More Dave Ross Photos.....the CLE.....some Then and Now's and other interesting tidbits....

To make everyone happy - I try to combine local history with either cars or local racing, but many times I just do posts on interesting local history, and this post is no exception.

With the coming of Canadian Lakehead Exhibition fair week 2013...here is another group of Dave Ross' photos(click on all to enlarge), the first one taken from the top of the then CLE Grandstand building.  The midway was on the north side of the river then accessible by a walking bridge that you can see a bit of at the far left.  Further in the distance is Sears and the then Intercity Plaza.  To the right is Fort William Road and of course bottom right is the old CLE dirt track 4th and last corner heading towards the finish line.  The "edited for" grassy section at the center bottom and the track area, is the all paved northern parking lot for Silver City today.  Be sure to click on this link showing more of Dave's photos and the other ones taken from the grandstand, then return.  http://hotrodsandjalopies.blogspot.ca/2013/05/ckpr-radio-early-years-in-fort-william.html

To read all you ever needed to know about CKPR Radio - go to Bud Riley's site at the following link

http://www.budrileyradio.com/ckpr_radio_tv.html  ...Then return here.

 

Jack Masters and George Jeffrey taken in the hallway below the grandstand building at the CLE in the early 1960's.  Jack was a broadcaster for CKPR radio and television then, later to become Mayor of Thunder Bay for 2 terms from 1985 until 1991.  Jack was also a Member of Parliament (Thunder Bay/Nipigon) from 1980 until 1984.

​New Note : "George Jeffrey was CKPR, manager and sales manager and was one of the founders of the station."

The Thunder Bay Crippled Children's Centre began in 1961 and in 1983 was renamed The George Jeffrey Children's Treatment Centre in honour of its former Chairman of the Board (George Jeffrey) who was also director for many years for his dedication to children with disabilities.

 

The following is a new tidbit about the above photo from Dave R.

"The year would be 1961, the same year I took the coloured slides.....when CKPR had an exhibit under the grandstand.

CKPR was giving out 78 records that were painted with gold paint to anybody walking by.

They also had a place nearby or across the hall where people could break 

the 78 records with baseballs...   CKPR was called "Golden Radio"....." 

 

 

The above 1950's photo is a 1955 Ford owned by the Ross family and parked in front of their home on Summit Ave. in Port Arthur.
....a correction is needed here - click on comments at the bottom of this post to read the details.  This is a 1955 Meteor Niagara, not a Ford!

Across the street is an old Ford parked in front of  a nice cape cod style home which belonged to R. J. Prettie.  Mr.  Prettie ran Northern Wood Preservers long before it was sold to Buchanan Lumber.

MORE INTERESTING FACTS BELOW:



This is the former Ross home on Summit Ave.....the '55 Ford above was parked

directly in front of this home.

The above photo is how the R. J. Prettie home looks today on Summit Ave.  The photo below is Northern Wood Preservers taken in the 1960's, Later to become Buchanan Lumber.




THEN AND NOW:

This is an early 1960's photo of North Cumberland street at Wolseley Street and below is the present day....very uninteresting photo.  Check out the Brill Bus trolley overhead lines and the wonderful signage at the Shell station and on the billboard.

 

 

NOW.....SOME MARINA PARK:

 



Here is a ship coming between the CPR and CNR docks back in the 1940's.  The now picture on the right is exactly how the area looks today.  Be sure to click on all the photos once or twice for enlargements.



The next three photos show the same area above taken from the lake towards downtown Port Arthur.  The Prince Arthur Hotel is shown vividly on the right (part red brick/part grey building).  This postcard looks to be from the 1930's.



This last photo shows how the scene looks today, with the old station on the left, the baggage building on the right and the Prince Arthur Hotel in the background with the new modern government building and a portion of the new Marina roadway.

The photo on the right shows a small steamer in the distance heading to the area near the lighthouse(It may be the same ship shown in a photo above coming between the CNR and CPR dock at the marina. 
I have tried to locate this exact spot along the shoreline without any luck but could possibly be Parry's Marine as Dave Ross noted.

 

The next two photos are of the Current River.  The first one is taken just below the Black Bay bridge showing all the logs that were sent through the river system and on into Lake Superior to be sorted into booms then on to Northern Wood Preservers.  The second photo was taken just below the Current River Dam.  Both these photos were taken in the 1930's

 

Not too clear, but just below Black Bay bridge.

Taken from the Cumberland St. bridge below the Current River Dam.

Finally, two more interesting photographs.

 

Cumberland and Arthur Street (now Red River Road)

The was a steam train tour from back in the 1920's to Kakabeka Falls, Ontario approximately 18 miles from Fort William and Port Arthur.  If you look closely and enlarge the photo, you should only see 2 men.  This whole group is standing way to close to the gorge.  For visitors to the local area Kakabeka Falls is dubbed the Niagara of the North.

Many thanks to Dave Ross for the use of the photos of Fort William and Port Arthur's colourful history. (now Thunder Bay, Ontario)  A big thank you to all those who took these wonderful photos back in the days.