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HomeMy WebLinkAbout498Spiral bound book, 19 pages, prepared by the members of the 1st Rouge Hill Girl Guide Company, 1985. A record of interviews with long time residents of the Rosebank area, remembering how the area was when they first came to Rosebank. This booklet contains transcripts of interviews with local residents conducted by members of the 1st Rouge Hill Girl Guide Company. "Amy Richards Our family's name is: Mrs. Donnelly Our address is: 571 Winette Road We have lived in Rosebank for 13 1/2 years. Our house has some interesting facts about it: The house was built approximately 50 years ago. In 1962 an additional 5 rooms were added to the original structure. We also remember Rosebank when: There were no street lights or sewers. On our street there were only 3 houses but now there are six. The house originally beside us had been a farm and there were 2 horses and a colt. Rougemount Drive use to be the only road in and out of Rosebank. Rosebank Villa was Rosebank Nursing Home and still had the original home attached to the 3 story building. " "Karen White Our family's name is: Snow Our address is: 378 Woodgrange We have lived in Rosebank for 15 years. Our house has some interesting facts about it: - A point on the rivers used by the Iroquois Indians to see if any enemies or boats are coming up stream - It's surrounded by conservation area and since there is a swamp, it is good for birds and animals to come upon (beavers in river, cranes) We also remember Rosebank when: - The area was very rural with a lot of cottage type of homes - No sewers or street lamps - since then population and traffic have increased tremendously with the new house construction - almost an extention of Metro Toronto -gravel road - one entry only to Rosebank - moving house got stuck at bridge, people trapped for a day Our family's name is: Snow Our address is: 385 Woodgrange We have lived in Rosebank for 15 years Our house has some interesting facts about it: - overlooks the Rouge River - lots of wildlife (racoon, bluejay, cardinal, sparrow, skunks) I also remember Rosebank when: - gravel road - Across tracks was a store (Rodd's) and post office " "Yasmin Nair Our family's name is: Mrs. R. Douglas Our address is: 653 Rougemount Drive We have lived in Rosebank for 31 years. Our house has some interesting facts about it: - It is about 35 years old - It was built by Mr. T. Martin (who lives now on Oakwood Dr)and his brother - The house next door was built by same men (to the north) - The house was only 1/2 the size it is now since addition built on - It was all long grass behind the house and most other properties around - Everyone had mailboxes by the roadside We also remember Rosebank when: - Stroud's store (Hwy. 2} and Rodd's store (Rodd Ave) were only stores around Oakwood Dr. was mostly woods - Many people lived in ""Morgan's Park"" (valley at end of Wynette Ave) but were flooded out from Hurricane Hazel. - The library was a small church (church was older part of library at rear) - Rosebank school was 1/2 the size it is now when it was built - There were only 3 houses between Hwy. 2 and Toynevale Rd. on Rougemount Dr. - St. Mary's Catholic Church and school was on Toynevale Rd. - All homes by Rodd Ave. & Dyson Rd. were cottages (some since have been winterized or renovated or torn down) cont......2 " "(2) Yasmin Nair Mrs. R. Douglas (cont.) - Oakwood was a gravel road - There were no sidewalks on Toynevale Rd. - Stroud's store had ice cream cones for 6¢ or 2 scoops for 10¢ Our family's name is: Mrs. A. Nair Our address is: 580 Rougemount Dr. We have lived in Rosebank for 3 1/2 years. Our house has some interesting facts about it: Our property used to be vacant land. It belonged to Hollinger Construction. They were the people who started to build our house in November 1980. It was fun watching it being built. We had a lot of things changed from the original plans. Every few days we to see how it was progressing. " "Jeanette Huff Our family's name is: Mrs. Ferguson Our address is: 503 Oakwood We have lived in Rosebank for 34 years. Our house has some interesting facts about it: In 1950 when we moved into our house it was a little summer cottage like most of the houses were in this area. We were lucky to have a lot of nice trees which in 34 years have grown taller. There are ironwood, oak, maple, basswood, beech, hawthorn, willow, chokecherry, birch and ash plus numerous shrubs. We also remember Rosebank when: There was a store and post office on Rodd Ave. There was a park and a concession that sold soft drinks, etc. for picknickers on the hill above Ferguson's beach and another park between Dyson road and Rosebank road called ""Cecil White Memorial Park"". There was no school at Rosebank until 1954. We remember when the roads were very poor especially in the spring when residents had to leave their cars at the highway and walk to their homes until the roads dried up. " "Carrie Barkhouse Our family's name is: Mrs. Keith Our address is: 448 Toynevale Rd. We have lived in Rosebank for 17 years. Our house has some interesting facts about it: - (Not too much of interest). It's about 30 years old and it was built by one man on his own. We also remember Rosebank when: - There were no street lights - Cows in the field near to the school where now Cowan Circle is and all those houses - No houses across or beside the school - Only one way in and out of the area - The library was a church " "Mrs. Huff (Captain) Our family's name is: McLeod Our address was: 551 Oakwood Dr. (House demolished) We have lived in Rosebank for 20 years (1952 - 1972) Our house has some interesting facts about it: The original house was a two room shack which was later used by our family as a chicken shed. Directly behind our house was a house on Rosebank Rd. S. that belonged to Charles Byde[Boyd] the bank robber. My brother and I searched every inch of our property looking for their hidden loot. We also remember Rosebank when: Rosebank public school was only four classrooms, with two grades to a class. The fields surrounding the school were all cow fields (pasture) The Rouge River Valley was called Morgans' Park I believe. I had friends who lived along the river there. We used to go swimming and fishing in the river and thought nothing of eating the pike or bass we caught. After Hurricane Hazel, the government bought up the parks next to the river and made everyone move. We used to have to walk down to Rodd's store and post office for our mail. There were only two stores around then - Stroud's and Rodd's. Rodd's was south of the tracks and I remember going there to watch movies (Laurel & Hardy) in the back room with all the neighborhood kids. In the summer we could also go to Ferguson's Beach which was located at the mouth of the Rouge River. They had a snack bar and dance floor just like in ""Happy Days"", but my mother told me the health department stopped the dancing in the same room people were eating in. After the hurricane, this beach was also taken over by the government. " "Clarissa Suzette Pugh -Our family's name is: Mrs. K. Pugh Our address is: 362 Rosebank Road S. We have lived in Rosebank for 29 years. We also remember Rosebank when: - Rosebank Rd. School was just a 4 or 5 room building - The trees along Rosebank Rd. were so many, and so lush that their branches met over the road making a beautiful picture. - When Mr. and Mrs. Charlie Rodd had a small country store on what is now Rodd Ave., and all the neighbourhood children used to congregate there (inside and outside) to talk and play. Mr. Rodd loved it! - When the rear of Stroud's store was the Bank of Commerce - There were no street lights, only well water and no sidewalks - Very very few houses but a great deal of friendliness among the residents - There was no Dial-a-Bus and we had to walk to the highway and if we needed public transportation, we had to go the #2 highway to get it. - Fergies Beach (now conservation area) had a dance hall - Rosebank Plaza was non-existent and Stroud's was the only store for miles around - Most of all we remember all the open fields that were around us and the tranquil way of life that existed in this little rural community. We truly lived in the country. However, now the city seems to have caught up with us but even so Rosebank is still a lovely place to live in and we wouldn't like to be anywhere else. " "Rosebank When: When our family first moved to Rosebank there was about 50 families. Rosebank was originally owned by Cowans, it was all a large farm. The Cowans sold the land to new residents. When Mr. & Mrs. Cowan died their house was leased out like a boarding house. Shortly after, Mr. Lafontane bought this house and converted it into the Rosebank Rd, Convalescent Home. Beside the nursing home, there was another white frame house which was Mr. and Mrs. Rodd's home. The front of the house was made into a general store, also added was a banquet room which was used for bingo and parties Just before Rodd's store which is now an empty field, there were 12 apple trees which all of us kids raided once a week as long as the apples lasted. The street called Rodd Ave. was called Rosebank Rd, S. Just after the railway crossing on Bella Vista there was a large home at the top of the hill. This house belonged to Mr. and Mrs. Ranger. This was our toboggan hill which would be iced for us each year. The reason it was the best hill around was the large row of pine trees at the bottom. It was a case of crashing or getting through which didn't happen too often. The conversation area by the railway bridge was owned by Mr. Ferguson. The beach was known as Ferguson's Beach. There was no walkway and the river wasn't polluted, so to get across you either swam or walked across the bridge. The canoe club originally started on the beach on our side (Rosebank). In the warm weather everybody went to the river to swim or just jump off the bridge, or run back and forth across the bridge to beat the trains (that was easy - there was only one train about every hour). Cont.----2 " "(2) Rosebank When (cont.) Before the Go and Via the only trains that past were freight. In the spring everyone would get together to go smelt fishing. You ended up with a bathtub full in a couple of hours, but not so now. At the corners of Rosebank, Rougemount and Dyson, used to be Whites Memorial Park. We had swings, teeter-totters, and a baseball diamond. The best attraction was our Tarzan swing at the corner. Every kid in Rosebank would meet every day at the Tarzan swing and some would end up with quite a few bad bruises. Rougemount to Woodgrange was called West Point and Woodgrange was called West Point Cres. When Hurricane Hazel hit, the river where the beach is was filled in with the large boulders that are there now. The canoe club was then moved to the other side where it still remains. I can remember when we used to call Rougemount Drive Go-Kart Hill. There was hardly any traffic but lots of go-karts. I remember Petticoat Creek as a place to explore and chase or he chased by the cows. There were no roads or factories - at least the bridge has remained the same. I remember when the Conservation area was a horse farm called the Moorelands. There was one time when our neighbour had a pony and the horses from the Moorelands broke loose. They followed the road, crossed the railway tracks and came right into our backyard. It was a real rodeo; parents trying to catch horses, the kids waving sweaters to round them up. Even Mrs. Anthony had a beautiful golden coloured horse. Cont....3 " "(3) Rosebank When (cont.) I can remember going to guides and brownies when there were no street lights or sidewalks. The only company was a few foxes. I can remember when we had a hundred year old snapping turtle visit us. The police had to come and take it away in the car and home it in their jail cell. I can remember when the farmers' cows were the school's only neighbours. I can remember all the new families coming. I hope there will be good memories for them too. " "Tammy Ann Douglas Our family's name is: Mrs. R. Anthony Our address is: 476 Toynevale Road We have lived in Rosebank for 40 years. Our house has some interesting facts about it: Our property was part of the original George Toyne farm after whom Toynevale Road was named. Their farmhouse is still standing at the south east corner of Altona Road and Kingston Road. Part of our home was built as a summer cottage in 1930. The brick addition was constructed in 1957. We also remember when: - Rosebank School property was a corn field. - Rosebank was just a summer cottage community at that time, most of the buildings being located at the mouth of the Rouge River. - The only entrance to the community was Rosebank Road from Highway #2 (Kingston Road). - Cowan's Park was located south of the railway tracks on the east side of the river, with a boathouse on the river's edge and a dance hall and refreshment booth on the upper level, Rosebank railway flag station received many summer passengers from. Toronto and picked up passengers going to the city. - Rosebank was named for the multitude of wild roses that grew along the sides of Rosebank Road. - Petticoat Creek, which borders the east side of Rosebank, was originally named by French explorers ""Petit Cote"", meaning ""little sides"" (banks). " "Adrienne Donnelly Our family's name is: Mrs. McEwen Our address is: 449 Toynevale We have lived In Rosebank for 16 years Our house has some interesting facts about it: - It is not the original house that was on the property - The present house was moved here on a big truck from Manse Rd. & Lawrence - It got stuck on the bridge on Rougemount for 2 1/2 hours and blocked traffic - The basement was flooded during the winter before it was finished and the neighbors' boys played hockey downstairs We also remember Rosebank when: - There were no subdivision houses. - Kids could play street hockey on Toynevale because there wasn't much traffic. - There were wide open fields to walk in. - You could have farm animals in your backyard. - There were a few old landmarks in the area that have disappeared. - There was only one entrance to the Rosebank area. - We didn't have a bus service. - Rosebank School was almost closed because of low enrollment. " "Our family's name is: Craig Our address is: 722 Rosebank Rd, S. We have lived in Rosebank for 32 years. Our house has some interesting facts about it: Not really, but I will tell you something about our lot. It was a very barren acre-and-a-half of clay when we moved here in 1952. When Hwy. 401 was constructed, more land was bought than just the actual highway strip. The extra pieces were sold after the highway was finished, but from our lot the topsoil was almost all scraped off to use for landscaping the highway. Just the bushes along Rosebank Rd. and a strip of grass about 20 feet wide was left. The rest was pure clay. Over the years without much assistance on our part, grass and other vegetation has grown over most of the lot. We even have trees - ash, elm, cedars and of course Manitoba Maples. However, our lot is now reduced to just under an acre. The Department of Highways, after changing its name to the Ministry of Transportation and Communications bought back some of the property they had previously sold because they now think they may want to widen the highway even more. It was only 4 lanes in 1952 rather than the 6 it is now. We also remember Rosebank When: A lot of the roads had different names than they do now. Some were changed a long time ago - others not so long ago. Now we also have entirely new streets in the subdivisions. Did you know that Cowan Circle, cont......2 " "(2) Rosebank When (cont.) Foster, Houston and Anthony Courts were all named for families who were here before most of the rest of us? The Cowans had a farm in Rosebank many, many years ago. Moorelands Crescent commemorates Moorelands, the estate which is now Petticoat Creek Conservation Area. It was owned by a very interesting Mr. Moore. McLeod Crescent is on the land where the McLeod family lived until the property was sold for that subdivision. When we moved here at the end of 1952, the present Rosebank Rd. was. called ""Old Rosebank Rd."", while Rougemount was known as Rosebank Rd. The ""Old"" Rosebank Rd. was the original road to Rosebank. When Hwy. 401 was put through, however, a decision was made to put the overpass across 401 at what is now Rougemount Drive. This decision was not popular with some of the older residents. They were still grumbling about it when we arrived. Since the old Rosebank Rd. was cut off at either side of Hwy. 401, the other road was the road to Rosebank or Rosebank Road. When we finally got door to door mail delivery - or at least when most of Rosebank did (we here at 722 Rosebank still have to pick up our mail from our box at Rosebank and Toynevale) - the names were changed again and Rosebank Rd. became Rougemount Drive, to avoid confusion, and ""Old"" Rosebank Rd. was known as simply Rosebank Rd. again. However, Rougemount Dr. also refers to part of what used to be Pine Ridge Rd. and part of the former West Point Crescent. North of Highway 2 it used to be called Woodlands Rd. Pine Ridge Rd. extended all along cont...3 " "(3) Rosebank When (cont.) the top of Rouge Valley, from where it starts today, at Winette Rd. (then Altona Rd. S.) right to the corner of what is now Woodgrange Ave., but was then the other part of West Point Crescent. Confused? Well I mustn't forget to tell you that Oakwood Dr. was simply known as the bush road and it wasn't much of a road in 1952, especially in the middle. The north and south ends were always much better than the track through the bush - or oak wood - in the middle. In bad weather it was often impassable. Of course Toynevale Rd. (where Mr. Toyne's farm used to be) didn't go any farther than Rosebank until just a few years ago and there wasn't any Dahlis Crescent or Granite Court at all! Morgan's Park was a cottage community in the Rouge Valley reached by a road running steeply down the hillside from what is now Winette Rd. Due to the housing shortage people were living year round in a lot of the cottages when we first moved here. Eventually they were bought by the Conservation Authority and torn down, due to the danger of flooding, such as occurred when Hurrican Hazel struck. There were several roads in that area, but I don't remember whether they had names. I'm not even going to mention Klyma and Gilmoss although I have heard there is a story connected with their existence - a story of mistaken cont...4 " "(4) Rosebank When {cont.) identity which I will not try to set down, as I don't know the details. Dyson Rd. (named for Dyson Cowan) has been just that as long as I have lived here and so has Bella Vista Drive. Rodd Ave. was a name I never heard applied to the road on the lake side of the railway tracks in the early days, Mr. and Mrs. Rodd kept the store on that road and it was there the Rosebank Post Office was located. I don't remember that road being called anything in particular, but in the days before door to door mail delivery, street names weren't particularly important, as long as you could find your way home. "