SAGE'S HOTEL IN WALTON

Sage's Hotel in Walton circa 1905

Now known as the Walton Inn

This is an interesting picture given to us by Bill Emigh of Victoria, B.C. This picture was taken during the construction of the CPR railway Guelph to Goderich line. Bill also provided us with information about the people in the picture.

The pair in the buggy at the left side are Bill's great grandfather, Jonathan Emigh and his daughter, Miss Allie. Jonathan built the Commercial Hotel in Blyth (now the Blyth Inn) in 1906 and was for many years before and after a leading contributor to the business and general life of Blyth. He was also the first fire chief of Blyth.

The family standing at the entrance is that of William Emigh, son of Jonathan, who was proprietor of the hotel at this time. Bill Emigh's father is the babe in the high chair.

The workmen to the right of the entrance are part of the crew working at the railway construction taking place in the Walton area at the time. The buggy owners on the right of the scene are curious Blythites who have come to Walton to see how the CPR construction is proceeding.

The newspapers of the time show how high the expectations are for this new transportation link. Blyth will become a two-railway town, which in those days was seen as very positive development. The north south line, the London, Huron & Bruce line had operated since 1876.

The Sage family had operated this Hotel for a number of years. Mr Sage died quite young and his wife continued to operate the business with the help of her daughters and one son. This family offered entertainment with their considerable musical talent. We have collected a great deal of information about the Sage family - all included in the Repository of Blyth History.