Audio file
Contributors
Researcher: MacKay, Paul
Audio engineer: MacKay, Paul
Date Recorded
1995-03-30
Date Digitized
2010-05-07
Abstract
This interview is with John "Sterling" MacDonald of Bridgetown, P.E.I. Sterling begins by talking about his beginnings as a blacksmith, and tells about his father's work as a blacksmith down in Nevada. He then tells about life in Charlottetown in the 1930s, horses, shoeing, and coal. He alks about sleighs and wagons, the decline in the number of horses, trading eggs for groceries, and dances. Sterling then talks about Bridgetown in the 1930s, moonshine, rum running and bootlegging, cheese factories, gristmills, and animals. The interview concludes with Sterling telling about his carpentry work and sums up his life as a blacksmith.
Genre
Subject (Geographic)
Subject (Temporal)
Rights
All content on this site is made available for personal research and private study only. Any other reuse, reproduction, or re-purposing may require the permission of the rightsholder(s); please contact the UPEI Library for more information on permissions/clearances.
Physical Location
Held by Reg "Dutch" Thompson
Duration
01:03:56
Model
1 1 Item in Collection
Transcript
SIDE A 00:00:05 -- 00:03:06
Discussion about his beginnings as a blacksmith, with mention of a blacksmith course in Charlottetown and working with P. J. Proud; P. J. Proud, 1937, Charlottetown, prize, blacksmith, blacksmith course, horseshoeing, Dr. Harold Yeo, milk horses.

SIDE A 00:03:06 -- 00:04:57
Discussion about blacksmith shops in Charlottetown; P. J. Proud, blacksmiths, Charlottetown.

SIDE A 00:04:57 -- 00:12:07
Discussion about coming from a family of blacksmiths, with mention of his father working in Nevada and shoeing a horse for Jesse James; blacksmiths, family, Nevada, Alec D. MacDonald, Bridgetown, Jesse James.

SIDE A 00:12:07 -- 00:13:50
Discussion about his father moving back to P.E.I. and Sterling's birth; Mt. Edward Road, 1909, Forest Hill.

SIDE A 00:13:51 -- 00:17:44
Discussion about his beginnings as a blacksmith continues, with mention of life and entertainment in Charlottetown; blacksmith, 1937, wages, Charlottetown, room and board, movie houses, movie prices, Capitol Theatre, Prince Edward.

SIDE A 00:17:44 -- 00:23:10
Discussion about working as a blacksmith in Bridgetown, with mention of chains, a double horned anvil, shoeing horses, and coal; horses, coal, horseshoes, shoeing horses, blacksmith, double horned anvil, chains, 1938, WWII, driving horses, tractors, Picketts, American Smitten Coal, Pennsylvania coal.

SIDE A 00:23:10 -- 00:25:38
Discussion about sleighs and wagons; sleighs, wagons, sleigh prices, wood sleigh, blacksmith.

SIDE A 00:25:38 -- 00:29:01
Discussion about horseshoeing continues, with mention of his favourite horse; horseshoeing, horses, horseshoe prices, Hanover, Maritime champion, horse races.

SIDE A 00:29:10 --
Discussion about the decline in the number of horses, with mention of tractors and horse powered mills; horses, mills, horsepower, tractors.

SIDE A ends at 00:31:53.
SIDE B 00:32:00 -- 00:34:04
Discussion about farming, trading eggs for groceries, and money; farming, gas prices, trading eggs, groceries, money, dances, dance admission, dance prices.

SIDE B 00:34:04 -- 00:35:21
Discussion about dances and fiddle players; Jack Webster, fiddle, Island Championship, Boston, dances, fiddle players.

SIDE B 00:35:21 -- 00:37:47
Discussion about trading his favourite horse; horses, trading, cars.

SIDE B 00:37:50 -- 00:44:29
Discussion about Bridgetown in 1930, with a story about moonshine; Bridgetown, 1930, moonshine, Dundas, Mrs. Fair's Livery Stable, general store, Gus Clay, blacksmiths, Roddy MacKay, police, MacDonald.

SIDE B 00:44:29 -- 00:47:40
Discussion about rum running and bootlegging, with mention of the bag of salt trick; rum running, bootlegging, bag of salt, tricks, Annandale, Tracadie, Blackett, Dr. Morris, Morris.

SIDE B 00:47:40 -- 00:50:09
Discussion about cheese factories, with brief mention of gristmills; milk, cheese, cheese factory, MacCormack, Matthew and MacLean's, gristmills, Ross, John MacLeod.

SIDE B 00:50:09 -- 00:53:30
Discussion about horses and other animals; horses, crows, bluejays, animals.

SIDE B 00:53:30 -- 00:59:47
Discussion about carpentry, with mention of anvils; carpentry, cartwheels, wagon wheels, wheelwright, tires, anvils, anvil prices, English anvils.

SIDE B 00:59:48 -- 01:03:56
Discussion about working as a blacksmith since 1937, with mention of building barns; 1937, Allison MacDonald, family, Dundas Farms, barns, blacksmith.

Tape ends at 01:03:56.
***Tape ends mid-sentence.