Storied CBS property gets its very own storyboard

By Mark Squibb
A parcel of land in Conception Bay South that is home to the town’s new multi-million-dollar community park has a long and storied history, as testified by a storyboard erected on the property by the Town in partnership with the family of the former landowner, Jim Rideout.
Rideout purchased the five acres of farmland bordering on the shores of Long Pond for $1,400 in 1922.
Rideout was 21, and paid for the property, complete with home and barn, almost entirely with fifty-cent coins.
“He wheeled a thousand dollars worth of fifty-cent pieces in a wheelbarrow down the road here in Long Pond to the man who owned the property,” said granddaughter Colleen Reid. “So, he paid a thousand dollars in coin and then $400 over the next couple of years.”
Eight months after buying the land, he married Pearl Scott of Upper Gullies and the two moved into their Long Pond home together.
From his farm, Rideout sold produce locally, and later expanded into the dairy industry. In those days, a half pint of milk sold for 5 cents.
In 1988, Jim’s son Merv built a mini-golf course on the family property, Putter’s Par-Tee. The mini golf was a hit with residents.
“At the time, government had changed the Daylight Savings Time, and so we had two extra hours of light rather than one, so it was light until 10:30 in the night,” recalled Reid, who worked in the canteen with her sister Kim. “So, people could play mini golf late into the evening. It was really nice.”
A round of mini golf in 1988 would have cost you $2.
The family closed the venture in 1992 citing a decrease in business, but the land is once again a place of public enjoyment following the opening of the inclusive community park in July last year.
The park boasts a combination splash pad and ice surface, change room, playground, walking trails, picnic area, and stage.
Reid said her grandfather would have loved to see folks today enjoying his old farmland.
“My grandfather always gave back to his town, as much as he could, in any way that he could, which was the giving of food to people who may not have had as much,” said Reid. “Not that he had a lot, but he liked to give back if he could… He would be happy to see all these smiling faces, that’s for sure.”
Reid recalls visiting her grandparents at their farm on Sunday afternoons, which included making trips to Rose’s Store for treats, riding on horseback, and lazing around beneath the apple trees, and her teenage years working at the mini-golf course, and is impressed with the community park the Town has built for residents.
“This is fantastic,” said Reid. “It’s a great asset to our town. I think it’s wonderful that this is here for generations to come.”
About four years back, the Town approached the Reid family about gathering information for a storyboard to highlight the land’s history.
Reid said her family was delighted to be asked, and only too happy to share the many memories and stories the land had to offer.
