Chapter 2 Transportation and Communication

ROADS AND STREETS

When the first settlers came to O'Leary, there were no roads. Travelling was done either on foot or by ox carts. After the railway came through in 1874, roads gradually developed. The first roads were usually cleared by private individuals. These roads were very rough and travelling conditions depended on the season of the year and the type of weather. Later, logs and spruce boughs were used to cover the main streets. This was some help in preventing horses and wagons from getting bogged down in the mud. However, this made travelling very rough.

Water Street and Ellis Avenue were opened by Robert Ellis and his son Clifford. They were the first residents on these streets.

Kent Street, Willow Avenue and North Street were opened by Sanford Phillips. The opening of North Street accommodated the butter making business which is located on the corner of North Street and the Gaspé Road.

Hospital Street was opened in 1957 after the completion of the hospital building. From this grew the subdivisions where Parkview Drive and Beechwood Avenue are now located.

Over the years as the population of O’Leary increased and with it more housing and development projects, new streets were added. The following is a list of many of these - Park St., Chestnut Ave., Royal Ave., Maple St., Jubilee Ave., Pate Garden Dr., Centennial Dr., East Dr., Main St., Lloyd St., Barclay Rd., Stewart Lane and MacKinnon Drive.

In 1939 the Main Street of O’Leary was paved with the aid of a horse drawn machine. This was a time of great elation for the citi- zens of O’Leary; no longer would their vehicles be bogged down in mud, snow, ruts and potholes. O'Leary had a perfect road! (Or so people thought.) Since then most streets have been resurfaced many times. We are told that, because of an incorrect mineral balance, the soil does not provide a base strong enough to properly support the weight of the pavement as well as the heavy traffic. Because of these circumstances, no doubt O'Leary will always be burdened with inferi- or roads.

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