Trafalgar School - Echoes Yearbook (Montreal, Quebec Canada)

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From the establishment of Traf in 1 887 to the cele- brative year of 1977, Traf has gone through a great many changes. In 1902 the day-school was built. A modern ad- dition was built in 1955 and was opened by the Governor General Vincent Massey. Chalde rton Lodge, the old board- ing house, was replaced by the Caverhill wing in 1973. This wing was named after Miss Majorie Caverhill who left her two houses to the school. Traf has not only grown in size but it has also con- tinued its earliest principle of teaching the girls to excel in both academic and athletic work. Donald Ross said that the school was founded to qualify young persons for dis- charging in the best manner such duties as ordinarily de- volve on the female sex. Even though women ' s duties have changed over the past ninety years, we still work in the best manner . This can be seen in the ambitions of this year ' s graduating class. Such commendable goals will continue to grow with the high standards and increasing size of the school. HAPPY BIRTHDAY TRAF ! ! ! 4

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ECHOES STAFF LEFT to RIGHT: Martina Lis, Lynn Senecal, Julie Tilden, Laurie Neapole, Pamela Hall, Mrs. Akin, Lori Spotton. SITTING: Cynthia Roberts. Costakos. SITTING: Miss Armbruster. Cynthia Roberts Editor 3

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O f Many Thin gs . . , by Edgar Andrew Collard How Trafalgar School got its name How did the Tfa algar School tor Qtilt get m nanwT The rooU , or the answer go far back alo Uw traditloM of Montruil. The l««t evml in the long hll- tory of Um icbool will take pUM nert WeAieaday wtitn Ihf new Ca- vertiia ttlJXi wlllbeorflclally opoocd. The iKw building wlH make avBllaUe ipa» and Udlltlei of Uw iDoat Iwdun dMlgn. But Ihe ■cbool, In atrili cbongeg, cherlihei • The (ouDder o( the achool, Don- ald Rou, tllpulaled In Ns wlU that It imut be named Tralalpr. He chose this rtame becauae he had bought, as the school ' s site, eight iBWes of the Trafalgar estate on Cote dea Nelges Road. The school wag never built on those acres: It was opened instead In ie37 on the , land near the head of Simpson Street, below McGregor, where It Is today. But the name originally Intended for the school has been preserved, though the site la dif- ferent. To understand more abojt the origin of this name, It Is neces- sary to go far back into old Mon- treal lore. ■ Trafalgap Farm The Trafalgar estate on Cole des Nciges Road had been a country ■property, known at first as Tra- lalgar Farm, In Ihe early years ' of the I9th ' century the Montreal fur traders were buying farms on slopes of ttie mountain, Tbey bad little Gtreets of the town for the winter months nd a second out in the countryside for Ihe summer. One ol these fur traders, John Ogilvy, ctMM a farm In the Icvely valley between the two mountains — between Mount Royal and what lodny is known as Westmount Mountain. The old Cote des Nelges Road ran past It. His large proper- ty covered the land where Trafal- gar AventK Tiins today. John Ogilvy chose to name bis farm in honor of Horallo Nelson ' s great naval victory of IMS- He was an enthusiast in tils admiration of Nelson. He came forward hand- somely when a subscription list was being drawn up to erect a ■ ' monu- ment Jn some public place at Mon- treal to the memory of that im- mortal nava! hero. John OgHvy ' s donation was (20. It was outstand- ing on the list. Only one other subscriber gaVe more. Nor was this aU. A cfflnmitte« had to be elected by the saburjbers to carry the project Into reality. Five members were chosen. Ogilvy received the greatest number of It was only natural that a man so keen to booor Nelson ' s memory should name his farm after Nel- Gon ' s tTlunqii. After Johijogiivy died, the old name TrafAlgar continued to be at- tached to his old farm. A later owner of the land, Albert Fumiss, built a fiiM brick and stone house there. It stiU stands on tbe north- west comer of Cote des Neiges and Trafalgar Avenue, with tbe date 1848 carved In a stone over its entrance. Ttat bouse was also named Trafalgar. Donald Ross ' gardener It becomes quite easy to imder- stand, tben, that when Donald Ross bought eight acres of the old Trafalgar property for a girls ' school be diose Trafalgar as its name. His own house, View Mount Place, was also on Cote des Ross was a Scot from Ross- Shire. He came to Montreal at the age of 15 to Join the drygoods busi- ness of his unde. He married his cousin, Jane Ross. Ross made View Mount one of the most beautiful estates In Mon- treal. He hod as his gardener an Irishman. Patrick McKenna. Mc- nlbe great vinit of Irish emigration the lime of the potato famuw of 1647 Ty|ifaus bad broken out on the His wife took down with It, and died In tbe lever sheds built at Poinle St. Charles. She was one of Ihe Several thousand victims buried sar tbe great boulder that today OMita these IriA graves on Bridge Street. When PatrlUc McKenna wished to marry again, Donald Ross set him up. He gave him all the pro- duce grown for one season on the View Mount property. McKenna sold it at tbe martet With tbe money he made, be set op a (lower stall on Cote des Neiges, near tbe oM Tollbooth. This was the begin- ning of the McKenna florist busi- ness in Montreal. After Donald Ross ' death, years were to pass before anything, could be done (o set up the sduio! be had planned. The provisions of his will were complex. It began to appear that many more years might pass before enough money would be available to get the sdiool started. A solution was suggested Per- haps another donor inif t be found to supplement the amount avail- able from tbe Ross wilL Ibc most likely prospect was Sir Donald A. Smith (later to be Lord Stratb- cooa). He had a lively interest la ahead be was to be the foander of tbe Royal Victoria College at Mc- Gill University. Anyone wishing lo get funds from Sir Donald preferred lo ap- proach him throu the miniiter of his church— Rev Dr, James clay, tbe SrattUh minister of St, Paul ' s Preabyterlan Church. Dr, Barclay had the reputation ol being very successfd In getting do- natJoQS. In this case be succeeded again. Sir Donald A. Smith was ready to finance tbe school. But Ik made a stlpulatkn: it would have to t»e established within the bound- aries of the Oty of Montreal, as they were defined at the time. The eight acres bought by Doi - ald Ross, as the sile of his school, 6d not meet this stipulation. Tbe old Trafalgar p f tt ty aa Cote des Neiges Road was then outaldtt the Montreal city limits. Old I i kept Though the wHI of Donald Ross was long and detailed, be had wisely left considerable latitude lo tbe trustees of his proposed scbooL They found tbey could legally es- tablish the school within Mon- treal ' s boandaries. Tbe eight acres of the old Trafalgar ptr ierty on Cote des Ndges Road could be given up, provided that the name Trafalgar was still given to the scbooL It is (or this reason ihat the school today is known as the Tra- falgar School (or Girls. Hie nle chosen for the school, though Inside the CHy of Hoot- real, was actually not very far away ttxo tbe lajid Donald Ross had set aside (or IL The slope ti Mount Royal, (adng the dty. lUU bad many of tbe old cnmlry es- tates, with bouses set In large grrnmifa — Ide for a school. trurtees, with (30.000 frwn Sir Don- ald A. Smith, and other aajstaoDc. from olber t}enefactors, boo ttie fine fiece of laad below McGregor Street, at the head of SlnrosoD Street, where tbe school has been wai ' ,nrj par ' ' Iti Jtnr. ' jwjiA lit isrr.fi»mU TuTf wM • enik, the apbjrtt t4 (ha U di c zlc Rhrer. wto bid lii ham ■here ttM Usdoate Ksom apvt ' meals stand to . fir Aicxvate ' s hen ifJd It (A Sir Onrf Sbo Ofmaurj. a Vr wbgrr, tn C f J ' »l firt irfWT. u ! -■ •( Ri»fj U named Th» ojttMn t w vxapM by the wSmA ttA Us eraunlt wm pixxtMad from fir C«Mie Kob ' no tr Or c«ns Amww cnl In IM. Chaiderton Loc e When ibe (ratec of IMtipr tiwA tmtiM lUt land b lbs VtM. itrf dU DBt b e l» taSd a tOrxA The hooM slKsdr by Ski George Wrtbers3 tervad (hs piirpMe«07 wtH In (act tUs old Incae. fcoovn as CtaldoiMi jA . rcmdacd aa part o( the sctool oxoplex, sfter MM erteoma after aooQKr hsd been added lo it. It was put of the Khool (or feoeratlota of gtrlL Every effort wis cnade to pr utr ve it. But necesary repnn b d b«- ojTK so oxtly and t s tt that only mxoiiy It had lo t« tore TV Sb- CbMrtm WetheraB wbo built this bouM (hat became ibe rim Trafalor Scboot was ta to- L sreiimg aanAa. He was a Brtliih army otDcer, tbe sco of a ger l. Sir Fredertdc WeOmta (eiecuior of ttie will of HJUl the Duke of Kent, Queen Vieuw)» t falberi. Sir George bsd seroed In (he army in many ports of Ihe obt — at the Cape of Good Hope, In Java. In India. In Cauda In (be 1B30S he oonrnondad the force ta tbe Bucccsful bittle at SL Ottiles on the RidKheu. In tbe ftdMQiao of U77. He remained with the nscn In Mootreal (or an extraor- dinary length of time, ai depty Apparently Sir George was In Montreal w k»g that he (eh 0)e oeed of a permanent rfridfrre. He bulH Cbaldertoc) Lodee u a large house In the rtyle known is Gotloc Revival Its quaint anA- gave 11 great dutincboa and charm. There were marveOocs Gothic cellingi and fireplaces, leaded glao windows, bsnd carving in dxn i Sir George bad f den came to return to F.ngbnd. to become deputy adjutantfenenl at the Horae (Juanfs, Ibe head- qoartm of the amy. In taso OiaJderton Lodge wv put up for rent or sale. Early school days CfaaktertoD Lodge and Us groumfc passed ihnugb several owners before they wtre boo by the trustees of the new Tra- falgar School. For a Dumber ol years the whole school was in OA. Wether ' s old OaUerton lixlge. The school bos been expanded in a series of addilioiB, Next Wed- nesday, the blest of these will be opened. Miz Marjorie Caverhlll kft tier borae oo i ' TT ' to tbe scbooL Proceeds from tbe sale o( tiis horae lave made pos- siWe the wing, named in ber memory. Tbe bricks ar« new but (he tradrtlocs are old. says one of ttnee closely connected with the Trafalgar Sd)oot for Girii. How iM these tradiUons are Is seen In the fad that the very name of the school goes back to fur trvfer John Ogilvy ' s farm in the valley between the moonlalcs. 5