Seaforth History Cont'd
A Champion Town
The sporting life has always been prominent in Seaforth with familiar sports such as hockey, baseball and soccer occupying citizens' attention along with lawn bowling, curling, lacrosse and horse racing. Although the town no longer has its own lacrosse team, the others are going strong with the curling club being one of the longest continuously operating clubs in Ontario. Broomball has recently developed an enthusiastic following with local teams having success against area rivals.
In 1891, the town's phenomenal sports record received North American acclaim with an article in the October 3 1891 issue of the Illustrated Buffalo Express. Under the banner A CHAMPION TOWN the express recorded the following: "As a general rule, most towns and cities can boast of something in advance of the rest; but Seaforth boasts of being the greatest sporting town in Canada, and rightly too, as it now has the champion fireman of the world, champion footballers of Canada, champion collegiate institute footballers of Ontario, champion senior lacrossists of the Southern District, champion junior lacrossists of the Western District, and also two juvenile champion clubs of the town, viz.: Maple Leafs Football Club and the Scots Lacrosse Club. Even among the Juveniles, the Maple Leafs (football) and Scots (lacrosse) are the Canadian champions. The article also notes that the town supported both active cricket and gun clubs.
Several local residents have achieved international sports stardom. Lloyd Eisler, with his partner Isabel Brasseur, won the Canadian Pairs figure skating title on several occasions in the 90s. During that time, the pair won two Olympic bronze medals in '92 and '94 and were first, second or third five times at the 'worlds' including winning the world championship in 1993.
Seaforth players have also been active in the NHL with two gaining Stanley Cup success over the years. Most recently, Boyd Devereaux hoisted the Cup with the 2002 Detroit Red Wings. The Seaforth native had originally been a first round draft choice of the Edmonton Oilers. Much earlier in the 20th century, another product of Seaforth hockey, Henry (Cooney) Weiland was instrumental in the Boston Bruins winning their first three Stanley Cups. Weiland grew up in Egmondville, playing on the Bayfield River. His minor hockey was played in Seaforth and then in Owen Sound prior to playing professionally in the minor leagues in the United States.
In 1929, 'Cooney' joined the Bruins and was instrumental in their first Stanley Cup success achieved in that year. In his last year in the league, he was again with Boston and achieved a second Cup win in 1939. Another triumph came in 1941 when he coached the team to a third Stanley Cup. He went on to coach in the American League and ended his hockey career after several years as the coach of the Harvard University hockey team in 1971. In that year, Weiland was elected to the hockey hall of fame.
Soccer in Seaforth has a long history and a strange connection to politics. Teams, often named the Seaforth Hurons, have won titles as far back as 1890 when they were the Western Ontario champions. In 1891 and 1905, they topped the Western Football Association and were Canadian senior champs.
The connection with politics results from the Seaforth Collegiate Institute team, which in 1897 captured the Hough Cup. One of its members was a young William Aberhart who was to have a profound effect on western Canadian political life. Aberhart was also a member of the Seaforth Golf Club.
Aberhart left Seaforth for Alberta in 1910. Settling in Calgary, he was a teacher and principal from 1915 to 1935. A strong fundamentalist Aberhart began a regular religious broadcast in 1925 that made his name a household word on the prairies. The dirty 30's were a period economic hardship and political upheaval. Aberhart became convinced of the need for economic reform and adopted the theories of the Social Credit movement. In 1935, he established the Social Credit Party of Alberta and went on to win the election that same year. He remained premier until his death in 1943.
Perhaps the most unusual title held by a Seaforth team fell to the Seaforth Fire Brigade. In 1888 at a competition in Sarnia, they captured the international hose reel championship in a world record time of 55.5 seconds (or 56.5 according to another account). In 1889, they repeated the feat, involving the coupling together of 300 feet of hose contained on a cart pulled by a crew of 18, at a competition in Mount Clemens, Michigan.
Although primarily used as a training facility, the harness racing oval on the Seaforth Fairgrounds provides silent testimony to the former importance of standard bred racing to the rural community. It was not unusual for prominent locals to have a horse or two running at meets usually held in conjunction with the fall fair. It must be said, however, that the prize money was often not large and the primary reward involved bragging rights for the next year.
The original agricultural exhibits building still stands surrounded by the pavement of the Seaforth and District Community Centre parking lot and is used each autumn during the Seaforth Fall Fair.
A modern exhibit building called the Agriplex has been constructed inside the racing oval. The nearby hexagonal agri-exhibit building of frame construction is a rarity dating from the 1880s and is still in use today.
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