The story of T.S. Durham

From the archives of the Sault Ste. Marie Public Library:

Born in Bradford, Ont. in the 1850s, Thompson Smith Durham moved to Sault Ste. Marie as a young man, where he quickly became part of the local business community, at a time when the Sault’s industry was still in its infancy.

Notably, in 1888, Durham purchased an unused power plant and gristmill on the St. Marys River for $3,000, then sold it months later for double the price. The plant would eventually become the Sault Ste. Marie Water, Gas and Light Company.

He married and, between the years of 1887 and 1900, had six children: two daughters and four sons.

For a period of time, according to the City Directories, Durham worked as a baker and confectioner, and sold groceries and china out of his store at the corner of Queen and March, an area that became known as the Durham Block. In 1905, he was listed as the manager of McNabb & Co., a grocery store and bakery operating out of the same general location.

In 1907, he worked as a collector for Moore and Browne, a wholesale and retail hardware store.

In 1909, he settled into the job he would keep for the rest of his life: agent for the Lake of the Woods Milling Company. The milling company, based out of Keewatin, Ont., was a major flour mill, responsible for the well-known Five Roses brand.

One of Thompson’s sons, Thompson Edwin Durham, famously served in the First World War, seeing action at the Second Battle of Ypres. It was during this battle that he was wounded and reported missing in action. He was captured and taken to a German POW camp in Stendal, Germany. He would not be repatriated until the end of the war, three and a half years later.

In May of 1925, Thompson Smith Durham passed away unexpectedly— at the curling rink in the middle of a tournament. Durham was competing for the O’Brien Cup, a series for players above the age of 50. At 69 years old, he was thought to have been in excellent shape. The Globe, out of Toronto, even reported that he had been commenting on how easy he found the game; he had just decisively won a match against J. S. Prentice, a local printer.

After winning his match, Durham left to relax in the clubroom and instantly dropped dead.

A local doctor, also playing in the tournament, was called off the ice to attend to him. Despite first aid and the attention of medical professionals, he could not be resuscitated. His death certificate listed “overexertion, curling, a few minutes” as a contributory cause.

As a prominent citizen who was very involved in the community, his death marked the passing of one who had seen the city grow from a small town, before the days of Clergue’s empire, to a larger industrial centre.

Each week, the Sault Ste. Marie Public Library and its Archives provides SooToday readers with a glimpse of the city’s past.

Find out more of what the Public Library has to offer at www.ssmpl.ca and look for more Remember This? columns here