Glengarry, Nor'Westers and Loyalist Museum

Become a museum member and enter for your chance to win a DoTerra prize pack!!! Visit the link below to enter: https://www.glengarrynorwestersandloyalistmuseum.ca/members

This year, in lieu of an in-person sale the museum will be hosting an online fundraiser of home and Christmas craft items made by our volunteers. Prices will be listed with the photos and those interested can comment or send us a PM to reserve an item! Most items are one of a kind but we will list how many are in stock for those that we have multiples of. **items are sold as shown**

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old: Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning We will remember them.... -excerpt from "For the Fallen" by Laurence Binyon who served as an orderly in the Red Cross in the First World War. This photo captures the faces of men from the SD&G Highlanders at rest at Caens Station in July 1944 during the Second World War.

Haste ye' back!

Usually our #throwbackthursdays hark back a little further but this one is from the not-so-distant past (last Saturday) where we brought the Glengarry Settler to the 209th Williamstown Fair! We we're so happy to be included in the festivities which added one more successful fair to the books! COVID changed this Glengarry summer in countless ways so in our float we wanted to focus on perseverance and longevity-two things cultivated in this area by those like the Glengarry Settler, which have seen the county through difficult times. You'll see that the daylight photos shows the supports we had under the horse (we weren't sure if the wind would wreck it and so kept them on until just before the parade) thankfully all stayed in place as you can see in the photo taken that evening!

#flashbackfriday In honor of the annual Williamstown Fair weekend, we’d like to share a picture of the Glengarry Tug-O-War team posing in front of a jewelers and druggist shop in Ormstown, Quebec after their big win on June 2nd, 1923. The team captain Jack Thompson (from Bainsville) is on the far left proudly holding the team’s trophy. The loud cheers and tension that kept people on the edge of their seats will be missed on the much-anticipated Sunday of the Fair. The muse...um looks forward to the 2020 Williamstown Fair which will be taking place on September 5th where we will be participating in the drive-through display event. Standing left to right: Jack Thompson (Bainsville), George MacRae (Lancaster), Gordon Calder (Pine Hill), Donald H Morrison (Bainsville), Bob Esdon (Lancaster), Bennie Snyder (Bainsville), Stanley Wightman (Lancaster), William Clark (Bainsville), Charles MacGregor (Martintown), Lawrence McCulloch (Apple Hill), Charles Edgar (Bainsville), Dan S MacDonell (Apple Hill), Hughie D McDermid (Martintown). See more

We had lots of great submissions for this years 209th Williamstown Fair Children's Colouring Contest! From near and far, we had budding young artists show us their stuff and now you can see it too on our virtual gallery at: https://www.glengarrynorwestersandloyalistmuseum.ca/childre Thank you to all who participated!! Special thanks again to the St. Lawrence Valley Agricultural Society who make up the Williamstown Fair Board and also to Emily MacMillan and "If..." for the ge...nerous donation towards prizes! Winners will be contacted and all other participants are welcome to come to the museum grounds and pick up their ribbons and artwork under the pavilion on SEPTEMBER 5th (please only one family member per pick up to maintain social distancing). If alternate methods of pick-up need to be arranged please contact the museum at [email protected]

#flashbackfriday In honor of the annual Williamstown Fair weekend, we’d like to share a picture of the Glengarry Tug-O-War team posing in front of a jewelers and druggist shop in Ormstown, Quebec after their big win on June 2nd, 1923. The team captain Jack Thompson (from Bainsville) is on the far left proudly holding the team’s trophy. The loud cheers and tension that kept people on the edge of their seats will be missed on the much-anticipated Sunday of the Fair. The muse...um looks forward to the 2020 Williamstown Fair which will be taking place on September 5th where we will be participating in the drive-through display event. Standing left to right: Jack Thompson (Bainsville), George MacRae (Lancaster), Gordon Calder (Pine Hill), Donald H Morrison (Bainsville), Bob Esdon (Lancaster), Bennie Snyder (Bainsville), Stanley Wightman (Lancaster), William Clark (Bainsville), Charles MacGregor (Martintown), Lawrence McCulloch (Apple Hill), Charles Edgar (Bainsville), Dan S MacDonell (Apple Hill), Hughie D McDermid (Martintown). See more

9 more days to enter the GNL Museum and Williamstown Fair colouring contest! Make sure to get your child’s entry in - a winner from each age group will be chosen to win a nice prize basket. We look forward to seeing all of the entries. Happy colouring!

As one of the most memorable Glengarry events of the year, you will be deeply missed Glengarry Highland Games Just because we can’t celebrate as a community, doesn’t mean we can’t keep the Highland Games spirit alive. Remember that social distancing doesn’t stop you from sporting a kilt and two-stepping!

The museum wants to say a huge thank you to Emily MacMillan from If who has donated two of her wonderful children’s kits to be part of the prize for this contest. We have attached some examples of what you might win thanks to Emily’s donation. We have also included a link to her business’s Facebook page if you would like to check out more of what she has available! https://www.facebook.com/groups/1066076563569380/?ref=share The Glengarry, Nor’Westers & Loyalist Museum and the Williamstown Fair’s colouring contest for children 7 and under is still accepting entries! Submit your child’s entry by Thursday, August 13, 2020 for a chance to win one of Emily’s kits and more! See the last photo attached for details on how to enter.

Ninety-nine years ago today, Canadian Physician Frederick Banting and medical student Charles H. Best were credited with the isolation of insulin while at the University of Toronto. Scottish biochemist and psychologist, John James Rickard Macleod, is also known for playing an important role in the discovery and isolation of insulin when he worked as a professor at the University of Toronto. Through saving the lives of millions of children, insulin has become one of the most i...mportant medical discoveries of the 20th century. Children diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes died within two years and the only medical advice was to eat horrible, under nourishing diets. Banting decided to study the pancreas and its relation to diabetes in the year of 1920 then soon began experimentation trials in 1921. The following year, the first successful human test was performed after the biochemist James B. Collip perfected the insulin mixture Banting and Best had been working on. A scientific instrument that would have likely been used in the experimentation process of the discovery of Insulin is a centrifuge. The machine rapidly spins to apply enough force to the liquid sample (i.e. blood) in the tubes/containers to separate its contents based on factors such as density, to allow for observations. Perhaps scientists could thank progressive farmers who began using a dairy centrifuge in 1864 as a butterfat extraction machine to separate cream from milk! Only five years later it was being explored as laboratory technology and is still being used today. The artifact shown below is a hand crank centrifuge for butterfat determinations, (also known as a Babcock milk and cream tester) along with its different glass tubes. The tubes are printed with a bird and the initials GR. This tool allowed farmers to measure their milk’s butterfat content right at home. Samples of milk were placed in the glass test tubes and spun at high speeds so that the cream would separate from the milk and its percentage could be determined by simply reading the level on the tube. See more

Children’s Colouring Contest A Partnership Between the Glengarry, Nor’Westers & Loyalist Museum and the Williamstown Fair While the Fair had to be postponed this year, the Glengarry, Nor’Westers & Loyalist Museum partnered with the Williamstown Fair to offer a Children’s Colouring Contest! The age categories for this contest are 4 years old and under, and 5-7 years old. The colouring page is available to be printed from the Museum website (https://www.glengarrynorwestersandlo...yalistmuseum.ca/). Submissions are due by Thursday, August 13, 2020 and can be emailed to [email protected], dropped off at the Museum or mailed to the Museum (P.O. Box #69. 19651 John Street, Williamstown, ON. K0C 2J0). Submissions will be available for viewing as a virtual gallery on the museum’s website after all submissions have been received. Winners will be contacted Monday, August 17, 2020 and will be awarded a gift basket. See more

#waybackwednesday Finnan the Buffalo McDonald, fur trader and local legend, was born in Scotland to parents Angus Ban McDonald and Nelly (Eleanor or Ellen) McDonell. Finnan emigrated with his family to Glengarry County in 1786 when he was about four years old. It is presumed that he grew up in St. Raphael’s. Finnan joined the North West Company (NWC) in 1804 and spent from 1807 to 1812 on the Columbia River with David Thompson. In 1821 he worked as a clerk for the ...Hudson Bay Company (HBC). Finnan is remembered for an interesting story in which he wrestled for his life against an injured buffalo that attacked him in the western fur country in 1827. Despite the event occurring in the wild, there are two written descriptions from eyewitnesses of the event, fur trader Edward Ermatinger and scientist David Douglas. It is from this event that Finnan got his Buffalo nickname. Finnan was married to Margaret (Peggy) Poundaray, the daughter of an Indian chief from the Spokane area, and together they had 11 children. While it was common at this time to leave your country wife when returning to settled life, Finnan had his marriage to Peggy revalidated at St. Raphael’s in Glengarry County in 1830. In 1827, Finnan retired from the fur trade and re-settled in Glengarry County where he lived in the Gore of Charlottenburg, near Williamstown. When Finnan died, he was buried at St. Raphael’s, but his gravestone deteriorated badly and was destroyed in the cemetery renovations from a couple generations ago. See more

Social distancing before it was cool. Circa 1910.

#mysterymonday Any guesses on what this is a close up of? Leave your guess in the comment below and check back tomorrow for the answer!

Happy Canada Day! Today we share photos of a reproduction of the Toronto Globe from July 1st, 1867, printed by Rolland Paper Company in Montreal. This reproduction was made in 1967, 100 years after the original publication. The article on the upper left column is about confederation day and includes information on how confederation day was brought about, statistics of the united provinces and the extent, population, trade and resources of the dominion.

#mysterymonday Any guess? Check back tomorrow for the answer

#farmtotable Sunny day Red Clover Lemonade The red clover is a perennial legume with a long history of being used for its great healing properties and bonus, its nectar attracts bees. The plant contains many vitamins and minerals and the flowerheads and leaves are commonly used to reduce swelling, mild detoxification, and to treat congestion. It contains a natural antioxidant which is especially helpful in decreasing bone loss which is important as we age. For the best taste, harvest the flower heads approximately 7 to 10 days after it first blooms. If you don’t have a dehydrator, simply dry the flower heads by placing them on a rack or screen in the sun for a couple hours, flipping the flower heads halfway through.