Dominion Forge

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• My grandfather worked here too, at first as a laborer and then as a forklift driver. He said that the management there was very good to him. He retired right before the lock-out. He's still alive today, turning 90 in less than a month. One classic story that I've been told is that this one worker there was giving him a very hard time, and one day this worker called my grandfather a very racist term that's not worth repeating. Legend has it my gramps got so peeved he hit the guy with his forklift, broke his legs! No joke, that's how the story goes. Does anyone remember this or remember hearing about it?? Would love to confirm it or hear some more details.

• My father worked at the Forge for 30+ years and retired right before the lock out. He still tells stories and is in touch with a few of the old timers. I could have never done his job as a hammer operator. Some of the stories are I hear I never believed until I would here them from some of the other old timers. He wishes he could walk through one last time, he forgot his favourite wrench.

• I was a welder at Forge for 30 plus years and retired in '84 before the lockout. My hobby was cook on Fri. night shift. Enjoyed every minute of my time there. Now living in Colchester for the last year and a half.

• Hello all who have worked at Dominion Forge. My dear father Keith Turner was a foreman in the Machine Shop for many years. He died in 1986. He was 64. Does anyone remember him ?

• I had an uncle work for Dominion. He started working their in 1940 and the 70's.
  Can someone enlighten as to what full company name was ?

• I'm looking at a blueprint from 2-16-44. The proper name is Dominion Forge & Stamping Co. Ltd. They also had the building that was last known as Empire Roofing, across Seminole, and butted against Motor Lamp. Behind both buildings at Reginald was the Garden Tractor & Equipment Ltd. and Maris Transport Ltd. looking south where Klinec is now. The Pere Marquette Railroad ran north and south between the Df buildings, later to be the C&O line.

• You see the first photo?, the one with the placement of the buildings originally? Well the little building in pink to the immediate left of the 'Cold Trim' building, I know was used by Remington Rand in the very early to late 1950's. They worked on univac computers and my dad used to volunteer or work there sometimes on these early computers. He had an interest in things like that. His full-time job was at the Windsor Armouries as Sgt. Major WO2, he was a machinist in his younger years. I'm sure the little building is gone now, just a parking lot. I drove by to see the area and there is no trace of it. The building was one floor, had gold/yellow brick and red painted steel around the long windows, similar to the Hydro Sub Station building across the street on Seminole.....which is still there by the way. I can find no one who remembers this little building! I don't know when it disappeared either. It was still there in the mid '60's though.

• I forgot to add....about that 'hammering'.... In my small mind, I pictured a giant using his big steel hammer to make and fix things! Yes, they did shake the ground, all through the night, I got used to them though and came to regard them as 'familiar' sounds to lull me to sleep...heehe....on those hot humid summer nights with the windows wide open. As a kid, I was raised on the 1300 block of Tourangeau Rd

• My dad (John Lawson) and uncle (James Lawson) both worked at DF. They've both passed away, but a couple names mentioned here are familiar to me. I believe Gunnar Hansen was a friend of Uncle Jim's, and I seem to recall John Weber's pick-up truck being in our driveway when we lived on Chandler Rd. back in the mid to late 60's, but that could be a child's mistaken memory. I don't really remember much about DF, other than the location, and the block letters on the building facing Walker Rd., but I do recall the company having a "tug of war" team, with matches against the Fogolar Furlan, and the Windsor Police, possibly at Windsor Raceway. Also company outings to Bob-Lo Island, and some Christmas parties.

• My Dad, Gunnar Hansen worked at Dominion Forge and Stamping Company Ltd (was one name change while he worked there) along with two of my Uncles, Paul and Robert Hansen. Dominion Forge hired family back then first before outsiders, so as someone else stated it felt like a big family and employees were treated well. The summer picnics that were held at Boblo Island was set up to pick up employee families at the Queens Dock and bring them back. My Dad started in February of 1952 in the die room, still has his crib tags #454 today which was needed to get tools logged out to use, I believe. I can tell you our family get togethers where something and not for the good especially during negotion times. My Dad being a total company man and both uncles being union guys, well lets just say the converstations at the Hansen get togethers could get very loud even in my grandparents house off Mic Mac Park. Contract negotiations were never smooth times and a few got scary. According to my Dad, whom is still with us today, July 2022 is going on 91 years old and pretty sharp on the details still after DF closed down. I remember in the late 60's and 70's, running through the halls while my Dad was doing work after hours or weekends and being taken through the hot forge plant all the time. It was amazing to see as a young kid but scary to a young girl in the hot forge with no lights on sometimes, and yes when the hammers were going, extremely loud. Three floors to the hot forge building and yes a metal circular staircase in the corner that went up to both the 2nd and 3rd floors. I went up and down these for hours it felt like. I do remembered the grand old wood staircase in the office building very well, the stairs even creeked back in the 60's and well worn but hope the original details of the building were restored by the Hearn Brothers when they bought the plant. Ernie Marks was the President in my Dad's years there, and Larry Couglin was Vice- President and my Dad, was Plant Manager. John Lawson, you are correct on James (Jim) Lawson, he started as an electrician and worked up to a manager in the offices and was my father's best friend and our family saw them all the time and used to go away on vacations together with his wife Hilda Lawson along with her Mom, Mrs. Churchill for many years of my growing up (unfortunately all deceased now). James (Jim) Lawson started as an electrian and worked up to crank shaft manager for the hot forge, I believe (not sure if I have the title right though). The strikes that went on several times is what I remember the most growning up, nasty to say the least for us kids. So bad in fact, the Windsor Police Department in 1967 put together a division called "Riot Squad" that just handled the strikes of these larger companies. My Dad had to be escorted into the building by Windsor Police Riot Squad during one strike, the front doors of the offices were tied with ropes and the police had to cut them to allow my Dad to enter. They had two rows of Police officers from the parking garge across the street on Seminole to the front door of the building to let the management and office staff to get in safely. What I also recall a situation at Ernie Marks house (front porch area during one of the strikes also). In 1985 the big locked out which eventually closed down the operation for good happened. A contract could not be reached between the union and company for over the next year or more, so the cold forge plant was being run for this time by the management. DF made an agreement with the big 3 to provide them parts until they could get DF's work done by other companies. The hot forge which was always the money maker of the operation and was already closed down before the cold forge because they couldn't keep competative in the market with wages and benefits wanted by the union. Most of the business of DF came from the USA. My brother and I had to bring food and other items for him and the managers when they were running low, when we saw my Dad walk to the gate during the lock down we would hand him the items through the chain link fence gate of cold forge and told to leave immediate and take different routes home in case we were followed. There was just enough room between the bolted tall chain link fences/gates to get the items inside the fencing. The managers ate and slept inside the plant during the lockdown, actually went in the night before, kept all the lights off and shocked the workers outside the first morning of the lockdown because they were already in the building. My Dad loved working at DF from '52 till the permanent closure of the plant, for most of the years definitely a family environent. Sad days seeing the biggest tool and die manufacturing giant closed it's doors for good.