Early immigrants to the Island in P.E.I. s Bygone Days
With Canada Day coming up this week, Bygone Days takes a look at how some of Prince Edward Island s long-established population groups came to the Island more than 200 years ago.
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This monument to the Selkirk Settlers who arrived on P.E.I. from Scotland in 1803 stands at the church in Belfast, P.E.I.(Jayne Ings)
Reginald (Dutch) Thompson s column The Bygone Days brings you the voices of Island seniors, many of whom are now long-departed. These tales of the way things used to be offer a fascinating glimpse into the past.
You d think it was an airplane cut loose
But when the first cars arrived on the Island after the turn of the last century, Albert bought one. And he liked to go fast! Car races were held at the Summerside horse-racing track in the early days of the automobile on P.E.I.: novelty races between the horse races.
Frank Woodside inherited his father s passion for cars. (Dutch Thompson)
One sunny holiday afternoon in 1917, Albert and Frank took the family s car, a Chevrolet with a big powerful engine, to the races. Somebody engineered this here car race. There was three cars in the race: the 490 Chev, a McLaughlin Four, and a Chalmers Six Roadster, Frank said. The Chalmers had a larger, six-cylinder engine, so the other two cars including Albert s were given a head start.
I poured over a new book, Historic Tales of Alamo, California by Beverly Lane with Sharon Burke, which answered questions I d had since buying a house off Livorna Road in 1981. For instance, where did the name Livorna Road come from?
Farmers who needed to fertilize their fields in Prince Edward Island's bygone days of 100 years ago or more weren't able to simply make a trip to the store for chemical fertilizer they used what was on hand on the farm and at the shore.