Additional information reveals that the factory was
built on the farm of John Wall in Kinkora; that the
cooperative had 107 shareholders with 506 milk cows; that
the first Board of Directors included Hugh Duffy, Patrick
Kelly, Thomas McCabe, Thomas McCarvill, John Mur-
phy and Artemus Wright; and that the first cheese-maker
was Emmett G. Murphy from Stanley, P.E.I.9 Table 6:1
summarizes the growth in the factory during the decade.

Table 6:1, Kinkora Cheese Factory, 1902-09”

Cheese Produced
82,200 lbs.
119,262 lbs.

Milk Received
869,232 lbs.
1,230,174 lbs.

No. of Patrons

 

In 1902 there were more than forty cheese factories in
P.E.I. Most were small, with net annual earnings under
$6000.00. Kinkora’s earnings in that year were $6881.85.
Only four factories had net earnings of more than
$10,000.00]1 By late 1902 P.E.I. cheese had achieved a
reputation for good quality; and demand for it at the
Halifax market exceeded supply, where it was selling for
11% cents per pound!2 P.E.I. was producing on average
3,150,000 lbs. of cheese annually. In 1904 the second
cheesemaker at Kinkora, Leo Hughes, won top honors in
the Maritime cheese competition at Halifax for his col—
ored cheese, and repeated that win in Charlottetown in
191013 The cheese industry continued at Kinkora until 1953
when the factory changed over to butter production. It was
an important business in the area, and helped to establish
Kinkora as the business centre for the five communities.

The preceding letter is by a former resident of Kinkora, who
looks at the changes there since it used to be known as Sou’
West!4 As the letter indicates the Village had two general stores.
John P. Smith purchased the store begun by Jerome Buote
about 1895, and built a new one, plus a warehouse, beside

59

the railroad track in Kinkora, about 1901]5 These were built
by William Roberts and son from Middleton. Mr. Smith
also expanded the business to include buying and selling
farm products. This also allowed him to give credit to his
customers, who would in turn sell their products to him
each autumn. His daughter, Ada, recalled that the farmers
tended to shop late in the evenings, and sometimes they
came late at night to buy medicines for sick animals.
Theodore (T.A.) McIver, the other merchant, gave up his
store after 1904 to become a full—time dealer in potatoes
and hogs. His store was rented by Robert Auld until 1909,
and then by Mr. S.M. Hicks.16 The situation of having at
least two general stores in the village continued until the

19503.
Further expansion of businesses came from the

carriage-building shop of Ambrose Monaghan in
Kinkora. A notebook of sales bills and drawings made bet-
ween 1900 and 1911 by John W. Monaghan, eldest son
of Ambrose, shows that the Monaghans had invented their
own grain threshing machine at this time.17 The
“Monaghan Thresher” became widely used by farmers in
RBI. and Western Canada until the 19605. One is in
storage at Earle Keefe’s farm in Middleton, today.

The notebook of John W. Monaghan also includes
manufacturing directions and plans for various farm im-
plements, furniture and caskets. Monaghans began a
funeral service in Kinkora in 1907; they made caskets and
provided the burial service. The business was further
developed by Philip, another son of Ambrose Monaghan;
he continued it until he retired in 196838 The accompany—
ing photograph shows the type of horse—drawn hearse used
before the automobile hearse came into use]9 Not all of
Mr. Monaghan’s sketches pertained to serious work; some
show women, and include jokes or cartoons, such as those

shown on page 61.