Bob McGauley remembers his grandfather William Henry McGauley’s craftsmanship when it came to making his famous snowshoes.
Upon making a phone call to the grandson of William Henry McGauley, I was informed by his wife that Bob (Robert) was out for the morning and he would call back later that afternoon. I was intrigued to learn that Bob had been out snowshoeing and it was evident that a grandfather’s interests had been passed down the generations.
Bob agreed to meet to chat about his grandfather’s life, specifically his penchant for building snowshoes. As he swiftly walked towards me I was delighted to see the pair of child-sized, snowshoes that I soon learned his “granddaddy” (as he fondly regarded him) had made for him at the age of 6 years old. They were a Christmas gift and now a treasured family heirloom to pass on to his own children.
William H. McGauley was born in 1875 in Blind River Ontario. The first white child born in Blind River; his playmates were the children of the Ojibway families. At a very young age, William learned from all that surrounded him, including the Ojibway language.
He watched how the Ojibway men and women made fish nets, birch bark canoes and wigwams. As is said, children are like sponges and William absorbed numerous skills and aspects of the Indigenous culture that would later enable him to provide for his family.
William continued to learn other skills like skinning and curing moose hides. He watched as moose and caribou hides were soaked in ashes and soap to loosen the hair on the hide.
He saw the hides being scraped and cut into strips and stretched between trees and then woven into birch frames. Witnessing the construction of wigwams, and birch bark canoes were common practice as was the art of making fish nets. All of these events were equipping William with the knowledge that he would utilize much later in his life.
As a young man, William married Elizabeth Richardson and together they had five children. Orpha (1901-1901), Lillian (1903-1977), Dorothy (1908- 1974), Marguerite (1911-1981) and William (1914-2007).
In 1920 William left Blind River and his grocery store business and moved his family to Sault Ste. Marie. However, two times throughout the year, he returned to the areas north of Blind River to do trading deals with the Indigenous peoples.
He knew the lakes and northern areas extremely well having traded with the Indigenous people throughout his life. The First Nations people of the surrounding areas like Abinidong, White River, and Mississaugi welcomed him. He embarked on his treks in late October/early November (always being sure to be home for Christmas) and then again in January for 3-5 weeks.
For the following 10 years, William continued to venture to these trading areas bringing supplies like flour, sugar, and tools. With supplies and a money belt, after trading with the Indigenous people was finished, his exchange yielded 400-500 pounds of furs.
When not trading, William McGauley worked at selling life insurance for his business but in 1929 hard times came due to the Stock Market Crash. At 55-years-old, with three children to support, things were getting desperate. He tried his hand at some interesting employment ventures, one being an unsuccessful attempt at muskrat farming.
Cutting firewood brought money for a while but was labour intensive. He and his son Bill worked hard together. In 1933 they even collected iris roots at the mouth of Desbarats River and sold them for 75 cents per pound.
In 1934 William was once again preparing to cut wood. He decided to make a pair of snowshoes for himself and his son so that trekking through the snow-covered bush might be easier.
This is where his life story took a very different turn. The intent was to make snowshoes just for themselves, but word got out and it became general knowledge that Mr. McGauley was making “web foots” as he called them.
Before he knew it, snowshoe orders were coming in. In fact, they began pouring in! By 1935, Mr. McGauley entered the commercial snowshoe market.
Outdoorsmen sought his skills. Many lumberjacks, surveyors and bushmen were in the market for a McGauley-made pair of snowshoes! Back then the use of snowshoes was for practical purposes, not for leisure. As the business of snowshoe-making began to soar, McGauley let go of his Insurance Sales job.
The quality and artistry of his work were second to none and lent themselves to the number of orders that were being placed. In fact, it was getting difficult to keep up. The skills that he had learned as a boy had given him the tools to help himself and his family to survive and thrive. He recounted that “no matter how many orders he fills, more people still want them!”
During his career, a member of the Highway Department, then known as the Northern Development saw the snowshoes that William had constructed and was very impressed with his craftsmanship!
The next thing he knew, he had a pile of snowshoes to repair for the highway workers! The issue of “no work” was no longer an issue and that winter about 600 pairs of snowshoes were repaired for the company! They had even brought toboggans for him to repair too.
At one point, even the Canadian Army requested a large order of snowshoes.
William cut the White Ash trees himself that were needed to make the snowshoe frames. The intricate weaving it took to construct the snowshoe platforms was done exclusively by himself. A day spent in the workshop was typically eight hours.
A meticulous artisan, his orders became so plentiful that he eventually hired two young women to work in the shop. With an average of 300 pairs of snowshoes per year, having the girls work with him was a welcome change in his shop.
Even though his snowshoe business took up most of his time, Mr. McGauley also had a passion for Great Dane dogs which he bred and enjoyed raising.
In 1950, William McGauley appeared on the cover of Time Magazine where he was featured for his expertise in snowshoe construction. The Toronto Star also published a story about his specialized craft. From a rural upbringing to national acclaim, fast forward to 2022 and his life still influences his family and interests many others.
His grandson, Robert (Bob) McGauley, retells interesting memories of his grandfather and his shop.
Bob remembers as a little boy, going into his grandfather’s workshop on Grace Street in Sault Ste. Marie and seeing all the snowshoes that hung on the walls awaiting repair. Orders came from all over Canada and were awaiting repairs. He recalls the long, vat-like, troughs where the White Ashwood was soaked and steamed to bend and construct the snowshoe frame.
From 1934-1954, William McGauley made and sold snowshoes. At the age of 77 years, he was the oldest, independent, snowshoe manufacturer in Canada. He practiced his craftsmanship in his workshop on Grace Street in Sault Ste. Marie until two years before his passing in 1956. He is quoted as saying, “the snowshoe market will go on forever”…….and so it does!
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