For Black History Month
Today we share the story of Richard “Dick” Alexander Elliott.
Information for this sketch was drawn from news archives, the Cobalt Historical Society digital collection, genealogy sites, social media, and fellow historians. Special mention of thanks to Ian MacPherson, of Kenogami.
Meet Dick Elliott
Several years ago, we were asked to find out more about “Dick Ready” pictured in the above photo. At the time, we couldn’t find anything and abandoned the search. However, the unanswered question was always in the back of our mind.
A few years later, we were reading a 1972 Oral History. Bula Lathem interviewed Henrietta Boyle and asked her about the local sporting events. Boyle listed the activities and the star performers: “Water sports canoeing, walking greasy pole, most times Dick Elliott (Negro)[sic] the winner.”
With that clarifying detail, we were able to move ahead, and piece together Richard Alexander Elliott’s story.
Elliott’s birth country
Richard Elliott was born in Belize City, Belize in 1878. The Central American country is bordered by Mexico to the north, Guatemala to the west and south, and the Caribbean Sea to the east.
We do not know precisely when Elliott left home or why he was compelled to leave. Based on the following brief historical account of the former colony of British Honduras, we imagine that he wanted to escape the hardships in his homeland.
A Brief History
The Maya were the first known people to inhabit the region between 1500 and 1200 BC. The Spanish arrived in the 16th century, followed by the English, as well as the Dutch and French. For centuries, these nations battled over land ownership and access to resources. The Europeans were mainly interested in the logwood trees which were used for dyes, and mahogany for furniture.
Slavery
As early as 1724, the British settlers relocated African-born slaves from Jamaica, Bermuda, and other Central American colonies to Belize. Captive people did the work of harvesting timber from the native stands of logwood. In the late 1700s, trade shifted to mahogany, and the settlers increased their landholdings, as well as the number of slaves.
The life of the enslaved people was brutally oppressive. A report in 1820 notified the British authorities that they were often subjected to acts of “extreme inhumanity.”
Emancipation came in 1838, but the former slaves were “free” in name only. Initially, they were not permitted to own land. Later, when those restrictions were lifted, they could purchase land for 1£ per acre – an unaffordable price. Part of their meagre wages was in the form of goods purchased at the company store. This led to debt and an absolute dependence on their employees. In the mid-19th century, when mahogany trade declined, these so-called “freedmen” remained impoverished. In 1871, the colony of the British Honduras was formally established – seven years before Richard Elliott was born. A decade or so later, the economy was stagnant, and most citizens had no voice in local government.
From Belize to the UK to Montreal to Cobalt
Richard Elliott came to Canada in 1906, arriving from Liverpool. It’s possible that he spent a few years in the UK before landing here. Perhaps he worked in coal mines or worked as crewman on the steamship lines. What drew him to Cobalt was most likely the same as it was for thousands of others: opportunity. For a new life. And for a chance to strike it rich.
When he first arrived, he was a carpenter, had no money, and was heading to Montreal. He eventually moved to Cobalt. Whether that was his original plan is unknown, but the opportunities offered by the mining frontier would have been irresistible.
During the summer of 1908, a man named Dick Elliott of Cobalt took part in the Dominion Day Marathon race, and he came in second in a special 100-yard dash for firemen only. Of course, we do not know if he is “our” Mr. Elliott, but considering Ms. Boyle’s recollection of sports in Cobalt, we are inclined to think so.
Especially the last bit, about the race for firemen only. It’s possible we can finally put a name to the face of the Black man in the back row of the above photo of Cobalt’s Fire Brigade.
In the company of prospectors and mining men
Elliott was in the mining area at the height of the rush. He worked as a shoeshine where he rubbed shoulders with investors, mine managers and journalists. If he didn’t have direct conversations with his clients, he no doubt overhead the gossip and stories while he polished their dusty boots.
Consider the central character in the below image of Cobalt Square. Look at the body language of the shoeshine. Compare it to the man in the Four Nations photo, below that. We think that the shoeshine is Dick Elliott. Though his patrons sit above him, his body language suggests confidence and self-assurance. See how he rests his right hand on the customer’s knee!
Elliott kept the company of prospectors. In 1909, for example, he accompanied Eddie Holland on a hunting trip to Trout Creek. An associate in his later ventures in Kenogami, was Richard “Dick” P. McGregor who was the proprietor of the Attorney Hotel in Haileybury.
Recalling the great fire in 1922, McGregor’s daughter Kathleen wrote, “We then stayed at the Attorney Hotel for several years until the great fire. They called it the Prospector’s Hotel because all the prospectors stayed there. Dad told us that they used to bet on raindrops going down the window at fifty dollars a bet.”
Four Nations Mine, Kenogami
Family life in North Cobalt
On September 1, 1910, Dick married Ellen Bailey in Toronto. She had just arrived from Loughborough, England exactly one week earlier. On the passenger list, she declared that she was heading to Cobalt to work as a domestic. Did they know one another from Elliot’s early days in the UK? Or did she answer a help wanted ad? Was she a mail order bride?
The couple lived in North Cobalt and started a family. Richard held an assortment of jobs. It was around this time that silver production had peaked, and job opportunities were not as plentiful.
In 1911, The Bucke Township census-taker noted that Richard worked in some capacity for the mines. When their first son Frederick was born a few months later, September 12, 1911, his dad worked as a freight handler and when daughter Ethel Ann joined the family in March 1915, Dick was a miner.
Cross Lake Road was one of the streets in the recently developed subdivision of North Cobalt. Vernon’s Directory lists an R. A. Elliott who lived at Lot 102 Cross Lake Road, in Bucke Township. We therefore believe that Dick Elliott is the man named in the following Cobalt Daily Nugget headline from July 22, 1916.
This calamity changed the course of the family’s life.
In November 1916, Ellen and her two children sailed to live with her family in the UK. Richard intended to join them there after the war ended.
But according to his son Fred in a 1976 interview with the Toronto Star, “…it didn’t work out that way – [Dad] got gold fever.”
We’d argue that Richard “Dick” Elliott had gold fever for a few years by this time – when his son was born, he was christened Frederick Goldfield Elliott.
While his family lived overseas, Dick continued work as a shoeshine. On the side, he sold illegal liquor, despite at least two hefty fines. At one hearing, the magistrate granted him extra time to pay. Dick was overheard saying that there was “more money in polishing boots than in punishing booze.”
Meanwhile Dick took up prospecting near Kenogami. and struck gold. “Father changed his mind about Canada then,” said [Ethel]. “I was brought back to Canada and Fred stayed in England to finish his education.” Ellen and three-year-old Ethel Ann returned home to Cobalt in March 1918.
Men of 4 Nations Find Gold Mine in Northern Ontario Dateline: Kenogami, ON July 17, 1919
All of Elliott’s determination and grit paid off. He and his four partners found a significant vein of gold. “The Four Nations gold claim derives its name from being owned by four men, one of whom is a French Canadian, one a Scotchman, one a negro from the United States [sic] and one a Russian.
We’ve tallied at least seven different names associated with the ownership property. We can only guess at who belonged to which nationality. But we know for certain the Yugoslavia-born Martin Rogich was one, and Dick Elliott was the other. (See this blog post for more discussion.)
By 1921, the Elliott family left North Cobalt and settled in Grenfell Township. A second daughter. Gertrude, had joined the family, along with lodger Martin Rogich.
More to the story
We’ll leave the family here, to enjoy their newfound good fortune. There is, of course, more to the story.
Stay tuned.