An interesting photo above, taken in 1893. It appeared in a book called Picturesque Detroit and Environs.
The location of the photo is unknown, but I can only assume that it is near the intersection of Walker & Tecumseh Roads. The Walker’s had farms in the area around the same time period, as you may recall the Walker Farm Manager’s House that was on Walker and demolished in 2006… So there was activity in the area in this time period. I wonder what the ride was like back then, and what awaited you in Tecumseh back then besides Ste. Anne’s Church?
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Oh what I’d do for a time machine!
There was LeClair’s “Big Box” textiles, Poisson’s “Big Box” Leathery & Harness, Villeneuve’s “Big Box” Wheel Emporium. They even had their own Wagon Transport (but just one) so that they didn’nt have to use Riverside, Walkerville’s or Windsor’s wagons.
My how things haven’t changed.
🙂
Nice pic, Andrew! Too bad can’t tell for certain exactly where it was taken. I have noticed that Wayne State has posted old DTE Energy aerial photos on their site, of the metro Detroit area. Are there any similar resources online for Windsor/Essex? It would be interesting to look at development and how things changed with growth.
As far as St. Anne’s goes, I am sure it was there, and the Church was asking for more money for the building – some things never change.
Speaking of Ste. Anne’s Parish, you must see some pictures posted on their website, found here: http://steannetecumseh.org/PhotoAlbum/Historical/
I would love to see some old pictures of Tecumseh !!!
As a child visiting Tecumseh for summer & Christmas & Easter holidays (from 1948 to 1960), I recall walking from my grandparents` place on St Pierre (mid way) to St Anne`s for mass every Sunday.
There were many residents who worked for Green Giant then.
I love this site !!!
C.A.
Mickey,
Thankyou for including St Anne`s Website !!!
In 1893, our Tecumseh here in Canada was known as Ryegate. It wasn’t named Tecumseh until 1912. There is Tecumseh, Michigan which at the time of this photograph was the destination of a stage coach route from Detroit and an intersection on what historically is known as the “Old Sauk Trail”, a centuries-old indian and migrating-animal path westward.
RWS – However…
This map at McGill’s atlas project:
http://digital.library.mcgill.ca/countyatlas/images/maps/townshipmaps/ess-m-Sandwich-E&W.jpg
Shows a Tecumseh, Ontario Post Office and Station. These images come from atlases published between 1874 and 1881, so it appears if the area was known as Tecumseh in that era…
With that being said however, it is entirely possible that this is Michigan, however it was grouped on the pages with all the Windsor and Walkerville photos, so who knows? At this point I’d give it a 50% chance of being Canada… 🙂
this could be a long shot…..but waaaaaaaay in the background, between the first telephone pole and the next, it looks like there is a roof top with two chimnies (sp?) at either end of the roof. is that style purely french-canadian…period, or is it likey that someone from essex county moved to michigan after the war of 1812 when the UEL and everyone else were deciding what side of the border to live on?
according to wiki and the towns website, it wasn’t just “Ryegate”, but the “Ryegate Postal Station” until 1912 as rws said. so….this is strange. why the conflict in information? maybe worth investigating. is it possible Ryegate and Tecumseh were two separate villiges, maybe 2 kms apart? would both win postal contracts being so close together?
i never thought about “tecumseh road” actually meaning and being built as the “road to tecumseh town” i know that sounds silly but, i guess i never thought about it like that.
btw Andrew – thanks for re-posting that link. I was searching all day yesterday for a post where John add posted the link, but I couldn’t remember what month/post…or even if it was in ’09 or ’08!
Despite what wiki states (Originally known as Ryegate Postal Station when it was first settled in 1792, Tecumseh was renamed in 1912…) I read elsewhere that the name “Ryegate” was a designation/invention of the Great Western Railway ( a British owned railway) guys to give the stop a name. The railway arrived in 1854 which is long after the settlement was established. Perhaps they didn’t have a map to consult?? The area was first settled by french so I doubt they (the french) would have named the settlement ‘Ryegate’. I suspect the commom, unofficial name as a settlement or village in the township of Sandwich was in fact ‘Tecumseh’. The railway given name didn’t stick and so it reverted to the people’s name Tecumseh. I will look into this further. I know what the town web site says but it is vague and condensed.
The power lines may provide a clue to this location. The first generating stations using Thomas Edison equipment in the late 1880s cranked out direct current. (DC) which has transmission limits. Electricity could be distributed only about 1.5 miles from the plant and grids were limited to a neighborhood districts. George Westinghouse generators, producing alternating current (AC), could transmit power for miles. The AC generators began entering the market in the 1890s. and the Ontario grid was several decades away. If, repeat if, those are DC lines in the picture there has to be a generating station within 1.5 miles. Anything in Walkerville in the 1890s fit that desciption.? Maybe a station at Walker Farms?
i was also wondering why, in 1792, anyone would have any reason to name a settlement here tecumseh before 1812? is there any special meaning for the name that would have preceeded his arrival in the area? he was born in 1768 in ohio…..could his reputation have already been so respected at that point as to name your settlement after him?
I live in the Walker/Tecumseh intersection area.. I have the strangest urge to start digging holes in my backyard to see if i can find anything interesting.
No, Tecumseh was originally Ryegate. It was not reffered to as Tecumseh before the war of 1812.
There is some infor here on the Tecumseh website:
http://www.tecumseh.ca/residents/community-profile/history
It had to have been called Tecumseh prior to 1912 un-officially, because in the maps of 1880 it is called Tecumseh.
But remember, 1912 was the 100th anniversary of the war of 1812 (which really started in 1811). So offically maybe then it was changed to solidify the name the locals have been calling it for years. Ryegate was probably given by the British surveyors that explored those areas of Essex County of the same year 1792.