We take pride in keeping Marmora's history alive, but one of the great benefits of our website is the connections that are made amongst our readers.

As a result of reading our feature on the Gilmour lumber company, John Allore contacted us to let us know he had prepared a podcast on the subject, which we posted. Shortly thereafter we received the following letter from Mr. Allore:

"I love it when life happens like this: A treasure I've long sought is photographic proof that my great-grandfather worked for Gilmour & Co. I have family stories, but no evidence.

Within 48 hrs the following occurs:

I publish a podcast on Gilmour.
You put it on your website.
Someone in the Trent region listens to it, contacts me, and sends me a series of Gilmour photos.
I scan through this train photo (attached), and there on the top of the train is my great-grandfather, Edward "The Boss" Allore.

Just amazing, John Allore"

Then we got the rest of the story.

"My best guess it that that photo was taken at Mowat / Canoe Lake (Location of the famous story of the death of Tommy Thomson) between 1897-1899. My great uncle Wilfred was born in the bush in Mowat in 1899, so the family would have been there. Edward came to Trenton from Trois Rivieres in 1881 to work at Gilmour. (article at right) He started as a logger, then culler (sorter and grader) and finally worked as a head foreman. His wife, Mary Cormier was also at Mowat, cleaning bunkhouses and preparing meals.

When Gilmour went down hill, Edward started the Allore Lumber in Trenton in 1903. The company was sold to Beaver lumber in 1979.

To read the Gilmour Influence by Andrew McDonald, CLICK HERE