By Jim Farrell
A few weeks ago I happened across the Friends of Algonquin Park Facebook page and discovered a promo for a recent book they published on JR Booth. Somewhat surprisingly, in spite of his prominence and impact on the Ottawa Valley a full and comprehensive biography of his life and accomplishments has never been written.
A 1978 article in the OMNRF magazine, Your Forests, written by respected historian Clarence Coons and a 1998 book by John Trinnell provide probably the most complete documented histories of the man. It should be noted that The Forestry Chronicle published a review of Trinnell’s book in 2000, Volume 76, Issue 4. Mr Booth left very few personal papers behind making research on his life a daunting task.
Mr Mackay does a first class job of bringing the man to life by scouring all sources of information to assemble a rich story that tells us about a remarkable visionary that worked almost every day of his long life along side the thousands of manual labourers he had on the payroll, until his passing on December 8th 1925 at the age of 98. The book traces the major parts of his life from the original business of lumbering, to builder of railways, the industrialist that shipped and traded in agricultural commodities and then delved into JR Booth as a person. He was widely respected and cut from the cloth when a man’s word was his bond. Its hard to imagine an area in central Ontario that wasn’t touched in some way by Booth’s investments, from infrastructure to communities.
The book is well sprinkled with entertaining stories and anecdotes. One of my favourites was when he took a ride in one of his numerous horse and buggies, one that was usually used by one of his sons. After the ride delivered him to his destination he offered the driver a 50 cent tip. The driver, feeling undoubtedly a bit braver than he should, responded that JR’s son usually gives him a dollar. The great man’s response was “ That is different. That boy has a rich father, but I am an orphan”.
The book available for $20.00 on the Friends of Algonquin Park website and is a very enjoyable read.
