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Country Roads
We’ve always lived in the country and travelled on gravel roads. When I think of springtime, I also think of muddy roads. I remember my...

Craig Baird
May 1, 20253 min read
The Arsonist Who Hated Harry Hawryluk
On April 25, 1922, the wife of Harry Hawryluk was sitting up at night tending to a sick child. As she sat near the window, next to her...

Craig Baird
May 1, 20252 min read
A Stopover In Vermilion Before Heading Off To War
In April 1916, Vermilion was just like every other community in Canada. It was dealing with the First World War. From raising money for...

Craig Baird
Apr 17, 20252 min read
April 1925 In Vermilion
Another month, and another bit of news to look at from the community exactly 100 years ago! What was going on back then, and how did it...

Craig Baird
Apr 8, 20252 min read
The Sale Of The Vermilion Hotel
The Vermilion Hotel was one of the largest buildings in the community during the 1920s. Every day, people would stay there as they...

Craig Baird
Apr 1, 20252 min read
Vermilion In The Last Week Of March 1917
Back during the First World War, while everyone was worried about what was happening to their brothers, sons and fathers overseas, it was...

Craig Baird
Mar 25, 20252 min read
Vermilion And The New High School
In early February 1929, Vermilion was abuzz with news that the new high school was finally finished. For years, Vermilion had been...

Craig Baird
Mar 6, 20252 min read
Vermilion Hoists The Championship
Hockey has always been important to Vermilion, and more than a few players from the area have gone on to achieve great things in hockey...

Craig Baird
Mar 3, 20252 min read
A Stellar Vermilion Carnival
In 1949, everyone was enjoying the end of a long decade that saw the worst war in human history. In Vermilion, one way they celebrated...

Craig Baird
Feb 19, 20252 min read
Vermilion In February 1925
A new month means it is time to dive back into the time machine and see what was going on in the community a century ago. These items may...

Craig Baird
Feb 13, 20252 min read
A Record Breaking Bonspiel In Vermilion
Curling has always been a pretty big deal in Vermilion, but in January 1953 it reached epic proportions. At the beginning of the month, a...

Craig Baird
Feb 6, 20252 min read
The Tragedy Of Marvin Osbaldeston
From 1950 to 1952, the story of Marvin Osbaldeston was in newspapers across Canada. Unfortunately, it was for a tragic reason. Marvin...

Craig Baird
Jan 29, 20252 min read
Keeping The Law In Vermilion
In December 1910, Vermilion was only a few years old but when you start to get people together in one place, things are going to happen....

Craig Baird
Jan 24, 20252 min read
Vermilion In January 1925
It is a new year, new month and time to start looking at what was going on 100 years ago in the community. The year started off with a...

Craig Baird
Jan 9, 20252 min read
Smallpox Hits Vermilion
Today, smallpox is no longer a concern. Since about 1980, it has been eradicated from the planet through a comprehensive and worldwide...

Craig Baird
Dec 4, 20242 min read
Brave Girl Gets Award
Nine-year-old Rosetta Annetts was a hero. On Nov. 17, 1928, she was at her family’s farm home when suddenly a fire broke out. Home alone...

Craig Baird
Nov 28, 20242 min read
Vermilion In November 1924
Each month, I like to take a look at what was going on in the community exactly 100 years ago. As we are now in November, we are...

Craig Baird
Nov 20, 20242 min read
Mayor Brimacombe Sings Vermilions Praises
In early October 1915, while the First World War was raging, Mayor M.A. Brimacombe, the mayor of Vermilion, vas traveling on the West...

Craig Baird
Nov 9, 20242 min read
he Cornerstone New Vermilion Town Hall
On Oct. 11, 1922 at 10:30 a.m., a public ceremony was held in Vermilion as Mayor J.W.G. Morrison laid down the foundation stone of the...

Craig Baird
Oct 31, 20242 min read
Sub Threat Meant More Oil Wells In Vermilion
With submarines becoming a threat to Pacific oil shipping in 1942, the Canadian National Railways were looking for a new place to get...

Craig Baird
Oct 25, 20242 min read
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