Canada was progressing through the first decade of the 20th century, and 1904 would once again prove to be one of the most important years of the country’s early existence.
On March 2, 1904, the Montreal Wanderers played in their first Stanley Cup challenge against the Ottawa Hockey Club. The game finished in a 5-5 tie, but the Wanderers refused to continue the series unless they could play in Montreal. This was refused and Ottawa was awarded the Stanley Cup out of the forfeit.
The Montreal Gazette wrote quote:
“The Wanderers yesterday declined to go to Ottawa, because the champions would not again come to Montreal to replay the draw game of Wednesday night. The Ottawa people profess to regard the action of the Wanderers as unsportsmanlike.”
On April 19, Toronto suffered a terrible fire. The Great Toronto Fire began at 8:04 p.m. at a neck wear factory in the elevator shaft. The cause of the fire was never determined but it was believed to be a faulty heating stove somewhere in the building.
In all, 17 fire halls responded to the fire and the glow of the flames could be seen for kilometres around. Firefighters from Hamilton and Buffalo came to help fight the fire. The weather was cold that night, at -4 Celsius, with high winds, which made getting the fire out difficult.
In all, the fire destroyed 100 buildings and killed one person, John Croft, who was an explosive expert clearing the ruins from the fire. The fire also caused $10.3 million in damage, or about $337 million today. After the fire, new safety laws came into play and the city’s fire service was expanded. To date, it remains the largest fire to ever occur in Toronto.
On June 24, the North West Mounted Police officially became the Royal North West Mounted Police in honour of the force’s contributions during the Boer War, which saw Arthur Richardson, a police officer, earn the Victoria Cross. It remained under that name until 1920 when it merged with the Dominion Police to form the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
On Aug. 15, George Klein was born in Hamilton. Called the most productive inventor in Canada during the 20th century, his work on inventions includes co-developing the first electric wheelchairs for quadriplegics, the first microsurgical staple gun, the ZEEP nuclear reactor that would influence the creation of the CANDU reactor, an international system for classifying ground-cover snow, aircraft skis, an all-terrain vehicle, the STEM antenna for the space program and the Canadarm. He passed away on Nov. 4, 1992.
On Sept. 10, Bill Miner robbed a train near Silverdale, about 35 kilometres east of Vancouver. While Miner was tied to the robbery, there is no immediate hard evidence that the robbery was committed by him. This robbery is also stated to be the first train robbery in Canadian history, but the first robbery of a train occurred in Port Credit, Ontario 30 years previous. Miner was arrested weeks later after another failed robbery of a train.
On Oct. 4, 1904, Earl Grey replaced his own brother-in-law, Lord Minto, as the Governor General of Canada. For Earl Grey, this appointment was perfect as he had been left nearly penniless after several investments in South Africa had failed.
The previous Governor General, Lord Minto and the brother-in-law of Earl Grey, questioned Earl Grey’s appointment to his wife privately, stating quote:
“I doubt Albert’s level-headedness and enormous amount of harm may be done here by an impetuous action and want of judgement.”
British politician had the same worries, referencing Earl Grey’s habit of long, flowery speeches to his friend Goldwin Smith, who was the editor of Canadian Monthly, stating quote:
“Have we sent you sufficiently superb windbag to rule over you in Ottawa? I thought grimly of you as I read his flummery in The Times today. I hope Laurier will keep Grey’s claws clipped.”
Arriving in Canada, Earl Grey was coming to a country that was booming in terms of its economy, industry and the growth of immigration.
He was also arriving to a country that was deep into the temperance question. Many who supported prohibition were happy that Earl Grey was now the Governor General as he was a temperance reformer himself. The Winnipeg Tribune wrote quote:
“His Lordship, whatever may be his ideas about the ultimate fate of liquor, firmly believes that at present, the best way to cope with the evils of the traffic is to deal with the effects, rather than the cause.”
Overall, his arrival was greeted with enthusiasm.
On Oct. 20, Tommy Douglas was born. There is so much to talk about with Tommy Douglas that it deserves its own episode, and he will have one on my other podcast From John to Justin. For now, this is a condensed version of a very important Canadian life.
Tommy Douglas was born in Scotland and came to Canada in 1910 when his family settled in Winnipeg. As a child, he dealt with osteomyelitis that required numerous surgeries to deal with. This convinced him later in life that health care should be free to all. He said,
“I felt that no boy should have to depend either for his leg or his life upon the ability of his parents to raise enough money to bring a first-class surgeon to his bedside.”
In 1919, he witnessed the Winnipeg General Strike, which left a deep impression on him and eventually led him to protect fundamental freedoms in a Bill of Rights in Saskatchewan.
After working as a minister for the Baptist Church, he was drawn to the Canadian Cooperative Federation and in 1935 was elected to Parliament. He served in Parliament until 1944. That same year, he became an MLA in the Saskatchewan Legislature on March 15, and a few months later on July 10, he was elected as the premier of the province.
He remained the premier until 1961, longer than anyone else in the province’s history. As premier of Saskatchewan, he set up the first universal healthcare program in North America. His government also established the Saskatchewan Power Corporation, the Saskatchewan Government Insurance Office, several Crown Corporations, and passed the Saskatchewan Bill of Rights, which provided equality rights and freedoms and predated the Canadian Bill of Rights by a decade and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by the UN by 18 months.
In 1961, Douglas became the first leader of the federal NDP, whom he would lead until 1971, through the 1962, 1963, 1965 and 1968 elections.
After his resignation as party leader, he remained an MP until 1979. He passed away in 1986.
He was awarded many honorary degrees in his life and was given the Order of Canada in 1981. In 2004, a CBC poll chose him as the Greatest Canadian in history. Douglas Provincial Park is named for him, as is a library in Burnaby and the Tommy Douglas Collegiate in Saskatoon. Several other schools are also named for him.
His daughter with his wife Irma Dempsey was Shirley Douglas, who married Donald Sutherland, and the couple had actor Kiefer Sutherland.
On Nov. 3, Canada went through a federal election.
Once Parliament was dissolved to make way for the election, Conservative leader Robert Borden released an election manifesto, in which he raised his concerns over transportation, western division and the equipping of national ports
One of the most contentious issues of the election was the railroads. Robert Borden opposed the plans of the Sir Wilfrid Laurier Liberal government in 1903 to build two more transcontinental railways, the Canadian North and the Grand Trunk Pacific. While Borden agreed there needed to be transportation to the west, he felt having two railroad within a day’s carriage ride of each other was a waste of resources. He also wanted railroads that were owned and operated by the government, not private corporations.
When the election was called, Borden stated the choice was between, quote:
“A government-owned railway, or a railway-owned government.”
Laurier attacked government ownership of the railroad, which garnered some bad press in western newspapers. The Western Tribune would report, quote:
“To attack government ownership as a Yankee notion is not only an appeal to prejudice, but it is absurd inasmuch as there is no country in the world where private ownership is more firmly established than in the United States.”
Conservative candidates tried to drum up controversary regarding the sudden richness of several Liberal Members of Parliament. George Henderson stated quote:
“Mr. Clifford Sifton came to Ottawa a poor lawyer with his creditors chasing after him and today he lives in a place which could not have cost less than $30,000. He does not even pull his blinds down but it is a blaze of effrontery. The Liberal Party could not help themselves.”
On the day of the election, the Ottawa Morning Citizen printed in a large headline on its front page, its support of the Conservatives, stating, quote:
“This is the day to emphasize the fact that Canada belongs to Canadians and not to Corporation Grafters and Yankee Railway Manipulators. Vote today for sound business principles for the building up of Canada, not as a nation simply, but as the most important beyond-the-seas bulwark of the great British Empire.”
The Citizen also published a report that members of the Liberal Party had printed circulars announcing a Conservative Rally that did not exist, far from the polling stations. The newspapers wrote, quote:
“This is but another example of the discreditable tactics that have marked the whole conduct of the Liberal campaign, a conduct, it may be stated, that is on a parallel with their methods while in office.”
The election appeared to be busier than usual, with polling stations in Ottawa being described as having great energy. The Ottawa Journal reported, quote:
“Every cab in the city is out and each party has a large number of private rigs and several automobiles to bring out the careless voters.”
In the election, the Liberals again increased on their majority, reaching 137 seats, an increase of nine from the previous election. The 137 seats, at the time, was the largest number of seats ever for a political party of Canada, beating the 134 won by the Conservatives in 1878 and 1882. It was also the largest number of seats won by any non-Unionist Party until 1935.
The newspapers the following day announced in bold letters on their front pages the huge win for the Liberal Party.
The Victoria Daily Times wrote quote:
“Overwhelming triumph for Laurier government.”
The Conservatives fell by four seats to 75. The Liberals also garnered over half the popular vote, 50.9 per cent.
For Robert Borden, it was a tough election, not just because his party lost seats, but Borden lost his own seat in Nova Scotia in the Liberal sweep of the province.
One newspaper wrote quote:
“Borden’s misfortune is regretted even by his opponents. His disappearance, though it may be only temporary, leaves a distinct gap.”
Borden contemplated resigning but he had grown to enjoy the recognition he received as party leader and by Christmas he decided to stay on as leader. That benefitted him only seven years later when he became Prime Minister.
When it comes to leaders for the two main parties in Quebec, nothing changed as the 1904 provincial election approached. In fact, as we will find out, very little would change through this election. I would say, this might be the election with the least happening that I have ever seen.
As the election campaign started, the Conservatives believed they had little chance of winning and stated that the sudden election call, which came one day after Wilfrid Laurier won his federal election, was an anti-democratic move to eliminate any sort of campaign since the election itself was only a few weeks later.
In the Nov. 25, 1904 election, nothing changed. Literally, nothing. The Liberal Party gained no seats and lost none, finishing with 67 once again. They only gained 2.2 per cent more of the popular vote.
The Conservatives also gained no seats but lost none, finishing with seven once again.
On Dec. 7, PEI went through an election. Donald Farquharson left his post as premier to run for Parliament. Replacing him was Arthur Peters.
John Mathieson was the leader of the Conservatives now, having become leader in 1903. He had served as an MLA since 1900. There was a hope in the party that it would be able to win the election this time.
The Montreal Star reported,
“The Conservatives are hopeful because in the late Federal elections, they carried three out of the four island seats.”
It would go on to add,
“Although the Opposition is making great effort it is more than probably that the Peters Administration will be retained. Its management of affairs has on the whole been very satisfactory.”
In the Dec. 7, 1904 election, the Liberals won 22 seats, one more than the last election. While the party won the election, Peters nearly lost his own riding due to a tie vote between him and his opponent. A recount was done, and then a by-election, in which Peters was able to hold onto his seat.
The Conservative lost a seat, finishing with eight and handing the Liberals another majority government.
While the Conservatives lost, Mathieson would provide stability for the party and help rebuild it after several election defeats.
On Dec. 18, Wilf Carter was born in Nova Scotia. Known as Montana Slim in the United States, he was a singer, songwriter, guitarist and yodeler. Called the Father of Country Music, he was the first country music star from Canada. In his career, he wrote over 500 songs and received six Juno Awards. He passed away at the age of 91 in 1996.
On Dec. 19, the Dawson City Nuggets began their journey to Ottawa to compete for the Stanley Cup. They travelled from Dawson City to Whitehorse by dog sled first, with most of the team using dogs and some players even riding bicycles. Newspapers followed the progress of the team. This first leg of the journey was 500 kilometres, and no easy task.
Upon reaching Whitehorse, the team had to take the train to Skagway, a journey of about 150 kilometres.
In Skagway, the team boarded a ship and sailed down to Vancouver on the next leg of their epic journey., amounting to 1,700 kilometres on the water. Having missed their boat by two hours, they sat at the location for five days waiting for another ship. During this leg of the journey, many players developed sea sickness, making the trip even more miserable.
We will continue with their journey in the next episode.
Bobbie Rosenfeld was born on Dec. 28 in Russia. She came to Canada with her parents when she was only an infant.
Rosenfeld excelled at many sports in her life including basketball, hockey, tennis, softball and track and field.
In 1923, when Bobbie was 19, the family moved to Toronto, and she began working in a chocolate factory. For fun, she joined the Toronto Young Women’s Hebrew Association and began to play basketball. The year she joined, the team won both the Toronto and Ontario championships. They went on to nationals, losing to the iconic Edmonton Grads.
Constance Hennessey, who was a member of the Toronto Ladies Athletic Club, later stated about Rosenfeld, “she did not look powerful but she was wiry and quick and above all she went after everything with full force.”
That same year, Rosenfeld went to a picnic in Beaverton and was convinced to participate in the small track meet and enter the 100-yard dash. She finished first in that race, not realizing that she had defeated the current Canadian champion, Rosa Grosse.
By 1925, her legendary athletic abilities were becoming known to all of Canada. In a single day at the 1925 Ontario Ladies Track and Field Championships, she finished first in discus, shot-put, the 220-yard dash, low hurdles and long jump, while taking second in both the 100-yard dash and the javelin throw. By this time, she held the national records for the 440-yard open relay, the standing board jump, the discus, shot put and javelin.
In 1928, she was one of the Matchless Six who won gold in several events at the Olympic Games.
As a hockey player in the 1920s, she was called the Superwoman of Ladies’ Hockey.
In 1933, due to arthritis, she retired from competing but began coaching throughout the decade. In 1936, she became a journalist and covered women’s sports for the next 18 years.
She was a strong advocate for women in sports as a coach, sports administrator and writer for the Globe and Mail.
She was named Canada’s Female Athlete Of The Half-Century and the Bobbie Rosenfeld Award is named in her honour and given to the top female athlete of the year.
She died in 1969. Bobbie Rosenfeld Park in Toronto is named for her. In 2016, she was a finalist to have a banknote honouring her.
Other events happened this year as well.
A fire hit Rideau Hall, destroying the east end of the building.
The Empress of Ireland was built in 1904 and could travel at speeds of 33 km/h and had a passenger capacity of 1,500 people. The intended name of the ship was supposed to be the Empress of Austria, but it was changed to the Empress of Ireland after a policy was made that all Canadian Pacific ships would be named after a part of the British Empire. Stretching 570 feet, she was ready for service and launched on Jan. 26, 1906.
A decade later, she sank in the St. Lawrence, taking over 1,000 people with her. But that is a story for another episode.
