Bill Leishman at work in his pharmacy.
Inside Leishman's Pharmacy about 1950. The woman in the red checked dress is Ethel Broski. Who is the other?
The front of Leishman's Pharmacy on O'Brien Street about 1950. Remember the mud?
Andrew Leishman in a truck owned by "H. Hogemann General Trucking", during CIBC construction in 1950.
Construction behind Leishman's Pharmacy in 1950. They were building the CIBC at the corner of Main & O'Brien Streets.
Bill Leishman locking the pharmacy door for the last time in January, 1982.
Atikokan Progress news clipping, January 27, 1982. Transcription is below.
By ROBERT W. CLARKE
(PROGRESS Staff Writer)
Atikokan's two long-time drug store operators – W.H. (Bill) Marr and W.B (Bill) Leishman – have joined forces to establish a single outlet under the name of Atikokan Pharmacy Ltd.
The change becomes effective Monday, Feb. 1, with the two men occupying enlarged premises at the Marr location in the so-called Atikokan Mini-Mall. In an interview, the two men mentioned that they had taken the first steps towards the amalgamation about three months ago.
One purpose behind the merger, apart from an opportunity to provide the best possible service, was the fact that the two druggists will be able individually to take things a bit easier. The practicality of their joint venture is underlined by the fact that the two have been close friends through the 32 years that they've operated separate establishments in this community.
Both veterans of Canada's armed forces from World War Two, the two men arrived in Atikokan at virtually the same time back in March of 1950 – Mr. Leishman establishing Leishman's Pharmacy and Mr. Marr taking over as operator of Atikokan Rexall Drugs owned by Walter Gagne of Fort Frances.
At that time, Mr. Leishman moved into the building that he has occupied on O'Brien St. although the structure then was much smaller than has been the case for many years. Atikokan Rexall Drugs occupied an old building on Front St. which was torn down some years back. Atikokan Maintenance Products now has one of its buildings located roughly on that old site.
After a couple of years there, Rexall Drugs moved to a site on Main St. into a building now occupied by Four Seasons Travel. It was during this term that Mr. Marr assumed ownership, ultimately vacating that spot to move to his present location.
Both men can conjure up some rather fond memories of what things were like in the first couple of years of their business existence in Atikokan.
"I can recall that we used to get shipments of ice cream sent to us from Fort Frances by train," said Mr. Marr. "I'd have to get up before 6 a.m. to meet the train because the ice cream had to be hustled over to the store before it melted."
(All this, of course, was in the days before Atikokan had any road outlet.)
Mr. Marr also recalls that at one time he used to get 250 copies of the Star Weekly, published by the Toronto Star and, at that time, something of a national institution. "We used to sell every one of them too," he said. He figures that the advent of TV spelled the doom of the Star Weekly.
Mr. Leishman recalls that for some time after his arrival here he was obliged to live at the rear of his store, a place that he purchased from Alf Huta and Jack Kaskie, who had operated a plumbing shop. "I wouldn't trade Atikokan for any other place in the country," he said.
The Atikokan Progress, January 27, 1982.
Many thanks to for these photos and the clipping.
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