Must be something in the water

4/18/2007

Last week a rather astonishing email appeared in my inbox. This one didn’t come from a friendly Nigerian wanting to give me his millions, or a friendly Rolex peddler, or even a friendly pharmacist wanting to sell me blue pills to extend my... life. It was from my cousin in Caledonia.
It seems her community newspaper, the Grand River Sachem, recently reprinted a photo and story that first ran in the Monday, June 25, 1951, edition of the Toronto Star.
The headline on the story read: “Caledonia, village of 1500, boasts 24 sets of twins and credits the healthy, Grand River air.” The photo was snapped at the town bandshell, a popular spot at the time, and included 16 sets of twins. Two tall boys in the back row, listed as Bill and Bob Clark, are none other than my Dad and my uncle.
I knew they were twins, but I had no idea the streets of Caledonia were running wild with multiples back then.
The article went on to say, “There’s a powerful elixir in the air around Caledonia, the people claim. There have been 24 sets of twins born in the village in the last 15 years. Most of them have arrived in the last six years.”
“Most of the fathers of the 48 wouldn’t hazard a reason for the numerous double births. One old timer declared the river air has been good and healthy for 50 years, but it’s sure taken effect in the last 15.”
There must be something in the water. Some folks suggested the town’s main industry, the Gypsum, Lime and Alabastine Co., might have something to do with it, but I like Reeve Alex Blackwell’s explanation the best:
“It’s just that there are no worries in a small town.”
The history of Normanby Township details how, from 1889 to 1989, the township produced nearly 90 sets of twins or multiples. The only explanation offered is “the fine drinking water of the South Saugeen River.”
Must be something in the water up here too.
Some families such as the Pfeffers and Wettlaufers have produced more than one set of twins and, in 1943 alone, twins were born to the Wettlaufers, Meyers and Haaks.
In 1983, the Meyer and Pfeffer boys were born and, a year later, the Patterson twins came along. It wasn’t long before the three sets of twins were playing hockey on the same team—a remarkable feat in any arena, let alone one nestled in the sprawling metropolis of Ayton.
Over the same 1936-51 time period as Caledonia, Normanby produced about a dozen sets of twins, although Caledonia still has the edge with their 24 sets.
It is rather incredible when you think about it, and sounds more like something out of a science fiction movie than a local history page. No one has been able to determine why twins tend to spring up in bunches, or just what that powerful elixir is floating around the air and water.
The dictionary says an elixir is “a magical or medicinal potion, supposedly able to prolong life indefinitely.” I like the sound of that, but the smart money says we shouldn’t go plunging our faces into the Grand and Saugeen rivers just yet. The answer could be anywhere—or it could simply be that there are no worries in a small town.