Mariposa (fictional town)
Encyclopedia
Mariposa is a fiction
al Canadian
town created by Stephen Leacock
as the setting for a series of short stories. They were originally commissioned by The Montreal Star newspaper
and later collected and published in one volume as Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town
. Since then, many attempts have been made to expand the canon, present it in a different form or make reference to it.
Although the author publicly denied it, the town is closely modelled on the very real town of Orillia, Ontario
and its inhabitants. He named it after one or more nearby communities, which had borne versions of that name in real life, which have since become extinct: Mariposa Township and Mariposa unincorporated place, and Mariposa Beach. Leacock was a professor
of political economy
at McGill University
in Montreal
, Quebec
, but he had a summer home at Old Brewery Bay. The names of the characters in the stories were altered to avoid potential libel lawsuits when the stories were published in book form in 1912.
The remainder of this article will provide information on Mariposa in the form of a regular geographic entry as if it really existed, with references to the facts associated with the non-fictional models.
, nicknamed Hull Town, is situated between Lake Ossawippi and Lake Wissanotti (modelled on Lake Couchiching
and Lake Simcoe
, although with features that radically depart from both). The Ossawippi River joins these two lakes, and the Lower Ossawippi River feeds into the northern end of Lake Wissanotti. The community is located on the Canadian Shield
and hence the soil is rocky and supports mostly slow-growing evergreen trees.
Politically, Mariposa is located in Missinaba County (modelled on Simcoe County
and possibly taking its name from the Missinaibi River near Chapleau, Ontario
) which was surveyed in a grid pattern. The town is the metropolis of surrounding rural Tecumseh Township (modelled on Tecumseth Township in Simcoe County), from which it was created in the 19th century, and serves as the judicial district but not county seat. It is only one hundred miles north of the provincial metropolis (modelled on Toronto).
The ethnic origins of most residents are from the British Isles
, the descendants of whom have overwhelmed the indigenous Missinabi population. Major sources of in migration are the Maritime provinces, northern Ontario
and Massachusetts
. Major destinations of out migration, especially for educational and economic reasons, are the nearby provincial metropolis.
Mariposans follow diverse Christian
denominations
according to their ethnic origins, but the Anglicans
are clearly most dominant, followed in no particular order by Presbyterians
, Salvationists
, Methodists
and Roman Catholics. Mallory Thomkins of the Times-Herald newspaper is the only outspoken agnostic or atheist.
The townsite was occupied by pine and hemlock woods and its reduced remains still ring the town. Choice hardwoods like elm and maple are south of Marpiosa, while north of town are tamarack and willow. Although Mariposa is south of Spanish River
lumber country, it still maintains a planing factory or sawmill on the lakeshore near the railway siding and every spring there is a huge influx of rough lumbermen.
In the immediate vicinity of Mariposa, there are some fair crop farms, but in the extremities of Tecumseh Township and Missinaba County, forbidding rocks, fetid swamps and dense forests of the north country of the Canadian or Laurentian Shield make the soil large scale cultivation of grains or fruits impractical. Livestock farming is somewhat more successful, and the Mariposa Packing Company is always kept busy.
Only on official occasions is the forty or so foot wide bustling downtown thoroughfare of Mariposa called by its proper name, Missinaba Street (after the county and based on Mississaga Street in Orillia), rather than Main Street. Among the many shops there are Pharmaceutical Hall (Jim Eliot’s drug store), Pete Glover and Alf McNichol's co-located hardware and paint stores and Ed Moore’s photo shop. Similarly, services downtown include lawyers, doctors, dentists, Jefferson "Jeff" Thorpe's barbershop and, when it is all over, Golgotha Gingham's funeral home.
Mariposa boasts two branches of major banks: the Commercial Bank (modelled on what is now the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce
) and the Exchange Bank (modelled on what is now the National Bank of Canada
). Robertson’s Coal and Wood Office was divided to serve as Mariposa Mining Exchange during the investment boom in junior mining companies.
Thorpe earned 5312% profit after investing in Northern Star mine in northern Ontario. Trying to continue his financial success, he invested his profits in the Cuban Land Development Company whose corporate headquarters
was a P.O. box
in New York City. Unfortunately, police
discovered this to be a fraud
and Thorpe lost not only his own money but undertook to repay Mariposans whom he had help to invest in the dubious scheme.
Smith's hotel has long been a fixture of the town, and when he bought it around 1908. The hotel has borne many names both before and after his acquisition of it, in approximate order: the Royal Hotel, the Queen’s Hotel, the Alexandria Hotel, Smith’s Ladies’ and Gent’s (sic) Café, Smith’s Summer Pavilion, Smith’s Tourists’ Emporium, Smith’s Northern Health Resort, Smith’s Northern Health Resort and Home of the Wissanotti Angler, and Smith's British Arms.
Clearly, Josh Smith dominates the hospitality industry, but visitors may also stay at the Continental Hotel, operated by Pete Robinson, or Mariposa House, containing a billiard room. There are also seven short-stay cottages located along Lake Wissanotti.
, with Alf Trelawney as its postmaster, served impartially under Liberal government of Alexander Mackenzie
as well as the Conservative government of John A. Macdonald
.
The town took to advanced technology very early, having a telephone
exchange staffed with four women operators in 1912. The telegraph office, operated by Billy Rawson, linked Mariposa by telegraph wires along Main Street to the nearby county seat (modelled on Barrie
) and the provincial metropolis.
For such a small town, the fourth estate is amply represented by two widely read newspapers (modelled on the Orillia Packet-Times and the Owen Sound
Sun-Times). The Mariposa Newspacket supports the Conservative Party and its editor wears his blue temperance ribbon of the Knights of Pythias. The Mariposa Times-Herald supports the Liberal Party and its editor published the famous partisan screed from Patriotus Canadiensis.
Once commercial travellers from the city arrive from the 6:30 a.m. express train, or before they wish to leave the Main Street hotel strip to catch the 5:30 p.m. train to the city, they take the hotel shuttle into downtown. Otherwise, there is no common carrier
public transit in town so even bank employees use their feet or bicycle
s.
Since 1972, the stationary dining cars of the Ossawippi Express have served as a reminder of the area's proud railway history, and given residents and visitors a classy place to eat out.
Mariposa Belle was the name of its notoriously unseaworthy steamship which cruised at 4 mi/h. Its only scheduled departures from the wharf built by the federal government were for scenic cruises on May 24 and July 1 (that is, Victoria Day
and Canada Day
). Many locals and visitors took chartered day excursions twenty miles (32 km) north to Indian Island (modelled on Georgina Island
Indian reserve
on Lake Simcoe and Chiefs Island of the Rama Indian Reserve on Lake Couchiching) on Lake Wissanotti. Locals groups, including Knights of Pythias and Sons of Temperance, also take day trips to local option dry townships in Missinaba County.
In 1987, a new paddlewheeled cruise ship also called Mariposa Belle began operating in Toronto. In contrast to its namesake, conspicuous and considerable consumption of food and alcohol is the sole purpose of this ship.
for years since emigrating from the Maritimes. Sometimes, it seems more like judicial oversight when he ignores the arguments of Macartney, the prosecuting (i.e., Crown) attorney
. For example, Pepperleigh acquitted his own son for hitting a prominent Liberal and fined publican Josh Smith for not opening his bar after hours to accommodate His Honour.
The greatest threat to public safety is fire, so the volunteer fire brigade
was organized by townsmen. Its lone fire engine is parked at the Fire Hall at the main intersection, and both are funded by proceeds of the Firemen’s Ball held each winter.
The only other safety and health organizations in town are the marine life station on Lake Wissanotti and the Mariposa Hospital. The former's 14-man Mackinaw rescue boat was rescued by the Mariposa Belle when both sank. The latter's source of income is almost exclusively public subscription.
However, the greatest source of the threat to public safety proved to be Josh Smith, de facto chief of the volunteer fire department. Witnesses told detectives brought up from Toronto that they saw Smith in suspicious circumstances before a fire destroyed the debt-ridden Anglican church and that only later did he return to organize the fire fighting effort. Nonetheless, Judge Pepperleigh acquitted Smith of arson
and insurance fraud
.
Other minor officialdom is stabled at the county seat, where the Licence Commissioners grant or withdraw liquor licences based in part on the adherence to an 11 p.m. last call. Undertaker Golgotha Gingham doubles as the provincially appointed collector of vital statistics.
Public education is directed by the School Board which operates several primary schools in the township (e.g., Tecumseh Corners School House and Concession School House) and one high school
. Mariposa High School offers a full spectrum of instruction including English literature, drama, music and biology. The Mariposa Mechanics’ Institute, blessed with Gallagher collection donated by one of the town's most learned men, provides adults with opportunities for self-education and continuing education.
in 1967. The only moderately controversial feature of municipal politics is the local option on Prohibition
, which even temperance organizations sometimes find inconvenient.
However, normally staid federal politics become very important and divisive at election
time. Religious solidarity is torn apart. The Rev. Mr. Rupert Drone, the Anglican priest, preaches the Conservative message from his pulpit despite the fact his brother Edward Drone ran as an Independent on an anti-corruption platform. Likewise the Presbyterian minister supports the Conservative Party regardless of the fact that twenty-year veteran Liberal
MP
John Henry Bagshaw is a co-religionist and is seen as a supporter of that community.
Professional solidarity is also rent asunder, as Judge Pepperleigh is a Conservative, Dr. Gallagher is a Liberal and Dr. Joe Milligan is a Conservative. Business solidarity is also rather tenuous. The Continental Hotel is used as Conservative election headquarters while Mariposa House is used by the Liberal
s. Prior to the 1911 election, Josh Smith maintained his hotel as a politically multi-partisan (or Independent-Liberal-Conservative-Imperialist) place.
After Smith won his liquor licence back, he gained political favour by operating the best hotel in town and donating $100 to each of the established political parties, the Mariposa Hospital and other worthy charities. He paid the touring amusement ride operator enough cash so that all children could ride for free that day.
Based on his growing popularity, Smith unexpectedly became the conservative candidate in the federal election of 1911
. The main election issues were reciprocity
and Naval Service
, but Smith deftly sat on the fence on these issues. He deftly deflected all the mud the incumbent MP slung his way, and through deft manipulation of the mob mentality and telecommunications Smith achieved an electoral upset by defeating Bagshaw. He was, however, silent in victory.
Dean Drone has served the church since about 1870, but his financial acumen is dubious. When he tore down the original stone church and erected a wooden replacement, the debt crushed the congregation. The Whirlwind Campaign designed to retire debt achieved only 0.04% of its ambitious $250,000 goal. The lay leadership including Gingham, Nivens and Mullins forced Drone to accept a curate to take over most of his duties, except the Infants School.
Protestants are also active on the Mariposa cultural and religious scene. The Salvation Army conducts its street ministry at the main intersection downtown, and solicits funds as Smith's Hotel even though it is the watering hole in town. The Methodist Social has poetry readings, and the Presbyterian Church will even accept Anglicans like Zena Pepperleigh, the district judge's daughter, as curious visitors to its divine services.
Roman Catholics understandably keep a low profile in town, since every July 12 the Orangemen’s Parade is celebrated by Mariposans with flourish. St. Patrick’s Day, St. Andrew’s Day, St. George’s Day, Independence Day and July 1 are also popularly celebrated. Despite the overt activity of the Orangemen, Catholics hold an annual summer picnic at which the Salvation Army band plays. Anglicans are also known to drop in on Catholic masses, but only in the city where their attendance is anonymous and will not lead to social complications.
organizations operating directly as part of the diverse Christian
denominations of Mariposa, there are many secular or ecumenical organizations the civic-minded resident may join. The Young Men’s Christian Association
offers a physical and spiritual outlet for Mariposians, especially those like bank clerk Peter Pupkin who moved to the town from away.
Organized amateur sports are very popular in Mariposa. One may join the Ball
Club, Lacrosse
Club, Curling
Club, Mariposa Canoe
Club, Snow Shoe Club, and the Mariposa Tennis
Club (behind Dr. Gallagher's house). Foot races are organized on Indian Island during Mariposa Belle excursions. Sleigh riding , sport fishing and duck hunting are also very popular solitary or small group pastimes.
Music and dancing are incorporated into many secular activities, since these are often very circumscribed if not outright banned in a religious environment (except for the Salvation Army, which makes music a central part of its ministry). The uniformed town band, with at least ten members, plays its coronets every Wednesday in the municipal park. The Mariposa Quartette, the Oddfellows’ Brass Band and the Knights of Pythias band are also active. The fundraising Firemen's Ball is the highlight of the winter social season, eclipsing even the Oyster Supper of Knights of Pythias.
The usual fraternal societies were active in the town: Freemasons, Oddfellows, Foresters. More regional or local cross-denominational or secular organizations are: Knights of Pythias (which has Dean Drone as chaplain
), Sons of Temperance (whose members sometimes stray) and Girls’ Friendly Society (since they are barred from the Pythians).
Fiction
Fiction is the form of any narrative or informative work that deals, in part or in whole, with information or events that are not factual, but rather, imaginary—that is, invented by the author. Although fiction describes a major branch of literary work, it may also refer to theatrical,...
al Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
town created by Stephen Leacock
Stephen Leacock
Stephen Butler Leacock, FRSC was an English-born Canadian teacher, political scientist, writer, and humorist...
as the setting for a series of short stories. They were originally commissioned by The Montreal Star newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
and later collected and published in one volume as Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town
Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town
Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town is a sequence of stories by Stephen Leacock, first published in 1912.It is generally considered to be one of the most enduring classics of Canadian humorous literature....
. Since then, many attempts have been made to expand the canon, present it in a different form or make reference to it.
Although the author publicly denied it, the town is closely modelled on the very real town of Orillia, Ontario
Orillia, Ontario
Orillia, pronounced ōrĭl'ēə, is a city located in Simcoe County in Southern Ontario, Canada, between Lake Couchiching and Lake Simcoe, 135 kilometres north of Toronto.Originally incorporated as a village in 1867, the history of...
and its inhabitants. He named it after one or more nearby communities, which had borne versions of that name in real life, which have since become extinct: Mariposa Township and Mariposa unincorporated place, and Mariposa Beach. Leacock was a professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
of political economy
Political economy
Political economy originally was the term for studying production, buying, and selling, and their relations with law, custom, and government, as well as with the distribution of national income and wealth, including through the budget process. Political economy originated in moral philosophy...
at McGill University
McGill University
Mohammed Fathy is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university bears the name of James McGill, a prominent Montreal merchant from Glasgow, Scotland, whose bequest formed the beginning of the university...
in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, but he had a summer home at Old Brewery Bay. The names of the characters in the stories were altered to avoid potential libel lawsuits when the stories were published in book form in 1912.
The remainder of this article will provide information on Mariposa in the form of a regular geographic entry as if it really existed, with references to the facts associated with the non-fictional models.
Geography
Mariposa, OntarioOntario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, nicknamed Hull Town, is situated between Lake Ossawippi and Lake Wissanotti (modelled on Lake Couchiching
Lake Couchiching
Lake Couchiching, from the Ojibwe gojijiing meaning "inlet", is a small lake in Central Ontario separated from Lake Simcoe by a narrow channel. The Trent-Severn Waterway enters Lake Simcoe by the Talbot River and exits this lake by the Severn River which empties into Georgian Bay...
and Lake Simcoe
Lake Simcoe
Lake Simcoe is a lake in Southern Ontario, Canada, the fourth-largest lake wholly in the province, after Lake Nipigon, Lac Seul, and Lake Nipissing. At the time of the first European contact in the 17th century the lake was called Ouentironk by the Huron natives...
, although with features that radically depart from both). The Ossawippi River joins these two lakes, and the Lower Ossawippi River feeds into the northern end of Lake Wissanotti. The community is located on the Canadian Shield
Canadian Shield
The Canadian Shield, also called the Laurentian Plateau, or Bouclier Canadien , is a vast geological shield covered by a thin layer of soil that forms the nucleus of the North American or Laurentia craton. It is an area mostly composed of igneous rock which relates to its long volcanic history...
and hence the soil is rocky and supports mostly slow-growing evergreen trees.
Politically, Mariposa is located in Missinaba County (modelled on Simcoe County
Simcoe County, Ontario
Simcoe County is located in central portion of Southern Ontario. The County is situated just north of the Greater Toronto Area stretching from the shores of Lake Simcoe in the east to Georgian Bay in the west...
and possibly taking its name from the Missinaibi River near Chapleau, Ontario
Chapleau, Ontario
Chapleau is a township in Sudbury District, Ontario, Canada. It is home to one of the world's largest wildlife preserves. Chapleau has a population of 2,354 according to the Canada 2006 Census....
) which was surveyed in a grid pattern. The town is the metropolis of surrounding rural Tecumseh Township (modelled on Tecumseth Township in Simcoe County), from which it was created in the 19th century, and serves as the judicial district but not county seat. It is only one hundred miles north of the provincial metropolis (modelled on Toronto).
Demographics
The official census conducted by the federal government lists a population of about five thousand, not counting outlying districts such as Tecumseh Corners, Nichols Corners, Third Concession and Fourth Concession. Other ordinarily reliable sources, including the local agent for the collection of Ontario's vital statistics and the town's two newspapers, estimate that the population is as high as nearly ten thousand.The ethnic origins of most residents are from the British Isles
British Isles
The British Isles are a group of islands off the northwest coast of continental Europe that include the islands of Great Britain and Ireland and over six thousand smaller isles. There are two sovereign states located on the islands: the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and...
, the descendants of whom have overwhelmed the indigenous Missinabi population. Major sources of in migration are the Maritime provinces, northern Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
and Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
. Major destinations of out migration, especially for educational and economic reasons, are the nearby provincial metropolis.
Mariposans follow diverse Christian
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
denominations
Religious denomination
A religious denomination is a subgroup within a religion that operates under a common name, tradition, and identity.The term describes various Christian denominations...
according to their ethnic origins, but the Anglicans
Anglican Church of Canada
The Anglican Church of Canada is the Province of the Anglican Communion in Canada. The official French name is l'Église Anglicane du Canada. The ACC is the third largest church in Canada after the Roman Catholic Church and the United Church of Canada, consisting of 800,000 registered members...
are clearly most dominant, followed in no particular order by Presbyterians
Presbyterian Church in Canada
The Presbyterian Church in Canada is the name of a Protestant Christian church, of presbyterian and reformed theology and polity, serving in Canada under this name since 1875, although the United Church of Canada claimed the right to the name from 1925 to 1939...
, Salvationists
Salvation Army
The Salvation Army is a Protestant Christian church known for its thrift stores and charity work. It is an international movement that currently works in over a hundred countries....
, Methodists
Methodism
Methodism is a movement of Protestant Christianity represented by a number of denominations and organizations, claiming a total of approximately seventy million adherents worldwide. The movement traces its roots to John Wesley's evangelistic revival movement within Anglicanism. His younger brother...
and Roman Catholics. Mallory Thomkins of the Times-Herald newspaper is the only outspoken agnostic or atheist.
Primary industry and agriculture
Mariposa was attractive to its first inhabitants as a source of primary industries. Swampy areas near the Ossawippi River and nearby shallow reedy areas on Lake Wissanotti itself provided excellent homes for waterfowl and excellent killing grounds for duck hunters. Both fowl and human feasted on abundant bass, chub and the native maskinonge (piscis mariposis) fish.The townsite was occupied by pine and hemlock woods and its reduced remains still ring the town. Choice hardwoods like elm and maple are south of Marpiosa, while north of town are tamarack and willow. Although Mariposa is south of Spanish River
Spanish River (Ontario)
The Spanish River is a river in Algoma District, Sudbury District and Greater Sudbury in Northwestern Ontario, Canada. It flows in a southerly direction from its headwaters at Spanish Lake and Duke Lake to its mouth at the North Channel on Georgian Bay, Lake Huron just outside of the community...
lumber country, it still maintains a planing factory or sawmill on the lakeshore near the railway siding and every spring there is a huge influx of rough lumbermen.
In the immediate vicinity of Mariposa, there are some fair crop farms, but in the extremities of Tecumseh Township and Missinaba County, forbidding rocks, fetid swamps and dense forests of the north country of the Canadian or Laurentian Shield make the soil large scale cultivation of grains or fruits impractical. Livestock farming is somewhat more successful, and the Mariposa Packing Company is always kept busy.
Secondary industry, commerce and finance
Excluding the sawmill, there is very little industry in town, notably only the Mariposa Carriage Co. This may be partly explained by the erratic nature of the distribution of hydro-electric power generated by the dam on the Lower Ossiwipi River nineteen miles (30 km) north at the rapids.Only on official occasions is the forty or so foot wide bustling downtown thoroughfare of Mariposa called by its proper name, Missinaba Street (after the county and based on Mississaga Street in Orillia), rather than Main Street. Among the many shops there are Pharmaceutical Hall (Jim Eliot’s drug store), Pete Glover and Alf McNichol's co-located hardware and paint stores and Ed Moore’s photo shop. Similarly, services downtown include lawyers, doctors, dentists, Jefferson "Jeff" Thorpe's barbershop and, when it is all over, Golgotha Gingham's funeral home.
Mariposa boasts two branches of major banks: the Commercial Bank (modelled on what is now the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce
Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce
The Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce is one of Canada's chartered banks, fifth largest by deposits. The bank is headquartered at Commerce Court in Toronto, Ontario. CIBC's Institution Number is 010, and its SWIFT code is CIBCCATT....
) and the Exchange Bank (modelled on what is now the National Bank of Canada
National Bank of Canada
National Bank of Canada is the 6th largest bank and 8th largest financial institution in Canada. The bank's headquarters are in Montreal, Quebec....
). Robertson’s Coal and Wood Office was divided to serve as Mariposa Mining Exchange during the investment boom in junior mining companies.
Thorpe earned 5312% profit after investing in Northern Star mine in northern Ontario. Trying to continue his financial success, he invested his profits in the Cuban Land Development Company whose corporate headquarters
Headquarters
Headquarters denotes the location where most, if not all, of the important functions of an organization are coordinated. In the United States, the corporate headquarters represents the entity at the center or the top of a corporation taking full responsibility managing all business activities...
was a P.O. box
Post Office box
A post-office box or Post Office box is a uniquely addressable lockable box located on the premises of a post office station....
in New York City. Unfortunately, police
Police
The police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...
discovered this to be a fraud
Fraud
In criminal law, a fraud is an intentional deception made for personal gain or to damage another individual; the related adjective is fraudulent. The specific legal definition varies by legal jurisdiction. Fraud is a crime, and also a civil law violation...
and Thorpe lost not only his own money but undertook to repay Mariposans whom he had help to invest in the dubious scheme.
Tourism
In recent years, tourism has become the backbone of the town as city folk take the short train trip north. Town architecture is preserved and enhanced, mainly through the activity of hotelier Josh Smith who not only rebuilt and expanded his own property but also replaced the façade of the Anglican church.Smith's hotel has long been a fixture of the town, and when he bought it around 1908. The hotel has borne many names both before and after his acquisition of it, in approximate order: the Royal Hotel, the Queen’s Hotel, the Alexandria Hotel, Smith’s Ladies’ and Gent’s (sic) Café, Smith’s Summer Pavilion, Smith’s Tourists’ Emporium, Smith’s Northern Health Resort, Smith’s Northern Health Resort and Home of the Wissanotti Angler, and Smith's British Arms.
Clearly, Josh Smith dominates the hospitality industry, but visitors may also stay at the Continental Hotel, operated by Pete Robinson, or Mariposa House, containing a billiard room. There are also seven short-stay cottages located along Lake Wissanotti.
Communications
Although it is a small town located in a rural county, Mariposa maintains close connections with the rest of Ontario, Canada and the world. The downtown post officePost office
A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
, with Alf Trelawney as its postmaster, served impartially under Liberal government of Alexander Mackenzie
Alexander Mackenzie
Alexander Mackenzie, PC , a building contractor and newspaper editor, was the second Prime Minister of Canada from November 7, 1873 to October 8, 1878.-Biography:...
as well as the Conservative government of John A. Macdonald
John A. Macdonald
Sir John Alexander Macdonald, GCB, KCMG, PC, PC , QC was the first Prime Minister of Canada. The dominant figure of Canadian Confederation, his political career spanned almost half a century...
.
The town took to advanced technology very early, having a telephone
Telephone
The telephone , colloquially referred to as a phone, is a telecommunications device that transmits and receives sounds, usually the human voice. Telephones are a point-to-point communication system whose most basic function is to allow two people separated by large distances to talk to each other...
exchange staffed with four women operators in 1912. The telegraph office, operated by Billy Rawson, linked Mariposa by telegraph wires along Main Street to the nearby county seat (modelled on Barrie
Barrie, Ontario
Barrie is a city in Southern Ontario, Canada, located on the western shore of Lake Simcoe, approximately 90 km north of Toronto. Although located in Simcoe County, the city is politically independent...
) and the provincial metropolis.
For such a small town, the fourth estate is amply represented by two widely read newspapers (modelled on the Orillia Packet-Times and the Owen Sound
Owen Sound, Ontario
Owen Sound , the county seat of Grey County, is a city in Southern Ontario, Canada...
Sun-Times). The Mariposa Newspacket supports the Conservative Party and its editor wears his blue temperance ribbon of the Knights of Pythias. The Mariposa Times-Herald supports the Liberal Party and its editor published the famous partisan screed from Patriotus Canadiensis.
Transportation
Mariposa has good transportation networks. Rail transit is provided by the transcontinental trains which roll through the town, usually at night. Unfortunately, scruffy miners and coiffed millionaires from the city rarely stop to offload or load. For that, one must board the Mariposa Local which links the town to the city one hundred miles to the south.Once commercial travellers from the city arrive from the 6:30 a.m. express train, or before they wish to leave the Main Street hotel strip to catch the 5:30 p.m. train to the city, they take the hotel shuttle into downtown. Otherwise, there is no common carrier
Common carrier
A common carrier in common-law countries is a person or company that transports goods or people for any person or company and that is responsible for any possible loss of the goods during transport...
public transit in town so even bank employees use their feet or bicycle
Bicycle
A bicycle, also known as a bike, pushbike or cycle, is a human-powered, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, having two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other. A person who rides a bicycle is called a cyclist, or bicyclist....
s.
Since 1972, the stationary dining cars of the Ossawippi Express have served as a reminder of the area's proud railway history, and given residents and visitors a classy place to eat out.
Mariposa Belle was the name of its notoriously unseaworthy steamship which cruised at 4 mi/h. Its only scheduled departures from the wharf built by the federal government were for scenic cruises on May 24 and July 1 (that is, Victoria Day
Victoria Day
Victoria Day is a federal Canadian public holiday celebrated on the last Monday before May 25, in honour of Queen Victoria's birthday. The date is also, simultaneously, that on which the current reigning Canadian sovereign's official birthday is recognized...
and Canada Day
Canada Day
Canada Day , formerly Dominion Day , is the national day of Canada, a federal statutory holiday celebrating the anniversary of the July 1, 1867, enactment of the British North America Act , which united three British colonies into a single country, called Canada, within the British Empire...
). Many locals and visitors took chartered day excursions twenty miles (32 km) north to Indian Island (modelled on Georgina Island
Georgina Island
Georgina Island is an island located in southern Ontario, Canada and the largest island on Lake Simcoe. The island is inhabited by Ojibwa people which began a sequence of relocations to different lands over an 80-year period which began in the 18th century and early 19th century...
Indian reserve
Indian reserve
In Canada, an Indian reserve is specified by the Indian Act as a "tract of land, the legal title to which is vested in Her Majesty, that has been set apart by Her Majesty for the use and benefit of a band." The Act also specifies that land reserved for the use and benefit of a band which is not...
on Lake Simcoe and Chiefs Island of the Rama Indian Reserve on Lake Couchiching) on Lake Wissanotti. Locals groups, including Knights of Pythias and Sons of Temperance, also take day trips to local option dry townships in Missinaba County.
In 1987, a new paddlewheeled cruise ship also called Mariposa Belle began operating in Toronto. In contrast to its namesake, conspicuous and considerable consumption of food and alcohol is the sole purpose of this ship.
Government and services
Judicial oversight is provided by Judge Philip Pepperleigh, a staunch Conservative, has sat on the bench of the Mariposa Court HouseCourthouse
A courthouse is a building that is home to a local court of law and often the regional county government as well, although this is not the case in some larger cities. The term is common in North America. In most other English speaking countries, buildings which house courts of law are simply...
for years since emigrating from the Maritimes. Sometimes, it seems more like judicial oversight when he ignores the arguments of Macartney, the prosecuting (i.e., Crown) attorney
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
. For example, Pepperleigh acquitted his own son for hitting a prominent Liberal and fined publican Josh Smith for not opening his bar after hours to accommodate His Honour.
The greatest threat to public safety is fire, so the volunteer fire brigade
Firefighter
Firefighters are rescuers extensively trained primarily to put out hazardous fires that threaten civilian populations and property, to rescue people from car incidents, collapsed and burning buildings and other such situations...
was organized by townsmen. Its lone fire engine is parked at the Fire Hall at the main intersection, and both are funded by proceeds of the Firemen’s Ball held each winter.
The only other safety and health organizations in town are the marine life station on Lake Wissanotti and the Mariposa Hospital. The former's 14-man Mackinaw rescue boat was rescued by the Mariposa Belle when both sank. The latter's source of income is almost exclusively public subscription.
However, the greatest source of the threat to public safety proved to be Josh Smith, de facto chief of the volunteer fire department. Witnesses told detectives brought up from Toronto that they saw Smith in suspicious circumstances before a fire destroyed the debt-ridden Anglican church and that only later did he return to organize the fire fighting effort. Nonetheless, Judge Pepperleigh acquitted Smith of arson
Arson
Arson is the crime of intentionally or maliciously setting fire to structures or wildland areas. It may be distinguished from other causes such as spontaneous combustion and natural wildfires...
and insurance fraud
Insurance fraud
Insurance fraud is any act committed with the intent to fraudulently obtain payment from an insurer.Insurance fraud has existed ever since the beginning of insurance as a commercial enterprise. Fraudulent claims account for a significant portion of all claims received by insurers, and cost billions...
.
Other minor officialdom is stabled at the county seat, where the Licence Commissioners grant or withdraw liquor licences based in part on the adherence to an 11 p.m. last call. Undertaker Golgotha Gingham doubles as the provincially appointed collector of vital statistics.
Public education is directed by the School Board which operates several primary schools in the township (e.g., Tecumseh Corners School House and Concession School House) and one high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
. Mariposa High School offers a full spectrum of instruction including English literature, drama, music and biology. The Mariposa Mechanics’ Institute, blessed with Gallagher collection donated by one of the town's most learned men, provides adults with opportunities for self-education and continuing education.
Politics
Municipal politics are normally sedate, with several leading members of the council and community such as businessman Pete Glover taking turns annually as mayor. The only incumbent known outside the town was Harry J. Boyle, concurrently the chairman of the CBCCanadian Broadcasting Corporation
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly known as CBC and officially as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian crown corporation that serves as the national public radio and television broadcaster...
in 1967. The only moderately controversial feature of municipal politics is the local option on Prohibition
Prohibition
Prohibition of alcohol, often referred to simply as prohibition, is the practice of prohibiting the manufacture, transportation, import, export, sale, and consumption of alcohol and alcoholic beverages. The term can also apply to the periods in the histories of the countries during which the...
, which even temperance organizations sometimes find inconvenient.
However, normally staid federal politics become very important and divisive at election
Election
An election is a formal decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual to hold public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy operates since the 17th century. Elections may fill offices in the legislature, sometimes in the...
time. Religious solidarity is torn apart. The Rev. Mr. Rupert Drone, the Anglican priest, preaches the Conservative message from his pulpit despite the fact his brother Edward Drone ran as an Independent on an anti-corruption platform. Likewise the Presbyterian minister supports the Conservative Party regardless of the fact that twenty-year veteran Liberal
Liberal Party of Canada
The Liberal Party of Canada , colloquially known as the Grits, is the oldest federally registered party in Canada. In the conventional political spectrum, the party sits between the centre and the centre-left. Historically the Liberal Party has positioned itself to the left of the Conservative...
MP
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
John Henry Bagshaw is a co-religionist and is seen as a supporter of that community.
Professional solidarity is also rent asunder, as Judge Pepperleigh is a Conservative, Dr. Gallagher is a Liberal and Dr. Joe Milligan is a Conservative. Business solidarity is also rather tenuous. The Continental Hotel is used as Conservative election headquarters while Mariposa House is used by the Liberal
Liberal Party of Canada
The Liberal Party of Canada , colloquially known as the Grits, is the oldest federally registered party in Canada. In the conventional political spectrum, the party sits between the centre and the centre-left. Historically the Liberal Party has positioned itself to the left of the Conservative...
s. Prior to the 1911 election, Josh Smith maintained his hotel as a politically multi-partisan (or Independent-Liberal-Conservative-Imperialist) place.
After Smith won his liquor licence back, he gained political favour by operating the best hotel in town and donating $100 to each of the established political parties, the Mariposa Hospital and other worthy charities. He paid the touring amusement ride operator enough cash so that all children could ride for free that day.
Based on his growing popularity, Smith unexpectedly became the conservative candidate in the federal election of 1911
Canadian federal election, 1911
The Canadian federal election of 1911 was held on September 21 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 12th Parliament of Canada.-Summary:...
. The main election issues were reciprocity
Free trade
Under a free trade policy, prices emerge from supply and demand, and are the sole determinant of resource allocation. 'Free' trade differs from other forms of trade policy where the allocation of goods and services among trading countries are determined by price strategies that may differ from...
and Naval Service
Royal Canadian Navy
The history of the Royal Canadian Navy goes back to 1910, when the naval force was created as the Naval Service of Canada and renamed a year later by King George V. The Royal Canadian Navy is one of the three environmental commands of the Canadian Forces...
, but Smith deftly sat on the fence on these issues. He deftly deflected all the mud the incumbent MP slung his way, and through deft manipulation of the mob mentality and telecommunications Smith achieved an electoral upset by defeating Bagshaw. He was, however, silent in victory.
Culture and entertainment
Culture and entertainment are intimately entwined in Mariposa. They are organized mainly along religious denominational lines but also in secular fraternal and civic societies, so these two components will be treated separately.Religious culture and entertainment
The dominant religion is Anglicanism, and the Church of England Church (as it is locally known) is the venue for most Anglican pastimes Its programs include the Mother’s Auxiliary, the Girls Auxiliary, the Infants School, the Book Club, the Bible Study Class, a choir, and Willing Workers of the Church of England and its youth wing the Early Workers’ Guild.Dean Drone has served the church since about 1870, but his financial acumen is dubious. When he tore down the original stone church and erected a wooden replacement, the debt crushed the congregation. The Whirlwind Campaign designed to retire debt achieved only 0.04% of its ambitious $250,000 goal. The lay leadership including Gingham, Nivens and Mullins forced Drone to accept a curate to take over most of his duties, except the Infants School.
Protestants are also active on the Mariposa cultural and religious scene. The Salvation Army conducts its street ministry at the main intersection downtown, and solicits funds as Smith's Hotel even though it is the watering hole in town. The Methodist Social has poetry readings, and the Presbyterian Church will even accept Anglicans like Zena Pepperleigh, the district judge's daughter, as curious visitors to its divine services.
Roman Catholics understandably keep a low profile in town, since every July 12 the Orangemen’s Parade is celebrated by Mariposans with flourish. St. Patrick’s Day, St. Andrew’s Day, St. George’s Day, Independence Day and July 1 are also popularly celebrated. Despite the overt activity of the Orangemen, Catholics hold an annual summer picnic at which the Salvation Army band plays. Anglicans are also known to drop in on Catholic masses, but only in the city where their attendance is anonymous and will not lead to social complications.
Secular culture and entertainment
In addition to overt or primarily religiousReligion
Religion is a collection of cultural systems, belief systems, and worldviews that establishes symbols that relate humanity to spirituality and, sometimes, to moral values. Many religions have narratives, symbols, traditions and sacred histories that are intended to give meaning to life or to...
organizations operating directly as part of the diverse Christian
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
denominations of Mariposa, there are many secular or ecumenical organizations the civic-minded resident may join. The Young Men’s Christian Association
YMCA
The Young Men's Christian Association is a worldwide organization of more than 45 million members from 125 national federations affiliated through the World Alliance of YMCAs...
offers a physical and spiritual outlet for Mariposians, especially those like bank clerk Peter Pupkin who moved to the town from away.
Organized amateur sports are very popular in Mariposa. One may join the Ball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
Club, Lacrosse
Lacrosse
Lacrosse is a team sport of Native American origin played using a small rubber ball and a long-handled stick called a crosse or lacrosse stick, mainly played in the United States and Canada. It is a contact sport which requires padding. The head of the lacrosse stick is strung with loose mesh...
Club, Curling
Curling
Curling is a sport in which players slide stones across a sheet of ice towards a target area. It is related to bowls, boule and shuffleboard. Two teams, each of four players, take turns sliding heavy, polished granite stones, also called "rocks", across the ice curling sheet towards the house, a...
Club, Mariposa Canoe
Canoe
A canoe or Canadian canoe is a small narrow boat, typically human-powered, though it may also be powered by sails or small electric or gas motors. Canoes are usually pointed at both bow and stern and are normally open on top, but can be decked over A canoe (North American English) or Canadian...
Club, Snow Shoe Club, and the Mariposa Tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
Club (behind Dr. Gallagher's house). Foot races are organized on Indian Island during Mariposa Belle excursions. Sleigh riding , sport fishing and duck hunting are also very popular solitary or small group pastimes.
Music and dancing are incorporated into many secular activities, since these are often very circumscribed if not outright banned in a religious environment (except for the Salvation Army, which makes music a central part of its ministry). The uniformed town band, with at least ten members, plays its coronets every Wednesday in the municipal park. The Mariposa Quartette, the Oddfellows’ Brass Band and the Knights of Pythias band are also active. The fundraising Firemen's Ball is the highlight of the winter social season, eclipsing even the Oyster Supper of Knights of Pythias.
The usual fraternal societies were active in the town: Freemasons, Oddfellows, Foresters. More regional or local cross-denominational or secular organizations are: Knights of Pythias (which has Dean Drone as chaplain
Chaplain
Traditionally, a chaplain is a minister in a specialized setting such as a priest, pastor, rabbi, or imam or lay representative of a religion attached to a secular institution such as a hospital, prison, military unit, police department, university, or private chapel...
), Sons of Temperance (whose members sometimes stray) and Girls’ Friendly Society (since they are barred from the Pythians).