette: Gus (Sampson) said he went to NFLD after leaving Stirling. Do you know the name of the town.
Walter: It was in Little Bay, Notre Dame Bay not far from Springdale. I was helping Gus load long holes for blasting. We had loaded over a thousand lbs of dynamite one time and to set it off they had to take everyone to the surface to make sure no one would get hurt. He (Gus) mentioned long holes in his interview. Click here on Gus Sampson to see his interview.When you are finished X out and you should be back here.
email message Jan 21/20 - Walter Martell
I worked at mining from 1962 till 1968 every winter. Actually I lied about my age to get underground. I was 17 but told them I was 18 as that was the age to get underground. I worked at Atlantic Coast Copper, Little Bay, Gullbridge Mines, Gull Pond, just west of Badger, and Whales Back mine between Little Bay and Springdale.
Summer time I would come back to NS and work in the woods on machines or truck driving. Before the snow came I would head for NL because I didn't like working in the cold and wet snow. Underground the temperature is around 57 F after you go down a few hundred feet. Still wet in places but not that much. We had oil clothes so even the wet places were pretty good at that temperature.
I started in Little Bay, pick and shovel and on the Grizzley where you beat up rocks with a sledge hammer until they were small enough to go down through to the ore pass.
In Gull Pond I started as an underground mechanic until we finished building the underground crusher. Once the crusher was built I was one of two fellas who worked it 12 hours a day until I went long hole drilling for Canadian Rock, a company from Quebec. That company then sent me to Whales Back to drill. My boss was a Mr Lafleur. On a good days drilling I could make a hundred dollars which was a fortune at the time.
Back in Little Bay one year I worked as a timber man, installing timbers to keep the rock from falling on anyone. Also worked on the surface crusher there as it was called but was actually underground but close to the surface.
I loaded long holes with Gus Sampson and a few others.
Another year I worked with the shaft crew as a deck hand. That's where I worked until they blasted into an older mine that had burned at one time and they had no paper work for and didn't know exactly where it was. At the time the old mine was flooded and when they blasted into it, it flooded the new mine. Four men drowned that night. If they had blasted on day shift a lot more men would have been lost, including my father and me as we were both on shift at the time and below where the water stopped. After the last man was found at the bottom of the shaft I was sent there to look after the pumps as I was still working with the shaft crew. All alone for 8 hours a day at the bottom of the shaft and wondering if we were going to have another flood. I got ulcers after that and wasn't allowed underground any more.
No wonder about the ulcers - Great story, Walter- JS
Facebook messaging Walter Martell/Jeanette Strachan
Jeanette: My father Soutter Strachan worked as a carpenter in Stirling. He also owned the service station on the main road across from Morrison's.
Walter: I wasn't very old but I remember your father in the garage. He talked to us kids all the time.
Jeanette: So you didn't work at the (Stirling mine) then? Did your parents?
Walter: Dad was John L Martell. He was a diamond driller from 51 till the mine closed.
Jeanette: He's the man I have heard people talk about in their interviews. He lived on the Stirling Road and was good friends with Elsie and John Archie Monroe.
Walter: We lived (on the left hand side of the Stirling Rd heading to Framboise) between Morrison's and what people called dog patch.
Walter: I went to school there (Stirling) for a few years. I remember Morrison's store on the corner. On the right side of the road going down to the mine were Hooper, Shaw, plus a Chinese restaurant. In back of Morrison's store (heading down the mine Rd. on the left) was a building where they showed movies.
Jeanette: Did your father tell you any stories about the mine.
Walter: Not too much, but I remember him saying that one year they paid the mine expenses with the gold they mined.
Jeanette: Did he tell you how much he got paid?
Walter: He was a lead driller and was making one dollar an hour.
Jan 21/20
Jeanette: Gus (Sampson) said he went to NFLD after leaving Stirling. Do you know the name of the town.
Walter: It was in Little Bay, Notre Dame Bay not far from Springdale. I was helping Gus load long holes for blasting. We had loaded over a thousand lbs of dynamite one time and to set it off they had to take everyone to the surface to make sure no one would get hurt. He (Gus) mentioned long holes in his interview. Click here on Gus Sampson to see his interview.When you are finished X out and you should be back here.
email message Jan 21/20 - Walter Martell
I worked at mining from 1962 till 1968 every winter. Actually I lied about my age to get underground. I was 17 but told them I was 18 as that was the age to get underground. I worked at Atlantic Coast Copper, Little Bay, Gullbridge Mines, Gull Pond, just west of Badger, and Whales Back mine between Little Bay and Springdale.
Summer time I would come back to NS and work in the woods on machines or truck driving. Before the snow came I would head for NL because I didn't like working in the cold and wet snow. Underground the temperature is around 57 F after you go down a few hundred feet. Still wet in places but not that much. We had oil clothes so even the wet places were pretty good at that temperature.
I started in Little Bay, pick and shovel and on the Grizzley where you beat up rocks with a sledge hammer until they were small enough to go down through to the ore pass.
In Gull Pond I started as an underground mechanic until we finished building the underground crusher. Once the crusher was built I was one of two fellas who worked it 12 hours a day until I went long hole drilling for Canadian Rock, a company from Quebec. That company then sent me to Whales Back to drill. My boss was a Mr Lafleur. On a good days drilling I could make a hundred dollars which was a fortune at the time.
Back in Little Bay one year I worked as a timber man, installing timbers to keep the rock from falling on anyone. Also worked on the surface crusher there as it was called but was actually underground but close to the surface.
I loaded long holes with Gus Sampson and a few others.
Another year I worked with the shaft crew as a deck hand. That's where I worked until they blasted into an older mine that had burned at one time and they had no paper work for and didn't know exactly where it was. At the time the old mine was flooded and when they blasted into it, it flooded the new mine. Four men drowned that night. If they had blasted on day shift a lot more men would have been lost, including my father and me as we were both on shift at the time and below where the water stopped. After the last man was found at the bottom of the shaft I was sent there to look after the pumps as I was still working with the shaft crew. All alone for 8 hours a day at the bottom of the shaft and wondering if we were going to have another flood. I got ulcers after that and wasn't allowed underground any more.
No wonder about the ulcers - Great story, Walter- JS
This is a memory from Gerry MacDonnell - St Peter's. Douglas Landry tells Gerry's story as well in his interview click on Douglas Landry now to see his interview. Gerry's father is Alex MacDonnell mentioned in several of the interview's.
I was probably about 6 years old and my brother Donnie was 8 years old at the time. My mother asked Donnie if he would go to Danny Shaw’s store and pick up a small cabbage.I went along with Donnie to the store to purchase the small cabbage.When we arrived at the store we went to the bin where the cabbage was but they were all quite big. Donnie, remembering what my mother said “get a small cabbage” decided to start peeling the leaves of the large cabbage until he figured it was small enough to suit our mother. Thinking back poor Danny did not make much profit from that purchase.
Danny must have been an easy going sort. JS
Email message from Gerry Jan 23/20
Gerry has identifed Henry Pottie as the man in the picture with Norman MacPhee. Gerry said, "Henry Pottie lived in the same area as we did. As I recall it was about a half mile from the mine and where the shops were, on the left side of the road up on the hill on the way in (from Framboise).I guess it’s the area they called dog patch. There were a number of houses there. Some of the people who lived there were Cal Hastings, Henry Pottie, MacLean family, MacGillvarys, Lloyd MacRae, D R MacDonald, Archie MacDonnell, Trumans, Powers, Alex MacDonnell. There might have been a couple more. There was a Butts family that lived across the road.
I can remember walking to town and passing by a Dutch family’s house and you would see the wooden shoes on the step outside of the house. See picture of the wooden shoes and notes on the Photo page.
Our house was moved to Sydney River,
Cheers. Gerry
I was probably about 6 years old and my brother Donnie was 8 years old at the time. My mother asked Donnie if he would go to Danny Shaw’s store and pick up a small cabbage.I went along with Donnie to the store to purchase the small cabbage.When we arrived at the store we went to the bin where the cabbage was but they were all quite big. Donnie, remembering what my mother said “get a small cabbage” decided to start peeling the leaves of the large cabbage until he figured it was small enough to suit our mother. Thinking back poor Danny did not make much profit from that purchase.
Danny must have been an easy going sort. JS
Email message from Gerry Jan 23/20
Gerry has identifed Henry Pottie as the man in the picture with Norman MacPhee. Gerry said, "Henry Pottie lived in the same area as we did. As I recall it was about a half mile from the mine and where the shops were, on the left side of the road up on the hill on the way in (from Framboise).I guess it’s the area they called dog patch. There were a number of houses there. Some of the people who lived there were Cal Hastings, Henry Pottie, MacLean family, MacGillvarys, Lloyd MacRae, D R MacDonald, Archie MacDonnell, Trumans, Powers, Alex MacDonnell. There might have been a couple more. There was a Butts family that lived across the road.
I can remember walking to town and passing by a Dutch family’s house and you would see the wooden shoes on the step outside of the house. See picture of the wooden shoes and notes on the Photo page.
Our house was moved to Sydney River,
Cheers. Gerry
Memory of Glen Sampson in regard to Harry Gillis and Glen's father Martin Sampson
My daughter told me about this site today so I checked it out. My father Martin Sampson from Sampsonville worked at the mine and I have been to the site a number of times. A little feedback on a couple of names : You have a Harry Gillis listed as an employee. Harry was from Orangedale. I knew him and he was a great old guy. He told me about his time at the mine. He died on Apr. 29, 2016. You also have a Norman D. MacLeod listed. I also knew him quite well. He was from Framboise and was a brother to Ramsey MacLeod. Once again, great site, and thanks for doing this wonderful work. Glen Sampson.
Email message Jan 24/20
I was at Harry's house one day and he mentioned that he had worked at the mine. I told him my dad had worked there as well and told him his name. He couldn't remember him. I'm not sure what the normal workforce was on that site at any particular time but there must have been quite a few people. My dad never really got into stories about the mine but I know that they lived on the Five Island Lake Road near his brother Enos.
My older brother and sister lived in Stirling but when my mother was expecting me she moved back to Sampsonville for the birth. I was born in Sampsonville in May of 1955. I don't think I ever lived there but I've done a lot of work out through that country. I am a forest technician and have been doing technical work all over eastern Nova Scotia, but mostly on Cape Breton for almost 46 years now.
Thanks to Glen for his story and his feedback about this site. Glen has identified his father, Martin, in the photo of the group of men in the locker room. Go to the photo page to see it. It's down near the bottom. JS
My daughter told me about this site today so I checked it out. My father Martin Sampson from Sampsonville worked at the mine and I have been to the site a number of times. A little feedback on a couple of names : You have a Harry Gillis listed as an employee. Harry was from Orangedale. I knew him and he was a great old guy. He told me about his time at the mine. He died on Apr. 29, 2016. You also have a Norman D. MacLeod listed. I also knew him quite well. He was from Framboise and was a brother to Ramsey MacLeod. Once again, great site, and thanks for doing this wonderful work. Glen Sampson.
Email message Jan 24/20
I was at Harry's house one day and he mentioned that he had worked at the mine. I told him my dad had worked there as well and told him his name. He couldn't remember him. I'm not sure what the normal workforce was on that site at any particular time but there must have been quite a few people. My dad never really got into stories about the mine but I know that they lived on the Five Island Lake Road near his brother Enos.
My older brother and sister lived in Stirling but when my mother was expecting me she moved back to Sampsonville for the birth. I was born in Sampsonville in May of 1955. I don't think I ever lived there but I've done a lot of work out through that country. I am a forest technician and have been doing technical work all over eastern Nova Scotia, but mostly on Cape Breton for almost 46 years now.
Thanks to Glen for his story and his feedback about this site. Glen has identified his father, Martin, in the photo of the group of men in the locker room. Go to the photo page to see it. It's down near the bottom. JS
Gary Phillips - March 29/20
Good morning just wanted to say how much I enjoyed looking at the info on the Stirling mine. In the late 1970"s I used to travel in that area do some fishing and a friend of mine father had a friend who had 2 storey house on the Loch Lomond road and we spend many a weekend there fishing (mostly in Lake Enon) and It was just up the road from this site.I have not been there in many years as I now live in Newfoundland.
It certainly brings back some wonderful memories of my early twenties and often wondered what Stirling must have been like in 1950"S must have been a bustling place.
Many thanks for the great site....
Gary Phillips
Conception Bay South, NL formally of Glace Bay
Good morning just wanted to say how much I enjoyed looking at the info on the Stirling mine. In the late 1970"s I used to travel in that area do some fishing and a friend of mine father had a friend who had 2 storey house on the Loch Lomond road and we spend many a weekend there fishing (mostly in Lake Enon) and It was just up the road from this site.I have not been there in many years as I now live in Newfoundland.
It certainly brings back some wonderful memories of my early twenties and often wondered what Stirling must have been like in 1950"S must have been a bustling place.
Many thanks for the great site....
Gary Phillips
Conception Bay South, NL formally of Glace Bay
Del Muise Mar 28/20
Hello Jeanette: This is a wonderful site and I thank you for your initiative. You have done a tremendous job of using and accessing all sorts of wonderful material. As a former historian of Cape Breton who has taught courses on mining here I had never before had any knowledge of this mine and its history. So thank you again for all your hard work on this.
Del Muise
Hello Jeanette: This is a wonderful site and I thank you for your initiative. You have done a tremendous job of using and accessing all sorts of wonderful material. As a former historian of Cape Breton who has taught courses on mining here I had never before had any knowledge of this mine and its history. So thank you again for all your hard work on this.
Del Muise
Helena MacLeod - March 28/20
My father Joseph Gillis worked there in the early 1950's. I remember as a really young child of him coming home from working at the mine and telling of losing his pocket watch down a shaft. He was from Upper South West Mabou close to Glencoe Mills and after working there he worked on building the Canso Causeway.
My father Joseph Gillis worked there in the early 1950's. I remember as a really young child of him coming home from working at the mine and telling of losing his pocket watch down a shaft. He was from Upper South West Mabou close to Glencoe Mills and after working there he worked on building the Canso Causeway.
David Siscoe March 29/20
Thanks for this. It brought back many memories. Our father (Stan Siscoe) worked in Mindemar '53-'55 and we lived in the subdivision across from John G's farm. In fact, I remember telling Mrs John G that when I grew up I was going to buy her farm and live there forever. In 2016 I went back with my brother and we found the foundations of the houses with trees growing out of the basements. Amazing how time changes things but the memories remain. Again thank you for putting this together. It was a great trip down memory lane.
April 3/20 I believe he was the Assistant Mill Superintendent (Stan Siscoe) and we lived in the first house (going up what seemed a huge hill at the time) in the subdivision across from John G's farm. Fond memories of our time there, though most are dimming with time. It was a great place for a little boy to experience the world and nature around him.
David
Thanks for this. It brought back many memories. Our father (Stan Siscoe) worked in Mindemar '53-'55 and we lived in the subdivision across from John G's farm. In fact, I remember telling Mrs John G that when I grew up I was going to buy her farm and live there forever. In 2016 I went back with my brother and we found the foundations of the houses with trees growing out of the basements. Amazing how time changes things but the memories remain. Again thank you for putting this together. It was a great trip down memory lane.
April 3/20 I believe he was the Assistant Mill Superintendent (Stan Siscoe) and we lived in the first house (going up what seemed a huge hill at the time) in the subdivision across from John G's farm. Fond memories of our time there, though most are dimming with time. It was a great place for a little boy to experience the world and nature around him.
David
Memory from Rev Donald MacQueen - March/20
A few comments: Great history, thanks for all your work in compiling it. My father Angus F. MacQueen and a man named Murdoch MacMillan from South Bar worked for J.W. Stephens (SP), and possibly your father as some of the carpenters who built the first buildings for the mine, your father was possibly one of the carpenter bosses. I don't know if Murdock ever worked for Mindemar or went back to Sydney. My father stayed and worked as a Mill Carpenter until the mine closed and then was one of those packing it up. ( The large photo or those enjoying themselves may be a Mill group as he is in it. ) Also, I remember a family who lived behind John G.'s named Anderson, who left and went to Eldorado or Elliott Lake, they were in Elliot Lake in the 70's so he must have been a boss of some sort. Also Roddie K. MacLeod, Dan Normon's brother I believe lived in that area too, his son Richard is in one of the school photos. They went to a mine in northern Quebec. I don't know if the Kenny Strachan in the list is the one we called Kenny John , but he lived at the end of Angus Archie MacQueen's driveway in a small house. The above do not seem to appear in the list of names. Another name missing is Reg Beniot (SP). They said his name as Bennett, who married one of the MacDonald girls ( Margaret MacLean MacLeod's aunt) and they moved to the states later, I forget her name at the moment. They lived on the left of the road going out to Murdoch Dan's on the hill above Patterson's lake. The Catholic Church mentioned by someone was on the left past Dan Al;ex MacLeod\s on the Loch Lomond road.
Thanks Donald for the great information. I have updated the names. Kenny Strachan is Kenny John. Reg's wife's name was Mary MacDonald. We called her Mary Sandy (after her father). JS
A few comments: Great history, thanks for all your work in compiling it. My father Angus F. MacQueen and a man named Murdoch MacMillan from South Bar worked for J.W. Stephens (SP), and possibly your father as some of the carpenters who built the first buildings for the mine, your father was possibly one of the carpenter bosses. I don't know if Murdock ever worked for Mindemar or went back to Sydney. My father stayed and worked as a Mill Carpenter until the mine closed and then was one of those packing it up. ( The large photo or those enjoying themselves may be a Mill group as he is in it. ) Also, I remember a family who lived behind John G.'s named Anderson, who left and went to Eldorado or Elliott Lake, they were in Elliot Lake in the 70's so he must have been a boss of some sort. Also Roddie K. MacLeod, Dan Normon's brother I believe lived in that area too, his son Richard is in one of the school photos. They went to a mine in northern Quebec. I don't know if the Kenny Strachan in the list is the one we called Kenny John , but he lived at the end of Angus Archie MacQueen's driveway in a small house. The above do not seem to appear in the list of names. Another name missing is Reg Beniot (SP). They said his name as Bennett, who married one of the MacDonald girls ( Margaret MacLean MacLeod's aunt) and they moved to the states later, I forget her name at the moment. They lived on the left of the road going out to Murdoch Dan's on the hill above Patterson's lake. The Catholic Church mentioned by someone was on the left past Dan Al;ex MacLeod\s on the Loch Lomond road.
Thanks Donald for the great information. I have updated the names. Kenny Strachan is Kenny John. Reg's wife's name was Mary MacDonald. We called her Mary Sandy (after her father). JS