The Persistence of Dollartown (5 photos)

Postcard Memories is a weekly series of historic postcard views and photos submitted by René Hackstetter.

Goad’s Fire Map of May 1904 shows Midland Ont. (including Dollartown ) population 4,600. Midland had 3,800 with 800 souls in Dollartown.

It might be hard to grasp just how busy the waterfront was at this period. The  lumber, shook, and box mills were run by Cook, Dollar, Playfair and the Chew interests at various times.

The waterfront west to east was filled with  the lumber, shipping and allied trades. A humming harbour filled with sounds must have been extraordinary. Work on a lumber mill green chain gang and the noise of the saws was loud. The clang of the crane at the coal dock, whistles from the shipyards, box and shook mills at full pitch, hammering and the sound of whirring mill saws.

Life was lived loudly in Midland and  Dollartown.

French, Irish and English and a scattering of other nationalities worked in these industries. They settled east of Russell to William Street, the south  boundary of Elizabeth and north to Playfair’s Estate on what came to be known as Dollartown. Perhaps named after the Dollar Mill, who knows?

An old map shows Dollartown. Apparently Midland was surveyed by Burnett, Dollartown by someone else.

Dollar came to Midland in 1879 and built and ran the Ontario Lumber Company, located in Dollartown, Osborne tells us. John Dollar left in 1890.

The Chews and their mills were successors and here for many more years than the Dollar Brothers, who had left for their shipping interests on the west coast. 

If there was a centre of town, it might have been the intersection of Bay and Lindsay with Jackson’s (widow’s walk on top of building) and West’s stores in the general area.

Osborne tells us that young Howard Chew took over the Dollartown Store in 1903. We cannot be certain of its exact location.

Manley Chew’s house became St. Andrews Hospital. He built numerous houses for employees and a large boarding house, later converted into the first Sacred Heart school for the predominantly Catholic population.

Dollarton, or Dollartown, persists in the memory of inhabitants and, is a  living reality for residents. It is time the Town of Midland recognizes  this unique area.

Copyright René Hackstetter, Oct 7, 2020.