Winters on the River
Life on the River During the Winter Months was often hard. Below are six stories from sad to humorous as told by Thomas Mitchell (1913-1990; recorded in the late 1980s) and his brother, Grant Mitchell (1900-1979; recorded in the mid 1970s).
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Enlargements & More Photos Below
Classic River Winter Photos
Thomas Mitchell with his construction crew, circa 1942, towing an old kitchen from Thousand Island Park across the ice to what would become his camp at Crow Island, across from Ivy Lea (Hear the Story Above). Photo taken in the Narrows between Wellesley and Murray Islands. Thomas Mitchell was the son in Thomas Mitchell & Son, a construction company based at Thousand Island Park established in the 1920s by his father, Thomas Mitchell Sr. (Courtesy of the Nellie Taylor Collection; Photo by Thomas Mitchell).
The Crew of Thomas Mitchell & Son, circa 1942, towing an old old kitchen from Thousand Island Park across the ice. Photo taken in the Narrows between Wellesley and Murray Islands. Individuals are (left to right): Harry Dano, Will Grant, Chancy Patterson, Jay Waterson, Bill Waterson, unknown, but last name believed to be Dano. Notice the can of motor oil between the legs of Harry Dano and Will Grant. (Courtesy of the Nellie Taylor Collection; Photo by Thomas Mitchell).
While hauling stone off Picton Island, Thomas Mitchell's truck "went down easy" in the winter of 1951 (Hear the Story Above). Bluff Island near Clayton can be seen in the background. Note that this truck is the same one as seen in the picture above on the left (Courtesy of the Nellie Taylor Collection; Photo by Thomas Mitchell).
Ice Boats on the St. Lawrence -- No other information available on this large format (8x10) print (Courtesy of the Nellie Taylor Collection).
Moving House on Ice in Winter 1911, Clayton. Thousand Islands, N.Y. -- Early Postcard (Courtesy of the Nellie Taylor Collection).
Crew of Thomas Mitchell & Son, Contractors from Thousand Island Park, doing dock work on the ice at Bartlett Point near Clayton circa late 1950s. Clayton can be seen in the distance in two of the photos. Calumet can be seen behind the ice boat in the center photo (Courtesy of the Nellie Taylor Collection; Photos by Thomas Mitchell).
Boathouse belonging to Thomas Mitchell at Thousand Island Park serving as a garage for vehicles on the ice, circa 1960s. (Courtesy of the Nellie Taylor Collection; Photo by Thomas Mitchell.
Exact location of this boathouse is unknown, but believed to be on the American Channel side of Wellesley between the Thousand Islands Bridge and Alexandria Bay. Circa late 1950s, the work is being completed by Thomas Mitchell & Sons of Thousand Island Park (Courtesy of the Nellie Taylor Collection; Photo by Thomas Mitchell).
© Copyright 2012 Tom French
Harvesting Ice in South Bay off Thousand Island Park, early 20th Century -- Joe Patterson (by Team), Tom Dano (on top), Peter LaMarr (far left), Charlie Patterson (left above), Tom Stuart (3rd from Left) (Courtesy of the Nellie Taylor Collection).
Early Snowmobile & Group off Thousand Island Park circa 1910-15. Photo by Charles Cornell, from the photo album of May McCormick Cupernall (Courtesy of the Nellie Taylor Collection). May McCormick Cupernall (2nd from left) was postmistress at Thousand Island Park for 50 years beginning in the early 20th century.
Undated Photo of Early Iceboat (Courtesy of Nellie Taylor Collection)
1951 Diary Entry of Nellie Mitchell Taylor concerning her father, Thomas Mitchell. The truck referred to can be seen in the image to the left. Taylor was ten-years old at the time.
Filling Ice House in South Bay, Thousand Island Park, early 20th Century (Courtesy of the Nellie Taylor Collection).
Pushing Ice onto sleigh, South Bay off Thousand Island Park, early 20th Century (Courtesy of the Nellie Taylor Collection).
Starting out across South Bay, Thousand Island Park (Courtesy of the Nellie Taylor Collection
Early Snowmobile & Group off Thousand Island Park circa 1910-15. Photo by Charles Cornell, from the photo album of May McCormick Cupernall (Courtesy of the Nellie Taylor Collection). Iron Cottage at T.I. Park can be seen in the background.
Early Snowmobile & Group off Thousand Island Park circa 1910-15. Photo by Charles Cornell, from the photo album of May McCormick Cupernall (Courtesy of the Nellie Taylor Collection). May McCormick Cupernall (2nd from left) was postmistress at Thousand Island Park for 50 years beginning in the early 20th century.
Close Up of Early Snowmobile -- note steering mechanism.
© Copyright 2012 Tom French