Anytown Canada, Northern USA, or Fort William Ontario in the 1940's....

These wonderful winter photos could very well be from here in Thunder Bay(well one is).  The clarity of these pictures are incredible and a must share with anyone who enjoys vintage photography.  This week during Christmas and New Years day is always a time for myself and family to reflect on our past and be grateful for what we have in today's modern world, however, as you can see from these photographs that everyone was as happy as can be enjoying life on a day to day basis back when things were simpler and sometimes happier.

 

This house looks exactly like the one in the movie "A Christmas Story" only missing the 1937 Oldsmobile in the driveway and the Leg Lamp in the window.  The kids are having a great time sliding down the small hill.  This photo was taken in 1940.

Here we have a 1928/29 Ford Cabriolet with opera windows.  I have never seen a soft top with windows like this before.  Oval windows like this were mostly used in commercial vehicles such as roadster pickups.  This photo was taken in 1940.

Here is one more 1940 photograph which could have been taken in any small town Canada or Northern USA.  This is a wonderful picture of a young man on his bicycle with all the great 1930's cars along the street and all the store fronts decorated as they did in that era.  It almost looks like a movie set.

Here we have a January 1943 photo of a caboose man cave....wouldn't any guy love to have this on his property.  The girly photos etc. may have been allowed in those days but not now.  Times have sure changed on the railroad.  The end of the caboose era was about 1990 mainly due to the fact that rail cars had roller bearings by then and there was no need to watch for hot boxes(?) or worn bearings at that time(I hope i am fully correct on that data).

This last picture is a favourite of mine although the quality is poor.  It was taken near where I lived as a kid.  Looking at the picture the CNR engine (Circa 1950) is turning down a spur at the corner of Marks and Arthur Streets in Fort William.  The CNR spur turned east just behind the Kingsway Motel, headed down Arthur Street with a gradual turn north at Marks Street and headed down Vickers Street to reconnect to the Main Line, with a station just before the Fort William Gardens.
In the picture, a small elevator called the Davidson Elevator is just behind the train.  That property is now called West Arthur Place where the Spence Clinic is today.
MacDonald Equipment Co. on the right which faced Marks Street is now a portion of the parking lot for West Arthur Place.  Ray's Esso Service station which faced Arthur Street would be behind the picture taker.
For a little more data about this CNR spur click on this link http://hotrodsandjalopies.blogspot.ca/2009/10/old-canadian-national-railway-spur-in.html
....then reture to this post.

Thanks to our friends at www.shorpy.com for some of the great photos above....and as usual BE SURE TO CLICK ON ALL THE PHOTOS TO ENLARGE THEM.

Merry Christmas 2011 ....the last Christmas post for this year.

This is one of my most favourite photos ever posted by our friends at Shorpy.com .....The peace and serenety of the scene after a fresh snowfall reminded me of my childhood days.

  

 The following picture was posted once before but it is one of my favourite family photos ever.  Who could ask for better times at about 15 years old(one year before I could drive).  This of course is my family taken in December of 1959.  My mother Noreen, not with us anymore, my little sister Daryle, my baby brother Corey, my Dad, Jon(yes..that is how it was spelled, and still doing well at 92 years) with his perpetual cigarette and of course myself with my white and red ski sweater on(if it was in colour).  We were out getting our annual Christmas Tree, somewhere near Oliver Lake here in Fort William.  I couldn't have asked for a better childhood than what I had....things were a bit tough at times, but  I was truly a lucky kid.  Click twice on both photos to enlarge.

Thanks to all who have donated pictures throughout the year and all those who faithfully watch HR&J....We will continue to try to bring you something new and different as time permits.
Merry Christmas to all......D.

Old Times, Hard Times, Good Times.....we should be grateful for what we have!!!

Here are the Blakely Brothers in 1930 with restored toys going out for delivery to poor children in the Los Angeles area(note the lack of snow).  The other photo from 1902 says to help send Santa down 10,000 chimneys in Chicago by donating what you can.

In 1903, the Salvation Army is typically hard at work to help 25,000 poor folks enjoy a Christmas dinner.  The next photo from 1938 shows unemployed workers trying to keep warm next to a post Christmas castaway tree.  They were kids once and had a real Christmas....now they are just trying to keep their ears from freezing.....but they still have a Christmas tree...Oh...the power of Christmas!!!

Here are some kids from 1906 receiving Christmas baskets with the basic necessities of life included......they sure looked happy and weren't disappointed that they probably didn't get what they really wanted.  Kids today don't realize how lucky they are...!

A very interesting 1947 Kresge`s Department Store front window display.  The kids could pose with Santa for a photo.

This is what Christmas was all about in 1945.  A very happy soldier returning home to his sweetheart to a very Merry Christmas.

This 1935 photo shows a much better time for this young man.  What kid wouldn`t want an electric train under his tree.

If you are a child of the 1950`s you will surely know this couple.  It is Lucile Ball and Desi Arnaz.  This photo was taken in about 1953 shortly after the birth of their second child Desi Arnaz Jr.  Their daughter shown sitting is Lucie Desiree Arnaz at about age 2.  A wonderful family Christmas that eventually ended in divorce in 1960.

This is the Kennedy family Christmas card with John-John and Caroline......the card that was never sent, because President Kennedy was assassinated just before Christmas on November 22nd in 1963.

One final photo here is taken at Christmastime in Iowa during the peak of the 1930`s depression...they still managed however to have a few lights strung out for the Holidays.

Life is short, and is tough at times, but we all seem to survive.....some however better than others.  Be sure to visit the old folks, the shut-ins, the sick and the lonely ones that have no one to visit them during this Christmas season.  These are the people that have helped to make our world a happier and much more prosperous place than what they lived through.

Some of these photos are courtesy of our friends at Shorpy.com

LEST WE FORGET, Remembrance Day 2011 - 20 photos of then and now here in Fort William and Port Arthur.....

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old;
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.

The picture to the right is taken on the corner of Red River Road(formerly Arthur Street before amalgamation), and Cumberland Street facing north.  A little faded out but on the right is the Prince Arthur Hotel.  This picture was taken on VJ day (Victory in Japan day) in 1945 during the ticker tape parade.

This photo was taken about 1918 welcoming home WWI soldiers to Fort William Ontario.  This picture was taken on the corner of Victoria Ave and May Street facing west. 

This is how the corner looked in 2009....the changes are incredible but there are still 2 rows of 7 windows across the upper floors of the Scotia Bank building.

This is a 1917 photo of the 141st Battalion coming down Simpson Street heading south/west around the corner onto Victoria Ave. 

This corner as it looked in 2009 on Google images barely looks like the same spot, as most all the historic structures on Simpson St have burned to the ground in recent years.

This is a photo of the arrival back in Port Arthur of the 52nd Battalion on March 29, 1919, only 5 months before my father was born.  The battery of soldiers are moving off on parade.  This old Port Arthur CPR station would be right in the middle of what is now Water Street just east of the Prince Arthur Hotel.

The Next few photos are taken on Oct 10th 1940.  Local soldiers of the 52nd Battalion are marching down Red River Road to the CPR station where they will head by train to the east coast and then overseas.

This is how this corner looked in 2009 on Google images.

The Pagota in this picture as you can see was moved west up the hill somewhat towards the Prince Arthur Hotel.  Water street was quite narrow and the time and was west of the old CPR station as shown in the older photo.  This old station would actually be right in the centre of the present day Water Street.

This is a 1940 Colour Guard parade on the corner of Victoria Ave and Brodie Street in Fort William showing soldiers heading off to war.  Thank you to Roger Rickards for this great photo.  All the old Victoria Ave landmarks are clearly visible in this photo.

This is how the same spot looked in 2009 on Google Images.  It's nice to see most of these Victoria Ave building are still in use today.

 Canada Car and Foundary(CC&F) built 1,441 Hurricanes and Sea Hurricanes during the war effort.

This is how the inside of the Fort William plant looked in 1944.  My father was stationed on the west coast near Victoria BC after the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbour.  There was concern that there would be more bombings of naval bases in the US and in Canada in the early 1940's.  My parents were married just before my Dad was sent to Victoria and I would be born there when this photo was taken in 1944.

Thanks to all those who donated or loaned photos for this and many other posts.  Be sure to click on all the photos for enlargement and also go to this link to see more photos from last years Remembrance Day post http://hotrodsandjalopies.blogspot.com/2010/11/lest-we-forgetremembrance-day-november.html

Interesting Fort William Fires - Then and Now....

It's always interesting to find out why an empty lot was between two larger structures for no apparent reason. Usually it was because there was a fire there at some time or another and the building was never rebuilt. Occasionally a photo surfaces to fill in the blanks. This next one is no exception and the other two fires will bring back a few memories.
Also, I always try to incorporate an old car or two into the local history posts. Read below the photos for the information and click on each photo to enlarge.

Here is the Canton Cafe which was located at 309 E. Victoria Ave near Simpson Street. In the today photo, the arrow points to the exact spot, right next to Fresh Air Experience and I believe they use it as a parking lot. The nose of a 1937 Ford makes the photo more interesting and easier to date. Apparently the fire took place in 1939 and the building was never rebuilt.

The 1957 or '58 Plymouth is shown in front of The Fitzsimmons Fruit Company at the end of Leith Street at 147 Hardisty Street in Fort William. I remember this one well, as it was just down from Kam Motors Ltd, where my dad worked. The fire was in 1959. We were both watching it from the 2nd floor lunch room at Kam Motors which was in the next block west of the fire. Even with the winter cold and the lunch room windows, you could still feel the heat from the fire. Interestingly the roof burned out first, which made the fire burn upwards and not heating the brick structure enough to collapse. The brick structure was saved to rebuild again from the inside...the building still exists to this day as seen in the coloured photo, however I'm not sure who owns it now.

Graham's Allbest Products Ltd, better known at Batters Storage and Distribution Ltd was on the corner of Vickers St and 1001 Donald Street. What I remember most was the amount of times that the warehouse was broken into in the 1950's and 60's. With a great variety of items they distributed from there, cigarettes seemed to be the item that most burglars were after. Reading about the Canadian National Railroad and the Fort William Gardens posts in this blog, the CN spur went right by Batters with a siding for them as well. This picture however was after the tracks had been removed. The fire took place in 1958. The building was eventually demolished and Versa Care Centre was built, which is a long term care provider, much needed as all us baby boomers get older.
MUCH THANKS TO KEN CROOKS FOR THE USE OF THE GREAT PHOTOS AND TO ALLAN YAHN FOR RESEARCHING THE CANTON CAFE!
Keep your comments coming....Thanks D

Victoria Avenue and May Street.....

Here is a great before and after picture set. The left photo was taken about 1940 and the one on the right taken July 2009. The b&w photo shows the hustle bustle on the S/E corner of May St and Victoria Ave in Fort William(now the south core area of Thunder Bay). Gas buses were already in competition with rail streetcars in 1940 as seen by the bus beside the old Royal Bank building. In the background of both pictures you can see the famous Royal Edward Hotel(now low rental housing called the Royal Edward arms). Kings and Queens of England stayed in the Royal Suite there. Things don't always get better with time. I always try to get a few good old jalopies in the picture. Thanks for lookin' and click on....

Hot Rods in Advertising

Here's a couple of examples of the use of Hot Rods in advertising. For the '57 Chevrolet ad you can see an overheated hot rod in the background (click on pictures to see them better). Hot rods were a common sight throughout the '50's. This photo creates the feeling of reliability. A new '57 Chevy was more reliable than a hot rod......well, of course it was.....and still is today...well, maybe!
The second picture is of Bill Haley and his Comets in a hot rod on the cover of their "Shake Rattle and Roll" record. How cool is that!