Stories From Another Day

In the very first story of our second season we listen as powerful men make big plans and pretty speeches and it is left to an elegant lady to do the heavy lifting of creating our town ... practically from nothing! We travel back to January 1, 1855 to witness the arrival of the Lady Elgin and trace the myriad of ways that historic day and its visitor impacted every part of our town’s history right...

To finish off our first season we circle back to our very first episode through the high arctic and a monumental archaeological discovery that our town had a small, but vital part in. History has a unique way of connecting every story eventually, and the many stories of our town are no exception. We can’t wait to make more of those connections in our next season of stories. We take a moment to tha...

In this episode we go back in time to observe the annual Orange Day Parade through the lens of a fiery local character. And while there on that hot July day we see patriotism, prejudice, a practical joke and just a little bit of profanity all come together to take a very serious (and controversial) international movement and put a decidedly local (and funny) twist on it. After all, a community is...

Take a stroll with us down by the water, not just in the evening but back in time as we explore some of stories that show the changing nature of our town’s waterfront through the years. From the community hub and enter of activity it is today, to idyllic postcard scenes of unspoiled nature of yesteryear, to an absurd tale of nature fighting back against those who would try to tame it, this episode...

In this episode we introduce you to Mr. David Williams, a man whose resume both here in Collingwood, Ontario, and to parts beyond defies all belief! Recognized for his tireless work across so many fields, he would win many honours and awards. But a most fitting recognition would escape him as the museum that would proudly bear his name never came to be. And so it is that we honour the  memory...

Rush with us down to the harbour in the middle of a dark and tragic night in 1905. Terrible circumstance works against personal heroism and the town’s collective determination to cause one of the saddest stories of Collingwood’s waterfront history. When all is said and done and the City of Collingwood has burned down to the water, what is left but to learn from what happened and prepare for the ne...

Our world is fast changing and always has been. Technologies constantly spring up with promises of a new and better life. But which ones change the culture and which get put in the back of the closet with last year's fads? Join us in this episode as we look at the earliest days of the telephone in Collingwood, when people still hadn’t figured out what kind of future it would hold. Next we focus in...

Beginning with the story of a famous wild west sharp shooter who may or may not have been in Collingwood, we turn our attention to several of our own wild west originals, who called Collingwood home when it was a rough and tumble frontier town and the gateway to the wild, wild west. We talk about Kitty and her darn motorcycle as a reminder that there is always more to the story of a person’s (or t...

In this episode we look deep into the eye of the storm as we travel back to the year 1913, when Collingwood finds itself at the center of an international tragedy of staggering proportions. And days later, as the news slowly comes out it just kept getting worse and worse for the families of our town. After the story we talk about the memorial windows in All Saint's Anglican Church, dedicated to th...

What do hockey pucks and corsets have in common? Join guest contributor Melissa Shaw as she dives into the little-known beginnings of women’s hockey in Collingwood on this special International Women’s Day edition. Keep listening for information about Gaslight Community Theatre and their role in bringing history to life through live performance. As well, we discuss the International Women’s Day fe...

A World War 1 veteran named Fred, his brother Charles and a long and sometimes volatile history of how we remember those who served and uphold our civic duty to all who made sacrifices for our freedom ... give a listen as it all comes together in this week’s episode ... lest we forget! Following the story we talk a little about the town Cenotaph which shares the grounds with our museum and we ask...

Shipbuilders, Tigers, and a notorious Chicago barkeep all converge in our story that asks the question “How far are you willing to go to get what you are after?” The answer might just make you sick. We travel back to the early days of Ontario Hockey for a notorious game where the skullduggery off the ice nearly caused one team to lose the game, but cost the other team everything. Afterwards we int...

In this special Holiday episode, we remember a much loved mayor of Collingwood and his yearly gift to the children of Collingwood. Do you remember the sleigh rides with Mayor Harry Bell? As we get closer to the holidays we ask you to share your memories of what made the holidays special here in Collingwood. We also give all you last minute present seekers an inside scoop on both a sale in our gift...

Despite the tragedy of World War II, some of the effects of that war effort were actually beneficial for our town of Collingwood. In today’s episode we explore one of the wartime manufacturers, Clyde Aircraft, that employed large numbers of locals, and even led to a housing boom. Next, Ken encourages you to go for a walk and see the history for yourself. We ask for your stories either as former em...

You never know who you might meet when you are out and about in Collingwood. Some of my favourites are of the four-legged variety (much to their owner’s amusement). In this episode we travel back to the end of the nineteenth century to witness the debate in our town over the place of our animal friends on our town’s streets. But the animals in question may surprise you. After the story Ken has a l...

Tragedy was an ever present possibility for those who worked in, or relied upon the great lakes shipping in the days of steamships and paddle wheelers. And when it struck, whole families and communities were often left with unanswerable questions. Such is the story behind the disappearance of the Waubuno, bound from Collingwood to Parry Sound in November of 1879. Following the story  we remin...

What do you do when you think you are not being treated fairly by the powers that be? You cheat your way into a better deal, of course! Or at least that is what some of the citizens of the fledgling town of Collingwood decided to do when they felt they were not getting fair play. Can two wrongs make a right? Join us in this episode to find out. Finally, we let you know of a series of four videos c...

Water and fire combine in a story of irony and anguish on the day on August 13, 1890 when a day of celebration turns to grief and a local landmark is changed forever. We then discuss historical tours of places that no longer exist, ask your help in discovering if photographs of a particular building still exist. (We would love to see them if you have them!) And finally we let you know about our up...

What do absentee politicians, horse races, the queen’s birthday, and a deck fire on a great lake steamer all have to do with the beginnings of our town’s shipbuilding past? In today’s episode we will find out as we journey back to 1883 and the grand opening of the Collingwood Dry Dock! We also point out where you can still see this local landmark for yourself and invite you to come and see our bra...

Royal visits are fraught with etiquette and ceremony ... so what happens when you break protocol? In this episode we journey back to 1860 for the visit of Albert Edward, the young Prince of Wales and the future King Edward VII of England to explore what can only be described as a Royal Snub. Later, we discuss meeting famous people and ask for your stories of the same. We also enlist your help to t...

This Episode places us in the middle of a night of terror gripping Collingwood. The threat of armed invasion seemed imminent. How would the citizens respond? The answer, given in part through later advertising in a local paper, might surprise you! Finally, we also give some updates around our Gallery reopening, which you should take advantage of while the podcast is on a short break in August. And...

In this episode we showcase one of our town’s prominent boat building families, the Morrills. Through successes and setbacks they made this community a better place to live and work and along the way they also made a well deserved name for themselves. We discuss the value of hard work and determination in both seeing the opportunities before us and taking advantage of them when they arise. We ask...

In this episode we discover just how rowdy our town could be when we travel back to the year 1856 to witness a riot in Collingwood’s streets that overwhelmed the good townsfolk, carried over two days, and required an armed force from Barrie to come and finally break it up. And all of it because a group of revelers didn’t want to leave something behind. Ken tries to blame Mr. Dressup for something...

In this episode we look at the life and times of John Rutherford Creelman, Chief Constable of Collingwood from 1874 to 1876. A man trapped in a tough job (and some ridiculous situations) made even more difficult because of his personal failings. We'll cover his run-in with a church camp and how a local businesswoman escaped his clutches on the train to Barrie. We also dig a little deeper into earl...

In this episode we head down to the fair in the year 1913 for the very first appearance of an airplane over the skies of Collingwood. We also consider the adage "Be careful what you wish for ... " and ask for our listeners' favourite memories of the GNE (The Great Northern Exhibition).  You can reach us by email at museum@collingwood.ca or leave a message on our podcast page. We would love to...