Name/Title
Ice Cutting at Wasaga Beach, 1931Entry/Object ID
2023.744.11Scope and Content
2 PhotographsContext
The photographs show scenes from ice cutting at Wasaga Beach in 1931. Ice blocks were cut from Georgian Bay, Marl Lake and the Nottawasaga River to sell to residents and visitors to keep food cold in ice boxes before refrigerators were popular. In photo #1, horses, men and ice cutting equipment can be seen on the river with houses in the background. From information written on the back of the photo #2, Art Gordon is shown holding a long pike pole, used in the ice cutting process. Arthur (Art) Gordon, 1912-1969, was Jean Whiteside’s brother. His wife was Dorothy (Price),1908-1987. Their daughter was Verna Gordon, 1941-2023.
Jean Gordon of Sunnidale Township, married Reford Whiteside and moved to Wasaga Beach. Reford Whiteside was a licensed plumber, commercial fisherman, dug wells and laid blocks. Reford also built an ice cutting machine used by the Eberhardt family in their ice cutting business.
Reford and Jean Whiteside had two daughters, Isabel, who married Ross Hutchinson, and Ella who married Neil Edwards. Neil Edwards worked on the CPR ships out of Port McNicol and later had a bread route and worked at Goodyear circa 1967-1996. Alan Edwards, son of Ella and Neil Edwards, and great grandson of Reford and Jean Whiteside donated the Edward's Collection. Reford’s parents, Alan's great grandparents, were Mary Margaret Moore of Allenwood Beach married to George Whiteside.Acquisition
Accession
2023.744Acquisition Method
Gift
