Junction Boy (1)

My old man was a Junction boy. The Junction was a railway town, where the CN and CP lines met in West Toronto. "I lived in a factory", he used to say, and in a way it was true. My father was a natural storyteller. He made up stories to make sense of his life and times, and told them to anyone who would listen.

The Queen City Leatherworks was a family business, located on Dundas St., just up from Lynett's funeral home. In the basement they made gloves, which they wholesaled to jobbers, as well as retailed in the storefront above. My grandpa was famous for his "one-finger gloves". These were tough leather mittens, but with a separated index finger to create a combination of warmth and usability popular among the railwaymen.