Oscar and Ragna; Edward’s parents from Norway to Arctic Canada.

Family Photo

In the Arctic region of Norway, in the province of Finnmark, near Alta, in the village of Bossekop (The name comes from the Sami word for Whale Bay), Oscar Ragnvald Styffe and Ragna Magdalena Iversen grew up together. They are separated for the first time when lorsqu’Oscar gets a scholarship from to the military academy of Tromsø, south of Alta. Ragna, eighth’ child of a family of nine, working hard in the family bakery. Eidar, her eldest brother, had immigrated to the United States and found a job on an assembly line of Ford engines, Detroit, Michigan. He invited Ragna to visit him for a few weeks, she does not hesitate. Wishing to stay in the United States, she began to look for work.

Meanwhile, Oscar was studying mapping, surveying forests and math before graduating from the Military Academy in 1906. He planned to marry Ragna in Bossekop, and go with her to southern Norway. But Ragna only wanted to marry if they would settle in the United States. So, in 1907 they went to Calumet, Michigan. Oscar finds work in a copper mine, but it closed in 1911. Oscar then started to look for work in Canada on the north shore of Lake Superior, Port Arthur, in timber, then flourishing. In 1927, Oscar founded his own company hauling, fast-growing, despite the crisis of 1929, and became a limited company in 1931; Oscar Styffe Limited.

Of their first five children, three died in infancy. Ragna and Oscar had four other children; John Hobart (born in the United States) Ethel, Edward, Roy and Ingrid.

The family-owned timber trade

The company’s two main activities were towing logs collected all along the shores of Lake Superior, logs used to produce pulp and wood pulp, and the transport barge washed sand and gravel banks for construction. The company employed about fifty people at one time, and five hundred fifty seasonal. John, the oldest son of Oscar and Ragna, graduated from the School of Business King, and became responsible for managing the company.

Trained in logging efficiency in Norway, Oscar opposed savage cuts and calls for cuts to be selective and controlled in order not to exhaust the material, which maintained the forests and reforestation. But despite his efforts, it falls on deaf ears.

During the war, Oscar is weakened by disease, and John took over the management of the company. He wanted to leave the army with his brothers as a reserve naval officer. After the war, the second son Hobart takes over the running of the company, whilst the fourth son, Roy, in the new work, Gravel and Lakes Services Limited.

Styffe Edward David, nephew of Major Edward Grieg Styffe, tells the story of the family business:
«My father [Styffe Hobart, second son of Oscar] was a high school forestry from the University of Idaho (USA). He returned to Port Arthur immediately after the war and went to work for his father in the Oscar Styffe Company Ltd. in the transport timber. The company owned several boats, barges and tugs and other equipment involved in transporting logs by water either by boat or by raft pulled by tugboats. After two difficult years, Oscar decided to create a separate company called Gravel and Lake Services Ltd. (GLS), Services and Gravel Lakes. All shipping operations have moved to this new company. They were led from one building to the dock #5 on the docks of Port Arthur.

Around 1970, the Oscar Styffe Ltd. ceased operations transport of logs and Gravel and Lake Services has continued. At that time, she left her timber transport activities to engage in assistance to ocean-going vessels that come and go in the harbor of Port Arthur. Was opened in 1957 Seaway St. Lawrence, which allowed the ocean-going vessels to reach Thunder Bay. This is a port that overlooks the ocean 2000 miles inland through a network of locks, canals and rivers of the Atlantic Ocean through the Great Lakes to Lake Superior. Wheat and other grains arriving in Thunder Bay by rail and are responsible for both the country in boats and foreign ships depart to the east.»

Original text: «My Father Was a graduate in forestry from the University of Idaho. He Returned to Port Arthur and Immediately After the War Went to work for His Father at Oscar Styffe Ltd in the logging business. The company owned Various boats, barges, and miscellaneous equipment Tugboats Which WAS Involved in the transport of logs by water in ships or Either by rafts of logs Which Were Towed by Tugboats. After a couple years of difficulty Oscar Decided to create a company Called Separate Gravel and Lake Services Ltd. All marine operations shifted into the new company. They operated out of the office building at # Sami 5 Dock on the waterfront in Port Arthur.

By 1970 Oscar Styffe Ltd. had ceased logging operations and Gravel and Lake services continued operations. By this time it had changed from a support company for the logging business and WAS Engaged in the business of Assisting Ocean Vessels to berth and unberth in the Port of Thunder Bay. In 1957 the St Lawrence Seaway Opened up system. This created access to Thunder Bay for ocean vessels. It Is An Ocean seaport 2000 miles inland via this system of locks, canals and rivers from the Atlantic Ocean Through the Great Lakes to Lake Superior. Various Wheat and Other Grains arrive in Thunder Bay are by rail and loaded Into Both domestic and foreign ships Which return to the East.»

A family commitment against Nazism

Oscar has not forgotten his native country, which was invaded at April 9, 1940 by the Nazis and had to surrender on June 9, the King and the Government had chosen exile in England. Rather than to work, he becomes vice-consul of Norway in Port Arthur in 1941, and devotes his time to raising funds to support the Norwegian Resistance. To do this, it organizes conferences and became head of the Canadian support for Norway. After him, John took over the function of vice-consul and continued the voluntary work.

King Haakon and crown prince Olav seeking refuge under a birch tree during a German bombing attack against Molde in April 1940

At the same time, Oscar is very proud that his three other sons, Hobart, Edward and Roy, are fighting for the same cause in the army of his new country, Canada. His youngest daughter, Ingrid, an orphan at age 21, wanted to join her brothers on the front in Europe, and joins the navy, but is sent to Vancouver Island on the Pacific coast. She later married a naval officer.

Mary Trenaman was a surgical nurse in Goodwill Canadian Army hospital  in England and in France after the death of her husband, continue to treat the wounded until the end of the war. Bride of Hobart, Marion Roy, also serves as a nurse in the Medical Corps Royal Canadian Army.

A family of amateur musicians

The names of Edward Grieg Styffe reflect the double attachment of parents to their native country and music. Styffe Ingrid-Blanchet, the youngest of the family, remembers evenings spent making music with your family:

«My parents loved music, Especially the music by the Norwegian composer Edvard Grieg. In the early years in Thunder Bay, my father bass blood in the Norwegian Lutheran Church choir. Eddie Learned how to chord on the piano without taking lessons and we have often played duet together. I did played the piano, my brother, John, played the guitar and Eddie played the violin and then put ET would that instrument down and began playing the mandolin. My brother Hobart also played with us on the Hawaiian guitar. And how could I have forgotten my father’s contribution! My father played the accordian in our little group.»

Scources:
Ingrid Styffe-Blanchet, younger sister of Major Edward Grieg Styffe “Childhood Sweethearts, from Norway to Canada, “Life writing from Brock House and letter of April 9, 2001 Styffe Staff Committee, and Gerry Poling, “Oscar Styffe, timber baron,” Chronicle-Journal, Thunder Bay, August 6, 2000
Edward Styffe, e-mail of 6 April 2001 the Committee Major Styffe
Ingrid Styffe-Blanchet, letter of April 9, 2001 Major Styffe the committee

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En Français:

La famille du major Edward Styffe

Oscar et Ragna, ses parents de la Norvège arctique au Canada. C’est en Norvège arctique, dans la province de Finmark, près d’Alta, dans le village de Bossekop, qu’Oscar Ragnvald Styffe et Ragna Magdalena Iversen ont grandi ensemble. Ils sont séparés pour la première fois lorsqu’Oscar obtient une bourse d’études du roi Haakon pour l’académie militaire de Tromsø, un peu au sud d’Alta. Ragna, huitième enfant d’une famille de neuf, travaille dur dans la boulangerie familiale. Eidar, l’aîné de ses frères, émigre aux États-Unis et trouve un emploi sur une chaîne de montage des moteurs Ford, à Detroit, dans le Michigan. Quand il invite Ragna à lui rendre visite quelques semaines, elle n’hésite pas. Désirant rester aux États-Unis, elle se met à chercher du travail.

Pendant ce temps, Oscar étudie la cartographie, l’arpentage des forêts et les mathématiques avant d’obtenir son diplôme de l’académie militaire en 1906. Il a projeté d’épouser Ragna à Bossekop et de partir avec elle dans le sud de la Norvège.

Mais Ragna n’accepte le mariage qu’à condition qu’ils s’installent aux États-Unis. Il la rejoint alors en 1907 à Calumet, dans le Michigan. Oscar trouve là du travail dans une mine de cuivre, qui ferme en 1911.

De leurs cinq premiers enfants, trois meurent en bas âge avant qu’Oscar ne parte chercher du travail au Canada, sur la côte nord du Lac Supérieur, à Port-Arthur, dans l’exploitation du bois, alors florissante. Ragna et Oscar ont quatre autres enfants après John et Hobart, nés aux Etats-Unis : Ethel, Edward, Roy et Ingrid. En 1927, Oscar fonde sa propre compagnie de débardage, qui prospère rapidement, malgré la crise de 1929, et devient en 1931 une société anonyme : Oscar Styffe Limited.

L’entreprise familiale de commerce de bois

Ses deux activités principales sont le remorquage des grumes collectées tout le long des rives du lac Supérieur, grumes qui servent à produire de la pulpe de bois et de la pâte à papier, et le transport en péniche de sable lavé et de gravier des rives pour la construction. L’entreprise emploie près de cinquante personnes en permanence et cinq cent cinquante saisonniers. Le fils aîné d’Oscar et de Ragna, John, diplômé de l’école de commerce de King, est chargé de la gestion de la compagnie.

Formé à l’exploitation forestière rationnelle en Norvège, O. Styffe s’oppose aux coupes sauvages et demande que les coupes soient sélectives et contrôlées, afin de ne pas épuiser la matière première, qu’on entretienne les forêts et que la reforestation soit organisée. Mais, malgré ses efforts, il n’est pas écouté.

Pendant la guerre, comme son père est affaibli par la maladie, John Styffe prend la direction de la compagnie, alors qu’il voulait partir à l’armée avec ses frères, car il est officier de marine de réserve. Après la victoire, le second fils Hobart reprendra sa place dans l’entreprise d’origine, Oscar Styffe Ltd, tandis que le quatrième fils, Roy, travaillera dans la nouvelle, Gravel and Lakes Services Limited.

Edward David Styffe, neveu du major Edward Grieg Styffe, nous raconte l’histoire de l’entreprise familiale :
«Mon père [Hobart Styffe, deuxième fils d’Oscar,] avait un diplôme d’études forestières de l’université d’Idaho (États-Unis). Il revint à Port-Arthur immédiatement après la guerre et alla travailler chez son père dans la compagnie Oscar Styffe Ltd dans le transport du bois. La compagnie possédait plusieurs bateaux, péniches et remorqueurs et divers équipements nécessités par le transport des grumes par eau soit par bateau, soit par train de flottage tiré par des remorqueurs. Après deux années difficiles, Oscar décida de créer une compagnie distincte appelée Gravel and Lake Services Ltd (GLS), Services des Graviers et des Lacs. Toutes les opérations de marine marchande se sont déplacées vers cette nouvelle compagnie. Elles étaient dirigées à partir d’un même bâtiment au dock n°5 sur les quais de Port-Arthur.

Vers 1970, l’Oscar Styffe Ltd a cessé ses activités de transport des grumes et la Gravel and Lake Services a continué. À ce moment, elle a quitté ses activités de transport du bois pour s’engager dans l’assistance aux bateaux de haute mer qui vont et viennent dans le port de Port-Arthur. En 1957 fut ouverte la voie maritime du Saint-Laurent, ce qui permit aux navires de haute mer d’atteindre Thunder Bay. C’est un port qui donne sur l’océan 2 000 miles à l’intérieur des terres via un réseau d’écluses, de canaux et de rivières de l’océan Atlantique à travers les grands lacs jusqu’au lac Supérieur. Le blé et d’autres céréales arrivent à Thunder Bay par chemin de fer et sont chargés à la fois dans des bateaux du pays et des bateaux étrangers qui repartent vers l’est.»

Texte original : «My father was a graduate in forestry from the University of Idaho. He returned to Port Arthur immediately after the war and went to work for his father at Oscar Styffe Ltd in the logging business. The company owned various boats, barges, tugboats and miscellaneous equipment which was involved in the transport of logs by water either in ships or by rafts of logs which were towed by tugboats. After a couple of difficult years Oscar decided to create a separate company called Gravel and Lake Services Ltd. All marine operations shifted into this new company. They operated out of the same office building at #5 Dock on the waterfront in Port Arthur.

By 1970 Oscar Styffe Ltd had ceased logging operations and Gravel and Lake Services continued operations. By this time it had changed from a support company for the logging business and was engaged in the business of assisting ocean vessels to berth and unberth in the Port of Thunder Bay. In 1957 the St Lawrence Seaway system opened up. This created access to Thunder Bay for ocean vessels. It is an ocean seaport 2 000 miles inland via this system of locks, canals and rivers from the Atlantic Ocean through the Great Lakes to Lac Superieur. Wheat and various other grains arrive in Thunder Bay by rail and are loaded into both domestic and foreign ships which return to the East.»

Une famille engagée contre le nazisme

Oscar n’a pas oublié son pays natal, qui a été envahi dès le 9 avril 1940 par les nazis et a dû capituler le 9 juin ; le roi et le gouvernement ayant préféré s’exiler plutôt que de collaborer, il devient en 1941 vice-consul de Norvège à Port-Arthur, et consacre son temps à collecter des fonds pour soutenir la résistance norvégienne. Pour ce faire, il organise des conférences et prend la tête du Fonds canadien de soutien à la Norvège. Après lui, John reprendra  cette fonction de vice-consul et continuera cette action bénévole.

En même temps, Oscar est très fier que ses trois autres fils, Hobart, Edward et Roy, combattent pour la même cause que lui dans l’armée de son nouveau pays, le Canada. Sa plus jeune fille, Ingrid, orpheline à 21 ans, veut rejoindre ses frères sur le front d’Europe, elle s’engage dans la marine, mais est envoyée sur l’île de Vancouver, sur la côte du Pacifique. Plus tard, elle épousera un officier de marine.

La jeune femme d’Edward, Mary Trenaman, est infirmière spécialisée en chirurgie dans un hôpital itinérant de l’armée canadienne, en Angleterre, puis en France ; après la disparition de son mari, elle continuera à soigner les blessés jusqu’à la fin de la guerre. La fiancée de Hobart, Marion Roy, sert aussi comme infirmière dans le Corps médical royal de l’armée canadienne.

Une famille de musiciens amateurs

Les prénoms d’Edward Grieg Styffe témoignent du double attachement de ses parents à leur pays natal et à la musique. Ingrid Styffe-Blanchet, benjamine de la famille, se souvient des soirées passées à faire de la musique en famille :
«Mes parents aimaient la musique, surtout celle du compositeur norvégien Edvard Grieg. Les premières années à Thunder Bay, mon père tenait la voix de basse dans le chœur de l’église luthérienne norvégienne. Eddie savait accompagner au piano sans avoir pris de leçons et nous jouions souvent ensemble à quatre mains. J’accompagnais au piano, mon frère John jouait de la guitare et Eddie du violon, puis il décida d’abandonner cet instrument pour se mettre à la mandoline. Mon frère Hobart jouait aussi avec nous de la guitare hawaïenne. Comment ai-je pu oublier la contribution de mon père ! Il jouait de l’accordéon dans notre petite formation.»

«My parents loved music, especially the music of the Norwegian composer Edvard Grieg. In the early years in Thunder Bay, my father sang bass in the Norwegian lutheran church choir. Eddie learned how to chord on the piano without having taking lessons and we often played duet together. I did the chording at the piano, my brother John played the guitar and Eddie played the violin and then he would put that instrument down and commence playing the mandolin. Also, my brother Hobart played with us on the Hawaiian guitar. How could I have forgotten my father contribution ! My father played the accordian in our little musical group.»

Source:
Ingrid Styffe-Blanchet, lettre du 9 avril 2001 au comité Major Styffe
Edward Styffe, e-mail du 6 avril 2001 au comité Major Styffe
Ingrid Styffe-Blanchet, sœur cadette du Major Edward Grieg Styffe, “Childhood Sweethearts, from Norway to Canada”, Life writing from Brock House, et lettre du 9 avril 2001 au comité major Styffe ; et Gerry Poling, “Oscar Styffe, timber baron”, Chronicle-Journal, Thunder Bay, 6 août 2000