leslie4

Leslie McFarlane came to Haileybury in the summer of 1910. His father, John McFarlane had applied and was offered the position of the new principal at Haileybury Public School. Leslie was only seven years old. This area around Lake Temiskaming had been for the most part, considered a remote frontier of the Province until the Temiskaming and Northern Ontario Railway made its way northward from North Bay towards James Bay. Later discoveries of silver in nearby Cobalt, Elk Lake, and gold in Kirkland Lake and the Porcupine, attracted thousands of new settlers. The McFarlane family joined these many others as original pioneers to the area.

Leslie grew up here no different than any other kid of the day. He enjoyed playing baseball in summer, hockey on make-shifts rinks on the ice of Lake Temiskaming, and enjoyed playing boyish pranks with his friends. He attended Haileybury Public School, and was repeatedly drilled in the subjects of Reading, Writing, and Grammar. Healthy and vigorous amounts of composition eventually helped hone his skills to become a first-rate writer. In 1914, Leslie graduated from Haileybury Public School with Honours, despite his father's continual despair of trying to teach his son arithmetic. Leslie did not like mathematics. His sights had been set on a literary career.

Only when Leslie entered High School did he begin to show definite signs of potential. He began focusing his skills by writing short stories and learning the publication business. He delivered the Saturday Evening Post, set type at the Haileyburian newspaper, and ran the projector at the Grand Theatre.

His first real proof of writing ability came in 1915 when he won an I.O.D.E. ( International Order of the Daughters of the Empire ) historical essay writing contest. This was followed by a second-place finish in a collegiate writing contest. First place standings in both the Victory Loan Essay Contest and Haileybury High School's Oratory Contest reaffirmed both his seriousness and capability of writing. Before leaving Haileybury High School in 1919, Leslie took on the job as Editor of the school's first newspaper called Hail-O. The kid, they said, was destined for something very special.

Leslie McFarlane lived in a total of 5 homes in Haileybury. The first home, was situated at the corner of Latchford and Probyn Streets, at the north end of the town. His parents, John and Rebecca McFarlane, and his three brothers Frank, Wilmot (Dick), and Graham moved into this rented home immediately upon arrival from Arnprior in 1910. The family did not stay at the Latchford Street location for long. The McFarlanes soon packed up their belongings and headed 5 streets south at 105 Marcella Street. Leslie continued to live here until he was 17 years of age. The year was 1920.

The story of Leslie's life in Haileybury was interupted for a period of nearly 7 years. After High School, he began working for a string of newspapers including the Cobalt Daily Nugget, Welland Tribune, Sudbury Star, and the Springfield Republican in Springfield, Massachusetts.

In the fall of 1927, Leslie McFarlane briefly returned from Ramsey Lake in Sudbury to live with his parents at their newly built 430 Marcella Street home. By this time, Leslie was well on his way in the famed Hardy Boys Series. It is believed he wrote Secret of the Old Mill, The Missing Chums, and Hunting for Hidden Gold before leaving once again to Montreal, where on May 3, 1928, he married Amy Arnold of New Liskeard. The newlyweds resided in Quebec only a short time, for the next year they returned to Haileybury.

It is believed that Leslie lived briefly in this home between 1927 and 1928, the year he was married and moved near Montreal.
Upon their return to Haileybury, Leslie set up a small office on the second floor of the Bank of Nova Scotia and moved into a rented home at 435 Broadway St. In 1932, the last home was located at 580 Brewster St., one of the more larger and attractive homes in the town. The McFarlanes continued to live at this location until September 29, 1936, when they left Haileybury to begin a new life in Whitby, Ontario. By now, Franklin W. Dixon had become a household word and the popularity of the Hardy Boys books was worldwide. Leslie never returned to live in Haileybury.

    By now Leslie had written 8 Hardy Boys books. Sales of the juvenile detective series rocketed and the world fell in love with these two teenage boys from Bayport. Unfortunately, Haileybury residents were totally oblivious to whom the real author was. Leslie had been sworn to secrecy regarding his connection. Locals only knew Leslie McFarlane for his many articles which appeared in both Canadian, U.S., and British magazines.
     The Great Depression hit hard and contracts for publications tumbled. Life at the McFarlane residence was 'touch-and-go' at the best of times. Problems with alcohol set in as Leslie tried to cope with the situation. By 1933, two children, Brian and Nora had been born. Even he admitted, this was a rough time for writers trying to support a family.
     Eight more Hardy Boys books continued to put 'food on the table' during this bleak period. By September 1936, the McFarlanes decided to leave Haileybury to live in Whitby, Ontario. Haileybury residents were sad to see them go as a fairwell party, in which they received a silver tray, brought out some of the most notables in the town.