OK Port Arthur folks...it's your turn....

Mount McKay from Hillcrest Park looking towards Fort William 1920 and 2009.....that makes uh...89 years...WOW!


Here is Cumberland Street looking south/east and Red River Road(was Arthur Street before Amalgamation) in Port Arthur(now of course Thunder Bay, Ontario). The B&W was taken in about 1950.

In the upper photos you can make out an old grain elevator on the left and you can still see it today if you look closely. Some of the buildings near the mountain look similar too, otherwise its pretty barren. There has sure been great progress in the intercity area for sure.
In the bottom photos, only two structures are the same, and the rest has changed quite a bit. Atkinson's Jewelers is the only store front in both photos, but just closed this year.
Love the '50? Mercury on the left of the bottom photo, and how busy that part of Cumberland Street was. The today shots were taken this July. click on pictures to enlarge!!

Kam Motors Limited and the Oldsmobile....

Kam Motors Limited and the Oldsmobile THEN and NOW......

The 3rd picture top right is a little shadow box we did for my dad for his 90th birthday showing the years he gave to Kam Motors in the body shop. He worked there for many years before he began teaching Auto Body, and by the time the mid 50's came around, all the department managers were able to have a demo car to drive around, just to advertise the fact that they worked for the GM dealership here. My dad happily drove the bottom of the line 4 door 1955 through 1960 Chevrolets during his tenure there but his all time dream was and still is to own one of those beautiful incredible 1950's Oldsmobiles.....They were the epitome of styling and design for General Motors at the time and not really knocking the Caddys Buicks Pontiacs or Chevys, he always wanted one and as you look at these advertisement art pieces you can understand why and my friend Steve Miller would also heartily agree, as he is a great lover of these Oldsmobiles too!

Kam Motors was a very thriving GM dealership during these days as you can see by some of the older photos and like everything else all good things must come to an end. Their sister dealership, Port Arthur Motors and Kam Motors amalgamated a number of years ago now to be named Badanai Chev Olds, which is now located on Memorial Ave.

As usual it is sad to see the deterioration of what was, but the building is still well used as Diamond Taxi, Ace Automotive and Superior Propane.

Be sure to click on all photos to enlarge and see how the Oldsmobile had advanced from its 1903 through the 50's and jump to its ugly and boxy 2010 model. The war time ad is also impressive.

Travel to the Twin Cities of Fort William and Port Arthur...now Thunder Bay, Ontario.

The first photo, the green Fort William brochure cover was from 1924, and the photo beside it is the Public Utilities Commission building on Van Norman and Cumberland Streets in Port Arthur, also showing a very colourful Texaco service station across Van Norman St from the PUC.

Next is a few pages of the 1934 Fort William brochure showing Kakabeka Falls, the cabins at Chippewa Park, the Royal Edward Hotel(the hotel of Kings and Queens), and now low rental housing, and an aerial view of downtown Fort William.

The blue cover brochure was done in about 1940 and in it is a wonderful aerial photo of downtown Port Arthur, showing how our marina park once was, with the two Railroad stations, the CPR and the CNR, as well as the shipping harbour there with all the boxcars out on the piers.

Finally then and now photos on the corner of Red River Road(Arthur St before amalgamation), and Court Street. The curved front building on the right side was the old Eaton's Department Store, which is now a call centre.

Two of the old post cards state "looking west". Neither of the views are looking west...the PUC one is actually looking North/West and the T. Eaton store is looking East.

Also the one Fort William brochure makes an interesting statement:

"NO HAY FEVER....A visit to Fort William is now prescrible by hundreds of physicians to hay fever patients. Cure is immediate. The air is clean --- nights are cool. Sound sleep and a new appetite will build up the most delicate constitution."

Be sure to click on to enlarge all photos.

Today!...A few of the cars at the Thunder Bay Agriplex Car Show and Speed Challenge 2009....

Mister "C" at the mike....................... Hugh's Deuce 2-door .......Wally's Bumper

Wally's Buick .....................................Tony's Flames..............Tony's Pickemup

Rick's MSRA nomination 2009.. Randy's "Dad's '48 Monarch" ...How Low can you go.

Larry's '36 ...............................Jerry's Poncho......................Jamie's Chebby Pickup
Greg's Rattilac......................Patrick's long rat ...........Glen's Rat baby "T" pickup

Glen & Penny's grandson..................Dennis' very cool Rat front.............and back!

Bob's vintage "A" Pickup. Brians car is very 1950's..check the interior(take out the GPS Brian)

Andy's Caddy ........................I was there too in the weeds!!!

You can see my good friend Clarence Merko and his beautiful '57 T-bird with the mike in his hand. Mister "C" as we call him is totally at home with a microphone. He mc'd a great show for the Agriplex today. It was a beautiful sunny fall day at about 80 degrees(I still speak fahrenheit), and there was about 100 cars of all types in attendance, from vintage to rods to muscle. Organized by Barry Dejardine for the Agriplex, it was dubbed "The Car Show and Speed Challenge", as there were a number of horse events to top off the day showing true "Horsepower". Many great food and other vendors were also there. Thanks to all the volunteers that gave their time to have a great event, which I believe will be bigger and better each year. I don't usually cover shows and rod runs here but this will probably be about the last event of the season. Thanks for looking....and sorry Barry, I didn't have a photo of your car... Dave

Click on pictures to enlarge.