Remembering the Queen's 1959 tour along the St. Lawrence Seaway

As Jim Brownell looks through pictures at the Lost Villages Museum in Long Sault, he fondly remembers Queen Elizabeth II’s second visit to Canada in 1959, to officially open the St. Lawrence Seaway.

"June 27, 1959. I was 11 years old," he says with a smile. "I remember leaving our farmhouse and my mother was pushing a baby carriage because I think she had had her eighth child by then, and we walked out to the new Highway number 2. It had been in service for a year because the flood happened in '58 and this is '59."

The Queen and Prince Philip were on a 45-day nationwide tour, visiting every province and territory, which included many stops along the seaway to open the newly finished project after four years of construction.

Brownell is now the Ppresident of the Lost Villages Historical Society, helping to preserve the history of that project. 

"We were standing there with our Union Jacks and waving and she came by and gave the royal wave," Brownell said. "It was exciting, and she had the top down, the top was down on the limousine that she was in."

"I remember her in that dress,” he said. “That's the dress she wore all day."

She made stops in Long Sault, Ingleside, Morrisburg and Iroquois, arriving in Brockville that evening.

"It was a grand day and my folks were monarchists, they certainly loved the Royal  family and whatnot and I think that's how I got my great love for the Royal family," he recollects.

The golden book she signed in Inglesid is now part of the museum.

"Those four years of having absolute turmoil in lives of people, this was kind of a time to celebrate," Brownell said. "The Monarchy was quite strong at that time so people came out to celebrate, they certainly did."

Fast forward 59 years later to 2018, and Brownell had a chance to see the Queen again, this time in England at Buckingham Palace.

She had been named Colonel in Chief of the SDG Highlanders Regiment, with Brownell being the Honorary Colonel. Two others from the Regiment also attended. 

"We had a private audience of 18 minutes with her," he remembers. "Sitting, talking to her was like sitting and talking to the wisest grandmother you'd ever want to meet. It was an amazing experience that few get and I count myself very lucky."

They presented her with a broach made in Cornwall. Brownell was even surprised when she brought up his former political career and made small talk.Jim Brownell points out a picture of Queen Elizabeth II signing a book in Ingleside, Ont. on her 1959 visit. (Nate Vandermeer/CTV News Ottawa)

"She's just a woman with stellar character. Gracious, intelligent," he said. "Just to think of how she knew so much about me with not a card in her hand and to greet me at the door."

"To extend her hand, I couldn't extend my hand until she did , but she to extend her hand and say ‘Welcome Colonel Brownell, it was magical," he said. 

"I had admired her from the first time that I knew what a Queen or a King was. During my lifetime I was born under a King, but most of my active life she's been the Queen and I've admired her all those years."

Photos in the collection at the Lost Villages Museum in Long Sault of the Queen's visit in 1959.

As Brownell discusses other photos of the Queen in the museum, news breaks of her passing. It was a tough moment for Brownell.

"You know, it's a sad day," he said, his voice breaking. "It's a sad day for those people who have a fondness for the Monarchy and for Queen Elizabeth. It's going to be a different time now."

"Through the good times and the bad times, she held it all together, and we're going to miss her," he added. 

Her memory, however, will now live on at the Lost Villages Museum, for many years to come.