Types of Shops at the Turn of Century Hi All! I am still stuck here on one of the 30,00 Islands in Georgian Bay. My ship sunk and all the treasure chests containing photos, stories and interesting facts have sunk to the bottom. It's your job to try and find all the cool stuff. The more you look through the chests the more clues you'll find in able to get me back home to Midland, Ontario, Canada. In the treasure chest on the Shops of Midland's Past you can actually find three cool topics. One is one the different stores that were located in Midland. Another one is on Ruby's Bakery which was the most popular shop in all of Midland. I'm getting hungry just thinking about it. And last but not least, some neat stuff on the hotels of Midland's past. Actually I wouldn't mind being in one right about now. Have fun, learn lots, and help me get off this island.

Have fun, learn lots and help me get off the island!!!

Types of Shops at theTurn of Century

Here is a picture of a butcher shop in Midland from around the year 1910. The butcher stores were an important part of the town. They were responsible for suppling meat to the whole town. The butcher shops were the only ones that supplied meat unlike now when you can get meat from many different kinds of stores. Can you see how all the meat is just hanging from the ceilings and counters without being covered or in a freezer? They could get away with this because the products went so fast to the people of the town. They also sold the meat to the ships that would come into the harbour. If you want to learn more about the other stores that were in Midland, just click the picture.

This is a picture of The American Hotel that was located on the west side of King St. This hotel like others in Midland in the early part of the century, catered to the travellers needs. The hotel was filled with young men looking for jobs. In fact the whole town of Midland revolved around these young men who did everything from lumbering to shipping and other various trades. This hotel was one of the few in Midland that wasn't destroyed by fire. It was torn down to make room for a storage house for the C.P.R railway. Today it is the home of a fast food restaurant. To learn more about the other hotels that were in Midland, just click the picture.

Here is a picture of Sargent Ruby. He owned and operated City's Bakery on Midand Ave. in downtown Midland. The bakery was one of the most popular stores in the Midland area. The store sold everything from bread to cookies to cakes. With the success of his first store, Ruby decided to start up another one which was a variety store. His family members worked in it. Both stores did exceptionally well. Ruby was not only known for his businesses but also for his contributions to the town. He raised money for several different causes. His house was built in 1877 and after his death at age of 97 it was turned into a machine shop. To learn more about Sargent Ruby's bakery click on the picture.

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Good quality copies of J.W. Bald's photo can be obtained from the 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.

Huronia Museum, Little Lake Park, P.O. Box 638, Midland, Ontario, Canada, L4R 4P4.

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