150 years ago
June 18, 1874
YOUNG VETO: The Young Veto will be three years old this Spring, is of a bright bay colour, with black mane and tail, stands 16 hands high, and weighs 1300 lbs. He was sired by the celebrated Morgan horse Veto; his dam was a first-class mare. When two years old Young Veto took the first prize at the Chateauguay Show and second at the Exhibition held at Montreal, in both places having to compete with colts of all kinds including imported. He will stand at his own stable, Ormstown, during the season until further notice.
[Editor’s note: The Valley had access to some fine equine breeding stock. The Morgan stallion “Veto” of Burke, N.Y., was only five generations removed from breed-founding sire Justin Morgan. According to Allbreedpedigree.com, he was: “1050 lbs. Foaled c1840 in Burke. Trotted 3:30 to road wagon. Got good stock.” And, from Morganhorse.com: “The Veto line has been suggested as one highly regarded in Franklin County (N.Y.). Steven’s Veto, foaled in 1852, was a son of Smith’s Veto (Godfrey Horse x mare by Hale’s Green Mountain Morgan) and stood in Bangor, New York, from 1862-66, which was about 12 miles from Malone, and came to Malone in 1867. He was dark bay and had a reputation as one of the finest stock horses in Franklin County.”]
125 years ago
June 15, 1899
VALLEYFIELD: A baseball team from Point St. Charles came out here Saturday to learn the game. A match took place on the Queen’s Park grounds, when 9 innings resulted in a score of 47 to 7 in favour of Valleyfield.
100 years ago
June 12, 1924
PAINTING THE ROADS WHITE: The Quebec Road Department this year is painting all the posts along the Main roads and is adopting as a motto “Follow the White Washed Posts, they show the Main Roads of the Province.” Commenting on the conditions of the roads in the Province, the Bulletin states that the Montreal-Malone Highway is “Fair from Caughnawaga to St. Lambert, fair from Caughnawaga to Bryson’s; very rough from Bryson’s to Dewittville, and good from Dewittville to Boundary.”
75 years ago
June 15, 1949
MOST EVERYONE VISITING A FAIR is anxious to see the cattle parade, to see the animals that have won the judges’ favour and received awards for being the top animals in their particular class. … By the time all the animals are in the arena at Ormstown Exhibition, there is not a great deal of spare room, and they produce a very colourful sight for the patrons.
50 years ago
June 19, 1974
BALING TWINE SCARCE: As Chateauguay Valley farmers move up toward the haying season the baling twine situation can be described in two words: scarce and expensive. The most hopeful word from the twine dealers is that there will be enough to handle the Valley crop of hay but only at prices three or more times that of last year. … Whether the reasons for the shortage lie in the hemp crop areas of the Philippines or Mexico or in the cordage manufacturing plants in Brantford, Ont., no dealer was prepared to say.