Photographs of memories

This year is the 60th anniversary of the 1946 Stelco strike. And I've been going through old files and picture collections to put together a bit of a story. I was   surprised by how few Stelco strike photos there are. The Spec library only has about a half dozen. And Special Collections at the libary has about the same.
To help make up for the shortfall, it would be nice to bring to light amateur photos that were taken at the time. I wonder, too,  whether anyone snapped a picture of Pete Seeger when he came out to show his support on the line  in 1946.

Mark

Comments

[Marlene]

Pete Seeger came for to support that strike? wow! Incidentally - did that strike coincide with the big strike in Windsor? It's around the same time frame and I'm sure I can get info from there.

[Marlene]

Excellent story in the Spec today (I love history anyway). It's fascinating how similar the events of the Stelco strike were to the Ford strike in Windsor in 1945. This wasn’t just a Hamilton phenomenon – it was all over North America.

My dad remembers cars surrounding the Ford plant and his brother taking the bus to get to work. Some of the workers had just come back from the war and still had their guns, which they brought to the strike along with no concept of fear because fighting in the war had altered this emotion.

Ford had reaped huge profits from the war and weren't paying their workers enough. They felt they had fought to keep the country safe and prosperous but didn't find support from industry when they returned.

The sentiment was the same in Windsor as in Hamilton – as the labour historian in your article says 'why did we fight for democracy overseas when we don't have it on the job?'

[Bill Robertson]

I lived through the strike. My age was nine years old,my father was one of the "scabs",lived on Gage Ave. below Burlington St. but was never harrassed by my neighbour friends. I remember life going on as normally as possible. Visiting the gates, especially the Manchester Gate where they showed movies of the war that ended in '45.
The only incident that affected me was a "striker" throwing my dog over the fence on Birmingham St.

[Darryl Buckle]

During a small outing yesterday through the Stoney Creek area, I recalled a couple of corners that have changed considerably since my youth.I will go back about 55 years and hope that the following will trigger a few memories and responses from other readers:

Lake Avenue and #8 Highway.

Jess's Hotel on the north east corner. I often wonder what became of Trueman, the son of the owner who was at Saltfleet about three/four years ahead of me.

The DA-Nite Hotel = south east corner.Run by the GEEKIES, I believe at that time.Their son, Doug played Senior football at Saltfleet when I was a Junior.He had a grand sister, (Marilyn?) who seemed at least three years older and as I was shy, I could only worship her from afar, even though I delivered the Spectator to her dad's hotel for a while.

The Pines Hotel -south-west corner and the 'classiest' of the three. Operated by Bill and Avalon Phoenix.. I just found out my brother-in-law, Glenn Astles worked there as a dish-washer about three or four years after I did the samejob around 1951-52.
Anyone else work there? Do you remember LEE, the Chinese cook? Mr.and Mre. Galbraith, who originally shared ownership and were responsible for many of the oriental items that gave The Pines it's ambience?

I beg anyone to come up with their stories from these places from back when....

[Marlene]

This post is just for reference and is older than 160 yrs (more like 200) but it ties in with Stoney Creek and Black History month.

A little known book called Broken Shackles, Edited by Peter Meyler is the story of Old Man Henson who inspired Harriot Beecher Stowe to write "Uncle Tom's Cabin", which apparently helped to foment hostilities between abolitionists and non-abolitionists in the United States Civil War.

In it, it has some great historical reference to the War of 1812 in a chapter called The Picket (page 37). A sweeter note is this passage in the chapter called John Hall (pg 42) which I've included an excerpt:

"They were all taken to the County of Frederick, near Winchester in Virginia, and kept as prisoners until the end of the troubles between England and the United States, early in 1815. Then, instead of being delivered up or exchanged, they had all been made slaves, except a few who effected their escape, among whom was one of Hall's sisters.

Hall, who was himself part Indian*, had been a scout with the Indians under Tecumseh, and had skirmished all along the way between the Detroit and Niagara rivers. At Stoney Creek, near the last named river, he had been bayonetted in the leg, and although he did not think it very serious at the time, the wound was still troubling him. He never dreamed of being made a slave, but a slave he had become, and was owned by one of the most cruel and passionate slave owners of Kentucky."

* is refering to the loss of native population from European encroachment documented on pg 15 of The Iroquois in the War of 1812...excerpt:

"So large were Iroquois losses and so great was the adoption process over the period of contact that the adopted individuals (native, white, and black), their descendants and the off-spring of mixed unions integrated within the Six Nations outnumbered the 'pure' Iroquois."

So indeed, Stoney Creek has some very important historical perspectives in both countries.

[will rosart]

i'm not sure pete seeger came but i know paul robeson (american black left leaning singer) came to both the hamilton and windsor strikes. I will let you know when i find more information

[Ed Thomas]

Pictures for the 1946 Strike could be found at the USWA Local 1005 office, Mills Library at McMaster and the Workers Arts and Heritage Centre. You could also find pictures at the National Archives in Ottawa. You also may find photos in the Oliver Hodges Collection at the York University Library in Toronto.

[Allan P. Barnes]

Greetings
My partner owns the Starlite Drive In Theatre in Stoney Creek.

Maybe you can help him... he's looking to purchase pictures of the SKYWAY or STARLITE DRIVE IN THEATRE.

I know a professional photographer took pictures on opening day of both locations - but I can't find him.