Norman Sutherland, jockey
1907, Norman Sutherland jockey, brother of Kay Burgess.
Name/Title
Norman Sutherland, jockeyEntry/Object ID
P2000-01-14-102Description
Norman R Sutherland was born in Russell Ontario in 1869. From very early on in life, his love of animals, particularly horses, was evident. At about age 12, Norman moved to Michigan with his parents and sister. There he decided farming was not for him and he ran away and joined the circus! Norman learned to train animals, and soon had his own comedy act featuring a donkey and a breakaway cart that delighted young and old. At age 25, Norman married Emma Snetsinger from Newington , Ontario. They resided in Russell, Ontario for several years where Norman continued working with horses in the local entertainment field. He attended local fairs and performed Steeplechase racing, Roman stand and Chariot racing. In addition, he trained his black collie, Joe, to climb a 60 foot ladder and jump in to a net below! In 1904, there was a horrible fire, killing 25 of his beloved horses. It was a heartbreaking disaster. The following year (1905), Norman arrived in Grimsby with Emma and three small children, continuing to entertain at various fairs & events. They resided on a farm on Ridge Road in Grimsby. Then another disaster struck. In the fall of 1907, a train containing his horses derailed near Trenton, Ontario, killing one of the men and seriously injuring Norman’s horses. By 1912, the trick horses were sold off and race horses remained. The same year, the Sutherland’s purchased a 4.5 acre fruit farm on Robinson Street South in Grimsby. Norman managed to house what few horses remained at the Grimsby Driving Park stables while promoting his Canadian Hippodrome Company. His company entertained locally, throughout Canada, and the United States. Norman & Emma’s son ( George Wilson, aka Jockey ) soon began to train and race horses with his father. They trained horses in Grimsby, and raced in such places as Hamilton, Thorncliff and Montreal. War was declared in 1914, resulting in a drop in attendance at tracks and by 1916 racing was cancelled at large tracks. Racing continued at smaller tracks such as Ogdensburg, Dunnville and Beamsville. During the winter of 1917, father and son travelled to New Orleans for the winter meet. During this same period, automobiles were being introduced and became widely popular. People could now manage to travel further for their amusement, and Daredevil car racing soon reduced horse racing venues at fall fairs. Sutherland was a North Grimsby council member in 1911. Norman Sutherland died in December 1918, during the Spanish flu epidemic. He left Emma and 4 children. Norman was 48 years young.Category
Photos - Peo/Fam - Pettit, Powell, Sutherland