Lower Town, Quebec City, QC.
Tag Archives: history
Lighthouse
The Point Clark lighthouse on Lake Huron has been under wraps for the past couple of years while undergoing major repair/reconstruction.
It has re-emerged from the cocoon.
It looks spectacular!
Filed under Photographs
Old and Forgotten
There is history behind this Northlander Engine.
It has become old and forgotten. Does any of it matter?
Filed under Photographs
Landmark
Derelict grain elevator in Dorothy, Alberta.
This is dinosaur country. The structure complements the history of the region.
Filed under Photographs
Just In Case
This is my friend Larry’s garage wall. The “too good to throw in the garbage” items hang on the wall just in case they will be needed some day in the future. Larry runs a farm and “you never know” when something hanging in the garage will be exactly what you need to repair a broken piece of equipment.
Of course, the day you need that item that you’ve saved for years is exactly one day after you give up on it and throw it out.
Filed under Photographs
Pergola
As part of the Waterfront Development Project fundraising, a pergola was built.
The structure is a meeting and resting place for those visiting the waterfront features. The leaves commemorate the people of North Bay.
It is an interesting gateway to the wonders of North Bay’s Waterfront.
Filed under Photographs
End of an Era
Yesterday I went on a little photo walk and found myself in the part of town where the Ontario Northland Railway has its operations.
There is a long history to this enterprise and North Bay has been the centre of its operations since it was created.
Over the years it has grown into the Ontario Northland Transportation Commission and its activities extend beyond rail to telecommunications, shipping, internet services, contract refurbishing of rail cars and locomotives. At one time it had its own small airline (Norontair).
Recently in a “cost saving” measure the Provincial Government announced that it was divesting itself of the various parts of the ONTC and would sell each to the highest bidder. This has created a great deal of upheaval and uncertainty in the town and indeed in the whole of Northeastern Ontario. From North Bay to Moosonee unhappiness reigns.
The memory of the “Glory Years” is about to start fading:
It won’t be long before the building in the background is renamed.
People will forget as the enterprise that connected Northeastern Ontario fades into history.
Filed under Photographs
The Good ‘Ol Days
Back in the days of cheap gasoline, Wheeler’s in Astorville was a very busy gas station and restaurant.
Who can remember when gasoline was 78.9 a litre?
Filed under Photographs
Nipissing History
The old Chief Commanda served as a cruise boat on Lake Nipissing for many years. It is now dry-docked on the waterfront and serves as a restaurant and fresh pickerel market.
It was replaced by the “New Chief” in about 1974.
Filed under Photographs
1820’s Portage
Imagine voyageurs padding along this path in early spring on the way to Lake Superior.
This is part of the Lavase Portages which saw such traffic for 150 years.
Opening Canada to commerce one (large) canoe at a time.
Filed under Uncategorized
Waterfront Nostalgia
An afternoon on the North Bay Waterfront.
Photographs from the past often show a nostalgic time. Partly it’s the style of the photograph and the fact that they are often monochrome, but very often the yellowing of age that photos aquire as time passes is the main carrier of the nostalgic feeling. Fifty years from now these pictures which were made three days or so ago, might be interpreted in the same way by those viewing them.
“Ah, the good ‘ol days.”, could be one of the thoughts going through their minds.
Filed under Photographs
503
Visited Engine 503 today.
It is still bravely awaiting its refurbishing.
Filed under Photographs
Nostalgia
The Grand River in Galt from the Concession Street Bridge.
The Scottish heritage of Galt is marked by the steeples of two Presbyterian churches, Knox on the left and Central on the right. The buildings are kitty corner from each other across a small park.
Filed under Photographs
Morning on the Grand
We visited my home town this past weekend.
I grew up in the town of Galt which has a long history, starting out as a settlement in the early 1800’s. There is a great deal of Scottish heritage in the town, which had several industries related to textiles. Water power for many of these factories was supplied by the headpond behind this dam on the Grand River.
The banks of the river downstream from here were lined with limestone block buildings housing the factories. Most are gone now, their foundations obliterated or converted into pleasant walking paths. A few have become high-end housing lofts. The high-rise building in the background stands on the site of a large towel manufacturing plant where my father worked for some thirty years.
I have not forgiven Darcy McKeough for changing the name of my home town to “Cambridge” in the 1970’s.
A bit of history of the town appears HERE.
Filed under Photographs
Go West
This is the mouth of the Lavase River, where it enters Lake Nipissing. For 150 years The Voyageurs paddled through this channel in the spring, on their way west to Thunder Bay on Lake Superior. The return voyage passed this point and ended up in Montreal in the Autumn. Lake Nipissing is controlled by dams on the French River these days, and there are navigation markers in place. However the place is pretty much the same as it would have been 150 years ago.
In the spring the water would be much higher than it is in this photograph, but by fall it would probably have been as you see it here.
Filed under Photographs
