The Lansdowne House Letters: Robinson Crusoe

Dad's Trunks on Father Ouimet's Beach, Couture Island, Lake Attawapiskat, Northern Ontario, Canada Photo by Don MacBeath,  September 13, 1960 © M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue All Rights Reserved

My father wrote:
"Somehow 
when I took this picture, I thought
of Robinson Crusoe.  
I felt quite alone 
and lonely 
because 
then I didn't know ... ."

Dad's Trunks on Father Ouimet's Beach  (Back of Photo) Photo by Don MacBeath,  September  13, 1960 © M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue All Rights Reserved

Didn't know what? 
I wonder.














Do you have old family photos: 
worn, 
scissored, 
faded words 
penciled on the back?

My family has only a few photos 
from Lansdowne House.
Our parents simply couldn't afford 
to buy film, let alone develop it.1

On the back of the photo 
of Dad's trunks on Father Ouimet's beach, 
I can read my father's words,
but the rest is missing; 
cut off by someone who
trimmed the photo decades ago.
Quite possibly me!

It's maddening, 
because I would love to know
what Dad didn't know then. 

Flying to Lansdowne House Photo by Don MacBeath,  September 13, 1960 © M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue All Rights Reserved

My father took 
the photograph when 
he first flew into Lansdowne House 
on this Norseman
on September 13, 1960.

The pilot off-loaded 
Dad's luggage
on the dock, and
someone paddled it
across the water
in a canoe
and deposited it 
on the beach. 








And there Dad stood in the sand,
knowing not a single soul 
in the remote Northern village ~
left behind in Nova Scotia,
his wife Sara, five children,
and his familiar life.

Brother Raoul Bernier Photo by Don MacBeath,  October 1960 © M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue All Rights Reserved

But almost immediately 
a French Canadian 
Oblate brother, Raoul Bernier,
hauled Dad's trunks 
to his rented cottage,
where Dad met his
new roommate Uno Manila.









I'm sure thecottage was a bit of a surprise.
Shack is more like it.

Two rooms, unfurnished,
cold running water,
and a cantankerous wood stove.

Uno and Dad rented the cottage
from Father Ouimet for $15.00/month,
with fuel and lights included.

For an additional $2.50/day each,
they took their meals at the Father's rectory.
Unfortunately, the only furniture
the Father could loan them 
was two single beds.

But they managed ...



On Tuesday, October 4, 1960 
My father wrote:

Hi There:
Everyone ready for the daily blurb?

Today has been quite eventful for me.   
A while ago, I wrote to Gowans2 
to see if the Department would send me some furniture, 
since the Father could only loan us two beds.  

Living out of trunks can get irksome at times, 
and it is nice to have a couple of easy chairs to relax upon.  
One gets sick of lying on his bed all the time.  
Well, today the furniture started arriving.




The first things that arrived were 
a large double bed, 
a mattress and a spring, 
and a large double bureau.  
We stored the double bed in the Father’s attic, 
but we are making good use of the bureau.  

All the furniture will be used 
in the new teacherage next year, 
so we are taking good care of it.  

I didn’t see the plane that brought the furniture, 
but I wish that I had.  
I guess it looked like a flying junk wagon. 

The spring and mattress were too large 
to put inside the plane, 
so they lashed it to the outside.  

There was so much wind resistance 
(there was also a canoe lashed to the outside) 
that the plane took two hours and forty-five minutes 
to fly from Nakina.  
This is normally a one and one half hour trip.






When I was coming home from school, 
I saw all this stuff on the DOT3 wharf.  
I didn’t know how I was going to get it across 
in my little canoe.  

Fortunately Duncan came along just then 
and helped me out.  
I don’t know what I would do without Duncan.  
He is a really good friend.  

He got the DOT speedboat 
and hauled it across to the island for me.  
Uno and I then carried the freight up from the beach.





Tonight we spent rearranging our furniture 
and storing our trunks in the Father’s attic 
to make room for the furniture still to arrive.  

We are expecting a chesterfield, a bookcase, 
an easy chair, and a writing desk.

Another thing I found on the DOT dock 
was some parts for a new schoolyard swing.  

Now isn’t that just like the Government!!  
They send in swings just as winter sets in, 
but they can’t see to get my desks in for me.

I suppose you are wondering 
how I always find everything on the DOT wharf.  

First, it is the only wharf 
the plane can get to now, 
since the water is so low, 
and besides, that is the wharf closest to the school.  

I always check the dock 
whenever I see anything on it, 
because no one notifies you 
if you have anything on the plane.  
They just dump it and leave.

Thank goodness the Indians are trustworthy.  
They have never stolen anything from the wharf yet.  
I often wonder if white people 
would be so white in this respect.



Uno was just laughing at me typing.  
There was a rumba tune on the radio, 
and I was keeping perfect time to it with the typewriter.  

He says that I really make the old thing hum 
when there is a fast jazz tune like MUSKRAT RAMBLE, 
or some good Dixie Land Jazz tune playing.

Now it is my turn to laugh at Uno.  
He is doing his exercises.  
We have started a rigorous physical fitness campaign.  

It may be too late for me 
to turn into a Charles Atlas, 
but at least it won’t do me any harm, 
and it does help to pass the time.




Yesterday I was talking to 
one of my little girls, Alice Yellowhead, 
and I told her that she could be a very pretty girl 
if she would take better care of herself 
and try to wear something clean and reasonable good fitting.  

Well, it would have done your hearts good 
to see her today.  
I hardly knew her when she came to school.  

Her hair was clean and curled, 
her face and hands were clean, 
and she was wearing not a bad dress, 
and it was reasonably clean.  

I’m telling you, any parents 
would have been proud to claim her as their own.  
She was beautiful with her flashing brown eyes, 
her jet black hair, and her beautiful light brown skin.

You should have seen my Grade one pupils
and my beginners today.  
I had them making paper hats, 
putting their names on them, and coloring them.  

They made wonderful hats 
and were very proud of them.  
In fact, they insisted on wearing them home. 

They went out like a bunch of fashion models, 
but as soon as they got outside they ran into trouble.  

There was a strong wind blowing.  
In a few moments the yard 
was filled with flying hats 
and running children chasing after them.  

In fact, I could still see some of them 
ten minutes after I let them out.

Well, I guess that just about sews up things for today.  
Will be back at the same old stand tomorrow.

Bye for now,
love,
Don.


1  This is why, if you've been reading some of my Northern posts,
    you may have noticed me using the same photos more than once.

2  Gowans ~ Indian Agent in Nakina, and Dad's immediate contact and boss.

3  DOT ~ Department of Transport

4  Couture Island ~ My father 's "cottage" was between the church and the rectory.  Dad invariably
    referred to Couture Island as "The Father's Island." I never heard it called Couture Island when I
    lived there.






Till next time ~
Fundy Blue