Wilson Pugsley MacDonald (1880-1967)

Wilson MacDonald, born here at Cheapside, established his reputation as a poet with the publication in 1926, of "Out of the Wilderness", a collection of poems which received wide acclaim. This success followed many years of struggling for recognition and had been preceded by two anthologies, "The Song of the Prairie Land" (1918) and "The Miracle Songs of Jesus" (1921). Among his many later works are "A Flagon of Beauty" and "Caw Caw Ballads". Although he wrote both satirical and religious poetry, he was primarily a lyric poet whose concern for unspoiled nature led to a strong condemnation of industrialization, urbanization and other aspects of modern life. He was buried in St. Luke's Cemetery, Vienna, Ontario.