Harry Lauder's Walking Stick

Corylus avellana 'Contorta'

    This is a plant, it seems, that no one is one the fence about.  Either you love or hate the contorted large shrub that is known as Harry Lauder's Walking Stick (though it always looked like a wand from Harry Potter to me).  Corylus avellana 'Contorta' struggles in the heavy clay soils and dry winters of most of Colorado, it thrives in most climates.  This cold hardy, corkscrew version of the popular hazelnut was found in a hedgerow in England in the mid 1800s. It is primarily grown as a novelty plant.  In the summer, the rather large leaves hide the twisted nature of the plants and it generally appears as a rough green mound.  This is a plant used mainly for winter interest.
 
    So, who is this Harry Lauder for whom this odd plant was renamed?

     Sir Harry Lauder was born in Scotland on August 4th, 1870.  Early in his youth, his father died and his family moved to be near his mother's relatives.  There, in Lanarkshire, Lauder first worked in a mill then in a coal pit.  This is when he first developed his talent for singing and comedy.  He sang folk tunes and funny songs to his fellow workers to bolster there spirits in the dark, dusty pit.  They enjoyed it so much that they encouraged him to sing in the local taverns.  He gained some local fame and soon joined with a concert party that toured the country.

     Irish comedians were the favorites of the time, so Lauder based his early act on that.  He became known for wearing full Highland regalia and carrying a crooked walking stick in his act.  He toured the world and had many hit songs, always playing up his Scottish heritage to great effect.  A collection of recording of his music can be found here:
http://archive.org/details/HarryLauder

        Though he is best known for being a jovial Scotsman, he was in fact a versatile and talented man.  In various productions he played a wide range of roles and composed songs much more profound than the raucous pub songs that began his career.
       His son, John, was killed in World War I.  Harry Lauder really wished to personally help in the war effort.  He was declared to old to go into battle, so he suggested he could sing to the troops and help keep morale up, similar to the day back in the coal pit.
      Lauder performed for the Scottish troops in all circumstances, even disobeying the War Office to sing to the lads in the trenches.  He worked to recruit new soldiers and even started  the Harry Lauder Million Pound Fund which aided Scottish soldiers and sailors who were maimed in the war.  It was for these efforts that he was knighted in 1919.


   

 Maybe it is time to give that comical shrub a chance, or just have yourself a nice Harry Lauder cocktail and sing a few bars of "She is my Daisy".

Cocktail recipe:  http://www.absolutdrinks.com/en/drinks/harry-lauder/

Biographical information on Harry Lauder came from the University of Glasgow: Special Collections

http://www.gla.ac.uk/services/specialcollections/collectionsa-z/scottishtheatrearchive/stacollections/sirharrylauder/

Cuthbert Grant Rose

Rosa 'Cuthbert Grant'

     I am sure most of you are familiar with this popular, hardy shrub rose.  This hybridized shrub rose, developed by Agriculture Canada, was first introduced in 1967.  It was designed to be very tolerant of the cold as well as resisting some common rose pests such as black spot.  The red to red-purple blossoms appear on both old and new wood.  It blooms earlier than many varieties of roses, adding to its appeal.  Most of us have either grown this variety or known someone who has, but have you ever wondered who this Cuthbert Grant fellow was?  

          Well, Mr. Grant was an important figure in Canadian history.  He earned many titles during his lifetime including:  "Child of the Fur Trade",  "Wapeston"  "Captain General", and my personal favorite, "Warden of the Plains".  Sounds impressive, right?

Portrait of Cuthbert Grant

          Cuthbert Grant was born in a Northwest Company trading post located in present day Saskatchewan where he spent the first years of his life traveling with his father on trapping and trading missions.  He was a part of the Metis  people, a recognized nation of peoples descended from indigenous Canadians and the recently arrived Europeans.  Grant grew up with a heritage of mixed cultures.  His father had provided for his children to be educated before his untimely death during Cuthbert's childhood.  Grant went on to schooling in Montreal (some sources say Scotland).  

         

          Upon becoming a man, Grant followed in his father's footsteps and signed on with the Northwest Company.  He proved to be a capable and loyal man and was given charge of a small out post at Fort Esperance.  Tensions grew between those of the Northwest Company and a small colony of Scottish settlers backed by the Hudson Bay Company and aided by the local Saulteaux people.  The Northwest Company sent out new leaders who felt the only way to settle the dispute was through violence.  They needed more men, though, so they turned to Cuthbert Grant and his ties to the Metis people.  Being ever loyal to the company, Grant aided in allying the Metis to the NWC with himself as the Metis' military leader.  This led to the Battle of Seven Oaks also known as the Seven Oaks Massacre in which 20 of the colonists and only one of the Captain-General Grant's men were killed.  The remaining colonists left, leaving the river valley in control of the Northwest Company.

Battle of Seven Oaks

          There were various conflicts between the two companies over the years that followed only to be resolved by them merging into one under the name of the Hudson Bay Company.  Grant remained in the service of the company until his retirement in 1824.  He was granted land at White Horse Plain on the Assiniboine river.   Approximately 100 family of the Metis people joined him there.  The town that sprung up was known as Grantown for many years until it was renamed after the patron saint (now known as Saint Francois Xavier).  In 1828, Grant was given the title of Warden of the Plains by the Hudson Bay Company.  

         Grant enjoyed the respect of the Metis people as well as the HBC for many years.  He married three times and had at least 13 children.  He became sheriff and magistrate for the district of Assiniboia as well as a successful farmer.  He eventually fell from influence among the Metis people and died unceremoniously from injuries he sustained from a fall of his horse.

          So the next time you happen upon that vigorous and ample blooming shrub rose, take a moment and remember a man who worked to enrich his people though he was torn by his mixed heritage.

Most of the information in this article came from the Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online

http://www.biographi.ca/009004-119.01-e.php?id_nbr=3942

and from Cuthbert Grant His Rightful Place in Manitoba History

http://www.cuthbertgrant.ca/