By Rev. C.J. Barry Kentner
There’s a Trillium Trail in Dresden Ontario that tells the History of the Community from l820 to l920. It winds through the community, basically following the course of the Sydenham River. Up until now I have more or less taken this trail for granted…but this year I want to share some of it with those who read this column. I won’t share all but there will be some historical highlights that might wet your taste…such as NORM THOMSON (1895-1984).
He was one of the original barnstormers. Norm Thomson Barnstormed, with Art Wachsmhuh of Dresden, who later operated a flower shop. Norm was a flight instructor and later, Chief Engineer with the Hayes Wheel Company in Chatham. He added a colorful chapter to Dresden’s History!
While he lived in Chatham he flew with Art Wachsmuth of Dresden during his Barnstorming days. He also designed 2 Valkyr airplanes. He built them and had hopes of building others, but government grants were not available.
The first prototype was completed at the McVean Plant in Dresden…and the second at Thomson’s Hangar in Chatham. This after hope for a government grant failed. If a government grant had come through, Dresden could have had an airplane factory. His first plane, completed in Dresden, was burned in a Hangar fire in l946. And its blueprints did not survive. The second plane crashed in Northern Ontario in 1939, killing the pilot and two passengers.
As for Barnstorming, it was a form of entertainment in which stunt pilots performed tricks individually or in groups called flying circuses. This was very popular after World War!, and in fact, it helped the aviation industry stabilize.
Devised to “impress people with the skill of pilots and the sturdiness of planes,”[1] it became popular in the U/S. and to a degree in Canada.
Barnstormers were pilots who flew throughout the country to sell airplane rides and perform stunts. There is, however, no mention of Canadian Barnstormers on Wikipedia.
There are many great stories about the history of Dresden, and I will tell you another one another time.
Wikipedia is credited with some information contained in this story; however, most of it comes from the files of Historical Documents in the Public Library of Dresden.
