There are many buildings of importance to the history of Copper Cliff. Some have withstood the test of time, others have not. This section will initially feature Copper Cliff buildings noted in the publication "Bibliography of the Social and Architectural History of Sudbury". Of course, associated with the buildings were the people of Copper Cliff.
The President's ResidenceAlmon Penfield Turner was born July 3, 1866 in Cleveland, Ohio, the son of Almon Penfield. Turner and Sarah M. Canfield. A. P. Turner joined the Canadian Copper Company (CCC) of Cleveland as a bookkeeper in 1893. Turner’s responsibilities and authority expanded and he was transferred to Copper Cliff in November 1899 signaling a managerial shift back to this centre of mining. Although his title was assistant general manager – the general manager was James MacArthur, a difficult Scot who was more interested in his technical duties as smelter superintendent – from the outset Turner was very much in charge of the CCC’s office. Initially he lived, along with most of the management, all bachelors, in one of the boarding-houses provided by the company. He later constructed an elaborate log house (in contravention of his own rule prohibiting additional log structures in Copper Cliff) in the area west of the smelter reserved for senior management. From the Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online by R. Matthew Bray
On November 26, 1906 Almon married Mary Helen Harrington, and they had two daughters. He died on May 18, 1917 near Oakville, Ontario of Bright’s [kidney] disease. |
Almon Penfield Turner. Photo from the book ‘Sudbury Then and Now’ by E. G. Higgins
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Copper Cliff in 1903. Turner’s residence is in the centre of the photo, with the horse barns to the right. City of Greater Sudbury Heritage Museums Collection
Turner home in 1905. City of Greater Sudbury Heritage Museums Collection
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1915 General Manager's cabin. Photo Sudbury District Branch of Ontario Ancestors
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Sketch of the President's Residence by R. D. Wilson 1974, viewed from Nickel Park. City of Greater Sudbury Heritage Museums Collection
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The Toronto Dominion Bank
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Architectural details include stone entablatures over the windows, decorated lugsills under the window, arcading surrounding the two entrances with molded stone trim on either side of the two entrances. Above the entrances were curved single light transoms. The upstairs originally consisted of residential quarters for Manager McNab. The architect of the building was G. F. Martin. The design was reminiscent of bank architecture in the Victorian era. All construction materials, including the interior Georgia pine and quarter cut white oak were supplied by the Evans Co., Ltd.
The original interior was arranged to deal with the pay day rush. The crowd, entering through one door would pass in a single file behind a heavy brass rail to the paying teller. After obtaining their pay, they would exit out the other door. See also 'Places - Serpentine Street'. |
An entablature refers to the superstructure of moldings and bands which lie horizontally above columns, resting on their capitals. Entablatures are major elements of classical architecture.
A lugsill is a sill, with its ends extending beyond the window or door and built into the masonry at the jambs. |
General Office Building
The Inco Triangle 1952
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Built in 1902, this two-story building first housed the General Office for the Canadian Copper Company. The building was built by Joe Martel of Rimouski Quebec, a stonemason. In August of 1913, the town council of Copper Cliff negotiated with the Canadian Copper Company for use of the old general office as a town hall and office for Chief of Police Clark. It was suggested to have five or six rooms upstairs for the volunteer fire brigade, which would release the Serpentine St. Town hall rooms for use as a fire hall. A library was installed. Subsequently the building was the Copper Cliff Regional Police Station, and is now a private residence and local businesses.
The walls are of squared rubble for the first floor with bricks in a curved voussoir design over the main window. Joe Martel was an expert stonemason, and he worked on the masonry of the general office. 
The Sudbury Journal November 14, 1901.
See also 'Places - Tom Johnson Boarding House', 'Places - Serpentine Street', and 'Events - Murder, Mayhem and Misadventure'.
Copper Cliff HIghlanders on parade in front to the General Office building. Private collection Pat Oppedisano, Owner of Pat's Men's Hairstylists and Barber Shop in Copper Cliff.
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Mr. Joseph Martel, April 15, 1914, age about 60 From The Sudbury Star. Joseph arrived from Rimouski, Quebec 29 years ago and said that there was "no better town for constant employment and good wages". He and his wife brought up ten children, 8 boys and 2 girls. He was employed in the Smelter repairing furnace bottoms and convertors
Copper Cliff Police Station 1930, former General Office of the Canadian Copper Company. Photo from Twelve O'Clock and All's Well.
A voussoir is a wedge-shaped element, typically a stone, used in building an arch or vault. Two units are of distinct functional importance: the keystone and the springer. The keystone is the center stone or masonry unit at the apex of an arch. The springer is the lowermost voussoir, located where the curve of the arch springs from the vertical support or abutment of the wall or pier.
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Copper Cliff Hospital
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Prior to 1898 there was no resident doctor in Copper Cliff. Dr. Struthers came from Sudbury every other day. He had a small office near Copper Cliff Mine. A blackboard listed the names of people who wished a visit from the doctor. In 1898, Dr. Schmidt, an assistant to Dr. Struthers established a small office and dispensary on Serpentine Street.
The Copper Cliff Hospital operated for 73 years, with a medical staff that pioneered industrial medicine and provided care for company employees and their families. After its closure as a hospital in 1976, the building served as a community clinic, company offices, and is now a senior’s residence. Dr. Theobold Coleman* was born January 16, 1867 at Seaforth, Ontario. Dr. Coleman was the first ‘company doctor’ for the Canadian Copper Company in 1901. Care was provided from his residence at the southwest corner of Park Street and Godfrey Drive (formerly Granite Street). Quarantine regulations and compulsory vaccinations were imposed in the winter of 1901 with a smallpox epidemic. In 1903 the company built a hospital on the present site. The old company barn and stable built in 1887 was torn down to make room for the new hospital. It was constructed of wood in the style of a wood-shingled Swiss Chalet. On January 16, 1912, the hospital went up in flames. A new hospital was built in 1913 with a stone foundation, concrete and stone walls. In May of 1913, Copper Cliff bought an ambulance from A. B. Greer and Co. of London. It had soft rubber tires and was handsomely fitted up inside. The oil lamp mountings had beveled glass in the frames. The horse which hauled it was the smartest in town. * Read more about Dr. and Mrs. Kit Coleman under People Dr. William Anderson McCauley was born at Ameliasburgh on December 27, 1877, son of Reverend Samuel McCauley and Letta Maria Anderson. He was a graduate of the University of Toronto in 1902 and was on staff of the Toronto General Hospital until 1905, when he went to Copper Cliff as the Company Surgeon. When the Copper Cliff Hospital was destroyed by fire in 1912, temporary services were established in the Orange Club for two years while the hospital was under construction. He remained a bachelor. Dr. McCauley was appointed Superintendent of the Copper Cliff Hospital in 1911, a post he held until his retirement on May 31, 1937. He was a pioneer in the development of modern methods, not only in the mining industry, but in the care of the settlers and sportsmen of the North. He pioneered the early days, gradually expanding Inco's (International Nickel Company) medical services to keep pace with the steadily growing company. Dr. McCauley operated on the right hip of Alex Pakkala. As a six year old boy, Alex was partially buried in a sand pit cave-in, and suffered a compound fracture of his hip. Dr. McCauley repaired the fracture with a steel pin. Alex had 100% function of the fractured hip. This was twenty years before this type of treatment became popular in the medical profession. Dr. W. A. McCauley died of accidental drowning at his summer camp at Lake Penage on July 7, 1937, aged 59 years. From Physicians, A database of short character sketches about physicians from the Belleville area (roughly 45 mile radius) in Ontario who graduated before 1910 by Dr. Donald Brearley. |
Postcard of Copper Cliff Hospital 1903.
Postcard of Copper Cliff Hospital 1910.
From 'Up the Hill: Italians in Copper Cliff' Emilio Morelli came to Canada from Italy. He was a bricklayer who helped to build the Copper Cliff Hospital in 1913, after it had burned in 1912. When the hospital was completed, he began working as an orderly in the hospital. He was also chauffeur for Dr. MacCauley who was the chief surgeon.
1911 Copper Cliff Hospital - Dr. W. C. Morrison Superintendent, Dr. W. A. McCauley Assistant Superintendent, Miss A. F. Hunt Lady Superintendent, Miss Gertrude Sarney Head Nurse, Miss Isabel Wallace Nurse |
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January 16. 1912 Fire at Copper Cliff Hospital.
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In June of 1937 Dr. Harold F. Mowat succeeded Dr. W. A. McCauley as chief of Inco’s medical and surgical services and superintendent of Copper Cliff Hospital. The hospital had completed an extensive program of improvements to increase the facilities for handling outpatients and to provide the very latest specialized equipment. When work is completed “probably in about six months, Inco employees will have at their service one of Canada's most modern diagnostic centres and general hospitals.
Dr. Mowat was born in 1900 at Wingham, Ont., he attended public and high schools at Acton, and then attended the University of Toronto, from which he graduated in Medicine with the class of '23. Since his graduation Dr. Mowat has obtained a wide diversity of experience. After a year of service in the Ontario Hospital at Orillia, and a six-month medical contract on construction work between Island Falls and Timmins, he served a year's internship In the Seaside Hospital at Long Beach, California. For five years he was engaged in an active industrial practice in Los Angeles Harbor. Returning to Toronto in 1930, he joined the staff of the University of Toronto as demonstrator in anatomy and pathology, and one year later was appointed house surgeon at Toronto General Hospital. On completion of his three-year period as house surgeon, he received the degree of Master of Surgery from the University of Toronto, and was awarded the coveted Lister Prize in Surgery for 1934, "awarded annually to the candidate for the degree of Surgery who obtains the highest standing in the examinations for that degree." Dr. Mowat spent two months of the summer of 1934 doing relief work on the staff of Copper Cliff Hospital, before sailing for London, England, where he was successful In the examinations for a Fellowship in the College of Surgeons. Having studied in London and Edinburgh, Dr. Mowat returned to Toronto in the summer of 1935 and for one year was Dr. W. E. Gallie's resident surgeon at Toronto General Hospital. On completion of that term, he was appointed to the surgical staff of the Western Hospital in Toronto, and received a teaching appointment in the Department of Surgery at the University of Toronto. These posts he resigned last month to come to Copper Cliff. Dr. Mowat was married in 1926. Mrs. Mowat and their little daughter will join him in Copper Cliff later in the summer.
Dr. William Morrison, died at Southampton, Ont., on August 12, 1948. He was 88 years of age. Dr. Morrison was one of Sudbury's early pioneer general practitioners and he was formerly in charge of the Copper Cliff Hospital for Inco. He was a native of Kirkton Parish of Forghen Banffshire, Scotland. He attended parish school at Black Hills, Scotland and academy at Peterhead, before coming to Canada in 1869 with his parents. He attended public school and Hamilton Collegiate and later taught school for five years in Huron County. He graduated from the University of :Toronto, Schooi of Medicine in 1890 and practised in Durham, Pinkerton and Paisley. In 1906 he received his degree as member of the Royal College of Surgeons of England, and became a Licentiate of the Royal College of Physicians of London the same year. He returned to Canada the following year, and practised, in Paisley before going to Copper Cliff in 1906. He remained in practice there till 1912 when he took over a private practice in Sudbury. Dr. Morrison was a member of the staff of St. Joseph's Hospital, Sudbury, from 1912 till 1941. In 1941 he retired, moving to Southampton. He was jail doctor in Sudbury for many years and also served in lumber and mining camps of that district. Surviving are his widow, two sons, a brother and a sister. Canada Medical Association Journal October 1948, vol.59.
See People for information on Dr. Henry William Feldhans, a doctor at Copper Cliff Hospital. He was born in Copper Cliff where his father worked for the Company. Henry worked his own way through college with summer jobs in the shops.
Dr.s Pat and Moe Farrell were raised in Copper Cliff and both worked at Copper Cliff Hospital. Dr. Patrick Joseph Farrell was born in Port Colborne in 1925. He and his parents Maurice Joseph Farrell and Josephine Bushman moved to Copper Cliff in 1929 where Pat and his 10 siblings grew up together. He is predeceased by his brother Father Francis, S.J., sisters Rita and Margaret Cainen (Larry deceased). Other family members are Sister Mary C.N.D., Rose Heffernan (Burt deceased), Monsignor Raymond, Bernadette, Dr. Maurice (Ginny) and Maureen. Pat graduated from Medical School at Queen's University in 1949, interned at St. Michael's, Sunnybrook and Wellesley Hospitals in Toronto. He married Barbara in 1955 and returned to Sudbury in 1956. He specialized in Obstetrics and Gynaecology and delivered his first baby in 1948 at Copper Cliff Hospital, and his last in 1999 at St. Joseph's Health Centre.
Pat’s brother Maurice was provincial champion as a high school hockey player. In 1955, he graduated from medical school at Queen's University and married Virginia (Ginny) Hamilton. The couple moved to Elliot Lake where Maurice worked as a family doctor. He later returned to school to specialize in obstetrics. In 1967, he joined his brother in Copper Cliff.
The brothers put in long days and nights. "We would do our regular day's work, deliver our babies at night and then get to the (operating room) at eight the next morning and start an O.R. list," Maurice recounted. "We thought that was normal." With 96 years of combined experience, brothers Dr. Patrick Farrell and Dr. Maurice Farrell administered the births of three generations of babies in Sudbury. ;
“Recognized as one of the most completely equipped and best staffed industrial hospitals in the country, Copper Cliff Hospital handles all branches of surgery except those in the highly specialized field of malignant tumors of the brain and chest. An average of 925 major operations are performed in a year.” 1949
From The Triangle March 1949 “nice note from Principal Ed Orendorff of Coniston Continuation School: I am laid up here in Copper Cliff Hospital with a broken leg but it’s coming along fine and I expect to be home before you receive this letter. I had to break my leg before I could adequately appreciate the Inco Medical System and the efficiency of the Copper Cliff Hospital. Dr. Mowat and Miss Walker are to be complimented upon the degree of efficiency of the staff. I was never better treated in my life. However, it will be good to get home again.”
See also 'People' - 'Historical Photos'.
Dr. Mowat was born in 1900 at Wingham, Ont., he attended public and high schools at Acton, and then attended the University of Toronto, from which he graduated in Medicine with the class of '23. Since his graduation Dr. Mowat has obtained a wide diversity of experience. After a year of service in the Ontario Hospital at Orillia, and a six-month medical contract on construction work between Island Falls and Timmins, he served a year's internship In the Seaside Hospital at Long Beach, California. For five years he was engaged in an active industrial practice in Los Angeles Harbor. Returning to Toronto in 1930, he joined the staff of the University of Toronto as demonstrator in anatomy and pathology, and one year later was appointed house surgeon at Toronto General Hospital. On completion of his three-year period as house surgeon, he received the degree of Master of Surgery from the University of Toronto, and was awarded the coveted Lister Prize in Surgery for 1934, "awarded annually to the candidate for the degree of Surgery who obtains the highest standing in the examinations for that degree." Dr. Mowat spent two months of the summer of 1934 doing relief work on the staff of Copper Cliff Hospital, before sailing for London, England, where he was successful In the examinations for a Fellowship in the College of Surgeons. Having studied in London and Edinburgh, Dr. Mowat returned to Toronto in the summer of 1935 and for one year was Dr. W. E. Gallie's resident surgeon at Toronto General Hospital. On completion of that term, he was appointed to the surgical staff of the Western Hospital in Toronto, and received a teaching appointment in the Department of Surgery at the University of Toronto. These posts he resigned last month to come to Copper Cliff. Dr. Mowat was married in 1926. Mrs. Mowat and their little daughter will join him in Copper Cliff later in the summer.
Dr. William Morrison, died at Southampton, Ont., on August 12, 1948. He was 88 years of age. Dr. Morrison was one of Sudbury's early pioneer general practitioners and he was formerly in charge of the Copper Cliff Hospital for Inco. He was a native of Kirkton Parish of Forghen Banffshire, Scotland. He attended parish school at Black Hills, Scotland and academy at Peterhead, before coming to Canada in 1869 with his parents. He attended public school and Hamilton Collegiate and later taught school for five years in Huron County. He graduated from the University of :Toronto, Schooi of Medicine in 1890 and practised in Durham, Pinkerton and Paisley. In 1906 he received his degree as member of the Royal College of Surgeons of England, and became a Licentiate of the Royal College of Physicians of London the same year. He returned to Canada the following year, and practised, in Paisley before going to Copper Cliff in 1906. He remained in practice there till 1912 when he took over a private practice in Sudbury. Dr. Morrison was a member of the staff of St. Joseph's Hospital, Sudbury, from 1912 till 1941. In 1941 he retired, moving to Southampton. He was jail doctor in Sudbury for many years and also served in lumber and mining camps of that district. Surviving are his widow, two sons, a brother and a sister. Canada Medical Association Journal October 1948, vol.59.
See People for information on Dr. Henry William Feldhans, a doctor at Copper Cliff Hospital. He was born in Copper Cliff where his father worked for the Company. Henry worked his own way through college with summer jobs in the shops.
Dr.s Pat and Moe Farrell were raised in Copper Cliff and both worked at Copper Cliff Hospital. Dr. Patrick Joseph Farrell was born in Port Colborne in 1925. He and his parents Maurice Joseph Farrell and Josephine Bushman moved to Copper Cliff in 1929 where Pat and his 10 siblings grew up together. He is predeceased by his brother Father Francis, S.J., sisters Rita and Margaret Cainen (Larry deceased). Other family members are Sister Mary C.N.D., Rose Heffernan (Burt deceased), Monsignor Raymond, Bernadette, Dr. Maurice (Ginny) and Maureen. Pat graduated from Medical School at Queen's University in 1949, interned at St. Michael's, Sunnybrook and Wellesley Hospitals in Toronto. He married Barbara in 1955 and returned to Sudbury in 1956. He specialized in Obstetrics and Gynaecology and delivered his first baby in 1948 at Copper Cliff Hospital, and his last in 1999 at St. Joseph's Health Centre.
Pat’s brother Maurice was provincial champion as a high school hockey player. In 1955, he graduated from medical school at Queen's University and married Virginia (Ginny) Hamilton. The couple moved to Elliot Lake where Maurice worked as a family doctor. He later returned to school to specialize in obstetrics. In 1967, he joined his brother in Copper Cliff.
The brothers put in long days and nights. "We would do our regular day's work, deliver our babies at night and then get to the (operating room) at eight the next morning and start an O.R. list," Maurice recounted. "We thought that was normal." With 96 years of combined experience, brothers Dr. Patrick Farrell and Dr. Maurice Farrell administered the births of three generations of babies in Sudbury. ;
“Recognized as one of the most completely equipped and best staffed industrial hospitals in the country, Copper Cliff Hospital handles all branches of surgery except those in the highly specialized field of malignant tumors of the brain and chest. An average of 925 major operations are performed in a year.” 1949
From The Triangle March 1949 “nice note from Principal Ed Orendorff of Coniston Continuation School: I am laid up here in Copper Cliff Hospital with a broken leg but it’s coming along fine and I expect to be home before you receive this letter. I had to break my leg before I could adequately appreciate the Inco Medical System and the efficiency of the Copper Cliff Hospital. Dr. Mowat and Miss Walker are to be complimented upon the degree of efficiency of the staff. I was never better treated in my life. However, it will be good to get home again.”
See also 'People' - 'Historical Photos'.
1920 Copper Cliff Hospital view from Creighton Road. Photo by Rhea Coohin.
Reconstructed Copper Cliff Hospital.
Copper Cliff Memorial Community Hall
The Memorial Community Hall was constructed in 1937 and served Copper Cliff for many years. The design of the building was distinctly English, with architecture in the style of an Elizabethan Manor House. The hall originally included a lounge, auditorium, gymnasium and kitchen.
The Copper Cliff Memorial Community Hall. City of Greater Sudbury Heritage Museums Collection
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Lest We Forget. There could be no more fitting memorial to the warrior dead than an institution dedicated to the happiness of those for whom they paid the supreme sacrifice. This was the thought behind construction of Copper Cliff's handsome Memorial Community Hall, the suggestion of such a cenotaph being advanced by the Canadian Legion and promptly and generously acted upon by the International Nickel Company. The finishing touch to the distinguished memorial was added on July 24 when His Honor the Lieutenant-Governor Dr. Herbert A. Bruce unveiled in its auditorium a beautiful bronze tablet on which are inscribed the names of the men from Inco towns who gave their lives in 'he Great War. Memorial Community Hall is modern and complete in its entertainment facilities. Residents of all Inco towns have been cordially invited to make full use of it. When they do so, they should recall the sentiment expressed by His Worship Mayor Collins on the occasion of its official opening, and pause to give grateful thought to the brave fellows whose sacrifice it commemorates. 1936
The hall became a meeting place for Scouts, Girl Guides, the Copper Cliff Highland Cadet Corps, the Copper Cliff Athletic Association, bridge tournaments, community dances and events such as Quarter Century Club banquets, first aid competitions and Christmas parties. The Community Hall is now a private business. |
Memorial Plaque. The Inco Triangle 1936. The plaque is now located at the Royal Canadian Legion cenotaph at the corner of Balsam and Power Streets in Copper Cliff.
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Copper Cliff Post Office
The Inco Triange January 1974 The 41-year-old Copper Cliff Post Office disappeared so quickly that some residents didn’t know it was going 'til it was gone. Demolition on the 1932-vintage building started November 22, 1973 to make way for a new, one storey modernized post office on the same site. Postmaster Reg Couture says the old building was too cramped for the busy branch office - a staff of five full-time and two part-time employees handle over 200,000 pieces of mail each month and provide service at the public counters, which generate a revenue of about $10,000 per month.
See also 'Places - Serpentine Street' and 'Places - Serpentine Street - Postmasters'
See also 'Places - Serpentine Street' and 'Places - Serpentine Street - Postmasters'
Copper Cliff Post Office 1932 - 1973, Serpentine Street, Copper Cliff. City of Greater Sudbury Heritage Museums Collection
Copper Cliff Schools
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From John D. Evans' Diary:
From the Sudbury Journal July 9, 1891 "Miss L. E. Ryan who has taught the Public School at Copper Cliff most acceptably during the last term, has gone to her home near Mount Forest, for summer holidays." The school was also used for church services, town council meetings and as a community centre.
From John D. Evans' Diary:
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First Public School in Copper Cliff at the corner of Balsam Street and Evans Road. Old Timer Tales, The Sudbury Star.
When Charles Baycroft came to Copper Cliff with his parents in 1889 he was only four. He went to the nice, new school which was built in 1890. Mr. Baker, the principal in white collar stands near the doorway. In the group are brother Thomas Richard ‘Dick’ Baycroft, Mary McKerrow and brother Edwin, Billy Hoag, son of a No. 1 mine workman and Eddie McArthur, son of the big boss, James McArthur.
The schoolhouse was the two-storey building at the corner of Evans Rd and Balsam St. Two rooms downstairs were fitted up as classrooms. A spare room upstairs was empty, and the remainder of the upper storey was laid out as living quarters for the teachers, with the public library occupying one room. From the 1891 Census of McKim and Chisolm, Nipissing District, Thomas Baycroft, age 44, born in 1847, Tecumseh, Ontario, religion Free Church, father born in England, mother born in Ireland, occupation Canadian Copper Company Bush Ranger, his wife Catherine (Anderson), age 42, son George, age 15, Canadian Copper Company Office Boy, son John, age 10, Richard, age 9, and Charles, age 6. Dick was a child with an inquiring and inventive mind. He undertook to make a giant firecracker one day, using the powder which was the TNT of those days. The experiment had shocking results and little Dick did not survive. He died, at age 15, July 1897. |
From The Not-So-Distant Past by Gary R. Peck, Sudbury and Copper Cliff hosted mining schools in 1894. $2,000. in provincial monies were appropriated for the purpose of organizing summer school for prospectors, miners and others interested in mining. Work was assumed by the School of Practical Science, University of Toronto. The instructors were W. E. Boustead and W. A. Parks. In Copper Cliff, classes were held in the band-room facilities. The course began on Monday July 9th and continued until August 15th. To accommodate shift workers, classes were held in the afternoon at 3 p.m., in the evenings at 7 p.m. on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Subjects were geology and ore deposits, mineralogy and lithology. Nineteen attended the classes in Copper Cliff. Supporters were James Orr, editor of the Sudbury Journal, members of the Public School Board and James McArthur, Manager of the Canadian Copper Company works.
From the Sudbury Journal July 4, 1901 "There are six candidates writing for teachers' certificates on the Part 1 Junior Leaving Examination held here this week. Mr. Wm. M. Bradley, Principal of Copper Cliff Public School, is presiding examiner." William James McPhail started to teach in Copper Cliff in 1911, two rooms were in a frame building where the dairy now stands; six more at the corner of Rink and Union Streets. In 1914, a fine brick school of 13 rooms replaced them on a street called School Street.
A new brick Public School was built in 1914 at 8 School Street. W. J. McPhail was the first principal. |
The Globe advertisement. July 1, 1903
The Globe advertisement. April 10, 1905
The Globe advertisement. September 3, 1906
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In 1914 a Methodist mission was established in the community of Little Italy. Three United Church missionaries taught school at a building on Lombardy Street. From Multicultural Canada “1921 - The first teacher arrived in Copper Cliff in 1921. She was Miss Pamela Follet. Miss Follet was later followed by Miss Clara Horning and Miss Winnifred Harrison. They conducted kindergarten and bible school. They taught young people how to crochet and knit, and were known for organizing children’s concerts and sleigh ride parties. Although strictly Roman Catholic, parents sent their children to the Methodist Mission. Their own church had no organized children’s activities.” In 1921 – 22 1 Lombardy Street was the Italian Methodist parsonage, Miss Follett and Miss Horning lived at 1b Lombardy. The Methodist Mission Board erected a church and a rectory. It was closed by the United Church in 1928.
Teaching staff at Copper Cliff Public School. The Sudbury Star August 14, 1914
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1914 Public School Board: J. W. Rawlins, Chairman; Robt Richardon, W. E. Mayhew, R. A. O’Connor, W. Braybon and W. Hambly, J. W. Gallagher, Secretary-Treasurer
1914 Public School south side School Street, 2 north, Cobalt Street; Staff, W. J. McPhail, principal; Misses A. Plumb, N. Reid, A. Elliot, J. L. Sutherland, Z. Wright, S. Preston, K Fox, V. Livingstone, M. Boyd, and A. Stubbs teachers; A. Bealer, janitor. 
Copper Cliff Public School, circa 1916. City of Greater Sudbury Heritage Museums Collection Photograph
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The Globe January 16, 1922
The Copper Cliff Public School burned down on January 15, 1922.
After the fire at Copper Cliff Public School. City of Greater Sudbury Heritage Museums Collection Photograph
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Prior to reconstruction, classes were held at the Italian Mission, the Balsam Street school, the Presbyterian, Methodist and Finnish Lutheran Churches and the Gorringe Club.
Old Timer Tales December 1922 In the junior primary class in Copper Cliff some names registered were Olive Lee, Phyllis Alfrey, Rita Price, Dorothy Munroe, Evelyn Hildebrant, Barbara Waterbury, Donald Ferguson, Ronald Trezise, Jack Taylor, Tom Somers, Billy Dopson, Arthur Duberry, and Richard Gallagher. |
City of Greater Sudbury Heritage Museums Collection Photograph
Class of Mrs. Rae Jessip (McFeeters), Public School, Copper Cliff, Ontario. City of Greater Sudbury Heritage Museums Collection Photograph
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Copper Cliff Public School, circa 1925. City of Greater Sudbury Heritage Museums Collection Photograph
Students at Copper Cliff Public School. First Row L-R: Keith Doan, John Hamilton, John McKinnon, unknown Stoddard, Joe Wilson, unknown Lapierre, unknown Hewitt, Ernest Mayhew, unknown, unknown, Dalton Ovens, Nigger Gravelle; Second Row L-R: Annie Bradley, Agnes Prittie, Winnifred Ade, Marjory Hickey, Violet Tarrio, Mollie Cosgrove, Hattie Mullin, Laura Suckow, Elizabeth Rollins, Nellie Pernu, Ambrose Swede, Paul Bowers; Third Row L-R: Miss Murphy - Teacher, unknown Wilson, Rose Simmons, Margaret O'Reilly, Cecilia Bedesky, Ethel Archibald, Irene Lauzon; Fourth Row L-R: Helen Mayhew, Ilmi Koski, Lena Lapierre, Nina Teeto, Ella Boyle, Stella Hickey.
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In the early years secondary school students attended Sudbury High School or Sheridan Technical School.
Copper Cliff High School was built in 1937 at the junction of School Street and Creighton Road. It was built in the British institutional tradition. Initially there was a staff of 5 and 150 students. W. H. Harrington of Amerstberg was on staff for 33 years, 27 as principal. In April of 1947 additions were announced for the public and high schools.
Copper Cliff High School was built in 1937 at the junction of School Street and Creighton Road. It was built in the British institutional tradition. Initially there was a staff of 5 and 150 students. W. H. Harrington of Amerstberg was on staff for 33 years, 27 as principal. In April of 1947 additions were announced for the public and high schools.
Copper Cliff High School. City of Greater Sudbury Heritage Museums Collection Photograph
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Copper Cliff High School. City of Greater Sudbury Heritage Museums Collection Photograph
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More than 400 attended the send-off for W. H. Harrington as he stepped into retirement after 33 years on the staff of Copper Cliff High School, 27 of them as principal. June 1970.
School graduates came from widely distant points to honor the popular principal - Nino Giardini from Toronto for example, Jim Gradon from Toronto, Elaine Pikkusaari from Montreal, Henry Minsky from Winnipeg. About one third of the gathering consisted of former students. Mayor R. G. Dow and Inco vice-president J. A. Pigott were among the speakers who expressed the community’s appreciation to Mr. Harrington as a teacher and for his wise and efficient administration of the high school, which maintains the highest percentage for Ontario of students continuing on to university. Many have had brilliant scholastic careers. The school also has an outstanding record in team athletics. When Bill Harrington arrived at the newly built Copper Cliff high school from Amherstburg in 1937, there was a staff of five teachers and 150 students. two wings have been added to the building, the larger in 1967 including a theatre-gymnasium. Enrollment has increased to 400 and the staff to 24.
A highlight of his career that gave him a deep feeling of satisfaction was the presence as speaker at last year's graduation exercises of Dr. John Coleman, president of Haverford College in Pennsylvania, who was a member of Mr. Harrington's first class in 1937.
An alumnus of the school, Wilf Digby, was chairman of the large committee that arranged the farewell banquet, which was held at the Caruso Club, Sudbury. Speaker of the evening was Geoffrey Wilkinson. a former member of the staff now principal of Lambton District High School at Dresden, and incoming president of the Ontario Secondary Schools Teachers Federation. His witty and thoughtful address took the form of a 'trial' of the retiring principal which resulted in a verdict with which all present agreed heartily.
Mr. and Mrs. Harrington (the former Marguerite Baechler of Powassan) will reside in either Toronto or Peterborough, They have had a summer cottage in the Cawartha Lakes district for many years. Their daughter attends Queen's University, her father's alma mater.
After closing in 1979-1980, Copper Cliff High School became the elementary school that it is today.
School graduates came from widely distant points to honor the popular principal - Nino Giardini from Toronto for example, Jim Gradon from Toronto, Elaine Pikkusaari from Montreal, Henry Minsky from Winnipeg. About one third of the gathering consisted of former students. Mayor R. G. Dow and Inco vice-president J. A. Pigott were among the speakers who expressed the community’s appreciation to Mr. Harrington as a teacher and for his wise and efficient administration of the high school, which maintains the highest percentage for Ontario of students continuing on to university. Many have had brilliant scholastic careers. The school also has an outstanding record in team athletics. When Bill Harrington arrived at the newly built Copper Cliff high school from Amherstburg in 1937, there was a staff of five teachers and 150 students. two wings have been added to the building, the larger in 1967 including a theatre-gymnasium. Enrollment has increased to 400 and the staff to 24.
A highlight of his career that gave him a deep feeling of satisfaction was the presence as speaker at last year's graduation exercises of Dr. John Coleman, president of Haverford College in Pennsylvania, who was a member of Mr. Harrington's first class in 1937.
An alumnus of the school, Wilf Digby, was chairman of the large committee that arranged the farewell banquet, which was held at the Caruso Club, Sudbury. Speaker of the evening was Geoffrey Wilkinson. a former member of the staff now principal of Lambton District High School at Dresden, and incoming president of the Ontario Secondary Schools Teachers Federation. His witty and thoughtful address took the form of a 'trial' of the retiring principal which resulted in a verdict with which all present agreed heartily.
Mr. and Mrs. Harrington (the former Marguerite Baechler of Powassan) will reside in either Toronto or Peterborough, They have had a summer cottage in the Cawartha Lakes district for many years. Their daughter attends Queen's University, her father's alma mater.
After closing in 1979-1980, Copper Cliff High School became the elementary school that it is today.
In the Boston , Massachusetts Harvard University Alumni Director, dated 1913, were 4 employees of the Canadian Copper Company, all residing in Copper Cliff. Calvin Dinsmore Crawford, Gordon Goldwin Glass, William Jr. Kent and Reginald Myers Fisher Townsend.
Copper Cliff Club
August 7, 1915 The Sudbury Star
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The Copper Cliff Club opened May 5, 1916, at a cost of $80,000.
From The Sudbury Star May 10, 1916 “An institution on the scale of the Copper Cliff’s new clubhouse, is entirely new to the mining camps of Ontario”. Mr. J. C. Nicholls, President of the Club, Mr. G. R. Craig, Vice-President, Mr. F. P. Bernhard, Secretary-Treasurer, Dr. W. A. McCauley, Chairman of the House Committee and Mr. Wm Kent, Chairman of the Entertainment Committee. Mr. B. A. Jones, architect of Toronto was approved and the Dickie Construction Company was given the contract. “The gabled roof gives an English manor expression to the arrangement, and the three large chimneys, which are channels from large open fireplaces inside the building further the Old Country design. A large bay window can be seen which looks out from the ladies’ sitting room. To the left of this are a row of windows which look out from the sun room. Large oak beams cut across the ceiling and four large chandeliers of cast bronze, weighting 100 pounds, with large moonstone shaded lamps, hang down the centre of the main room.” Other features included a tea room, library with card tables, Stewardess’ room and maids’ room, billiard room with two pool and one English billiard tables, a swimming pool, showers and dressing room facilities. Furnishings were made and installed by the Murray-Kay Company of Toronto, electric wiring sublet to the Toronto Electric Light Company and fixtures installed by the MacDonald-Wilson Company of Toronto. The building and swimming pool were heated with boilers. From Old Timer Tales May. 1916, The first weekly dance after the formal opening, was held at the Copper Cliff Club, to the music of the player piano. There were no complaints about the music, at least from these guests: Mr. and Mrs. Frank Taylor. Mrs. Dan McKinnon, Dr. and Mrs. Torrington, Mr. and Mrs. Charles Mason, Mr. and Mrs. Robie, Mr. and Mrs. Brock, Mr and Mrs Bonnie, Mr. and Mrs. Canning, Misses Lawson, Travers, Fields, Boyd, Marie O'Connor; Messrs. Elliott, Adams, A. D. Miles, Waterbury, Sullivan Chapman, Tobey, Whitehurst, Charles Regan, Doctor Harris and Dr. Young. |
The Royal Ontario Nickel Commission.
We were in the era of canned music and it was a special treat to-have a real live band [at the Copper Cliff Club]. The Rex Theatre Orchestra was the first to occupy the spot. Any aggregation that could be assembled went under the name of the Copper Cliff Club Orchestra. Roy Barnes was always there in a pinch to pick up a good combination of players. Childs' Orchestra was popular at Creighton and came along for a few engagements. Other outstanding musicians were Lloyd Henry, on the violin; Bert Cooper, the marimba player; the Davidson brothers, Jimmy (Trump) and Johnnie, Bert Bell, Leo Ouilette, the Gimpoli boys, Bert Jones, on the viola; Matt Bell, Ted Reed and his orchestra; Harold Simpson and his; the Melody Five, with young Bailey, of the talking sax; pianists Bill Yeo (none greater); Naomi Davidson and Ted Reed.
In 1919 Mr. and Mrs. Mosher of Toronto “Canada’s Celebrated Dancers” were an attraction at the first anniversary ball. Mr. Mosher was retained to give a series of six dancing lessons. Three groups of 50 members each were organized. The fee was $5.00 for six lessons.
On March 28, 1919, Mr. Justice Sutherland, a former speaker of the House of Commons spoke to members on “our Debt and Duty to the Mother Country”.
"We had a man named Hatch teach us to play bridge. He was a member of the original Vanderbilt school but had a method of playing which became popular around here as the 'Hatch System.'
"After the Russian revolution many of the escaping nobility managed to get to America. One came to the club to lecture about the terror of Bolshevism. She was Baroness de Hauck, whom Mrs. Moyle brought to Copper Cliff to fill an engagement.
"We had a great magician whom the diminutive 'Spark Plug’ Harry put through his act to the delight of the mystified audience. 'Sparky' himself seemed to enjoy it, too.
The second anniversary ball was held at the Copper Cliff Club on May 4, 1918. The Virginia reel and old time dances were featured. In December 1918 Barrett’s orchestra was playing at the Victory Dance, at the Copper Cliff Club.
"The Copper Cliff Club's fourth anniversary ball was held on May 3, 1920. The decorations were spring-like, with a profusion of pink I and white roses. Kip McLean, with a 10-piece orchestra, gave the music that thrilled. The gowns were/handsome, as usual. Prizes were given to the best lady dancers. Mrs. George Valin, of Sudbury, captured the one-step number; Molly Hillson, of Copper Cliff, the waltz, and Mrs. Pettingill, of High Falls, the fox trot. Dancing must have been a novelty as spectators paid a special rate of $1.50 per couple.
In 1919 Mr. and Mrs. Mosher of Toronto “Canada’s Celebrated Dancers” were an attraction at the first anniversary ball. Mr. Mosher was retained to give a series of six dancing lessons. Three groups of 50 members each were organized. The fee was $5.00 for six lessons.
On March 28, 1919, Mr. Justice Sutherland, a former speaker of the House of Commons spoke to members on “our Debt and Duty to the Mother Country”.
"We had a man named Hatch teach us to play bridge. He was a member of the original Vanderbilt school but had a method of playing which became popular around here as the 'Hatch System.'
"After the Russian revolution many of the escaping nobility managed to get to America. One came to the club to lecture about the terror of Bolshevism. She was Baroness de Hauck, whom Mrs. Moyle brought to Copper Cliff to fill an engagement.
"We had a great magician whom the diminutive 'Spark Plug’ Harry put through his act to the delight of the mystified audience. 'Sparky' himself seemed to enjoy it, too.
The second anniversary ball was held at the Copper Cliff Club on May 4, 1918. The Virginia reel and old time dances were featured. In December 1918 Barrett’s orchestra was playing at the Victory Dance, at the Copper Cliff Club.
"The Copper Cliff Club's fourth anniversary ball was held on May 3, 1920. The decorations were spring-like, with a profusion of pink I and white roses. Kip McLean, with a 10-piece orchestra, gave the music that thrilled. The gowns were/handsome, as usual. Prizes were given to the best lady dancers. Mrs. George Valin, of Sudbury, captured the one-step number; Molly Hillson, of Copper Cliff, the waltz, and Mrs. Pettingill, of High Falls, the fox trot. Dancing must have been a novelty as spectators paid a special rate of $1.50 per couple.
1920 Copper Cliff Club. Photo by Rhea Coohin,
Mark Hambourg
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"High calibre entertainments, vaudeville and muisicals were obtained. The Hambourg Quartette and the Hart House Quartette were sure of a booking, while the great Russian-British concert pianist, Mark Hambourg, braved one of the worst snowstorms on record to fill his only engagement at the club. The train was late, the roads were blocked, it was 30 below zero and the auditorium was filled with expectant patrons. Nearly an hour and a half they waited and were rewarded with a brilliant performance.
"It was usual to prepare refreshments for the performers and the cook was shaking down the range and rattling the utensils during intermission. 'What in the name of heaven is the girl doing? He asked the master of ceremonies. 'Preparing lunch,' he was told. 'What lunch at this hour?' the" great man questioned. 'Tell her,' he whispered as he was going out for his final number, 'please tell her not to move the stove’. "When he was finished he was soaking with perspiration from the titanic exertion put into his playing. Up in the guest rooms it was chilly. He came trotting down half undressed yelling for a warmer place. To avoid the crowd the steward steered him to the boiler room there, the man who had played before kings and emperors, changed his clothes. "His wife was the Honorable Mrs. Hambourg, an English nobel-woman, who made light of the adventure when he rejoined her for coffee, but I warrant none of that party ever forgot the severity of a Sudbury-Copper Cliff winter." |
The Laurentide outfit broadcast dance music from the Copper Cliff Club, also a ‘first’ feat in the district. The orchestra was made up of Bert Bell on violin; Bill Yeo pianist; Kip McLean, drummer, Ernest Archibald, trombone player; Dr. Walker banjoist; and Harold Simpson, saxaphone impresario. For sometime that outfit was known as the Simpson Six.
Halloween 1921 About 150 couples looked to the Copper Cliff Club for their fun on that night. Mr. T. D. Jarvis was in charge of the decorations, and being a graduate of the Ontario Agriculture College, he filled the niches with stooks of oats, wisps of timothy hay, plenty of sun-kissed pumpkins, scarecrows, witches and old time lanterns, properly smoked. Streamers of orange and black were looped from the rafters and chandeliers. The music was furnished by Orville Johnston’s Ottawa Orchestra, at that time considered one of the best in Ontario. One guest who had a wooden leg, declared he never felt so much like dancing in his life before. That orchestra had the right beat. Many original costumes were in competition. The committee awarded a prize for the best costume to Miss Annie Archibald, of Copper Cliff, who was dressed as a Hallowe’en girl. Among the men, C. Y. Connor was voted a prize as the best Chinaman that ever stepped inside the club. The possible exception was Fung How, the club chef.
"A man who served the interests of this club's members for the greatest number of years was the man who succeeded J. C. Nicholls as president — the late E. A. ‘Fred’ Collins. He helped celebrate Armistice ' Day, Nov. 11, 1918, by joining the staff of the International Nickel Company as its first safety engineer. Fred had a most gracious wife in Maud Walsh who predeceased him in 1935. A nephew Len Walsh, played on the Massey junior baseball team while spending the summers with his uncle. Fred never missed a game played in Massey and neighboring towns and drove the young lad to them all by horse and buggy.
"The Anniversary Ball held at the Copper Cliff Club was always the leading social event of the season, rivalled only by the New Year's Eve Ball. No expense was spared on decorations, which were outstanding for originality. The first lavish schemes were conceived and carried out by Tennyson D. Jarvis and Reg Moorhouse.
A July 1946 issue of The Inco Triangle featured information on the 30th anniversary of the Club. In addition to the entertainment and social aspects, young people became proficient in swimming, diving, and life saving. Arthur Allen the champion fancy diver of Canada was engaged as swimming and diving instructor for the summer of 1919. Bowling leagues and other organized sports were established. Water polo and ping pong tournaments commenced in 1932.
Halloween 1921 About 150 couples looked to the Copper Cliff Club for their fun on that night. Mr. T. D. Jarvis was in charge of the decorations, and being a graduate of the Ontario Agriculture College, he filled the niches with stooks of oats, wisps of timothy hay, plenty of sun-kissed pumpkins, scarecrows, witches and old time lanterns, properly smoked. Streamers of orange and black were looped from the rafters and chandeliers. The music was furnished by Orville Johnston’s Ottawa Orchestra, at that time considered one of the best in Ontario. One guest who had a wooden leg, declared he never felt so much like dancing in his life before. That orchestra had the right beat. Many original costumes were in competition. The committee awarded a prize for the best costume to Miss Annie Archibald, of Copper Cliff, who was dressed as a Hallowe’en girl. Among the men, C. Y. Connor was voted a prize as the best Chinaman that ever stepped inside the club. The possible exception was Fung How, the club chef.
"A man who served the interests of this club's members for the greatest number of years was the man who succeeded J. C. Nicholls as president — the late E. A. ‘Fred’ Collins. He helped celebrate Armistice ' Day, Nov. 11, 1918, by joining the staff of the International Nickel Company as its first safety engineer. Fred had a most gracious wife in Maud Walsh who predeceased him in 1935. A nephew Len Walsh, played on the Massey junior baseball team while spending the summers with his uncle. Fred never missed a game played in Massey and neighboring towns and drove the young lad to them all by horse and buggy.
"The Anniversary Ball held at the Copper Cliff Club was always the leading social event of the season, rivalled only by the New Year's Eve Ball. No expense was spared on decorations, which were outstanding for originality. The first lavish schemes were conceived and carried out by Tennyson D. Jarvis and Reg Moorhouse.
A July 1946 issue of The Inco Triangle featured information on the 30th anniversary of the Club. In addition to the entertainment and social aspects, young people became proficient in swimming, diving, and life saving. Arthur Allen the champion fancy diver of Canada was engaged as swimming and diving instructor for the summer of 1919. Bowling leagues and other organized sports were established. Water polo and ping pong tournaments commenced in 1932.
Italian Club
The Italian Club is located on Craig Street in Copper Cliff. Names of the Copper Cliff Italian Club founding executive (1934):
President Luigia Bargnesi
Vice-President
Lina Giommi
Corresponding Secretary
Delia Giommi
Asst. Corresponding Secretary
Enrichetta Falcioni
Treasurer
Domenica Silvestri
Financial Secretary
Elsa Narduzzi
Auditors
Lina Brema, Gina Toppazzini
Councillors
Mafalda Longarini, Rosina Morelli, Elsa Perlini, Annunziata Pianosi, Valentina Silvestri and Ida Volpini
Interpreter
Antenische Moroso
President Luigia Bargnesi
Vice-President
Lina Giommi
Corresponding Secretary
Delia Giommi
Asst. Corresponding Secretary
Enrichetta Falcioni
Treasurer
Domenica Silvestri
Financial Secretary
Elsa Narduzzi
Auditors
Lina Brema, Gina Toppazzini
Councillors
Mafalda Longarini, Rosina Morelli, Elsa Perlini, Annunziata Pianosi, Valentina Silvestri and Ida Volpini
Interpreter
Antenische Moroso
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Construction of the present day Italian Club in 1949. Photo City of Greater Sudbury Heritage Museums Collection
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Ladies Auxiliary of the Italian Club in Copper Cliff April 28, 1951. Multicultural Canada
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Cristiano and Maria Conte were founding members of Società
Italiana di Copper Cliff. (Italian Club of Copper Cliff). The
two-sided ribbon was used for Club functions and funerals. The
"hands shaking" on the pin is the Club's logo. By
searching on the Internet, flags were identified as a Red Ensign and Kingdom
of Italy (1848-1946). The centre emblem is a variation of the Kingdom of Italy
coat of arms.
In an article by Paul S. D’Ambrosio entitled “The Italian American Banner Makers of New York”, the ribbon maker is mentioned. “On August 1, 1935, De Caro merged his business with that of Alexander D'Angelo, who had taken over the shop of Giriaco Lombardi at 181 Grand Street in 1924. De Caro & D'Angelo Co., Inc. became the preeminent Italian American society goods manufacturer in New York, operating until at least 1977, according to an invoice sent to Williamsburg's San Cono di Teggiano Catholic Association on May 10th of that year. Their 1938 catalogue, which celebrated the golden anniversary of De Caro’s opening his tailor shop in 1888, is a 36-page tour-de-force of goods. The company offered American flags, Italian flags, banners embroidered with mutual aid or religious society emblems, lapel ribbons and parade regalia, uniforms, vestments, religious statues, and printed certificates and diplomas. The most impressive section, devoted to the flags and banners, highlights the most elaborate examples created by the company. This section of the catalogue documents the firm's ability to design flags and banners for specific societies, and to execute those designs in fine silk and gold embroidery as well as gold leaf painting.” |
Copper Cliff Italian Club Founders' Certificate. Photos private collection of Janey Titton.
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Copper Cliff Churches
See also 'Places - Settlements - Shantytown'
By 1916 there were 8 churches in Copper Cliff, listed in Vernon’s City Directory for Sudbury and Copper Cliff.
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St. Stanislaus Kostka
The Jesuit community provided spiritual guidance to the Catholics of Copper Cliff starting in late 1886, early 1887. The first baptism was Catherine Therese Madigan, daughter of Jeremiah Madigan and Mary Emelia Bisson. The second baptism was Mary Maud Austin, daughter of Moses Austin and Margaret Johnson. The third baptism in 1887 was Joseph Etienne Rioux, son of Alfred Rioux and Ernestine Fournier. Mass was said in private boarding houses. The Copper Cliff mission was initially established at the East Smelter about 1888. The mission was later relocated to Balsam Street and a church constructed in 1898. The patron was Saint Stanislaus Kostka. The congregation was composed of French-Canadians, Poles and English-speaking (primarily Irish-Canadians). Fund-raising the first priority, and to provide for an immediate cash flow, a picnic was scheduled for Dominion Day which featured a draw for a gold watch, a ball game, races, and entertainment by the Copper Cliff Band. St. Stanislaus became a parish in 1900 and a rectory was built that year. |
St. Stanislaus Church on a Palm Sunday about 1902. Photo City of Greater Sudbury Heritage Museums Collection
St. Stanislaus Church. Photo City of Greater Sudbury Heritage Museums Collection
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From Up the Hill: The Italians in Copper Cliff, the Italians leased land on Craig Street in 1913 to erect a church which would minister to them in their own language. St. Elizabeth Church, built with volunteer labour, was abandoned in the early 1920’s. “The priest remained there for only one year and ran off with a woman, never to return.” The Italian community returned to St. Stanislaus Church to worship.
A men’s organization, the Catholic Order of Foresters developed in the parish. A meeting hall was constructed at 21 Poplar Street (Collins Drive) in 1903. For over 40 years the hall served the community for public meetings, political rallies, polling station, concerts, recitals, church suppers, wedding receptions and as a theatre for silent films. It was also a meeting place for the Catholic Women’s League, formed in 1921. The hall was used as a badminton club. With signs of disrepair, the hall was demolished in 1947. The present church and rectory was completed in 1961. The original rectory was sold and relocated to 8 Church Street. |
Reconstructed St. Stanislaus circa 1960, built in the parking lot of the former church on Balsam Street. Photo City of Greater Sudbury Heritage Museums Collection
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Rev. S. Rondeau and Rev. Wm. Bleweet were respectively ministers of the Presbyterian and Methodist faiths. Early Methodist services were held in the home of Thomas Hambley. Canons Piercy, French and Boydell ministered to those of the Anglican communion. These missionary services continued until a public school was built in Shantytown about 1890 on the site of the present Copper Cliff Dairy, where all three Protestant denominations held services in rotation. Indeed, church life was organized much on the Union Church basis, one general Sunday School being held to which all the children belonged. David H. Browne, then chemist and later metallurgist for the International Nickel Co., taught Sunday School for many years.
The Sudbury Journal September 19, 1901.
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Methodist Church
In 1896 a Union Church for the Protestant denominations was built on Jones Street, which eventually became a Methodist Church. At the opening in 1899 of the Methodist Church at Copper Cliff, Silas Huntington, a Methodist Minister criticized officials of the Canadian Copper Company who were present for failing to provide adequate services and facilities for the town. He was also a pioneer environmentalist, a common theme in his sermons being the need for stewardship of the land. In 1911 the Methodist Church was located at 26 Granite Street. Rev. C. E Kenny was pastor; Sunday services 11 and 7:30; Sunday School 2:30 Junior League Thursday 4 p.m.. In 1916 the church address was 5 Clara Belle Road. 
Copper Cliff Methodist Church on Jones Street circa 1896.
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St. John the Devine Anglican Church
By 1900 the Anglicans, then known as the Church of England in Canada, had built a ‘snug little building’ at a cost of about $600. An organ was given by the church people of Sudbury and the chancel furniture by Mr. W. G. Cressey. In 1907-1908, the congregation began planning for a permanent church. The leading spirit in this effort was Sidney Yeomans, the former lay-reader. Anglican services were initially delivered by itinerant missionaries and by the incumbents from the neighbouring Parish of Sudbury; these included The Venerable Archdeacon Gilmour, Canon Piercy, Canon French, and Canon Boydell. The earliest recorded baptism was for Pearle Cora McFeetor; the service was held in the dining room of Smith's Boarding House. The Reverend T. N. Munford, M.A. was the first permanent rector to be appointed to the parish. He began his ministry in August 1908. In the fall of 1909, plans for the new church were settled on; and the present site was leased from the Canadian Copper Company. The foundations and basement walls were completed in September 1909, but it proved difficult to raise the funds to complete the church. The Canadian Copper Company agreed to do the building day-work and to grant credit for the amount which the church might be unable to pay at the conclusion of the work. The Bishop of Algoma, The Very Reverend George Thorneloe laid the cornerstone on July 11, 1910 in the presence of a large congregation. The church was dedicated on July 13, 1911; and the congregation celebrated its first communion service in the new church on July 16, 1911. On the latter date, Derrick Harold Cross was the first person baptized in the new church. Two days later, the first funeral was held in the church for two townspeople who had lost their lives in the Great Porcupine Fire near Porcupine, Ontario. |
Church of England. Postcard City of Greater Sudbury Heritage Museums Collection
St. John Anglican Church on the left of Granite Street; with Copper Cliff Hospital in the Background. Photo City of Greater Sudbury Heritage Museums Collection
St. John's Church, Copper Cliff. Postcard City of Greater Sudbury Heritage Museums Collection
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Rev. Thomas Harper Nettleship Munford, M.A.
Thomas was born October 15th, 1881, the son of Reverend John Noon Munford and Jane Alice Nettleship of St Allen Cornwall. He was educated at Blundell's School Tiverton between September 1893 and July 1900. He completed a BA Third Class classical degree at Cambridge in 1903 and obtained his MA in 1908. Ordained as a deacon in 1904 in Exeter Devon. Curate at Bideford from 1904-1908. Between August 1908 and 1912 he served the Church in Ontario Canada. “The beginning of the Church life at Copper Cliff, as in the case of so many other towns, both in the Old and New Worlds are lost in the mists of obscurity. The history of the town date back to the year 1886 when the engineers who were constructing the main line of the Canadian Pacific Railway to Chapleau came across indications of copper and nickel in rocks at Murray Mine. Very soon a typical mining town sprang up round the mines and workshops, and a large number of Cornish miners wore employed in the works. For the benefit of these people services were held by itinerant missionaries and by the incumbents of the neighbouring parish of Sudbury. among whom were The Venerable Archdeacon Gilmour, Canon Piercy, Canon French and Canon Boydell. |
Thomas Munford. Photo private collection of Ben Munford
Easter Day programme card, 1911. Photo private collection of Ben Munford
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Presbyterian Churches
Knox Presbyterian Church was established in 1898. In 1911 Knox Presbyterian was located on Gorringe Square. The Rev W. T. Prittie was minister. Sunday services 11 and 7:30, Sunday School 2:30, Young Men’s Club meets Tuesday 8 p.m. Choir practice Friday at 7:30 p.m. 
Knox Presbyterian Church. Postcard City of Greater Sudbury Heritage Museums Collection
Knox Presbyterian Church. Photo City of Greater Sudbury Heritage Museums Collection
Copper Cliff United Church is a protestant organization that represents the Methodist Church of Canada, the Congregational Union of Ontario and Quebec, and the Presbyterian Church in Canada.
In 1925 the congregations of Knox Presbyterian and the Methodist Church joined the United Church of Canada. Knox Presbyterian was the house of worship and the Methodist parsonage was the Manse. After the last service held March 2, 1952, the church congregation moved to the Copper Cliff Community Hall and the white frame church gave way to the present sanctuary which opened January 11, 1953 at 26 Park Street. The church celebrated their 95th anniversary May 8, 1982. |
Finnish Presbyterian activities started in 1913 and the mission was founded Jan 16, 1914. There was a church building "Franssin kirkko" (one church member was Tuomas J. Franssi with family) at Balsam Street where the dairy is now (this had been the original Public School). Preachers were Arvi I. Heinonen (1913-); Julius E. Laurila (1919, visiting); Juho Yrttimaa (visiting). and Felix Mayblom (1929-). This mission became the Finnish United Church.
Presbyterian Mission on Balsam Street. Photo City of Greater Sudbury Heritage Museums Collection
Copper Cliff United Church. Photo on www.flicker.com
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Stanley Stadium
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During the thirties, Copper Cliff was one of only three towns across Ontario that had an indoor rink. Jerry Toppazzini, his brother Zellio, Tim Horton, Tod Sloan and George Armstrong were all huddled together under that one roof, raising the level of each other's play. On January 15, 1935 Stanley Stadium with the first artificial ice unit in the district, was officially opened. The stadium was named for Robert C. Stanley, President of the International Nickel Company. Seating capacity was 1,100.
The Copper Cliff Figure Skating Club came into being that year. The stadium hosted numerous activities in addition to hockey over the years; there were the amateur contests of the late 1930's, curling bonspiels, band concerts, community festivals, speed skating, skating shows and figure skating competitions. The concession stand had the best french fries ever! The stadium was torn down in 1976 to make way for the McClelland Arena. 
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Stanley Stadium, facing north from Market Street. Photo private collection Marlene and Marty Neva.
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Copper Cliff Curling Rink
The Copper Cliff Curling Club was formed circa 1914. From ‘A Bit of the Cliff’ “In 1915 the first Copper Cliff Curling Club was built to provide a home for local curling enthusiasts who had previously been affiliated with the Sudbury club. Six sheets of natural ice were carefully laid in a wooden frame building located near the main gate of the reduction works at the Inco complex.” The Sudbury Curling Club was launched on January 1, 1892, with William Chalmers, president.
“Medicos Make Crafty Curlers
The Scots will bet their Sunday -shirts, The wailing will be dire, When medicos get their desserts From Alex McIntyre, It's a long story if properly told, but the gist of it all is that Skip Alex McIntyre of the Electrical Dept. had made up his mind to cop the E. A. Collins' cup for inter-departmental curling competition at Copper Cliff this winter, while the medical fraternity playing on the Town team had, apparently, decided otherwise. The showdown came when Alex developed what he firmly maintains was nothing more than a slight tickling sensation in his tummy. Medicos promptly went into a huddle, and after much doleful head-shaking, etc., pounced on Alex and with ill-concealed glee took his appendix away from him, thus effectively removing him from curling for the remainder of the season. Alex promises to get sweet revenge next winter, and assures his henchmen that what Electrical will do to Medical will be shocking, to say the least.” From the Inco Triangle 1938
A new building was constructed in 1948 at its present location, with a spectator’s gallery and a luncheon counter, and opened in December of 1949.
100 Years of Curling in Copper Cliff
“Medicos Make Crafty Curlers
The Scots will bet their Sunday -shirts, The wailing will be dire, When medicos get their desserts From Alex McIntyre, It's a long story if properly told, but the gist of it all is that Skip Alex McIntyre of the Electrical Dept. had made up his mind to cop the E. A. Collins' cup for inter-departmental curling competition at Copper Cliff this winter, while the medical fraternity playing on the Town team had, apparently, decided otherwise. The showdown came when Alex developed what he firmly maintains was nothing more than a slight tickling sensation in his tummy. Medicos promptly went into a huddle, and after much doleful head-shaking, etc., pounced on Alex and with ill-concealed glee took his appendix away from him, thus effectively removing him from curling for the remainder of the season. Alex promises to get sweet revenge next winter, and assures his henchmen that what Electrical will do to Medical will be shocking, to say the least.” From the Inco Triangle 1938
A new building was constructed in 1948 at its present location, with a spectator’s gallery and a luncheon counter, and opened in December of 1949.
100 Years of Curling in Copper Cliff
Copper Cliff Curling 1950
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