In Sept. 1959 we moved to Cockburn Island in Lake Huron, Ont. My mother, Helen Wismath, had been hired as the school teacher in the 1-room schoolhouse on the island. My father, Otto Wismath, worked seasonally for the pulp and paper company which was the main employer on the island. However, mostly he took care of my baby brother David who was a 2 year old when we arrived. I was 7 and spent the year in grade 2.

Dock -- Meldrum Bay

It was quite a year.

House:

Our home was on the western edge of town.
There was no running water, but a hand pump that required priming. It froze in the winter and dad had to carry water from a nearby stream via buckets with a heavy yoke. Of course,  we relied on an outhouse and it was cold in winter!
We had a (b&w) TV but electricity in town was supplied by a generator that was shut down fairly early at night. I recall watching Bonanza and The Rifleman. Probably there was only 1 station, perhaps  broadcast from the Soo?
There was a woodstove for cooking and heating. My room was upstairs and the chimney pipe ran through it -- I don't recall being cold.

David, Busby & Rickie

 We had a dog -- Busby. I don't remember too much about him other than from the pictures.
There was a wild cat that lived under the house. Once it stepped on a fish hook, but dad managed to catch it and remove the hook, though it struggled and bit him through a pair of heavy leather gloves.
In the Fall we picked a huge amount of apples from various trees around the island. They were stored in a cool empty room upstairs -- on newspaper and separated so that spoiled ones could be discarded.

Dad helped to build a community sauna (he had carpentry skills) and we had a weekly evening turn to use it.

David & Buzz

Deer:

There was an orphaned fawn that got adopted around town. The name was obvious, but there was a small girl who couldn't pronounce "bambi", so it became more commonly known as "bimi".

Hunting:

Dad shot a deer (during hunting season). I had asked to go with him but he got up early and left before I was up -- much to my disappointment. He said it was very difficult to haul it out of the bush to the car. The deer was hung in a shed to age, but a weasel found the carcass and took a very large chunk.
Partridge were also plentiful on the island.

In the Spring there was one evening when the smelts ran in a small stream nearby. Everyone in town went down and scooped them out onto the banks. They were so thick that it was possible to scoop them just with our hands.

School: 

Judy Robinson, Patsy Fahrer, Linda F., Jimmie R., Erin, Steve, David, Judy Ann, Carol

I believe there were 3 of us in grade 2, 3 in grade 1, a girl in grade 7, a boy in grade 8, and 2 girls in grades 3 or 4, one of whom came from the reservation on the island and attended occasionally. Only some are shown in the picture.

There was a wood stove that provided the only source of heat. The school was outside of "town" -- a long walk, but there was a shortcut through the bush which the kids typically chose.

At recess, I recall a game in which we threw a ball over the school and then ran to the other side to catch the opposing team. Given the large age gap among us students, it was probably a bit boring for the older kids.

There was a nice science experiment for the 2 oldest students -- they grafted an apple branch onto (a different type of) apple tree. It was in the schoolyard -- I wonder if it  might still be there? 

At Christmas, we put on a pagent in the community hall (in town). Mom played the piano. The 2 older students performed a shadow play that was very funny.

Jackie & Jimmie Robinson, Steve & David, swings at school

Community:

There were only a few families in town and I believe only 1 family that farmed nearby. Wooden sidewalks ran all the way to our house, and mud was common.

There was a small store near the dock but otherwise it was a pretty quiet place. Here is the voters' list for that year.

Voters' List -- 1959

I never visited the Indian Reservation west of town but there was a small group of natives who occasionally came to town.

Seymour McLeod and Steve -- Maple Bush Spring 1960

In the Spring, Seymour McLeod had a sugar bush. The smell of maple sap boiling, smoke, and mud was very powerful. Many years later, when I went on an outing to a commercial maple syrup bush near Montreal, I recalled those smells.

Transportation:

There was a ferry that ran weekly in the summer (the Norisle, Normac, or Norgoma?). But in the winter, to get  to the mainland, it was possible, though dangerous, to drive across the channel when the ice was thick enough. Alternately, a small plane (Cessna) could be chartered and indeed my older sister visited us for Christmas via plane. It landed (on skiis) in a field west of town. She says it was a rather bumpy landing.

I believe it was Seymour McLeod who owned work horses and used them for farming.

School picnic -- June 1960

An unpleasant Adventure:

Exploring the bush one day with my buddy Jimmy, we stumbled upon a hornet's nest. I'm not sure if it was in the ground or in the trees, but they swarmed and attacked us -- we ran for home swatting  and yelling as they stung us. Baking soda.

Cockburn Island sawmill

From the Sault Star Nov. 1961.

At the end of the Spring of 1960, the lumber company closed down to allow the island to reforest. Most people left the island as logging was the only real employment. We moved to Toronto -- quite a different lifestyle. I have many fond memories of our year on the island, but mom told me later that it had been a hard year for her there, teaching full time and with 2 young children, etc.