From the archives of the Sault Ste. Marie Public Library:
It’s amazing where our lives take us, isn’t it? Where did your family originate? How have you chosen the place that you live in today? There’s no doubt that our character and actions will to some degree affect not only ourselves, but our children and undoubtedly those in our community.
There is a picturesque subdivision in the hamlet of Gros Cap. Beautiful homes with spacious properties populate this area. Street names are chosen for their significance and often hold a treasury of history, and this holds true for the family name, Ironside. It should be recognized that the Ironside family is yet another pioneering family who helped to establish the area of Prince Township, located just west of Sault Ste. Marie.
John Ironside was born in the parish of Mettlick Scotland in 1858 about seven miles from Balmoral Castle. As a young man, he married Margaret Still Duguid. Together they had four children, Nellie, Jean, and Alex, who were born in Scotland and then another girl, Isabel who was born in Canada.
While working on a farm in Scotland, John Ironside became displeased with the life of a tenant farmer, so he made the decision to move his family to the new world. In March 1891, he made the voyage on his own, and in six weeks he landed, making his way to the Detroit area. His wife and their three children arrived the following year. The family chose to settle in the Strathroy region where they could be close to family. With John Ironside being a farmer, he rented different farms in that area for a time, however, he was not able to purchase any of them.
He had heard stories of land on the hardwood ridges along the North Shore. This was an appealing opportunity, as land was being purchased for minimal prices. And so, he and his family set their sights on moving North to the rocky mountain range in Prince Township.
In 1900 the Ironside family made the move to North Prince. Can you imagine purchasing 160 acres of land for $10.00? They had been told that it was rugged, with plenty of hardwood forest. However, the price was truly the most appealing factor and later they learned that Prince Township's terrain was just a thin layer of soil over a rocky base.
John and his daughter Nellie arrived in the fall of 1899. They stayed with neighbours, the Conways, for a few months while tackling the backbreaking work of clearing the land and making a way for farming. Mrs. Ironside and the other children Jean, Alex and two-year-old Bell made the journey North and brought with them some livestock and household equipment. After their long train ride to Sault Ste. Marie, they then journeyed the 13 miles by horse and sleigh to Prince Township. Here, they made their home for six years.
In May 1906, a 110-acre farm located on the Southwest corner of Second Line and Airport Road owned by Thomas Walls became available for purchase. During this time, her husband and her son Alex had gone out to the Western provinces for work as there was no work nearby. She discussed the possibility of buying the Walls farm with her husband and settled the deal while he was away. That same year the two oldest girls were married, leaving their parents and two siblings to work on the farm.
On Labour Day September 5th, 1921, their son Alex married Mary Anne Odber. After a few years, Alex’s parents passed away leaving the farm and its many responsibilities to himself and his wife Mary. Their cows had been producing milk and they continued dairy farming until 1958. For thirteen years, Alex worked with the Department of Lands and Forests. He was a Councillor from 1927 to 1936 and served as Reeve of Prince Township during the “Dirty Thirties”.
Alex was also known for his ingenuity on the farm, inventing and building new things to make farm life more efficient. He was one of the first to grow corn for his silo, he purchased a confiscated still tank and a gasoline motor to pump water from a nearby creek to water his dairy cows in the stable as electricity had not yet been a luxury for anyone in the area. He also designed and built a wood splitter, the first of its kind in the area, just to name a few of his inventions.
Alex also designed the barn that was to be built. He cut and sawed most of the timbers and lumber needed for the barn. He was also well known for his plowing skills and expertise, taking home trophies at various area competitions. Alex Ironside was the proud owner of the first agricultural tractor in the township. He farmed, making use of his creative mind.
In addition to all his dedicated work as a farmer, he and his wife raised six children together. Margaret (Mrs. Alfred Cornaacchio died in 1968) Beatrice, Toronto, Ilene (Mrs. Henry Goertzen) Bar River, Peter, John and Jean (Mrs. Jim Mattila) all of Sault Ste. Marie.
At that time, the owner of the land where the subdivision now sits was August Holmberg. He and his wife Nell (who was Alex Ironside’s sister) had a son named Douglas Holmberg. Upon their passing, the property was left to their son.
When prospects of the property were in the early stages of development, Doug Holmberg called upon the help of his nephew Johnny Ironside. Doug and Johnny together took on the challenge of brushing out the road for the subdivision. In fact, Johnny used his sister Jean’s chainsaw.
When it came time to name the new roads, Doug went to his Aunt Mary to ask permission to name one of the roads in honour of his late uncle, Alex Ironside. She was obviously pleased and gave him permission to do so.
So, if you choose to take a drive below the hill to Gros Cap you’ll now know where the street name Douglas Drive originated, and you’ll also know the origin of Ironside Drive! They are in honour of a nephew and his beloved uncle.
How intriguing it is to visit with someone related to the pioneers of our area. When sitting with Alex’s daughter, Mrs. Jean Mattila, the past comes alive because of her enthusiasm and knowledge! After all, in her 90 years of life, she was there!
100 years sounds like a long time ago and although so much has changed and has been developed, that time span really isn’t so long ago.
As Mrs. Jean (Ironside) Mattila expressed, it’s so very important to know and realize the hard work that people once invested to establish what we have today.
Each week, the Sault Ste. Marie Public Library and its Archives provide SooToday readers with a glimpse of the city’s past.
Find out more of what the Public Library has to offer at www.ssmpl.ca and look for more "Remember This?" columns here.