Callander, Onatario, Canada

Callander, Ontario was formerly known as North Himsworth, but the mayor remarked that no one knows where North Himsworth is, so the name was changed to Callander. I don't know how much of a difference the name change made, but I do know that the Dionne quintuplets were born just outside of Callander in 1934, just a few years before this card was sent. They must have been a big sensation there at the time, but the sender didn't mention them. His mind was on other things.

Callander currently has a population of approximately 3,300. When this postcard was sent, there were some good fishing spots nearby. May still be the case. There's supposed to be a good supply of Walleye at Lake Nipissing.

The message on the card, sent to Mr. and Mrs. Delbert Cain on August 18, 1937 reads:

Dear Folks,

Pulled in to North Bay early this evening. 688 mi   Hoping to catch a lot of fish. How did you like her looks?

Nephew

Ervan  (?)

Kingston, Ontario, Canada

Although this card is from about 1910, the photo is probably from thirty years earlier. There is still a market here - and also a skating rink. Unfortunately, there's no Google street view to show you what it looks like now, but if you want to see what's happening at Springer Market Square right this minute, you can look at their webcam. The first time I looked, they had set up an ice skating rink and you could see people skating around, but it looks as if that has been dismantled now.

Streetcar Sunday - Montreal, Canada

At one point, Montreal had a tram system that included 1,000 trams and 310 miles of track. The first Montreal trams were horse-drawn cars in 1861, but by 1892 the entire system ran on electric power.

As in many other places, streetcars fell out of favor in Montreal. In part this had to do with the perception that they were old technology, but as the automobile became more popular, drivers also felt that trams were inconvenient obstacles. At least a bus would move with traffic and could move out of the way, since they weren't confined to tracks.

Montreal began substituting buses for trams in 1951, with tram service ending once and for all in 1959. Well, not really once and for all, because like other cities Montreal is now planning to re-introduce trams.  The first line is scheduled for completion in 2013, with two additional lines to follow.

Andy Riga, of the Montreal Gazette, put together some interesting research on Montreal trams past and future here.

Here are some additional old views of Montreal with trams.

Streetcar Sunday - Victoria BC, Canada

I have only visited Victoria, British Columbia once, but I thought it was a beautiful and charming place. One of the many memories that sticks with me is going shopping for clothing in Victoria. I am not always an enthusiastic shopper, but the experience there was relaxed and fun. Most of all, I was amazed at how labels were imprinted with Made in Canada.  I bought a few sweaters and a hat there, all made in Canada, of great quality and not expensive. After that, I started checking labels on everything to see where the items were made. Even the towels at the Empress Hotel were made in Canada. 

And here is a card of the Empress Hotel. The location is great and the hotel is beautiful, although many of the rooms are small. It would have been even nicer if there had been a tram when I was there. Still, it's a very walkable city.

Here's another card showing trams in Victoria.

Although there are no longer any trams in Victoria, there has been talk of bringing them back. BC Transit is looking at trams along with Light Rail Transit and Bus Rapid Transit as possible alternatives.  In their words: "they each have their advantages and enthusiasts." For updates on their plans, check the BC Transit website.

Here are the backs of the cards in the same order.

The message to Mr. William Fyfe reads:

Dear Dad:

Just a note you should have come too. Of course I'll be home when you get this but that's O.K. Having a swell time. May won't get out and hold the boat steady. Bye Now Love Sis (?)

The Ferry Landing in Windsor, Ont., Canada

It looks as if the ferry has just docked and the passengers are walking up the street past Gibson Brothers' Tobacco shop. Brian from The Paper Sponge kindly sent me this card, because he knows I love street scenes like this. They really are a slice of life, showing what people wore, the cars they drove, and what sorts of businesses were in a town. This one is especially nice, because it's a street scene in Canada, but also shows the skyline of Detroit, Michigan across the river.

If you would like to look at (or download) some great old postcard images of Windsor and nearby places, visit the Southern Ontario Image Archive.  And, be sure to check out Brian's website, The Paper Sponge; he features postcards and all sorts of other interesting ephemera. Here's the back of the card, which shows that it was printed by the famous Valentine & Sons.

Falls View Bridge, Niagara Falls, Ontario

This is a postcard of Niagara Falls from the Canadian side.

In the foreground you can see the streetcar, owned and operated by the Canadian National Railway Company.  There is a comprehensive website that details the history of Niagara Falls streetcars, so I won't repeat it, but encourage you to visit their website if you want to know more.

You can also see an Imperial Oil Limited gas station in the foreground on the right. Off in the distance, you can see that the cars seem to be backed up on the bridge behind the streetcar. That's the Falls View Bridge - the third one. The first Falls View Bridge was built in 1869 with a bridge deck that was only ten feet wide. It was widened in 1888, to allow traffic in both directions, but it didn't matter for long because a year after the renovation there was a powerful storm that destroyed the bridge. It still lies submerged in the water.

The second Falls View Bridge was built immediately and finished within 117 days after the destruction of the first one. It didn't last long either, because it was unable to carry the weight of streetcars, which were now considered essential. The bridge shown above, also known as the Upper Steel Arch Bridge, was built in 1898. Unfortunately, disaster struck again in 1938, when the bridge collapsed due to ice jams. You can read more about the bridges over Niagara Falls here.

Streetcar Sunday - Winnipeg, Manitoba

In 1891, Winnipeg became the third Canadian city to introduce electric streetcars. All was well for a number of decades, but dissatisfaction brewed after the end of World War II. In the early 1950s, the city hired an engineering consultant to look at the various options for streetcars and to explore whether the service could be expected to pay for itself and what entity should control it. As in many North American cities, the Winnipeg streetcars had been operated by the power company, in this case the Winnipeg Electric Company.

The consultant recommended that the government take over operation of the system, which it did.  Unfortunately, people complained more about the service under government operation than they did before. At the same time, people were extolling the virtues of buses over streetcars. So many other cities were changing over to buses. Not surprisingly, Winnipeg's streetcar system was replaced by buses in 1955.

The change to buses seems very odd to many of us today, but at the time it was considered the more modern and appealing alternative. People thought the streetcars were old and clunky and the buses were newer and more comfortable, which is approximately the reverse of public perception today. Buses had greater flexibility and could pull up to the curb, which also provided greater customer safety when boarding or disembarking.  Although measures have been taken to make streetcar boarding much safer today, the appeal is still largely personal and aesthetic. Appeal is not inconsequential either; if transit is expected to draw people out of their automobiles, it has to be appealing.

More recently, the City of Winnipeg has looked at introducing an aerial tram system that would operate above the streets.

Speaking of appeal - the front of the card is fairly simple and straightforward, the back is very ornate.

Where You Could Be

Contemplating a Summer getaway? Here are some ideas:

We'll get those cows to mosey along and then we can take a dip in that pool.

Or, how about the Country Squire Motel in Knoxville, Tennessee? It has a putting green (not shown):

But this looks like the nicest swimming pool, and the scenery is terrific. It's the Harrison Hot Springs Hotel in British Columbia:

L. Bush stayed there in 1952 and had this to say:
 

Hi neighbor! Believe it or not I might be getting home the last of this week. Took a trip up into Canada with my family and we stayed here one night. Fine scenery.

Do you still have Hay's Dairy? You might have the driver leave a bottle of milk for me Friday. Have him charge it to me.

L. Bush.