The Lansdowne Letters: A Housewarming, Northern Style

I think it is hard to imagine today
what living in isolation is like,
unless, of course, you've done so.

Northern Ontario Bush

flickr ~ Andrew Kaszowski

License:  CC

My father was one among fourteen
white people living in Lansdowne House
in the fall of 1960 ~
and two of those fourteen were infants.

Their only communication with the Outside
was by short wave radio
and by the mail that came and went
in the belly of a bush plane.

Northern Ontario Bush

flickr ~ Andrew Kaszowski

License:  CC

No phone.
No TV.
Erratic transistor radio reception.





Nowhere to go,
other than to your neighbors.


Nowhere to shop,
other than the Hudson Bay post.

Hudson Bay Trading Post

with clerk, Brian Booth and two Oji-Cree Men
Lansdowne House

Photo by Don MacBeath,  October 1960

© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue

All Rights Reserved

No cars, no streets.
Just hoofing it,
or canoeing in the summer
and snowshoeing in the winter.
Father Ouimet had a skidoo,
but he was the only one.

If you weren't self-reliant,
you didn't make it.

But you also had to be able
to fit into the small circle
of white people in the community.
You counted on them,
and they counted on you.

Fun was what you made it. 



Saturday, October 8, 1960 
My father wrote:
How’s Everyone Tonight?
Though I dated this as if 
it was written on Saturday,
I am actually typing it Sunday morning.  

The reason for this is that 
Uno and I had sort of a 
small home-warming last night.  
We didn’t actually consider it a home 
before we got some furniture 
and fixed up the front room, 
and got rid of the trunks.

  Front Room Before

Photo by Don MacBeath,  October 1960

© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue

All Rights Reserved

Duncan, Maureen, little Duncan, 
and Brian Booth 
were over for some 45s 
and a real old-time gabfest.  

About ten o’clock the 
Father and the Brother dropped in, 
and about eleven Mike, the nurse, 
was over to the Island 
on a sick call and joined the party.  

It was all very informal.  
Everyone just came and went as they felt like it.

 Front Room After

Photo by Don MacBeath,  Fall 1960

© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue

All Rights Reserved

Duncan and the Father even went out on the lake 
with the speedboat about midnight 
to get some pictures of the northern lights.  

They were magnificent last night.  
They had mauve and red and 
yellow and green and white, 
and they were so low 
that you would think that 
you could almost reach up and touch them.

Northern Lights

wikimedia

  

It was the first time that I had ever 
seen them colored like these were colored.

  Northern Lights

wikimedia

And you could hear them!!  
They were crackling and buzzing 
like a bunch of angry bees and crickets.  
I never saw or listened to anything like it 
before in my life.

Everyone contributed to the party.  
Maureen baked a large honey-spice cake, 
Brian brought over some candy, 
Uno and I bought cookies, etc., at the Bay, 
and the Father brought over 
a large bowl of fruit: bananas, grapes and apples.  
We had two coffee pots 
and a teapot going all the time.

        

    fruit  bing                                                           honey spice cake  wikimedia                             coffee  ebay

All in all, we had a very nice party.  
The Brother was the first to play out and go home.  
He left about twelve thirty.  
Brian played out and went home about one, 
and the Father left about one thirty.  
Mike and the MacRaes left about two thirty.
  
I went down to the shore with them 
to help push their boat off the beach.  
I still can’t get used to this commuting by boat.  
Instead of a bunch of cars in our front yard, 
there were two canoes and a speedboat 
dragged up on our beach.  

This was in addition to the one 
belonging to the Father and several 
belonging to some of the Indians on the island.  

Actually, at times we have 
a parking problem at Lansdowne House also.  
There are only two wharves, 
and there are very few stretches 
of beach suitable for beaching a canoe.
  
If everyone decides to go 
to the same place at the same time, 
we really have parking problems.  
You should see the shore below the Bay 
if they are having a busy day.

Canoeing at Night

wikimedia

The party was sort of a spontaneous effort.  
Dunc came over in the afternoon, 
and Uno and I suggested that 
he and Maureen come over in the evening.  

After all, we have been over there so much.  
Dunc told Brian about it, 
and the Father and the Brother, and Mike 
just saw our lights and dropped in.

Nothing like doing something ass-backwards 
I always say, so now I will tell you 
about the first part of the day.

We got up about seven thirty 
and went over and had breakfast.  
We read the papers for a couple of hours, 
and then we answered some 
official correspondence and personal mail.  

Then Uno did a washing over at the Father’s, 
and I cleaned up the house.  
Next time we need to do a washing, 
it will be my turn.  

In the afternoon Uno went out painting 
and I settled down to listen to the World Series.  
But the reception wasn’t too good, 
and I very soon lost track of the game 
and fell asleep and slept till about five o’clock.  
I guess that is why I was able 
to keep going so late at the party.

wikipedia

I can just see Aunt Maude shaking her head 
in disapproval at these irregular hours, 
so I hasten to assure her 
that we don’t keep these hours all the time.  
We are usually in bed before eleven.

Well, I think that just about 
winds things up for Saturday, 
so I will sign off till Sunday.  
ACTUALLY it is Sunday now, 
Sunday morning that is, 
so I will just be signing off till tonight.

Bye for now,
love, Don


When I went north, I heard the northern lights
buzzing and cracking a number of times.
For decades our stories of the noisy northern nights
were dismissed, like those of others in the wilderness.
Scientists said they didn't make noise.
Well, now science is catching up!

Take a listen or read about the mysterious sounds:

Daily Mail: July 10, 2012
Scientists discover where the mysterious sounds of the Northern Lights are generated.






Till next time ~

Fundy Blue