1931 - 1940
1932
The
Kerr and Lynch Mills, which had been erected in 1919,
and ran quite briskly for a few years, slackened off in
the late 1920’s and the start of the 1930’s. In August,
1932, the Company was reorganized as the Eastern
Textiles Limited. The promoters were: R.H. McKay and
G.W. McKay, of New Glasgow, and A. D. Lynch, of Eureka.
The Mill was put in first class condition for the
manufacture of ladies sweaters, stockings and yarns.
Parts of the Mill were remodeled and several new
knitting machines added. Mr. A. D. Lynch was to
superintend the plant and Mr. C. L. Grant, of New
Glasgow, had the task of marketing their products. The
plant would give employment to about 20 hands. The life
of this prospective, New Industry, was short lived as
the factory caught fire on Thursday night, January 19,
1933, and was totally destroyed. No effort was made to
rebuild.
1933
Towards the end of the month of January, 1933, the death
of Mr. G. H. MacKay, occurred. His home was the
property, now, owned by Mr. James Jardine. He was one
of the old residents of Eureka, and had been closely
connected with the work of Zion Church, of which he had been
appointed, Elder on September 27, 1896. He was a
blacksmith by trade and operated a shop, just off the
highroad, and a little south of where the road coming
out of the village joins the highroad, for many years.
He was also secretary to the School Board, and as
Stipendiary Magistrate was just about connected with
everything of an administrative nature in Eureka. He
was a short, rather thick-set man, slow of speech and
walk, largely due to an asthmatic condition.
Alexander Stephen Jardine, of Eureka, died on January
27,1933, survived by his wife, 8 sons and 3
daughters. Nathan Higgins, of
Eureka, died on April 4, 1933, aged 68 years.
Thomas G. Grant, of Eureka, died in January, 1933.
1937
During the years of depression, work was extremely scarce. The
Mines were only working about half-time, and very little
activity was carried on at the Steel or Car Works. Some
seasonable employment was provided by the farmers, more
particularly at haying time, and some of the younger
people picked berries during the berry season. At
times, considerable road work was provided, and the
roads through the village were built up with slag taken
from the Old Iron Works and gravel from the river bed.
In the spring of the year, it was a hazardous problem to
try to traverse the roads by car, and particularly the
Riverton Road, when the frost was coming out of the
road. Some effort was made to alleviate this condition,
but for the most part, the people had to wait until the
sun had done the work.
For years, an illegal practice had been carried out along
the length of the East River, that of salmon fishing, or poaching, in the fall of the year, when the
fish were going up the river to spawn. In the earlier
years it was a common sight to see the glow of many
lights from the river at night. Many stories were told
about the experiences of these fishermen, duckings they
had received in the river, the size and quantity of
their catch, times they had been chased by the Fish
Wardens and other Officers, and nights that were spent
in the woods to avoid capture. This practice was
indulged in quite freely during the 1930’s, and people
up the West Branch of the East River, suddenly became
alarmed that the welfare of the salmon was denied by not
being able to get up past the Eureka dam. Pressure was
exerted on the authorities to have a fishway opened
through the dam. A fishway was eventually put in, and
indirectly this resulted in almost a tragedy to the
children and the loss of a valuable asset to the
village of Eureka. The dam had remained
almost intact from the burning of the Mill, in 1915, to
the establishing of the fishway. Gradually some of the
people began removing pieces from the dam for firewood,
and in a remarkable short time the logs were gone and
all traces of the dam removed. The village lost a good
body of water from the center of the village, and ideal
spot for fishing and swimming in the summer, with a
gradual depth and a broad surface at the head of the dam
for the training and enjoyment of the younger children.
In the winter a beautiful sheet of ice was provided for
skating an the playing of hockey, and thousands of tons
of ice were cut from it and stored for summer use.
Today only a small trickle of water finds its way
through the heavy growth along its edges, where the
broad surface of the dam had once been. Incidentally no
benefits were provided the salmon, or the people up
along the West Branch, by the construction of the
fishway. When the dam was there many salmon were seen
in the fall of the year, in the pools above and below
the falls, now a salmon in the West Branch of the river
is rarely seen at all.
On June 14, 1937, Rev. Ward Hastings MacLean, formerly of
Hopewell, married Margaret Keith Muir, of Eureka. In
July, 1937, Alfred C. Reid, of Eureka, married Margaret Grey
MacGregor, of Churchville. On October 14, 1937, Daniel
Gray Fraser, of Hopewell, married Mrs. Elizabeth O’Neil
Gault Fraser, of Eureka.
Mrs. W. McNaughton, mother of Robert McNaughton, died
on Mar. 8, 1937. Mrs. Catherine MacIntosh, mother of
Fraser MacIntosh, died in March, 1937, in her 87th
year. Mrs. Christie A. Dunbar, mother of J.W.A. Dunbar,
died in June, 1937. John Thomas MacGregor, of
Churchville, died at the Eastern Car Plant, on September
21, 1937. Mrs. Thomas Robertson, of Churchville, died
on December 1, 1937.
1938
Mr. Daniel Ross, of Eureka, died on May 19, 1938, aged 84
years. Mr. Hugh Finlay Fraser, died on May 27, 1938,
aged 61 years, he was born at the Island, East River,
before the village of Eureka started. Mrs. Allan
Rankin, of Eureka, died on September 16, 1938.
1939
Mr. Elbridge Angus Cameron married Miss Della Muir, of
Eureka, in August, 1939. Mr. Willard MacDonald married
Miss Evelyn Reid, of Eureka, on September 16, 1939.
1941-1950
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