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| Keywords: mike schwager mikeschwager mike's island mikesisland loon lake loonlake skootamatta cloyne 1928 aro a.r. oborne aroborne mike schwagger festubert text drawing This is a photo of Mike Schwager's residence on what is now known as 'Mike's Island' on Skootamatta Lake (then Loon Lake). This later became a post office serving lake residents for a short time. Writing on the photo: All Complete with stone wall 1927. Stone wall built as per Hutchings Instructions to A.R. Oborne and Mike Schwager & Dept. Lands & Forest will give title. The following article was written by J. Ross Oborne in the 2006 Skootamatta & District Ratepayers Assoc. Newsletter: 'Festubert : A Wistful Memory of an Earlier Time During the 1930’s all that remained of the first Festubert seasonal post office on a tiny Ontario island in Loon Lake (now known as Skootamatta Lake), was the building’s granite fireplace and foundation. The post office had been located in Mike Schwager’s frame house. The house, with it’s three verandas and an outhouse, took up all the available space on the island. Mike became the first postmaster of Festubert when the post office opened on July 1, 1927. The girl that Mike intended to marry made it known that she did not want to live on a tiny island, especially one with no title to the island. Mike could not secure title to his island because of a problem with the outhouse. Even in those days pollution control was important. When the summer season ended in September 1927 Mike sold the frame house and post office. It was towed away on the ice during the winter months. No longer could the cottagers tie up their boats to the post office’s verandah when they came for their mail. In 1927 the Festubert post office served about 28 cottage families and several permanent residents . Although Festubert was located near Bon Echo, in the township of Lennox/ Addington County, the mail was exchanged with Cloyne, about three miles away. Mike picked up the mail at Stanley Wheeler’s General Store and post office in Cloyne. The mail came to Cloyne via the postal courier, Harry Levere, who had the mail contract between the railway station in Kaladar (17 miles away) and Cloyne. Back in 1926 when an application for a post office was made to Mike Schwager, the question of a name was raised. It was the author’s late father, A. Ross Oborne , who suggested the name of Festubert. Mr. Oborne, whose family cottage was in the area, remembered the village of Festubert in France. It had been the scene of heavy fighting between the French and British and the German forces during WW1. The village gave it’s name to the battle fought in the immediate area on May 9 1915. The British made a forward move to relieve pressure on the French as well as to prevent the Germans sending reinforcements to Lens. The battle ended with a disastrous loss to the British although the Canadian army fighting alongside the British achieved “great distinction”. This is a photo of Mike Schwager's residence on what is now known as 'Mike's Island' on Skootamatta Lake (then Loon Lake). This later became a post office serving lake residents for a short time. Writing on the photo: All Complete with stone wall 1927. Stone wall built as per Hutchings Instructions to A.R. Oborne and Mike Schwager & Dept. Lands & Forest will give title. The following article was written by J. Ross Oborne in the 2006 Skootamatta & District Ratepayers Assoc. Newsletter: 'Festubert : A Wistful Memory of an Earlier Time During the 1930’s all that remained of the first Festubert seasonal post office on a tiny Ontario island in Loon Lake (now known as Skootamatta Lake), was the building’s granite fireplace and foundation. The post office had been located in Mike Schwager’s frame house. The house, with it’s three verandas and an outhouse, took up all the available space on the island. Mike became the first postmaster of Festubert when the post office opened on July 1, 1927. The girl that Mike intended to marry made it known that she did not want to live on a tiny island, especially one with no title to the island. Mike could not secure title to his island because of a problem with the outhouse. Even in those days pollution control was important. When the summer season ended in September 1927 Mike sold the frame house and post office. It was towed away on the ice during the winter months. No longer could the cottagers tie up their boats to the post office’s verandah when they came for their mail. In 1927 the Festubert post office served about 28 cottage families and several permanent residents . Although Festubert was located near Bon Echo, in the township of Lennox/ Addington County, the mail was exchanged with Cloyne, about three miles away. Mike picked up the mail at Stanley Wheeler’s General Store and post office in Cloyne. The mail came to Cloyne via the postal courier, Harry Levere, who had the mail contract between the railway station in Kaladar (17 miles away) and Cloyne. Back in 1926 when an application for a post office was made to Mike Schwager, the question of a name was raised. It was the author’s late father, A. Ross Oborne , who suggested the name of Festubert. Mr. Oborne, whose family cottage was in the area, remembered the village of Festubert in France. It had been the scene of heavy fighting between the French and British and the German forces during WW1. The village gave it’s name to the battle fought in the immediate area on May 9 1915. The British made a forward move to relieve pressure on the French as well as to prevent the Germans sending reinforcements to Lens. The battle ended with a disastrous loss to the British although the Canadian army fighting alongside the British achieved “great distinction”. | ||||
