by Carl Del Bianco
About 1931 or 32 Marino Artuso and I would visit Carmen Turco on Creek Road. Carmen (or Camie) had moved there recently for health purposes and needed fresh air and relaxation.
Camie lived in a shack near the corner of an old Prince Lake Road and the Creek Road. The shack and a barn were built on a shelf or ridge of land alongside the Prince Township Road about 100 yards from the Creek Road. (Today there is no sign of a ridge -- just a hill covered with small trees) and the shack was destroyed by American soldiers who were billeted in that area during war time.
North from the corner of the Third Line along the Creek Road were the Springbetts, then Hayes, an old couple known to me as the Wilfrens, old Tom Parr, and lastly at the end of the road the Frolichs’ and living with the old couple was daughter Anne, son John and 3 other sons living in town: Bob, Andrew and Bernie.
Jim Parr, Tom’s son, was courting Anne Frolich at that time. We would visit Tom Parr in the evening and he had a lot of interesting stories to tell. Tom would reach under his bed and bring out human bones that he had picked up on the shore of Lake Superior and say they don't hurt anybody and there is nothing to be afraid of.
Old man Wilfren (don't know if that's the proper name) would pull out an old out of tune violin and make listeners shudder with the sounds coming out of it -- but he would hop around and enjoy the sounds.
Camie, who worked for the Conways at one time, would take me along and visit with them. They would speak about the hardships they went through when they first arrived from England and all the eggs they ate.
The Mansers who lived on the Third Line also had an old house on the old Prince Lake Road not far from Camie’s place and many old time square dances were held there --people from town would sometimes join us -- and anybody that could play a mouth organ, or a violin would participate.
Camie married a local girl, Lily Hayes, and moved back to town.
Once in a awhile I now drive up the Old Creek Road and it brings back old memories .. good old happy memories .. but it is now sad to see all the old familiar buildings gone ...in fact, not a sign that a building was ever there .... of 4 or 5 pictures that I had of that time .. I can only find one .. but worse the people are gone.
Carl DelBianco lifting Marino Artuso over his head at Carmen Turco’s homestead on the Creek Road - both of us aged 17 years - circa 1931.
This picture was taken by Carmen (Camie) Turco.The house Camie lived in was on the right of this picture with sort of a garden in front of it. Between the garden and the hill in the background (below) is Creek Road, running North to the left.
Looking at this point today -- it is only a hill ... no sign of a level spot to hold a garden. On the extreme left is the Prince Lake Road.
There was also a small barn to stable a horse on the property in the 1930's.
Carl Del Bianco aged 83 and still square-dancing