125 YEARS AGO Thursday, October 21, 1883

• A public meeting was held in the town hall at Horning's Mills last Wednesday to devise some scheme by which a railway (the Cascadilla Railway) might be built through the area. Mr. James Huxtable, in stating the objective of the meeting, reviewed the different efforts that had been made to secure railway communication with the outside world — by getting an extension of the Credit Valley Railway from Orangeville; by the building of a branch line of the North West Railway from Creemore or the Grand Trunk from Georgetown — all of which had failed. He suggested that a company be formed to build an independent line to tap the Toronto, Grey & Bruce, at either Shelburne or Melancthon Station. In support of this scheme he mentioned a visit he had paid to a line built by Mr. Rathbun, of Deseronto, to connect with the G.T.R., and also of an interview he had with Mr. Whyte, manager of the Ontario and Quebec Railway, who seemed to consider the scheme quite feasible. and that the O & Q directors would give it their hearty support.

Mr. Huxtable showed by figures based upon the returns of other lines and from the experience of competent railway men that such a line, if properly managed, should financially yield a fair dividend. After some discussion it was resolved that a committee be appointed to take up subscriptions to procure a charter from the Ontario Government. So far, so little difficulty has been experienced that it is confidently expected that the Cascadilla will be an accomplished fact.

100 YEARS AGO Thursday, October 22, 1908

• Nomination proceedings for the County of Dufferin, held at Orangeville on Monday from noon until 2 p.m. were rather quiet.

W. Logan Craig, of Grand Valley, the returning officer, presided. Five nominations were made, as follows: Dr. John Barr, Shelburne; George A. East, Honeywood, J. N. Fish, Orangeville, J. R. Gillespie, Orangeville and W. H. Hunter, The Maples.

The much talked of "dark horse" third candidate somehow failed to put in an appearance, and Messrs. East, Gillespie and Hunter were nominated only for speech-making purposes. As a result, the ballots in next Monday's federal election will show only two names, "John Barr, of the Village of Shelburne, Physician, and Jasper Noble Fish, of the Town of Orangeville, Barrister."

• The wooden bridge over the Grand River on the Proton- Melancthon townline was burned from a brush fire last week. The probability is that a new structure will not be built until the warm weather next summer. The bridge was built seven or eight years ago at a cost of nearly $1,000.

• The Pine River Power Co., formed to develop the Huxtable water power at Horning's Mills, is apparently an accomplished fact, having been duly organized with F. H. Silk, Shelburne, as vice-president and Dr. E. C. Campbell as one of the directors. We understand the company will take over the Shelburne power plant at once.

75 YEARS AGO Thursday, October 26, 1933

• Tuesday brought the first real snowfall of the season in this area. There had been a couple of flurries of the winter specialty earlier, but as this is being written (Tuesday afternoon) the ground has been covered to a depth of several inches and the snow is still falling.

• The fourth annual Returned Soldiers' Banquet and Re-Union for Dufferin County and district will be held at the Wheeler Inn, Orangeville, on Friday, Nov. 10, at 7 p.m. The speaker will be General Draper, Toronto's chief of police.

50 YEARS AGO Wednesday, October 22, 1958

• After 88 years carrying the mail to points between Owen Sound and Toronto, the CPR on Saturday of this week will end its participation in this type of public service. Starting next Monday, the mail will be delivered by truck.

• Nine homes in Orangeville were broken into and ransacked on the Saturday night before Thanksgiving. Among the houses involved was that of Lynn Jelly, formerly of Shelburne.

25 YEARS AGO Wednesday, October 26, 1983

• Orangeville Council's decision not to hire a recreation director has come back to haunt it. At Monday's meeting of Committee of the Whole, councillors faced a battery of questions that flowed from the Orangeville Leisure Advisory Committee's meeting Oct. 18.

• Toddlers must be "buckled up for safety" in approved child restraint seats when travelling in motor vehicles after Nov. 1. Previously strongly recommended, the car seats will become law in Ontario for children between 20 and 40 pounds.

• Emma Bingham will be 108 on Nov. 1, and a big birthday party for her is planned at Dufferin Oaks.