Whenever I travel, I find myself drawn to making connections back to Mississauga. This past weekend we had a quick trip to London and Windsor for a mini getaway. We had a meandering road trip, with little in the way of an overall plan. It gave us an opportunity to explore places we had seldom been to before, and, in the process, find some tidbits that connected back to Mississauga.

The first find came from a rambling antique store in London. Sitting in the corner, almost side by side, were two things that connected to home. The first was a pair of roller skates. The name on the wheels of the skates showed “Dominion Skate Company”. The Charlton family oversaw the Dominion Skate Company in Etobicoke and the Lakeview area of Mississauga beginning in 1947 and became the leading Canadian manufacturer of roller skates.

The second item was what initially caught my eye was a can (empty) of Bee Hive Corn Syrup from the St. Lawrence Starch Company of Port Credit. Incorporated in 1889, St. Lawrence Starch Company built a corn wet milling factory in Port Credit. Cornstarch production began in April of 1890. The founding partners were John Gray and Archibald Hutchison, both natives of Scotland with previous starch manufacturing experience in Scotland and Canada, and brothers Robert and Joseph Kilgour who owned a paper bag manufacturing plant in Toronto. John Gray quickly established himself as one of the pre-eminent starch production men in North America, while Archie Hutchison excelled in sales and marketing.

St. Lawrence Starch Company (often called “The Starch Works” by residents) quickly became the largest employer in the community. Over time, several generations of the same family often worked at the company.

The company sponsored and promoted charities, sports teams and volunteer organizations. Local groups such as the Don Rowing Club and the Port Credit Canoe Club, the Port Credit Public Library, St. Andrew’s Church and the Port Credit War Memorial (Cenotaph) can all trace their roots back to involvement from St. Lawrence Starch and its employees.

St. Lawrence Starch became known throughout Canada for its line of consumer products. These products included Bee Hive Golden Corn Syrup, St. Lawrence Corn Oil, Durham Corn Starch and Ivory Laundry Starch. The company’s products were shipped abroad, and the recognizable label helped to put Port Credit on the map. The St. Lawrence Starch ceased operations in March of 1990.

The next stop in our journey brought us to Windsor, where, as hockey fans of the Brampton (formerly Mississauga) Steelheads, we had a chance to see the team take on the hometown Windsor Spitfires – and as part of the game see Mississauga-born players like the Spitfires’ Luke McNamara and the Steelheads’ Jack Ivankovic, Park Von Richter and Aidan Lane take to the ice as a next wave of athletes who make our city proud.

On our return journey back home we stopped in Woodstock, where we wandered down Woodstock’s main street – or I should say “Dundas Street” (and yes, that is another link we share and perhaps another story for a future article in this series). We visited another antique store which brought another connection to home: a commemorative plate from the 75th anniversary of St. Paul’s Anglican Church in Lorne Park.

It is always fascinating and curious how things from home, over the years, find their way to other places. Oh, the stories they could – and do – tell!