Where were the horses kept on Verdun. For example Strachan's Bakery, horses kept on Gordon near Bannantyne. Langevin's bakery on Egan at 1001. Horse troughs corner Bannantyne and Woodland, beside Farmer's drugstore. Any others? Any horse stories? Ed
THANKS for stopping by, I do my best to acknowledge when someone leaves a comment,you do not have to be a member here & everyone is welcome. Ps: This site is monitored but not actively posting on a regular basis. Mostly these are stories & some photos saved from a defunct site known as Verdun Connections which was on MSN Groups initially then on a social network called Multiply.
66 comments:
Here's one about horses in Verdun. When I was 12 I worked for a man who sold fruit and veg in the lanes. His wagon was in the yard on Woodland and he rented a horse from a stable on Galt. One morning he was hung over and sent me to get the horse. He said don't forget the collar and the harness. I gave the horse a drink and an apple, put the harness over my shoulder, the collar on the other one and went off down Bannantyne as a 12 yr.ina Sat morning fog with the horse clip clopping along behind me. When I arrived, I dropped the collar at his feet, then the harness. "What's dis?" he roared at me. I was confused. "You tolde me to bring the collar and harness." "On de 'orse you bloody fool." he roared. It hit me like a ton of bricks. Whenever I harnessed the horse, he would lower his head for me to slip the collar over. This time he didn't do it. I was convinced he had sucked me in. It wasn't so much the bosses laughter that hurt as much as the horses. I can still hear the horses chuckle in my head. I shoulda took the apple back. Ed
My friend Glenn Hall's Dad had a horse-drawn dairy wagon ...I remember the big white horse when I was in grade 4 or 5 on Argyle Street...my Mom couldn't keep enough apples in the house for me to treat the horse to!
Hi I remember a horse drawn cart on 6th..what dairy was it do u remember? Lad
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I lived right across from Langevins (990 Egan) can still remember the smell of that bread..We hung around with the son Jean...I always remember the pile of hot cinders where they tossed them out the window..There was a wooded area in back where many hous of fun were had... Redwing
Hi Great photo...Thanks alot...brings back alot of memories. Got to see the business end of the horse.(hahahaha) Man I can't believe it... I remember after that we had a milkman who drove and I think his name was Gerry. Think he drove for Elmhurst (Sealtest). I used to go with him around town and help him. Until I dropped a bottle (glass) or two...ooops When did you live on 5th? Lad Thanks again I tell people about the cart and they think I am nuts..now I can prove it. I mean the picture,the other part they already get that one.
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There were fairly large stables on Wellington Street just east of Page Sons car dealership and on the same south side.I remember them as a small child so this would be in the late 40s.
I lived on Briand Street in Ville Emard, and we had Alexander Dairy a couple of doors down from us, and Desautels Wood/Coal lot across from us. They both delivered their goods with horses. The horses were kept in stables right on the property, but the neat thing was in the winter they delivered their goods by sleigh with the horses pulling them. We used to play street hockey with horse poop as pucks...yuckkkkk. It was okay I guess because the poop was frozen!
Linda I guess that is the difference between Ville Emeard and Verdun. Ville Emard called them horse poop....but we were more sophisticated........we called them "HORSE BUNS"... AND they were great... especially when someone else was in goal!!!!!!
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Hi Got a park there now...JJJoubert diary last time I saw it.. Lad
Those 'horse pucks' were usually picked for fertilizer. There were men with a bucket on the handlebar of the bike would scoop it up. The joke goes that a man stopped in front of a mental ward to scoop up manure. The inmate yelled through the window bars asking what he was going to do with it. He said, "I put it on my strawberries." The inmate said, " and theycall us crazy. We put cream and sugar on ours."
When I was very small, in '59 or '60, we had our milk delivered by "Ernie" who I think was from Borden's Dairy. He still had a horse. He was so upset when they switched him to a truck.
Mom Alittle late in adding this horse thing, But I to lived on Brian 6631, just one house away from Dairy,, we lived 2 nd floor & the Fyfe family lived downstairs, early 1930's.. the fyfe had a butcher store on Monk blvd. in front of post office. Ami Fyfe my age, lost his daughhter , she was the first police female (montreal0 to loose her life while on duty Attached picture me in front of 6631 Brian Ron
Again while I lived on Dumas Street in Ville Emard, accross the lane we had a milk man, he kept his horse in the garage behind his house, And we were always worried it would attrack rats. Also there was a large stable for horses, on Hadley street, A lot of the streets had water troughs for the horses Ron Larman
Hi Ron, On Briand Street (Ville Emard) we had 2 businesses that had horses: The Elmhurst Dairy and Desautels Wood & Coal. Both delivered by horse, and kept the horse/s on their property. Neither rain, nor sleet, nor snow could stop deliveries in those days. Not always true about today, even with all our automation.
Ron did you know the Downey's in Ville Emard? Dianne
Hi Ron, We lived at 6534 Briand Street, half way between the Dairy and Springland Ave. Right across the street from Desautels Wood/Coal Yard. Thanks for the picture, and I do recognize the building! Guess some things never fade from memory. Here's a picture of Walter Larman & Beatrice Davies (his wife/my aunt) at their wedding reception. You might recognize him. This is Gordon's brother. Cheers.
Sorry bout that chief, my bad. Here's the picture:
Dianne: I knew a Downey family that lived on Dumas street. There were 3 Bothers & one Sister ,Elsie. Two older brothers were sailors WW 2 , and one was on a Destroy that got sunk in the English chanel, and he spent some time in a German concentration camp. One of the older Brothers has passed on, the other ?, also Elsie died. the younger brother moved to Califorina, and I have forgotten all of there names also they had a very large dog, that looked like a lion.
Mom: Can reconize Walter & Beatrice, a little slimer than when I last saw them. My correct addresse on Brian was 6630, Also Desaultel had the large Ice House on corner of Brian & Springland, I lived at 1925 Springland for a short while Afer Ice House shut down, Flora & Earl Simpson, lived in house, that was a former part of Ice House on Springland, did you know them, Flora's maiden name was bagget, and she lived on Springland, below Hadley
Hi touchy826.....those Downey's are my second cousins..... I am not sure if I have them in correct order of birth Kenneth, deceased Jackie, deceased Allan lives in San Francisco Elsie, deceased Marjory, deceased Their parents were Grace and Jack Downey When I was a little girl they lived on Jogues street....and the dog they had then was called Rex, and he was a big dog, but beautiful! They were my mom, Jean Downey, cousins..... Small world...... dianne
Happy Di,.......is there a Gary Downey ,..........for some reason I seem to Remember the name Gary,.I have no idea why,......maybew from school??? Is that possible or does it ring a bell ......... I don't know why that name pops into my mind ,.
Les, as far as I know there wern't any Gary's in the family.....maybe there is and I don't know about it.......LOL!!! The cousin Allan Downey, who lives in California had a family but I think they all were born there and are living there. There are a lot of Downey's here in Nova Scotia but my Downey's and these Downeys are not related.... Di
Hi Ron, This is a picture of 1925 Springland, which was taken last year. I used to spend a lot of time there. There was grandpa (Stan), grandma (Millie), and great-grandma (Alice). Ross Larman (Gordon's son) lives there now.
Hi Linda...I think we talked about this before....your grandfather was Stan Larman? He was my dad's friend, they worked together at Stelco on St.Ambroise Street in St. Henri. Your grandpaents and my parents would go together to the company Christmas party. You grandfather had a country place in Rigaud, Quebec? I remember going there years and years ago and Stan taking me and my brother out on the lake in his boat.... Lots of fond memories... Dianne
C,mon Mum 45, I don't believe a young girl like you can remember horses. Ed
My golly Stan was such a handsome guy, eh? All the church ladies loved him also. He always played Santa at our Church Christmas Party. I never knew it was him until I was older. And what a dresser also...always white shirt, tie, suit and shoes shined up just so. Classy is what I would call him. Yup, spent a bit of time up at the cottage in Rigaud. That used to seem so far away in those days, but heavens, my son lives there now and works in Montreal, so how far could it be, eh?
Yes, He was a good looking man and a real gentleman, too. I always thought Rigaud, Point Fortune and Vaudreuille (sp) were at the other ends of the earth....and look at us, were living at the opposite ends of the country. I'd sometimes go visit a cousin in Valois and I'd take the train and that was an adventure!!!
Ed bro I wish t'weren't so, but 'fraid it is. But thanks for the compliment! Cheers.
Well Ladies. I must agree that the Larman males were & are a handsome lot. attached pictures Grandma & Grandad Larman Ernest & Ron larman 1930 ( My Dad) Gordon & Ron Larman about 1944/45 Pictures taken at 1925 Springland.
Ron ~ Thanks a million for those pics. Wow I remember that house next door, with that bit tall stairway going upstairs. Needless to say, these pictures were a very pleasant surprise. Thanks oodles.
Our milk was delivered by horse and buggy in the 50's on Egan. Would would grab handfuls of grass to feed the horse. I still remember the glass bottles with cream on the top of the milk.
Verdun I can remember when milk was delivered to the house on 6th avenue. I was only young, possibly 9 or 10. The horse died on the street, it was a beautiful horse. I remember the milkman was so torn up about it. It moved when he got back in the carriage? So sad, seems strange that I remember it so well. BarbaraH (Stone)
my friend Glenn's dad was a milkman and kept his horse in a stable in Pt st Charles.
my friend Glenn Hall's dad was a milkman around the Argyle St area and had a fantastic horse...I remember feeding his horse apples and carrots...about a year ago there were several photos posted here with the horses in Verdun-there were 3 if I recall...and the guys who delivered the milk with them ....I remember the horses were well taken care of and stabled n the Point. I felt bad for the horses who worked on Mount Royal though-they were skinny and underfed...had to drag families and screaming kids from the bottom of Mount Royal to the Lookout....I was 13 and got kids and parents to sign a petition to stop the abuse of the horses on Mount Royal....nothing came of it, then, but now I'm glad to see that this doesn't happen anymore-YAY!
great story! I just wrote a bit about the horses too....I kinda wish that we could be back in the "horses and buggy" days....transportation, and a nice furry friend to hug too!!! hee hee
Hello cathyart, on the Point St Charles site (accessible from our links section) you can click on Griffintown Tour by Denis Delaney,.and in some of the photo's they show a stable in Griffintown / Point St Charles and it has some real old buggy's still in there............... HF&RV
I can remember seeing the last horse drawn milk wagon on my street in Verdun. The horse was so well trained that the milkman just put up his reins and walked back and forth from the wagon while the horse plodded along, stopping every few feet on his own. He certainly knew his route. My grandfather worked delivering bread with a horse and wagon when he first arrived in Verdun from Ireland (1926). The horses were kept on the South Shore and he had to be there at 5 am to harness up! His delivery area was Westmount and he had to put up with all the anti Irish and class distinction attitudes they dished out. He once burned his hands quite badly helping a maid put out a kitchen fire. He never heard a word of thanks from the home owner. He was also expected to collect payment from his customers but was not allowed to ask them for the money??!! Difficult. One time his horse was frightened by his hooves hitting the metal of the Victoria Bridge and heaved its front legs over the side of the bridge. My grandfather was terrified they would go right over the side until he finally managed to get him down.
Hi Willibroad, Is this the Milk Wagon, you remember.... I think his name is Scotty, he delivered milk to everyone in those days.....great memories, I can still hear the horses hoofs on the road.
I remember in 1950 that every milk, bread and ice wagon on our street was pulled by horses except POM Bakery. POM had the old Model "T" Trucks with the crank in front to start them. The coal wagon had four horses I think. The coal wagon was the first business to switch from horses to trucks. Elmhurst Dairy & Guaranteed Pure Milk had large wagons pulled by two horses. Ernest Cousins Dairy, JJJoubert Dairy, the ice wagon and Hollywood Bread had single horse wagons. The Ice Wagon Salesman would chip small chunks of ice for us to consume on a hot summer day. It was almost as good as a popsicle. Elmhurst Dairy and Guaranteed Milk were the last companies to give up the horses on our street. I would guess the horses lasted until 1956. I think Guaranteed Pure Milk kept seven horse drawn delivery routes until the seventies when the city no longer allowed horses with in the city limits.
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Hi Willibroad,.....funny thing ,.the last horse drawn wagon I Remember seeing happened to be on the corner of Willibrord & Verdun Av,..right near the corner heading up Willibrord,.......... I suspect I was in the schoolyard of the old Willibrord Grade school....... don't recall what company it was,.....but that's the last one I Remember,..I would guess at it being 60 ,- maybe 62 ????? HF&RV
Hi Sandy, Sorry, but Walter did not forward me that little picture of Scotty, Rosemary had it in her own little cache of memorabilia. I believe you supplied the picture originally...About that picture of the statue in the park, which you posted I believe yesterday, did someone from our group mail that to you, or did you come in and snag it...... Rosemary
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Hi Sandy,
I still have Scotty's picture but I won't use it without checking with you first. Love that picture. It was a real treasure that you took that day. Hope all is well in Bestchester-Walter
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anybody can take all those pictures i took over the 3 years and use them, do what you like like with them. post on other sites, enjoy them etc
Thanks, metalman! We so often copy and save photos posted here and on other sites forgetting to take note of who actually "owns" the photo. Unless the photos have credits printed with them so that the info is copied with them, it is easy to forget where they came from. As long as we don't claim to be the owner there is no infringement.
Thanks Sandy. I'm certain that Guaranteed Pure Milk kept a few horse drawn routes past 1959 until the city would not let them keep horses at the dairy which was just off Dorchester. Maybe someone else has some information on this. The 1974 movie the Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz opens with a Guaranteed Pure Milk Wagon pulled by a horse going by. It is a funny scene-Walter http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0071155/
Fresco you sure have a super memory,.......now I'll have to watch the movie again,.just to see those horses & wagons,...............hahahahah and I can't stand Richard Dreyfuss...........Yikes !! but i do like that movie....................... HF&RV
Les,
I'm with you here. I can't stand Richard Dreyfus. While watching the movies The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz, What's About Bob and Stand By Me I have found myself thinking that it would have be better if some other actor besides Richard Dreyfus had been cast in these movies. Dreyfus seems to me to be like a nasty rich spoiled not nice unfriendly kid. Regardless, I love the opening shot in The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz. Duddy is in The Black Watch Cadets and they are marching down a street. The cadets arrive at an intersection where they are cut off by a Guaranteed Pure Milk horse & wagon. The horse does his business right in the middle of the intersection. When the cadets resume marching the teacher leading the cadets does not break stride and steps right in the horse you know what. The cadets marching behind the teacher do break stride and walk around the horse you know what. Channel 5 in New York City edited this opening scene out of the movie. I hate people that edit movies. Show us the originals. The opening scene of The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz is very funny-Fresco
Yes Ok Fresco as soon as I started reading your description of the Black Watch marching down the street,.......I could readily recall that scene..... Amazing the power of memory prompting ,.....again I have to say you have some great recall for all subjects it seems....... and I too think a different person could have been cast for that part in the movie,..... (someone more believable as a Montrealer & a Jewish Montreal'er at that,.Dreyfuss didn't fit the bill ,.but tnevertheless did play his part Ok,.but i think most of us Montrealer's (ex or otherwise) liked relating to the film ,.due to it's Montreal content ,.which of course allowed all of us to feel like we had some special link to the film.................. Thanks for the memory prompt again Fresco ,.always appreciated: HF&RV
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Keep beating if you want to but please make sure you are in the right stable!
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Our milkman was the last milkman to use a horse. It was Guaranteed Pure Milk. He used his horse until late 60'. But i do not know where the horse was kept. Maybe in the point? I know that the horses for the caleshes in old montreal are kept in the point.
Joanne
JoJo I had the same milkman when I lived on 6th. There was a picture of him posted on here before. Not sure if it is still in here.Wonder if it can get posted again..Picture of milk wagon turning 5th and LaSalle Blvd. Lad
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Sandy,
At least Clarabell's butt will live on in infamy. Happy Thanksgiving-Walter
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Sandy,
Your picture of Scotty is becoming a classic. Guaranteed Pure Milk and Elmhurst Dairy had two horse wagons on our street. Everyone else had a one horse wagon. We were Elmhurst Dairy customers. I can't remember the names of the Guaranteed Pure Milk horses but Elmhurst Dairy had Pat & Mike pulling the wagon. My Grandmother often gave me sugar cubes to give to Pat & Mike. Pat & Mike would sometimes start biting each other. Burt Tadgell our Milkman would have to break up this fighting. He did this usually by putting the feedbags on Pat & Mike. We kept in tough with The Tadgell's even after Burt retired and he and his wife moved to Vancouver-Walter
I can remember the milkman and baker's using horses for delivery on LaSalle Blvd in the 1960's
Welcome to Verdun Connections Bobo. I'm glad you jumped right in.
Hi AAhh Road Apples.....good times...now if you say that you're looked really odd.. Lad
Ernie was our milkman on Godin. I remember the day in the early '60's when he found out that he would be driving a truck on Monday. He delivered the milk with tears that day.
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