Sudbury.

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School of Graduate Studies and Reeam&cole des dades supérieures et de Ia recherche
Tiie of Thesis
Titre de la th& A SOCIAL DRAW ORCANlZED CURLING M THE MCKEL Cïl'Y, 1892
1967
Name of Candidate
Nom du candidat Mandziulr, Paul WWÎm
DePe Date of Defence A,T,I
2q 200 (
DiplBrne Master of Am Date de la soutenance
Dr. Dieter K. Buse
c
Dr. Sara 2. Burke
(SupeMsorfDirecteurd e thèse)
Appmved for the School of Graduate Studies
Approuvé pour l!Jhole des dades supérieures
Dr. Coli Howeii
(Externa1 Exammer/Examiuateur externe)
ABSTRACT
Sudbury, Ontario's hrst curling club was founded in 1892. The club was a
select brotherhood of the community's most prominent citizens. Its members were
of British descent, rniddle-class, and male, They were the cornrnunity's
businessmen and professionals. For nearIy twenty years, the Sudbury Curling
Club remained an exclusive sporting organization and social association.
Following the destruction of Sudbury's curling nnk in 19 10, the club's
membership changed.
Between 19 10 and 1967, the sport of curling in Sudbury evolved from a
restricted pursuit into a popular recreation. ûver the course of the transformation,
issues of class, age, and gender were important themes in the sport's development.
From its middle-ch beginnings, the game was gradually introduced to a younger
generatior, of enthüsiasts, mining officials, Sudbury's working-cIass, women, and
children. Changes in the membership occurred against the backdrop of social
change in the entire community. From influentid events such as the Great
Depression and WorId Wars, to the important expansion of Sudbury's mining
industry, the evolution of the iocal curling fiaternity reflected the growth of
Sudbury. By 1967, Sudbuq had become a metropolitan urban centre, boasting a
heterogeneous curling membership.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This work would not have been possible without the help of many. I am
indebted to mother and father, Jean and Paul, for their continuou encouragement
and support. 1 would like to thank my supervisor, Dr. Sara 2. Burke, conunittee
members Dr. Matt Bray and Dr. Dieter K. Buse, and fellow Laurentian University
colleagues for their guidance and individuai contributions. I am aiso gratefbl to
my fiiends, fellow curlers, and al1 who have provided a weaith of assistance the
past two years. Special mention to Matthew Del Papa for his goodwill, Rose-May
Demore for her inîïnite wisdom, Rick Hauta for his technical know-how, and the
institute of Northern Ontario Research and Development for helping fund this
project. Lady, to the Sudbury curling comrnunity, I thank everyone who took the
time to share mernories and personai keepsakes. 1 have had the pleasure of
shaking many of your hands both on and off the ice.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
...
ABSTRACT .............. .,....., . ...................... LU
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ........................................ iv
LIST OF TABLES ............................................... v
INTRODUCTION: FORGING A CURLING HISTORY .................. 1
CHAPTER 1
A GAME OF SILVER AND OYSTERS, 1892- 19 10 ............... 15
CHAPTER 2
CHANGES OF ADDRESS AND COPPER AVERSIONS,
1910-193i ............................................... 46
CHAPTER 3
BUDDING DIAMONDS OF A SHIFTING MEMBERSHIP,
1931-1945 ............................................... 80
CHAPTER 4
OF GLASS CEILiNGS AND GRAMTE FOUNDATIONS,
1945-1 967 ......................................... 107
CONCLUSION: RONING THE PAST ............................. 146
..............................................
BIBLIOGRAPHY 15 1
LIST OF TABLES
TABLE 1.1
FOüNDING MEMBERS OF THE SUDBURY CURLING CLUB,
1891-1892 ............................................... 40
TABLE 1.2
IDENTIFIED SUDBURY CURCERS, 1892-1910 ................. 42
TABLE 1.3
SUDBURY CURLING CLUB SIUPS, 1892-19 10 ................. 45
TABLE 2.1
IDENIWED SUDBURY CURLERS, 1915-1916 ................. 75
TABLE 2.2
IDENTIFIED COPPER CLIFF CURLERS, 19 13-19 16 ............. 77
TABLE 3.1
IDENTIFlED COPPER CLIFF SHIFT CURLERS, 1938-1939 ...... 106
TABLE 4.1
LOCAL CURLING CLUB MEMBERSHIP NLJMBERS,
1954-196'7 ............................................ 143
TABLE 4.2
IDENTIFlED EARLY SUDBURY WOMEN CURLERS .......... 145
NiXODUC?ION: FORGiNG A CURLING HISTORY
Will some philosopher please step up and explain the psychology of
curling! Will some one tell us what it is in curling sen& men-men
ofaffairs and responsibilities,f or such it is makes up our curling
clubs-stark raving mad, roaring mad over a game which seems tu
possess no more elements of excitement than the horseshoe pitching
of our boyhood duys!
-"The Fascination of Curling," from the "Regina Province";
reprinted in Sudbiiry Journal, 29 January 19 14
The game of curling is one of Canada's oldest sporting traditions. tn 1807,
North America's first organized curling cIub was founded in Montreal. Following
its formation, many historians believe, the first curling game was played in what is
now Canada. Others however, have suggested that as far back as the conques of
Quebec in 1760, Scottish soldiers were playing their ancestral sport on the fiozen
confines of the St. Lawrence River. This is not the only controversy about the
game which remains unanswered. At times, its Scottish beginnings have even
been questioned. Although curling dates back more than four-hundred and fi@
years in Scotland, some historians suggest it originated on the European continent,
in either Germa.o r the ~etherlands.' Regardles of its otigrn for Canadians of
al1 ages it has becorne a shared passion and social pastirne. From the country's
'See Robert Simpson, The Muences oFthe Montreal Curiing Club on the
Development of Curling I 807-1 857" (master's thesis, University of Western Ontario,
1980), 1-2.
smallest fming villages, to its largest metropditan centres, curling clubs are a
common sight. No matter what their size, or their whereabouts, they have been
home to countless stories, events, and experiences.
The Nickel City is but one Canadian community to boast a rich curling
tradition. Largely known for its mining heritage, Sudbury has been home to
numerous curling clubs and countless enthusiasts. In 1967, the city celebrated
seventy-flve years of curling activity. Given its longevity, the sport arguably lefl its
mark on thousands of Sudburians and the period in which they lived. As the sport
of curling shaped its own history and future in Sudbury, it observed. followed, and
at times retlected the rise and development of the entire community.
For historians, a seventy-five year time ûame can provide a wealth of
information about a group of people and their environment. With the emergence
and growth of social history during the past few decades, studies of class, gender.
ethnicity, and regionalisrn have M e ra dded to an understanding of Canadian
history, its subject matters and themes. Social history has been defined as %e
study of historical processes which prompted change and continuity in those social
relationships that, taken aitogether, describe and explain a whole way of life."'
Since Confederation, organized sport has played a prominent role in the
Qavid Gagan and W. Turner, "Social History in Canada: A Report on the 'State
of the Ari,'" in Conternporary Approaches to Cunadian HÏstory (Toronto: Copp CIark
Piman Ltd, 1987), 89.