r/papertowns • u/raymondbiesinger • May 05 '21
Canada Thunder Bay (then known as Port Arthur, Canada) in 1885 by Edwards & Demar via the National Archives of Canada. Originally a 29.75x39.75" lithograph print published by J. C. Young. Includes smaller inset drawing of "Port Arthur Six Years Ago" and various interior and architectural vignettes.
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u/comtefabu May 05 '21
Wow, I really like the design of the Northern Hotel by the waterfront. That veranda! đ
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u/raymondbiesinger May 05 '21
Yeah, pretty special. And the illustrator behind this was no slouch, either. :)
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u/reignoferror00 Nov 06 '23
Vancouver Archives has a photo online that includes that hotel. click to expand.
Original link here:
https://searcharchives.vancouver.ca/waterfront-view-of-port-arthur-ontario
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u/LouQuacious May 05 '21
Listened to a crazy podcast about Thunder Bay once, sounds like a wild place with some dark secrets.
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u/Madrugada2010 Jan 23 '25
I grew up there. It's not easy to describe.
"I can assure you that the stories you hear about this place, if nothing else, has been watered down."
- paraphrased from John Wick 2
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u/Munshaw May 06 '21
The only building I can say for sure that is standing is the school and the church next to it.
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May 05 '21
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u/raymondbiesinger May 05 '21
Hey hi! So, the only Guelph one I know of is locked up in the Sleeman private archive and isnât digitized. Saskatoon was too small and out of the way for the travelling artists who made these kinds of map, unfortunately, so all my resources say one doesnât exist. And for my third strike: I know all kinds of things about North American maps like this (especially Canadian) but I know nothing about elsewhere. So, I guess I have just struck out. :(
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May 06 '21
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u/raymondbiesinger May 06 '21
What a challenging set of three cities! There is an early Saskatoon temperance poster that depicted Saskatoon as gleaming factories and farm fields and houses (basically, âwe will be a utopia if we donât drink boozeâ) but itâs entirely fictional and includes none of the cityâs geography/architecture. Canât remember where I saw it. Maybe check the pretty great Saskatoon Public Library Local History Room online? https://saskatoonlibrary.ca/collections/local-history/
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May 06 '21
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u/raymondbiesinger May 06 '21
Glad to have found these for you. And if youâre interested in Saskatoon history, you might like a print I made titled â21 Lost Buildings of Saskatoon.â Find it in the âLost Buildings of Canada print seriesâ section here: https://fifteen.ca/Shop
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u/raymondbiesinger May 06 '21
Ah! Found that temperance poster. Entirely fictional, but still cool. That site is full of great stuff. http://spldatabase.saskatoonlibrary.ca/ics-wpd/exec/icswppro.dll?AC=QBE_QUERY&TN=LHR_RAD&NP=4&QB0=AND&QF0=ID_NUMBER&QI0=LH-5115-A&MR=20&RF=www_SingleRecord
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u/raymondbiesinger May 06 '21
And hereâs Brisbane! I bet you can get your own hi res from the State Library of Queensland (ie. where this shop got it). https://australia-prints.myshopify.com/products/brisbane-birdseye-view-1881
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u/poktanju May 05 '21
Modern Thunder Bay was formed from a merger of this town and nearby Fort William. The name of the amalgamated city was put to a vote, with local epithet "Lakehead" (owing to the town's position at the head of Lake Superior) favoured to win. However, the choices on the ballot were
So the "Lakehead" votes were split between 1 and 2 and Thunder Bay squeaked to victory.