It is the Huronia Museum's intention to make the best possible web site for students as well as anyone interested in the histoy of the Midland area. The web pages are directed towards students from grades 2 to 8. However, younger children could benefit and enjoy the web site if an older individual were to read or explain the page to them. Older adolescents can also find information on the photo and essay pages for school projects or for their own inerest and enjoyment.

The purpose of the character Jimmy is to relay the information to the students in a fun and enjoyable manner. Jimmy is stranded on one of the 30,000 Islands and in order for him to be rescued, the students must answer a series of multiple-choice questions at the end of many of the pages. When all questions are answered the student will be rewarded by being taken to a page where Jimmy celebrates his rescue. This concept of Jimmy, will hopefully interest the students enough for them to discover many pages on this web-site, and learn while having fun.

For each section, each topic will consist of a home page, photograph page with description for each photo, and an essay page. The home page for each topic is linked to the photograph page which can be accessed by clicking on the related picture on the home page. The essay page consists of more information of the topic, which is directly linked to the photo page an can be accessed by clicking on the "To Story Page" button. Each essay page is linked to other topics which are related to the contents of the page. This format is simple enough for students to both understand and enjoy as well, it accommodates the game involving Jimmy.

Lumber Industry Railway Shipping Shops Transportation	Children in the Past Ghosts and Legends Recreation Winter Activities Wrecks	Clothing Naval and Military Establishments Photography Then and Now

Just click on the topic to scroll down to that section of the guide.

Lumber Industry
Railway
Shipping
Shops
Transportation

With these web pages you will be able to get a grasp of what small town Canada was like, and how the lumber industry shaped and molded Midland into what it is today. You will learn about;

Lumber Mills in Midland

Lumber Camps

Playfair-White Era

The lumber industry in Canada has always been looked upon as a two sided issue. On one side there is the view that; because of the lumber industry most of the old growth forests in Canada have disappeared and with it the wildlife; then, on the other side, is the view that the lumber industry is the foundation upon which Canada was built. Both views are valid and both hold good reasons, however, we must say without hesitation that without the lumber industry, Canada would not be what it is today.

Therefore, we can view the town of Midland as a microcosm for the rest of the country. In Midland we see all the rises and falls most towns have made during their growth; the beginning, the boom, the fall and the rebuilding. We can see the development of the mills, its owners and the lumber camps. It is at the stage of rebuilding when many towns pull themselves out of this uniformity. So you can see that, the town of Midland, with this one industry is not special from any other Canadian town. Although, without the lumber industry it probably would not have been able to become what it is today.

This section of the web page includes descriptions, essays and photographs ofthe railway in Midland. The web page is broken into two subtopics:

Operation of the railway

How the railway affected Midland

The first subtopic, "Operation of the Railway", deals with the construction of the railway and why Midland was chosen as the terminus of the Midland Railway. It will teach the students about all the people who were part of bringing the first train into Midland. Hopefully when the students are done viewing these pages, they will understand more about Midland's railway and that without the railway, Midland would never have been as prosperous.

The second subtopic, "How the Railway Affected Midland", deals with the importance of the railway to Midland. This page will demonstrate how important the railway was to Midland's growth. When the students are done with these pages, they should understand that Midland would not have been assuccessful if it weren't for the implementation of the railway. This is one of the most important pages on the web site, since this web page would not be here if the railway was never constructed.

This section introduces students to the various types of ships that have "evolved" on the Great Lakes from the 1800's. The History of Ships page leads to 4 sub-topics, listed and described below:

Sailing Vessels

Early Steamships

Recreational and Passenger Ships

Shipbuilding

When a student clicks on the "Sailing Vessels" link, or the corresponding picture on the "History of Ships" page, he/she will be taken to the "Sailing Vessels" picture page. With the aid of pictures, this page describes the importance of schooners to early Great Lake's trading routes and the necessity of smaller vessels in the development settlements around the Georgian Bay.

The "Early Steamships" section is also accessed from the "History of Ships" page. A student will be taken to a photo page that gives a brief outline of how steamships have changed from the 1800's to the early 20th century. The photo page is linked to a short essay page which also describes the "evolution" of early steamships, and gives examples of some popular local steamers.

The "Recreational Ships" page is also linked from the "History of Ships" page. It includes photographs and brief descriptions of various pleasure boats and passenger vessels that travelled the waters of the Midland area.

The shipbuilding section begins with a photo page accessed from the "History of Ships" page. The "Shipbuilding" photo page includes a number of photographs and descriptions that outline the history of shipbuilding in Midland. A short essay follows the photo page. The essay describes in more detail the shipbuilding industry in Midland and the role of James Playfair in ensuring its success. A short story about the fate of the steamer, the Midland Queen, can be found in the "Shipbuilding" essay page.

In this section of the web page you'll find descriptions, essays, photographs and quizzes available on the past "Shops of Midland". There are three different topics under this treasure chest.

Shops of Midland (a general overview of the different stores in Midland in the early 1900's)

Ruby's Bakery

Hotels of Midland

The first topic deals with several different stores that were downtown in the early part of the century. The essay describes how the various stores operated and what they sold. The pictures include interiors and exteriors of these stores. Students will be able to compare what a store looked like th early 1900s to what they look like today.

The second topic is on one of the most popular stores in Midland in the early part of the century: Ruby's Bakery. The students will learn about how Sargent Ruby ran his Bakery and bread delivery service. An extra bonus is a description of the phone that Ruby used in the bakery to talk to his store up the street. It was the first telephone in Midland. There are pictures included of Mr.Ruby himself and the bread delivery wagons.

the final topic under the Shops of Midland treasure chest is about hotels of Midland from the first part of the century. It explains the history of the hotels and who used them. Also included is a description of the Queens Hotel which is the only original hotel structure that stands in Midland today. Photographs of the interiors and exteriors are available. The students will enjoy comparing the hotels to the ones of today.

At the end of each topic page there are questions for the students to answer on the material that they have just looked at and read. Every correct answer will help Jimmy the Castaway (the character on the homepage) off the island where he is shipwrecked. This is a fun and educational game to test their knowledge.

Canada is known for its hard and vicious winters. With these winters came transportation problems. In this section of the web pages you'll find descriptions, essays, photographs and quizzes available on early transportation. There are three different topics under this treasure chest:

Scoots of Georgian Bay

Early transportation in Midland

The Penetang-Midland Coach Lines

In Midland, transportation problems were augmented for many people who lived "up the shore" of Georgian Bay. To help them become less isolated the "scoot" was invented (style taken from Florida air boats). It made going over slushy, half-frozen bays a breeze. The essay describes the different designs, handling, and safety of the scoot. Students will be able to view photographs and get an overview of the history of this odd but helpful vessel. The second topic is about Midland's early transportation. The students will learn how people got around in that time and how transportation was essential for a small remote town. There are pictures of old cars, fire trucks and road conditions.

The final topic deals with one of the area's oldest and most respected companies. Students will learn about the history of Penetang-Midland Coach Lines (PMCL), the oldest family-owned coach line in North America. At the end of each page there are questions for the students to answer about the material that they have just looked at. Every correct answer will help Jimmy the Castaway (character on the homepage) off the island where he is shipwrecked. This is a fun and educational game to test their knowledge.

All icons and graphics are for viewing purposes only, any downloading of them will be in violation of copyright laws.

Good quality copies of J.W. Bald's photographs can be obtained from Huronia Museum c/o Bill Smith 1-705-526-2844 or through the National Archives of Canada, just refer to the archive number at the bottom of each picture.

This digital collection was produced under contract to Industry Canada .Check out other SchoolNet Digital Collection web pages.