Redpath: The History of a Sugar House

Front Cover
Dundurn, Aug 15, 1991 - History - 320 pages

Redpath, today a household name for sugar in Canada, has its roots in the story of an enterprising Scots immigrant, initially a stone mason and later a building contractor during the boom days of Montreal's growth from a small provincial centre to a major North American city. In 1854, the ever-energetic John Redpath, by then a self-made millionaire in his late fifties, launched a new career as an industrialist. With his son, Peter, and the gifted George Alexander Drummond as manager, he established Canada's first successful sugar refinery.

The Redpath story encompasses the influence of sugar as an economic force, the emergence of the elegant social life of cosmopolitan Montreal and a hind-sight view of the complexities of the love-hate relationship between government and business.

This, the first of two volumes, moves through Canada's period of extensive industrialization to the turn of the century, the impact of World War I and concludes in the post-war years. Throughout this period, the familiar Redpath trademark, a reproduction of John Redpath's signature, is a reminder of the heritage inherent in Canada's business and social history.

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Contents

Chapter 19 Cheers and Tears Ginger Ale and Champagne
195
Chapter 20 The Building of a New Sugar House
209
Chapter 21 A New Captain
217
Chapter 22 Redpath Must Be Everywhere
227
Chapter 23 A Patriotic Stand
237
Chapter 24 Big Brother
245
Chapter 25 An Unfortunate State of Affairs
257
Chapter 26 Dance of the Millions
265

Chapter 7 A Devil of a Time
83
Chapter 8 We Are at a Crisis of Our Affairs
93
Chapter 9 The Axe Falls
101
Chapter 10 Intermission
115
Chapter 11 Another Opening
121
Chapter 12 A Hard and Anxious Time
133
Chapter 13 Too Many Cooks
141
Chapter 14 A Busy Year
149
Chapter 15 When Fortune Turns the Wheel
157
Chapter 16 What You Gain on the Roundabouts
167
Chapter 17 You Lose on the Swings
177
Chapter 18 The New Way
187
Chapter 27 Picking Up the Pieces
273
Chapter 28 The Final Straws
283
Postscript
287
Appendix 1 The Manufacturing of Sugar Cones
288
Appendix 2 The Families of John Redpath and George Alexander Drummond
290
Appendix 3 The 1920 and 1927 Canada Sugar Refining Co Picnics Sporting Events and Prize Lists
293
Appendix 4 The Development of the Montreal Refinery Site 18541930
296
Selected Bibliography
308
Notes
310
Visual Credits
312
Index
313
Copyright

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About the author (1991)

Richard Feltoe was born in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, England, and initially came to Canada in 1967 at the age of 13. After completing high school in the Montreal suburb of Pointe-Claire, he returned to England in 1971 to undertake advanced (A) level studies and subsequently gained a B.Sc. (Honours) degree in Economics from London University in 1976.

Richard has worked at the Redpath Sugar Museum since 1977 and currently holds the position of Museum Curator and Corporate Archivist. His major published works include A Gentleman of Substance: The Life and Legacy of John Redpath (1796-1869) and the two-volume corporate history Redpath: The History of a Sugar House and Let Redpath Sweeten It, and as well as several shorter monographs, pamphlets, research papers and magazine articles.

In addition to his comprehensive knowledge on the subject of sugar, he also has an avid interest in the military history of Canada, in particular the North American War of 1812-1815, and was a founding member of both the Military Re-enactment Society of Canada and the Upper Canada Living History Association. Since taking up re-enacting as a hobby in 1979, Richard has participated in Living History events throughout Canada, the United States and in Europe. He has also written a number of articles on facets of the war for various publications and is currently in the process of completing two larger military histories about the War of 1812-1815 within Upper Canada (Ontario).

Married in 1976, Richard and his wife Diane have two adult children (Jane and Mark) and live in the Toronto suburb of Brampton, Ontario.

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