REPORT FROM HEARST BY ANNE BIES SISKA

BRADLO

Bradlo has always been a special place for me. It was my birth place, where I went to primary school, where I grew up, and even the place where I prepared for my wedding day. Over the years, I'd put it to the back of my mind, as I was busy with my home, raising children, working, and growing in my community in Hearst. But it seems as one grows older , suddenly roots become so important. I remember how I would lose patience with mom as she reminisced for the hundredth time about Bradlo and how it came to be. Now I was the one doing the same thing. Only then did I realize that mom's interest in the past was in reality a desire to have Bradlo remembered. She wrote out the history by hand and gave each of us a copy.. She was a history buff and whenever we went for drives through Bradlo she had a running commentary, pointing out where everyone lived, little anecdotes of happenings in another time. She wanted so badly to see the story of Bradlo documented, I suppose that is why now I have this urge to see her dream a reality. But not only for her. Bradlo belongs in the history of Hearst, and now that Hearst is about to celebrate its 75 th anniversary, it must be included. What a fitting tribute this story would be to our parents and to all those early settlers.

What actually got me going was a letter from Anne Kuhayda Hendry. She had some information, and her sister Mary had received a copy from the post Office Dept. in Ottawa , of the petition

signed in 1935 , asking for a post office in this little settlement. Suddenly we had names of the early settlers that I thought were more or less lost to us. When I shared this with my brothers and sisters we were able with the help of Maria Sevc, Joe Lilko, and Mary Filo Lenk to figure out all of the names. Some of the signatures were not legible as signed and some lots had changed ownership prior to and after 1935. It was a challenge but from this a good list of settlers names was established which I am further revising as new information becomes available.

Since then I've had the opportunity to visit Stella ( Dragenoff ) Wurm in Timmins, and reminisce with her. She had so many stories to tell and also photos of those early school days. I've also been in touch with other people with connections to Bradlo . Delia Martin Hillman , Anne Bubnick , Roger Joanis and each one has had something to share about those early days. We also were lucky to have a tape of my father , John Bies, talking to my son about the hard times during the depression. I've transcribed it and it is a wealth of information about Bradlo's beginnings.

I have been in touch with the Local Roads Board and the Ministry of Transportation in Cochrane about having the road at Concession # 2 & # 3 Kendall renamed to " Chemin Bradlo Road. "( we have to be bilingual.) This proposal of mine was accepted and I am happy to advise you that the sign will go up in 1996.

Friends of Bradlo - Newsletter Copyright by Rudy Bies © 1995
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Last update on March 27, 1997.