Jack Miner’s bird sanctuary at Kingsville, near Windsor, Ontario, Canada
This used Canadian Art Deeptone series, postcard was published by Windsor News Co., of Windsor, Canada and features of photograph of Jack Miner’s bird sanctuary at Kingsville, near Windsor, Ontario. The inset at the upper left on the front of the card shows Jack Miner releasing a wild goose in flight. The card has a divided back and was made in Canada. There is a blurb at the top center on the reverse side: "The Miner Migratory Bird Sanctuary near Kingsville, Ont. was established in 1904 by Jack Miner, farmer and philosopher. It was authorized as a Provincial Sanctuary for bird life by the Ontario Government in 1916. As many as 25,000 Canada geese and other birds may be seen there at one time. Jack Miner was a pioneer in banding birds for the study of migration, banding the first bird in 1909.” The stamp used on the card is a King George the VI, 2 cent stamp, first issued in 1937. Canadian stamps do not expire and can be used any time after issue, with added postage if necessary to meet the current rate.
King George VI, stamp issued in 1937
John Thomas Miner was born in Dover Township, Westlake, Ohio in 1865. In 1878 he and his family moved to Canada. The family had a free homestead at Gosfield South Township, part of Essex County, near Kingsville, Ontario. The fifth of ten children, John did not receive a formal education and was illiterate until the age of 33. He worked as a trapper and hunter in the 1880s and also in the family business manufacturing tiles and bricks from a claybed on their land.
Eventually he became known as “Wild Goose Jack,” because of his growing interest in conservation and specifically in birds. He first noticed that bobwhite quail seemed to have difficulty surviving winters. He built brushwood shelters and provided grain to help the quail. About the same time, he also raised ringnecked pheasants. His interest expanded when he noticed that Canada geese were stopping at ponds on his land during their migration northward in the spring. In 1904 he created a pond on his farm and used tame Canada geese to attract wild geese. It took 4 years before wild geese began settling at Miner’s sanctuary. By 1911 and onward large numbers of geese and ducks were arriving necessitating an enlargement of the pond. By 1913 the entire homestead had become a bird sanctuary. The provincial government provided funding so he could add evergreen trees, shrubs and more ponds surrounded by sheltering groves.
Miner began banding birds with his own hand-stamped tags. The tags had his address information and a scripture. By this tagging method, and the return of the tags he received back, he was one of the first conservationists to determine the migratory paths of birds. His efforts Increased interest nationwide and spurred on an expansion of tagging. In 1916 hundreds of geese and other waterfowl. Using the information from the returned bands, the migratory habits of Canada geese were mapped. The tags were often returned by poachers, curious Native Americans, or the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. They came from the eastern shore of Canada to as far south as the gulf coasts of Florida. The tagging also helped to establish the U.S. Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 which represented an agreement between six nations making it unlawful to capture, sell, or kill certain migratory birds. In 1923 Miner published an account of his banding and waterfowl conservation studies in Jack Miner and the Birds. The book sold all 4000 copies of the first print-run in two months.
The Jack Miner Bird Sanctuary was one of the first of its kind in North America, and remains in existence today. Miner died at age 79 in 1944 at Gosfield South Township, now part of Kingsville, Ontario, Canada.
Kingsville is located in southwestern Ontario. The town, incorporated in 1901, has a population of approximately 22,000. In addition to the bird sanctuary Kingsville is also home to Colasanti’s Tropical Gardens which also attracts people from all over Ontario.
For more information, see:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Miner
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingsville-Ontario
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