Introduction . . .This area is situated north of Souris in
Lot 45. It is named for Herman MacDonald, the first settler ca. 1850 and postmaster, who was still living in 1905. The Lot 45 post office was situated here from 1854 until 1884. The Hermanville post office served the area from 1884 until 1914. The Hermanville Hotel appears in the Atlas in 1880.
A brief history . . .
The first settlers at Big Pond included a MacDonald and four MacPhee families.
The Norse 110 ton steel-hulled barque Olga drove aground at Black Bush on November 5, 1906, during a wild storm on her way to pick up a cargo of lumber in New Brunswick for the Australian market. The captain and crew were rescued from the wreck.
Interesting individuals associated with the community . . .
Charles D. McPhee (1845-1916) was born at Big Pond. He was a Carpenter, a Lumberman and a Building Contractor. He left for the United States a young man and eventually settled in Denver, Colorado. The McPhee & McGinnity Lumber Co. was the largest retail lumber business in 14 western states. His company built only a few buildings, one of which was Denver's first City Hall. Mr. McPhee was a member of the building committee appointed to design and contruct the Immaculate Conception Cathedral in Denver. The McPhee Dam on the Dolores River was named for him. He died at Denver and is buried there in the Mount Olivet Cemetery.
Today . . .
Copyright
Waldron H. Leard
