Up the Gatineau! Article
This article was first published in Up the Gatineau! Volume 9.
The Tip Top and the Gatineau Echo
Lillian Walton
Many people will remember the Tip Top Tea Room at the top of the hill at Cascades. ln 1926 the Gatineau Power Company built a dam at Farmer's Rapids flooding the railway, road and the properties alongside which were expropriated at that time. The TIP TOP was built on the new road which replaced the one that skirted along the river's edge next to the railway track.
W.S. Wilson, known to his family and friends as "Billy", was the proprietor of the Tip Top. He was a very enterprising person and saw the potential of a business on top of the hill. ln 1926 he built a small Hot-Dog stand and a cottage as living quarters for him and his wife, Peg. As business flourished he replaced the stand in 1930 with a large Tea Room complete with a stone fireplace and booths on either side for seating the many customers. The warmth of the fireplace became a refuge in wintertime for many people whose cars were stuck during blizzards and heavy ice storms. On one of these nights many vehicles were stuck in Brulé’s Gully, the deep decline in the road below the Tip Top. There were several people curled up in front of the fireplace for the night until the roads were cleared in the morning. One of these was Wilfred McNair, the undertaker from Wakefield, whose hearse was also stuck in the gully with a "passenger" in the back. There were many puns that evening about “stiffs" because the temperature was about 40° F. below zero.
The Tip Top was a happy meeting place where friends congregated for fun and laughter. Billy enjoyed them all and planned a lot of entertainment which kept him and his wife busy. Later on he added a large open-air dance floor and the Saturday night dances were popular. When the weatherman didn't co-operate there was always a quick mopping-up by volunteers before Earl Pennock's orchestra arrived with his floor show. When the dances couldn't be held outdoors Billy would move them to the Wakefield Club House (since destroyed by fire) under Tip Top management. One of the special attractions was Miss Dimples O'Neil and her 6 Dancing Girls from the Lola Thompson Revue. Admission was 35 cents.
Besides the Saturday night dances there were Boxing Bouts through the week. For 25 cents admission you could see: Owen Dickens, Ottawa district Heavy Weight Champion vs Tony McCarthy, boxing star of the Ottawa Rough Riders; Kid Wallace, former Ottawa Champ, vs Blondy Arden, "The Blonde Streak"; Howard Kemp of Rupert vs Malin Craft of Alcove; Pug Arden, Inter-Collegiate Champ, vs Tommy Delaney, Champion of Hull, and other bouts.
Yes, up the Gatineau was quite a thriving place in 1935.80 much so that Billy decided to publish a small newspaper and called it "The Gatineau Echo". This little 4-page paper was full of news, Sports, Softball scores, a Social column, even a section of “Gatineau Gags" — each one a laugh! The paper was well worth 3 cents for a copy.
It is from these 8 copies of the Gatineau Echo that I am able to pass on to you some of the happenings on the Gatineau, especially at Cascades in 1935, almost 50 years ago.
One of the main issues of the populace at that time was "When will the Gatineau road be paved? " Motorists were complaining about the dust around the dangerous curves and hills, making driving very treacherous. There were many accidents which the Gatineau Echo reported. Sports were a popular reporting item. At that time you could play golf all day at the Gleneagle Golf Course for 50 cents. The proprietors were J.E. Cross and Son. Softball was also quite the sport, with 5 teams from the upper section and 5 teams from the lower section competing. Gordie Currie was the Sports Editor for the paper and catcher for the Cascades ball team. Orrie Turner was the pitcher. Tennis had hundreds of spectators watching as a championship tournament was played at Kirks Ferry.
In social events, Cascades and Farm Point Women's Institute made a splendid showing at the Ottawa Exhibition, gaining second place among 22 W.l. exhibits. Among prize winners were: Mrs. Wyman Cross, Cascades, 1st. in Strawberry Jam; Mrs. John Dunlop, Farm Point, 2nd. in Boy's Sweater; Miss Hazel Cross, Cascades, 3rd. in Man's Sleeveless Sweater; Mrs. Jason Cross, Summerlea, 3rd. in Knitted Scarf and Beret; and Mrs. Artlet, Summerlea, 2nd. in Crocheted Afghan.
The Echo had many advertisers. To name some: T.A.B. Sully, Lumber, Wakefield; Orme's Bakery; Harvey Ditchfield, Contractor; Walter Cross, Mica; Chateau Diotte; O.K. Garage; C.H. Reid and Sons, General Store, Kirks Ferry; Eddie Bambrick, Chelsea; and Alexander McLaren, Groceries, Wakefield. Space limits the naming of many others.
The biggest advertiser in the Echo was R.S. Chamberlin, General Store, Wakefield. The prices in his list of grocery items are fantastic compared to today’s prices. Some of the items are: 20 lbs. Rolled oats 85 cents; Canned salmon 3 tins for 29 cents; Bulk dates 3 lbs. for 21 cents; Granulated sugar 10 lbs. for 55 cents; Brown sugar 10 lbs. for 53 cents; Seedless raisins 11-1/2 cents; Windsor salt 2 lbs. 5 cents; Large size tin tomatoes 8 cents; Laundry soap, 10 bars for 25 cents; Hanson's all wool socks, 28 cents a pair; and Horse hide mitts, 69 cents.There was no lining up at the cash register, the pace was leisurely and a nice social chat with the grocer was mandatory.
Besides publishing a community paper and running the Tip Top, Billy worked hard and did a lot for the community. For example, during World War l I many fund raising events were sponsored by the Tip Top including organizing the purchase of several War Bonds.
In 1948 a new highway was built, by-passing Cascades and Farm Point, and coming out into the village of Wakefield. This cut into business at the Tip Top drastically. Billy was into contracting by this time though and had built several cottages at Cascades. He had also taken over the Post Office from his mother in 1946. The era of the Tip Top was slowly passing. Billy moved his Tip Top off the site in 1954 and built for himself and Peg a beautiful bungalow. His untimely death came in October 1961. It is nice to know that his son, Preston, however, is carrying on in his father's footsteps of community organization and activities.
Preston, his wife Melva, and their son Timothy, live at Cascades and are keenly involved with the Cascades Club which has 120 members. The original Cascades Club was one of the properties expropriated by the Gatineau Power in 1925. A new club-house was built on the present site in 1933 by Harvey Ditchfield at a cost of $500. lt is located across from where the Tip Top had been. It was in 1935 that the Board of Provisional Directors handed over the assets to the New Cascades Club Incorporated. Besides having squash courts and dart tournaments, annual barbeques, movies, dances and concerts, there are parties which include the whole family. Preston is President of the Softball Organization which is very active. 1983 marks the 50th Anniversary of the construction of the new club-house.
There is as much community spirit in Cascades today as there was back in 1935. One of Billy's favourite poems was ”Let Me Live ln A House By The Side Of The Road..." He lived in a house by the side of the road and indeed was... a friend to man. It's satisfying to see that his love for, and commitment to, Cascades is carried on by today's generations.
This article was contributed by Lillian (Wilson) Walton