Then and Now in Fort William and Port Arthur Ontario...now Thunder Bay....

Goodyear - Ace tire and Battery Service was located in the same building as Harmer's is today at 200 North May Street.  Some of these ads and cards are from the 1950's and later into the 1960's.  Be sure to click on all the photos and ads for enlargements!

There are no remnants whatsoever as to the exact spot where Checker Taxi was but the address stated was 104 Pearl Street...likely just behind the old Marina Inn.

 
 


Irwin Motors selling Kaiser-Frazer cars and the Henry J cars was located at 111 N. Brodie Street where the new courthouse is now being built.

 
 

Do you remember Chubey's Auto Service giving away "Tempo" tumblers at their Service Station at 347 Queen Street off Memorial Ave.  There is a tiny building left standing there today.

 
 

Here is an ashtray from Craig's Service which was located at the present day Shell station on the corner of Arthur and Leland Street.  The ashtray says Fort William Ontario, dating it before 1970.

Del's Taxi was located in a small place at 1326 Brown Street near the old Brown Street Station.

Diamond Taxi still exists today on Leith Street as Diamond - Lacey's but not where it was in the early 1960's.  That lot is vacant now as shown here, and the lot to the left of it is also vacant today, as the Empire Hotel was recently demolished.  Diamond Taxi was located in many different places around the Thunder Bay area through the years.

 


Remembering George's B/A station on the corner of Victoria Ave and Waterloo Street stating Fort William Ontario, placing this as a pre 1970's advertising ashtray.

The address in a 1962 phone book for Roach's Taxi states 1 Phoenix building across from the Prince Arthur Hotel.  I don't remember a place called the Phoenix building.  Roach's is another Taxi business that still exists to this day as Roach's Yellow Taxi..

Here across from the old CPR railroad station is this unique building which was once Lacey's Taxi and also Barry and Glen Kettering's service station.  Trinkets such as the cork screw/bottle and can opener were commonplace advertising items in those days.

In a 1962 phone book it states the Paul's Taxi was located at 315 Bay Street - the building still exists to this day as well....across from the Hoito restaurant.

Red Top cabs was located here at 200 Simpson Street at the corner of Simpson and Leith street.  As noted above, the Empire Hotel no longer exists across Leith St. from this building.

An important part of the automotive trade here in the Lakehead was S. J. Hill and sons.  They started business in 1916 later selling International Trucks and Packard and Nash cars.  The building still stands to this day at 319 N. May Street.

 

The following ad is a blotter (It was used to blot ink from fountain pens so you wouldn't smear the ink....Do you remember blotters??  It goes back many years with a 5 digit phone number (pre 1960) and states Fort William, Ontario.  Of all the old ads and cards, this is the only business that is still called East End Service and still exists to this very day at the same address at the bottom of the East End bridge on the corner of Pacific and Simpson street.

Thanks to Google Earth for the "almost" present day photos.