PRESS COVERAGE
Here is the piece that was on TV in Northern Ontario with subtitles in English.
A Visitor from Coppell, Texas
A Visitor from Coppell, Texas
Journal Le Nord
The North Magazine
Between friends: from Coppell, Texas, to Coppell, Ontario, a great visit!
GERRARD PAYEUR
July 4, 2023
More than a dozen people gathered at the Écomuseum last Saturday to meet Phil and Lois LaBerge of Coppell, Texas. These two Americans, history buffs, globetrotters and people of the world, traveled more than 2,200 kilometers to visit their namesake town, Coppell. Supporting documentation, Phil LaBerge told us in a relaxed manner, with humor, in both languages, the history of Coppell, Texas, and all the surprising points that the two villages have in common. Starting with the name: both communities adopted the name Coppell because of the same railroad magnate family.
First the father, George Coppell, rich investor and director of a railway in Texas intended to transport mainly cotton, the Cotton Trail Railway. Then his son, Herbert Coppell, also a rich investor and one of the directors of the Algoma and Hudson Bay Railway which was intended to transport pine trees from Northern Ontario to the American Midwest. In honor of these two men, two freight depots along the two railway lines were named Coppell.
Coppell, Texas, in 1890 and Coppell, Ontario, in 1914. Also, the two villages had until the beginning of the 1960s practically the same population, i.e. 500 to 600 inhabitants. Then, while the Coppell of Texas experienced meteoric growth due to the expansion of the Dallas airport, the Coppell of Ontario declined inexorably following the hasty departure of the American pulp companies located along the Algoma.
Decline or not of the village, we still had to go to this legendary Coppell. A small procession then took the road south to first stop at Bradlo to tell our visitors the history of the Slovak community that once lived there. Then, head to downtown Coppell.
There, right in the center of Rue De l'église, everyone in the group told funny anecdotes and recalled memories of the village, the church on the rock, the big cement convent, the school, stores or even the different companies that operated there… all of that has now disappeared! After a short visit to the local cemetery, the group stopped in front of the wayside cross in Rang Groleau before going to Lake Coppell... to Coppell Beach more precisely, where several Coppellians welcomed us warmly, in kayaks and rafts!
All in all, it was a great day. Phil and Lois LaBerge seemed very satisfied with their visit. They wanted to meet local people. They did it and were delighted, even touched, “over their expectations” which they entrusted to me. In fact, they had souvenir gifts from Coppell, Texas, for each of us who came to meet them.
Finally, early in the afternoon, the couple Phil and Lois LaBerge left Hearst, on their way to La Belle Province. It must be said that they have an ancestral home in L'Ange-Gardien near Quebec, the Maison Laberge built around the 1660s. They go there almost every summer to escape the heat of Texas and enjoy the freshness of the St. Lawrence.
In closing, Laurent Vaillancourt and the curator of the Écomusée, Louis-Patrick St-Pierre, had organized the accommodation in an ideal way for this memorable meeting for the people who participated. A truly special visit… because we were among friends… as Phil wrote!
The North Magazine
Between friends: from Coppell, Texas, to Coppell, Ontario, a great visit!
GERRARD PAYEUR
July 4, 2023
More than a dozen people gathered at the Écomuseum last Saturday to meet Phil and Lois LaBerge of Coppell, Texas. These two Americans, history buffs, globetrotters and people of the world, traveled more than 2,200 kilometers to visit their namesake town, Coppell. Supporting documentation, Phil LaBerge told us in a relaxed manner, with humor, in both languages, the history of Coppell, Texas, and all the surprising points that the two villages have in common. Starting with the name: both communities adopted the name Coppell because of the same railroad magnate family.
First the father, George Coppell, rich investor and director of a railway in Texas intended to transport mainly cotton, the Cotton Trail Railway. Then his son, Herbert Coppell, also a rich investor and one of the directors of the Algoma and Hudson Bay Railway which was intended to transport pine trees from Northern Ontario to the American Midwest. In honor of these two men, two freight depots along the two railway lines were named Coppell.
Coppell, Texas, in 1890 and Coppell, Ontario, in 1914. Also, the two villages had until the beginning of the 1960s practically the same population, i.e. 500 to 600 inhabitants. Then, while the Coppell of Texas experienced meteoric growth due to the expansion of the Dallas airport, the Coppell of Ontario declined inexorably following the hasty departure of the American pulp companies located along the Algoma.
Decline or not of the village, we still had to go to this legendary Coppell. A small procession then took the road south to first stop at Bradlo to tell our visitors the history of the Slovak community that once lived there. Then, head to downtown Coppell.
There, right in the center of Rue De l'église, everyone in the group told funny anecdotes and recalled memories of the village, the church on the rock, the big cement convent, the school, stores or even the different companies that operated there… all of that has now disappeared! After a short visit to the local cemetery, the group stopped in front of the wayside cross in Rang Groleau before going to Lake Coppell... to Coppell Beach more precisely, where several Coppellians welcomed us warmly, in kayaks and rafts!
All in all, it was a great day. Phil and Lois LaBerge seemed very satisfied with their visit. They wanted to meet local people. They did it and were delighted, even touched, “over their expectations” which they entrusted to me. In fact, they had souvenir gifts from Coppell, Texas, for each of us who came to meet them.
Finally, early in the afternoon, the couple Phil and Lois LaBerge left Hearst, on their way to La Belle Province. It must be said that they have an ancestral home in L'Ange-Gardien near Quebec, the Maison Laberge built around the 1660s. They go there almost every summer to escape the heat of Texas and enjoy the freshness of the St. Lawrence.
In closing, Laurent Vaillancourt and the curator of the Écomusée, Louis-Patrick St-Pierre, had organized the accommodation in an ideal way for this memorable meeting for the people who participated. A truly special visit… because we were among friends… as Phil wrote!