HISTORY
The Life of Wild Goose Jack
If you’ve spent any amount of time in Kingsville, you’ve likely heard the name Jack Miner. You’ve probably travelled past or even visited the Jack Miner Migratory Bird Sanctuary on Road 3 West. But how much do you actually know about Jack Miner? Here we take a look at the man who is credited with introducing the concept of conservation to the world. Early Life Jack was born in Ohio in 1865, the 5th of ten children. He rarely attended school, feeling more comfortable in nature than he did at school or around other children. His mother recognized his immense love of nature and encouraged him to spend his time outdoors, instead of pushing him to attend school. In fact, it is estimated that Jack only attended school for a total of three months. In 1878 when Jack was 13, his family moved to Kingsville where his mother’s family had settled. Hunting When Jack was a teenager, he and his brother Ted began earning money through hunting and trapping to help support their family. They became market hunters - killing birds and animals they would then sell - and they also led hunts for prominent businessmen. In 1884, clay was discovered on the Miner family farm at a time when Kingsville was experiencing an economic boom. Brick and tile were needed to build the new stores, homes and schools and the Miners prospered in producing those materials. Despite their new success, Jack and Ted continued on their hunting trips each autumn and, at one time, Jack was considered to be the best hunter in Canada. Family In 1888, Jack married Laona Wigle, daughter of the well known Kingsville family. They had five children: Carl, Pearl, Manly, Ted and Jasper. Sadly, Pearl died at age three from a severe fever and Carl died at age 13 after suffering an appendicitis. 28 | Southpoint Living - Boomer
Jack Miner at his pond feeding the water fowl.
Tragedy In addition to losing two children at a young age, Jack also suffered the loss of his brother Ted, who was shot and killed by a fellow hunter during a hunting accident in1898. Faith Following his brother Ted’s death, Jack began to take an active role in the church. He had previously not shown much interest in religion, likely due to the fact that he had never learned to read and therefore he couldn’t read the Bible. However, once he began leading the Sunday school classes, he was able to learn how to read with the help of the boys he was teaching. Jack’s faith started to play a prominent role in his life and it is believed that his conservation efforts were prompted by a verse in the Bible stating the importance of man sheltering wildlife. Early Efforts Jack started by securing wild duck eggs and raising three ducks. He put water in one of the clay pits on his property to make a home for the ducks. The ducks left in the fall but the following spring a number of ducks came back. Jack believed some of the ducks were the same ones that had been there the previous fall. His neighbours were skeptical though, which gave Jack the idea to attach a band to prove the same ducks were returning.
