Oland Family Breweries

Oland Family Breweries. . , 1867 , The year has great significance , not only did it mark Canada's confederation, but it also marked the year that Susannah Oland introduced her family's October Brown Ale to the public. , 1870 , John Oland died unexpectedly, but the family business was never in danger because his wife, Susannah, took control and ran the brewery with her sons , an unprecedented move for a woman in that era. Susannah pushed the boundary one step further and boldly renamed the brewery to S. Oland, Sons and Co. , 1876 , Susannah and her sons turned their household ale into a household name around Halifax. The Oland's ale had become so popular among sailors in the area; the family renamed the brewery to S. Oland, Sons and Co's Army and Navy Brewery in appreciation of their most loyal customers., 1878 , Susannah's success did not mean it was smooth sailing for the family's brewery. Disaster struck twice in eight years as the brewery suffered two crippling fires; however, the Oland's never gave up on their brewing dream. They rebuilt both times and entered the twentieth century stronger than ever, lead by the second generation , Conrad G. and George W. C. Oland. , 1917 . Halifax Explosion and the move to Saint John , At 8:40am on December 6th, 1917 the Mont Blanc, a French cargo ship carrying weapons to the European front, collided with the Imo, a Norwegian merchant ship, in the narrows of the Halifax Harbor. The collision and subsequent fire brought onlookers to the waterfronts, unaware of what was to unfold. After the burning and crippled Mont Blanc drifted into Pier 6, it exploded and wiped out everything within an 800 meter radius , including The Army and Navy Brewery. This explosion caused the greatest loss of life and destruction Canada has ever seen and an explosion of its size wasn't seen on earth until the advent of the atomic bomb. Brew Master Conrad G. Oland and six other employees of the brewery were among the eleven thousand casualties that day. , George W.C. Oland survived the explosion and was determined to rebuild, but he knew it would take a long time for Halifax to recover. To maintain the business he purchased the Red Ball Brewery in Saint John, New Brunswick with insurance money from the disaster and sent his son, George Bauld Oland, to run it while he supervised the rebuild of the brewery in Halifax.