Early Grain Elevators at Fort William Ontario...Elevator A & B and N.M. Patterson...

Instead of re-writing the following post, a new post is now submitted correcting the story of the A&B Elevators.  Everything else in this post is correct.  Thank You!

 

Most of the following photos are courtesy of Linda Ryma.  They belonged to her Grandfather Alexander Walsh and were taken by Nelson Merrifield APSA(Associate of the Photographic Society of America).  By comparing the photos, the first few are Elevator A & B which were located at the eastern most end of Victoria Avenue in Fort William Ontario.  The photos from Linda were taken in the early 1950's. 

Noted directly on the Elevators...it says A & B.  Here is the Seaway Queen loading grain with a number of 1950's cars in the foreground helping to date the photo.

This is a photo of Victoria Ave in Fort William in the early 1940's near the corner of May and Victoria Ave.  Further in the distance you can see a large elevator at the foot of Victoria Ave and by maps and data they were called Elevator A&B.

Here's the Sir James Dunn loading grain at the same location.



The James Whalen shown at the left in the same slip as above and the James Whalen permanently docked at the old CPR pier on the Kaministiquia River for all to see at any time Winter and Summer.  The James Whalen at the left also states "United Towing and Salvage on the hull.

This looks like a group of fishermen or workers heading out of the Elevator slip...note no life jackets to be seen!

Below:  A Whaleback Steamer at the Elevator...explanation to the right!

Click on the above and all other photos to enlarge them!

Here are two more era photos, one from the 1940's and one from BC(before cars) both showing the large elevator at the eastern end of Victoria Ave.  The black and white photo below is a close up of the one above with a street car, near the old Commerce Bank building in Fort William.



These two photos are of the original A&B Elevators taken in about 1900.

This is how the eastern end of Victoria Ave looks today without the spectacular
Elevators on the skyline.

This is a photo of the large N.M. Patterson & Sons elevator taken from beneath the swing bridge at the southern end of James Street in West Fort William.



This is a colour photo of the NM Patterson & Sons elevator taken from the top of the swing bridge, showing the Algosoo steamship from Sault Ste Marie and the Western Terminal Elevator in the distance.

Swing Bridge

This final photo was taken recently from the southern end of the swing bridge in West Fort William, Ontario showing the empty property where the Patterson elevator was.

A big thank you to Linda Ryma for the use of the photos.  Linda also loaned HR&J some other photos which will be used in a different post at a later time.