Saturday 21 July 2012

Speaker Series - 2nd Speaker Paul Arculus

We would like to thank Paul Arculus for coming to Sturgeon Point to speak today.  His two pronged talk focused on the people involved in the development of transportation who come from the area. 

He first focused on our own favourite founding father, George Crandell.  There is no doubt that Crandell's youth was murky and that his business practices occaisionally suspect, but there is also no doubt that he and his sons Franklin and Freemont were the visionaries that laid the community that we enjoy today.  His fifties years spent building and operating lake steamers opened Sturgeon Lake and Scugog in ways that might not have otherwise occured.

1878 image of George Crandell
Courtesy of descendant Bev Hopkins
Paul then focused on Dr. Edwin Campbell and the development of GM and Chevrolet.  While we might wish that he had focused more on Campbell's relationship with RS McLaughlin and the Oshawa auto industry and on the Sturgeon Point connections with the Coulthards, Scotts, McLaughlins and Phillips - it was a really interesting talk.

We look forward to seeingwhere Paul's next research project takes him and thank him for his time.

We would also like to thank Madge B for hosting Paul & Isobel.



©Oshawa Public Libary


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