central points and gravel, to be mixed with asphalt, was moved to these plants by rail from various Island and mainland points. The hot asphalt mixture, after being mixed at the plant, was hauled by dump trucks to the paving job where it was needed, spread by mechanical Spreaders, and rolled down with heavy diesel powered steel rollers.

The Tryon—Bedeque road was paved in 1952 as part of the Trans Canada Highway project. This was the only paving in this district until the fall of 1965 when the Crossroad, running from the Trans Canada Highway at Dixon’s Corner to the Cape Traverse Road, was paved to a point just below Eric Craig’s home, leaving about one-third of a mile not done. This paving preceded an election, and the general view held by the community is that the rest of the road will never be paved since there are no dwellings on the unpaved portion of the road. The last paving that was done in North Tryon was in 1969 when a short piece of pavement was laid from the Trans Canada Highway to just beyond the Ives’ Grist Mill. It is of interest to mention that two of the old mill stones are buried under the roadbed at the east end of the mill.12

Reg Thomas continued to operate his maintainer for almost thirty years after World War II. He spent each spring, summer, and fall grading, shaping, and ditching the country roads and then, late in the fall, took the machine to the government garage to be equipped with the front mounted vee plow and the side mounted wing. There were lots of very severe snow storms and on many of these occasions Reg was the taxi summoned to transport telephone operators, doctors and nurses to work or the ambulance to take expectant mothers ,and others, needing to get to the Prince County Hospital. People in the country were often blocked in for days and looked forward with great anticipa-

o—c

Maintainer: Reg beside the plow he operated for many years. Vi Thomas collection.

84